8 Best Hybrid Crossovers

The rise of the crossover vehicle has happened, and now the category is maturing and blossoming with new technologies. Crossovers always have had some advantages over traditional body-on-frame SUVs, including lighter weight and greater fuel economy. On the other side, cars still hold those same advantages over crossover vehicles, despite the crossover edges in utility and command seating position. Manufacturers and designers constantly carve away at the weight of their crossovers, and increasingly have turned to hybrid gasoline/electric propulsion to improve their fuel efficiency and close the gap.

Included in our roundup are hybrid gasoline-electric crossovers (HEV) and plug-in hybrid gasoline-electric crossovers (PHEV). The difference between the two is right in the name: PHEVs can be charged by plugging them into an external electric power source while at rest, which means that the gasoline engine doesn’t need to expend as much fuel to recharge the batteries during driving.

New for 2019, the Lexus UX 250h is a compact luxury hybrid gasoline-electric crossover vehicle, the smallest crossover in the Lexus lineup. Lexus says the “U” stands for “Urban,” and the compact size makes UX a good companion for the city. It’s easy to park, quite maneuverable, and is rated to achieve 41 mpg in city driving.

UX 250h comes with standard all-wheel drive, with an electric motor driving the rear wheels up to 43 mph. An electronically controlled continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) gets the power to the wheels with minimal drama. UX can swallow 17.1 cubic feet of luggage behind its second row, another boon for city dwellers. Lexus is targeting the UX at entry luxury customers, but this hybrid could have cross-generational appeal with a starting price of $34,000 – just $2,000 more than the gasoline-only UX 200 FWD.

The Lexus RX has been a top seller for years, and the hybrid version only increased its appeal with fuel-economy sensitive buyers. If there was one weakness for RX, it was the lack of a third row of seating. Lexus has remedied that by adding four inches in length to the RX 450h to create the RX450hL – now with a third row of seating and a six-passenger capacity.

The third row is suitable for two smaller passengers, with just 22.6 inches of legroom, but it makes RX 450hL into a viable people-hauler for families who need the extra room occasionally – for school carpools, sports practices, and other crunch times. With all three rows in use, there’s still 16.3 cubic feet of luggage space available. RX 450hL is rated at 31 mpg city/28 mpg highway/30 mpg combined. Prices start at $50,720 for a 2019 Lexus RX 450hL AWD.

It would be a mistake to overlook the excellent 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV when shopping for a hybrid crossover vehicle. Outlander PHEV takes the hybrid formula and cranks it up a notch with plug-in capability. You can connect this hybrid to a power source, either a 120-volt household outlet, a 240-volt at-home or public charging station, or a Fast Charge at CHAdeMO public charging station.

A full charge gives you the capability to drive up to 22 miles on electric power only, giving the Outlander PHEV an MPG-e rating of 74 mpg combined. The five-passenger crossover comes with standard all-wheel drive and a very useful 30.4-cubic-foot luggage space behind the second row of seats. Prices start at $34,595 with a five-year/60,000-mile basic warranty and a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

While the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 battled for top place in crossover sales for years, the Nissan Rogue quietly snuck in and stole the crown in its second generation of production. The Rogue Hybrid debuted in 2017, and makes its mark with exceptional pricing. 2019 Rogue SV Hybrid FWD starts at just $27,600 – only $1,260 more than the gasoline-only Rogue SV.

The Rogue Hybrid delivers improved fuel economy where a compact crossover will get most use – in the city. The EPA ratings are 33 mpg city/35 mpg highway/34 mpg combined. An all-wheel drive version also is available for an additional $1,350, at the cost of one mpg. Rogue Hybrid is a two-row crossover with seating for five – no third row is offered for the Hybrid, unlike the gasoline-only model.

If there are any Porsche purists remaining, their scoffs and scowls have been forced into the background by the overwhelming sales successes of the sports car brand’s foray into crossover vehicles with the Cayenne and Macan. Cayenne, a mid-size crossover, has become a veritable mule for Porsche, a model that responds positively to a wide variety of powertrains and technologies.

The 2019 Porsche Cayenne S e-Hybrid is a great example of what a performance company can achieve with a hybrid powertrain. It uses a 3.0-liter turbocharged gasoline V6 engine and an electric motor to send 455 combined system horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed Tiptronic S transmission to all four wheels. Cayenne S e-Hybrid can scoot from zero to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds on the way to a 13.3-second quarter-mile – generating astonishing momentum from a 5,060-lb crossover. Prices start at $79,900.

The first-generation Subaru Crosstrek (technically XV Crosstrek) lineup included a hybrid model, but it was quickly dropped due to lackluster sales. The new second-generation Crosstrek lineup revives the Crosstrek Hybrid, this time as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), with an electric-only range of up to 17 miles and a charge time of about five hours at 120 volts or two hours at 240 volts (from empty).

It qualifies for HOV lane access, and for a federal tax credit of up to $4,500, and is rated at 90 MPGe combined, making it the most efficient all-wheel drive plug-in hybrid you can buy right now. Prices (before incentives) start at $34,995, putting it $7,800 above the price of a gasoline-only Crosstrek 2.0i Limited – but including all of the Limited’s key features.

RAV4 enters its fifth generation of production for 2019 riding on the TNGA (Toyota New Generation Architecture) platform that underlies the Camry and Avalon sedans. A new 2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid model will arrive later in 2019 with standard all-wheel drive, improved minimum ground clearance at 8.4 inches, 219 combined system horsepower, and an estimated fuel-efficiency rating of 41 mpg city/37 mpg highway/39 mpg combined.

RAV4 gets a new exterior that’s more assertive and athletic, and an interior design that’s both sporty and elegant – addressing a RAV4 weakness with effective design. It’s no wonder that buyers have moved to crossover vehicles like RAV4, and with a starting price of $27,700 for RAV4 Hybrid LE, they’ll be lining up for gasoline-electric crossovers at Toyota.

XC60 shares Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform with the other 60-series Volvos (S60 sedan and V60 wagon) and with the 90-series vehicles (S90 sedan, V90 wagon and XC90 crossover) – a killer grouping of vehicles that is all-new since 2015. XC60 is a two-row, five-passenger crossover that occupies a sweet spot right in the middle of the Volvo lineup – not too big, nor too small.

And now this right-sized crossover is available with a plug-in hybrid gasoline-electric powertrain starting at $53,700. The 2019 Volvo XC60 T8 eAWD represents a compelling choice for buyers attracted to its Scandinavian design, superb driving manners and excellent fuel-economy numbers. Volvo has been on the verge of breaking into the luxury car category, and it would be easy to make the argument that the current generation XC60 belongs in that class.