Subaru Outback Hybrid?

As the proud owner of a 1997 Subaru Legacy Station Wagon and a 2002 Subaru Outback I have long wished for a Subaru Outback hybrid. Since 2001 when Toyota first introduced the Prius in the US, this was practically the first thing that came to mind for me. A chimera of sorts, the body of a capable but streamlined SUV with the fuel efficiency of a bicycle. It just makes sense, people who buy Subaru's enjoy the outdoors and are usually environmentally conscious. The Outback captures the functionality and style of an SUV without sacrificing too much in the way of fuel economy. The boxer four cylinder engine is powerful enough to cover the-all-the-time all-wheel-drive system but also fuel efficient which leads me to think a hybrid engine must be capable of doing the same thing, especially considering the proven SUV hybrid models on road today!

Given that Toyota owns 16.7% of Fuji Heavy Industries, the parent company of Subaru, it's amazing to me that a Hybrid Subaru Outback hasn't already hit the market. Toyota is one of the leading innovators in the field of hybrid technology and supplies systems to many US auto manufacturers including Ford. My hopes were raised and then dashed when I found out about the Subaru PZEV (Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle) program in 2007, thinking this was some sort of hybrid design. To my dissatisfaction, this option (which is currently available on all certified Legacy, Outback, and Forester models for sale in the US) does not improve fuel economy at all. It simply strips emissions from the vehicle tailpipe and engine as the car continues to run on pure gasoline without hybrid assistance.

PZEV is a nice feature, but compared to a hybrid car that gets 50MPG you're drilling for twice as much oil (which requires oil to do), shipping that oil twice as far (which uses oil... for boats), filling cars twice as often (which releases fumes and emmissions and requires... oil) and wasting twice as much of your time standing around at the pump breathing it all in. Note to the rest of the world, please install vapor recovery systems like we've had in California for the past decade. Oh, you also have to refine twice as much oil, but who's counting? I think the net positive of a car that gets 2x the mileage but emits a few more emissions along the way far outweighs the PZEV approach, but it's better than nothing. Thanks Subaru!

So what's the hold up with an hybrid Outback? Customers have wanted it for years! I'm definitely not the only one. This conversation comes up again and again with my friends who work at REI and own Outbacks, the guys I carpool with 50 miles to go surfing in Santa Cruz and all the friends I drive 400 miles meet for camping trips in Yosemite. It all takes so much gas but sometimes you just need the extra space of a wagon. We're all thinking the same thing, we want a hybrid Subaru Outback... yesterday!

In 2009 there was some talk about an electric Subaru and a hybrid Subaru prototype scheduled for release in 2012. The prototypes featured a two door design with limited storage space and gullwing style doors (think DeLorean) to make it look cool. Storage space however, took a back seat and appeared to be significantly less than an Outback. It wasn't clear to me whether these models would also offer AWD but that's such an integral part of the Subaru legacy that I'd have to assume it'd be there.

Unfortunately for me, and many Outback owners, the small size of this prototype really defeats the point of owning a Subaru station wagon. Why scale the car down if you need that extra space for camping and skiing and surfing? Doesn't that just mean you'll have to slap on an ugly roof top cargo box and in turn decrease the overall efficiency of the car? Yes... I realize this is a hypocritical statement given that you can remove a roof rack but not the extra vehicle space but still, the Subary Outback isn't exactly excessive.

I'd like to reference the Ford Escape Hybrid and other fuller sized vehicles on the market TODAY which are not scaled down but still benefit from hybrid drive systems. I'm sure the design of an Outback creates less drag than a full sized SUV and could expect to get at least 40MPG vs. the Escape's 35. That may not be the case depending on the AWD power requirement but we just won't know until it's a reality.

So in conclusion: Subaru, I'd like to know when your all-wheel-drive wagon will hit the market and why it's taking so long?