Official: Subaru Solterra (EV) ...coming 2022

[dwf137]

Originally Posted by Snow Drift

I get that. But, the Solterra is not competing in those classes. It easily puts a smile on your face, and never feels sluggish. Unlike most CVT Subarus.

Price wise, they are dabbling in that category absolutely. Sure, the base model Soterra is beating everyone by providing AWD at a low price. But the Touring is 52K. You can get an Ioniq 5 SEL awd with 320 hp for 53K. You're going to lose a few frills going to the SEL trim Ioniq, but you gain significant range, power, and charging capability by jumping to 800V tech. To say they're not competing is silly, they're definitely cross shopped at this point.

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[Snow Drift]

Originally Posted by dwf137

Price wise, they are dabbling in that category absolutely. Sure, the base model Soterra is beating everyone by providing AWD at a low price. But the Touring is 52K. You can get an Ioniq 5 SEL awd with 320 hp for 53K. You're going to lose a few frills going to the SEL trim Ioniq, but you gain significant range, power, and charging capability by jumping to 800V tech. To say they're not competing is silly, they're definitely cross shopped at this point.

The Solterra is not meant to be sporty. Its competitors are the ID.4 and Ariya, etc. Mundane, Eeyors. Not a hatchback with 800v platform.

[chanomatik]

Obviously for marketing, but it's still fun to see myself reacting to instant torque: "Oooh yeah."

YouTube (Short URL)

YouTube (Short URL)

[Snow Drift]

Originally Posted by chanomatik

Obviously for marketing, but it's still fun to see myself reacting to instant torque: "Oooh yeah."

http://youtu.be/sREsYEFQrOI?

I like your straw hat.

[dwf137]

Originally Posted by Snow Drift

The Solterra is not meant to be sporty. Its competitors are the ID.4 and Ariya, etc. Mundane, Eeyors. Not a hatchback with 800v platform.

Who is buying these cars?

Me.

I test drove all of the above except the Solterra because the offering is sub-par for the price. The ID.4 and Ariya were close, but each had detractors. The Ariya was similar in price, but had a weird throttle programming - it really didn't let you access the power until like 20-30 mph. My old Leaf was the same, so I think this is a Nissan thing. The ID.4 was direct competition for the Ioniq5 in driving feel and overall fit/finish, but there were no deals so it was too expensive.

No doubt, some will go shop for a Solterra and buy it because it's a "subaru". I'm done with that game. I have only bought a repeat brand one time in my life and it was buying an Outback after owning a WRX. The outback was such a letdown in the long run, despite thinking it was great in the moment when we bought it.

[Snow Drift]

Originally Posted by dwf137

Who is buying these cars?

Me.

I test drove all of the above except the Solterra because the offering is sub-par for the price. The ID.4 and Ariya were close, but each had detractors. The Ariya was similar in price, but had a weird throttle programming - it really didn't let you access the power until like 20-30 mph. My old Leaf was the same, so I think this is a Nissan thing. The ID.4 was direct competition for the Ioniq5 in driving feel and overall fit/finish, but there were no deals so it was too expensive.

No doubt, some will go shop for a Solterra and buy it because it's a "subaru". I'm done with that game. I have only bought a repeat brand one time in my life and it was buying an Outback after owning a WRX. The outback was such a letdown in the long run, despite thinking it was great in the moment when we bought it.

We were discussing the need for more HP/Tq. It's not necessary for the segment. The Forester and Outback are slower than the Solterra. The ID.4 and Ariya are slower than the Solterra, depending on spec.

A 6.x second CUV is plenty of power for most buyers. And, 0-60 is not what sells CUVs.

[dwf137]

Originally Posted by Snow Drift

We were discussing the need for more HP/Tq. It's not necessary for the segment. The Forester and Outback are slower than the Solterra. The ID.4 and Ariya are slower than the Solterra, depending on spec.

A 6.x second CUV is plenty of power for most buyers. And, 0-60 is not what sells CUVs.

My stance does not change. For the price of the high trims, it's too slow, especially with the other negatives like charging speed and range.

It's just sub par. I know you have one and you're excited about it, but it's not a segment leader. The only thing it leads is being the cheapest thing to offer awd. That's it. I owned one of those EV's at one point, the Leaf. I enjoyed it. It was great, but it wasn't a segment leader and I only bought it because it was dirt cheap. Pretty much the cheapest thing you could buy with the range that I had (leaf plus). But it had a lot of drawbacks, like aged charging ports. Eventually I replaced it with something that has industry leading tech, for not much more than it would have cost to get a Solterra (actually, the lease deals available at the time were the same).

[Snow Drift]

Originally Posted by dwf137

My stance does not change. For the price of the high trims, it's too slow, especially with the other negatives like charging speed and range.

It's just sub par. I know you have one and you're excited about it, but it's not a segment leader. The only thing it leads is being the cheapest thing to offer awd. That's it. I owned one of those EV's at one point, the Leaf. I enjoyed it. It was great, but it wasn't a segment leader and I only bought it because it was dirt cheap. Pretty much the cheapest thing you could buy with the range that I had (leaf plus). But it had a lot of drawbacks, like aged charging ports. Eventually I replaced it with something that has industry leading tech, for not much more than it would have cost to get a Solterra (actually, the lease deals available at the time were the same).

I am not excited about it. Actually, my wife drives it daily as I am trying to keep the miles off our Model Y. I can WFH a lot, or take the train into the office.

It's a mediocre EV but a pretty good CUV. I just am saying that it feels perfectly quick enough for what it is, and for the typical Subaru/Toyota/Nissan/VW buyer it will be quicker than their expectations.

Yes, it is expensive, but the deals are making it the best car to lease at the moment.

[Kostamojen]

I'd buy one over a Crosstrek for this price...



And this isn't some remote dealer either, this is in the Bay Area.

[Snow Drift]

Originally Posted by Kostamojen

I'd buy one over a Crosstrek for this price...

And this isn't some remote dealer either, this is in the Bay Area.

It's a much better car than a Crosstrek (I've had two). Quicker, larger, etc.

...but lease it.

[SCRAPPYDO]

EV should only be leased. The short range and long charging times means you simply will NOT put many miles on. A lease just makes sense on a heavily depreciating asset. Lease deals can had, and in some cases they are insane. Some GM EV's can be leased for as little as 45 bucks a month!!! (I have not read the fine print, but have seen the ads).

Happy buyingleasing and I hope you like whatever you get!