The Top 13 Questions You Have For Subaru Heading Into The New Year

The 2021 Subaru Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, and Ascent are the brand's top-selling models. Here are thirteen burning questions readers have for Subaru as they bring new models in 2021.

As the 2021 Subaru Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, and Ascent models arrive now, Subaru fans have lots of questions. In our comment section, we get valuable information and feedback from our readers. Here are some of the top questions you have for Subaru. Check out the thirteen burning questions from last to first heading into 2021.

13. Will Subaru drop the Legacy sedan in the U.S.?

The shift in the U.S. is to SUVs and crossover models and many sedans are on their way out. The 2021 Subaru Legacy is the only sedan in North America that offers all-wheel-drive as standard equipment and is still a popular model. The sedan provides better fuel mileage (27/35 city/highway and 30 combined mpg) than an SUV and is still an attractive choice for many customers in North America. Subaru of America won't be dropping the sedan anytime soon.

Photo credit: Adventure Subaru

12. When will Subaru offer a head-up display?

What was once exclusively available in luxury vehicles, head-up displays now come standard on some mainstream brand cars now. Hyundai, Mazda, and Toyota are offering head-up displays (HUD) like the one in the latest Toyota Prius. Unfortunately, Subaru doesn’t offer a HUD on any vehicle in its lineup. We are guessing Subaru will bring a HUD in the next-generation Forester or Ascent in 2024.

Photo credit: subaru_worldwide

11. Will Subaru ever offer a mid-size pickup?

Mid-size trucks have been one of the hottest segments for automakers and it’s our guess a new Subaru truck would sell well. The brand’s new Ascent family hauler would be an ideal choice to build a pickup body style. The brand’s Symmetrical all-wheel-drive system would be a perfect fit for a pickup and would likely be a big hit with truck buyers who want to go off-road.

Don’t look for Subaru to bring a mid-size pickup anytime soon. The new all-electric SUV is the brand’s top priority going into 2021.

10. Will Subaru build a convertible BRZ?

Subaru and Toyota’s partnership with the second-generation 2022 BRZ/GR86 sport coupe will not produce a convertible model. Subaru won’t have anything to do with it as long as they have a say in the project. It’s all because of safety reasons concerning a BRZ drop-top trim. Subaru’s internal safety standards will keep the joint project from ever getting past the design stages.

9. Will the Crosstrek get a turbocharged engine?

CarSensor, a Japanese website, says Subaru is working on three new turbocharged engines to be introduced sometime in 2021. The big news is, one of the engines will be a newly-developed 1.5-liter direct-injection turbocharged Boxer engine that will replace the naturally-aspirated 2.0-liter Boxer that currently powers the Crosstrek subcompact SUV and the Impreza sedan and hatchback models.

8. When will Subaru offer an Outback hybrid or all-electric model?

Subaru will begin fazing out some of its Boxer engines in the Forester SUV, Outback wagon, and other models by the end of this decade as they gradually introduce a fully “electrified” lineup by the mid-2030s in every one of its nameplates.

Subaru customers in the U.S. could see an “electrified” Forester and Outback with hybrid or plug-in-hybrid technology by the end of this decade. Subaru may have to move up the date as the Japanese government recently announced its plan to ban cars with internal combustion engines by 2030. An all-electric Subaru Forester and Outback are still 10-15 years away.

Photo credit: motor.es

7. Why is Subaru so slow to bring an all-electric model?

Subaru and Toyota are not expecting all-electric demand in the U.S. to increase anytime before the mid-2030s. "I don't know when, but EV demand will expand sometime," Kazuhiro Abe, Subaru's vice president for product planning said. "We are thinking it will expand a lot. Maybe not in the early '30s, but maybe from the late '30s or ‘40s.” The global EV revolution could speed this up.

6. How much range will the first Subaru all-electric SUV have?

The first Subaru all-electric will use Toyota technology and reports say it could use a solid-state battery pack and potentially an EV game-changer. Solid-state batteries charge quicker and offer more range in the same size pack as traditional lithium-ion batteries. Stay tuned.

5. When will Subaru increase Forester’s tow capacity?

Subaru attracts customers with active lifestyles, and they want a vehicle with a "go-anywhere" attitude, which the Forester has in its DNA. But Subaru Corporation failed its adventurous customers by not improving the new fifth-generation Forester's tow rating. If you want to tow anything larger than a small utility trailer with the newly-redesigned Forester SUV, you are out of luck. The next-generation 2024 Forester could come with improved tow capacity.

4. Will you still be able to get a Crosstrek with a manual gearbox?

Subaru will soon drop all manual shifters in their cars to bring EyeSight driver assist technology as standard equipment to their entire SUV lineup. Subaru cannot fit EyeSight on a manual transmission car, so those models will all be gone soon.

Subaru will likely wait to drop the Crosstrek, Impreza, and WRX with manual transmissions until the 2024-25 production year under the terms of the voluntary commitment to have all its vehicles equipped with automatic emergency braking (AEB).

3. Will Subaru ever drop the CVT?

The CVT automatic is a staple in the Subaru stable and some customers loathe it. Why doesn’t Subaru move away from the CVT in the new 2021 Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, and Ascent if customers dislike it? Subaru uses it for its increased fuel mileage. Even if you hate the CVT in the new Subaru Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, and Ascent all-wheel-drive vehicles, Subaru will never leave it.

2. When will Subaru bring back a Forester with a turbocharged engine?

Subaru stated in its 2020 Vision plan; it would bring new smaller turbocharged engines for its entire all-wheel-drive lineup. The Outback, Ascent, and Legacy come with the 2.4-liter direct-injection turbocharged Boxer engine. The number-one selling 2021 Forester SUV only offers a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder Boxer. Forester is next to get a new turbocharged engine.

Subaru CEO stated recently; the automaker will prioritize the U.S. market where it sells 66 percent of its vehicles. The new Japan-spec Forester with a 1.8-liter turbocharged engine wouldn’t excite fans, but a 2.4-liter turbocharged engine with 260 horsepower would sell in the U.S. market.

1. Will Subaru bring back the WRX and STI hatchback?

Subaru is always tight-lipped about their next-generation models, and the next-generation 2022 WRX and STI are no different. Subaru has been mum about any future plans until now. Subaru execs like Mamoru Ishii aren’t going to reveal any future model plans, but he says there are no plans to produce a WRX hatch anytime soon. Subaru could offer a new WRX and STI hatchback body style when the model gets a mid-cycle refresh for the 2026 model year.

As the 2021 Subaru Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, and Ascent models arrive now, Subaru enthusiasts have lots of questions. In the comment section below, give us the burning questions you have for Subaru as we start the new year.

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Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Photo credit: Subaru, Adventure Subaru