Style finally comes to the most practical automotive segment.

By Keith Griffin

It may be hard to believe, but hybrids have been in the automotive mainstream for close to 25 years. For that quarter-century, they have mostly been looked down upon for their added expense and polarizing designs.

Yet, they truly are desirable for long distances from one tank of gas. Buy a plug-in hybrid and you can get around 20 miles of EV range combined with over 300 miles of range. It’s the best of both the battery and internal combustion engine worlds.

Toyota Prius

Take the Toyota Prius. When it was first introduced, it was fairly nerdy. Few owners bought one out of pride. With their great fuel economy, practicality was their siren call.

That was until now. The 5th-generation Toyota Prius is a thing of beauty. Co-workers familiar with cars thought the car came from a luxury automaker. Nope, this comes from the Toyota assembly line.

Recently, I had the opportunity to spend time behind the wheel of the 2026 and 2025 Toyota Prius models. There are no major differences between the two model years.

For 2026, the fifth-generation Toyota Hybrid System (THS 5) is paired with a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder DOHC engine delivering 194 net-combined horsepower on front-wheel drive (FWD) equipped grades, and up to 196 net-combined horsepower on the Electronic On-Demand All-Wheel Drive (AWD) equipped models. It also offers exceptional fuel economy, with a manufacturer-estimated 57 MPG combined rating for FWD models and 54 MPG combined for AWD models.

AWD-equipped models employ a separate rear-mounted electric motor that powers the rear wheels when needed. Adding AWD to the Prius offers 196 net combined horsepower and a manufacturer-estimated 0-60 time of 7.0 seconds.

The 2025 model year introduced the new Nightshade grade. Based off the XLE, the Nightshade grade adds 19-inch black-finished alloy wheels, black exterior badging, a black shark fin antenna, black front door handles, and black bumper trim – adding a dark moody feel to the stylish sedan. The Nightshade grade also adds some spice with a new exclusive color Karashi. Even when people called it mustard colored, it was still a thing of beauty. One valet also gave it a prominent spot in front of a local hotel.

The 2026 Prius has a starting price of $28,550.

Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid

The third-generation Subaru Crosstrek for the 2026 model year features an available, all-new next-generation Subaru series-parallel hybrid system for enhanced range and capability, and more standard comfort and convenience items.

The award-winning Crosstrek gets that much better. All Crosstrek models are equipped with Subaru symmetrical all-wheel drive, including the new Crosstrek Hybrid, which integrates its all-new powertrain into the existing architecture with no loss in capability.

The 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid is equipped with an Atkinson/Miller-cycle 2.5-liter Subaru Boxer engine paired to electric motors and a high-capacity lithium-ion battery making 194 horsepower combined. Crosstrek Limited, including Limited Hybrid, now includes DriverFocus Distraction Mitigation System as standard equipment, which is new for 2026, and helps drivers stay alert to the road ahead.

What did I like most about the Crosstrek Hybrid? Beyond it’s fuel economy of 36 mpg both city and highway, is its hip point. Basically, that’s the point where your hips are when seated. The Crosstrek Hybrid has a comfortable point for this aging Baby Boomer!

The Crosstrek Hybrid has an MSRP of $33,995.

Kia Sportage Hybrid

For 2026, the Kia Sportage Hybrid delivers great space, comfort, and, of course, fuel economy. Its fun to drive thanks to its 1.6-liter turbo gasoline direct injection (GDI) and 47.7kW motor that combined produce 232 horsepower. It’s one of those “sneaky fast” vehicles that fortunately didn’t attract the attention of any police the week I had it.

The Sportage adds two new Hybrid trim levels for 2026 (S and X-Line) with the following key features:

• S Hybrid: 12.3-in. touchscreen display with standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Fr/Rr USB-C charging ports, Smart Key with push button start, power driver’s seat with heated front seats, Blindspot Collision Warning (BCW)/Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Avoidance (RCCA)/Safe Exit Assist (SEA), heated outside mirrors with LED turn signal indicator, 18-in. dark alloy wheels, and gloss black grille and window trims.
• X-Line Hybrid: Adds smart key with push button start, wireless charging, power driver’s seat, SynTex seating with heated front seats, panoramic sunroof, overhead LED interior lighting, smart power liftgate, roof rack, 19-inch black alloy wheels and gloss black grille, bumper, badging and window trims.

As mentioned, the Sportage Hybrid has lots of cargo space, too. Up to 73.9 cubic feet is available depending on how you configure the seats. Estimated fuel economy is 41 mpg city and 44 mpg highway.

The Sportage Hybrid’s MSRP starts at $30,490.

Subaru Forrester Hybrid

Call it what you want, but the Forrester will always be my favorite station wagon. Sure, Subaru begs to differ and calls it an SUV, but it’s a wagon.

The big news here is this is the first-ever Forrester hybrid. It is equipped with a next-generation Subaru series-parallel hybrid system and Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive for enhanced range and capability. The next-generation Subaru hybrid powertrain is designed to integrate seamlessly into the existing all-wheel-drive architecture without compromising all-wheel-drive capability.

The hybrid compact SUV delivers 194 total system horsepower, coupling Subaru’s off-road capability with up to 40% better fuel efficiency compared to its non-hybrid counterparts. With up to 581 miles of range on a single tank of fuel, the 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid earns an EPA-estimated rating of 35 mpg city, 34 mpg highway, 35 mpg combined, which is an improvement of 10 mpg in city fuel economy.

All Subaru Forester Hybrid trim levels are equipped with the latest version of Subaru’s EyeSight Driver Assist Technology. The newest version of EyeSight operates more smoothly and quickly, and under a greater range of conditions than prior versions. These improvements are thanks to a wider field of view, updated control software, and an electric brake booster. EyeSight can identify cyclists and pedestrians at intersections sooner and, when necessary, alerts the driver and applies braking to avoid collisions.

The 2025 Forester Hybrid starts at $34,995 MSRP.

Keith Griffin, a  West Hartford resident, is a longtime automotive journalist and past president of the New England Motor Press Association.

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