[Jumpem]

It is barely enough for my routine short weekend trips. In the winter, with likely less range, it will not be enough. I would have to try charging from a regular outlet at someone's house. That probably would not be enough to get it charged for the trip back home. I would have to plan for out of the way stops to charge along the way.

250 usable miles year round was my hope.

 

[WBF25]

Certainly was hoping for more - and for a better fast charging time, although maybe it is closer to the half hour Toyota stated - but as long as it has a heat pump it could work. Would be more of a daily driver for me with that range, was hoping for more for trips.

 

[JIm_in_PA]

Is 220 miles enough for everyone?

Yes, I do not see any issue with that range for our intended purposes for an EV. It will replace our MY20 Forester when the time comes, which is our "ratting around" vehicle as it's more efficient than my Ascent on short trips.

 

[Pilot]

Nice, is PA on the list of states that will get it, or will you have to travel east to my neck of the woods? I am in talks now with my preferred dealer about preordering. Sounds like California will get the first batch or two, and then they'll roll out of the other CARB compliant states.

I also am skeptical of the 220+ mile range they listed. I think it'll be higher than that. I believe the Toyota AWD one is suggestive of reaching 285 miles according to various auto websites based on the Japanese/Euro standard.

That being said, the WLTP does seem to favor city drivers. The EPA one takes more highways into account. My thought would be to average the two. So, (285+220)/2 = 252 miles of range.

Perhaps the higher ground clearance of the Subaru is a exponentially increasing negative on fuel economy, so it is more pronounced at highway speeds in the form of parasitic drag or something interfering with the slipstream. But still, considering the "spoiler twin wing" isn't available on the Premium trim, and they have the same range, perhaps this is more of a wind noise reducer rather than a range extender.

For my personal situation, the longest drives I will routinely do will be in the summer visiting shore destinations and family. I could charge there if I wanted to but likely won't need to, as they're only about 60 miles away from my home. The complications for me will happen when I have to report for work and end up doing several of these 60 mile legs in a row, which will require me to DCFC about every 3 legs. But, gas isn't infinite, so I'd also have to stop for gas about every 5 legs anyway. So, for a cost of a little time, I save a tremendous amount on fuel costs. And once my workplace finally installs Level 2 charging, it will be a rare occurrence.

My whole thing regarding inconvenience of DCFC is that I won't want to have to have my family sit there while the car charges, but it seems like since we are a two car household, this will fit my needs quite well, and if we're ever in question about range/DCFC, we can just take her vehicle.

I'm sure if I'm also flying solo that I can also "rough it" and wear gloves, hats, or a jacket when driving, saving energy from the climate system.

Again I'm quite pleased with the Limited specifications. While I'd love to have the fixed panoramic glass roof, I don't necessarily want the other bells and whistles associated with the Touring trim level, especially the Crosstrek PHEV-style blue and gray StarTex seats.

 

[JIm_in_PA]

I would expect that Soterra will be readily available in the northeast where there is clear benefit from zero emission vehicles...and that includes South Eastern Pennsyltucky where I live. It would be weird for Subaru to not sell it within 50 miles of headquarters. LOL Limited would likely work for us as that's how we went with the MY20 Forester. But it will also come down to the price difference between the Limited and the Touring, too. I like creature features. (Not excited about StarTex, but...)

 

[WBF25]

Agree with your interpretation of the range situation, and with your thoughts on the Limited. Really is gonna come down to price for me. I think the Kia EV6 looks like a great car, but worried it will be more than what I want to spend.

 

[Pilot]

(Not excited about StarTex, but...)

I have been riding in my Outback XT Onyx for about a year. I don't mind the StarTex at all, especially with the kids in the back. Spills/water don't absorb, the turf pellets and dirt from sports don't get "mushed" into the little perforations of the leather seating from Limiteds (formerly owned a 2011 OB Limited and then leased the cloth-seat Forester Premium). I don't mind the heat in the summer but I've heard it can get toasty if you leave it in the sun. Knowing this, on extremely hot days, I have either left a window open or I will remote start the car to cool it down. The AC works immediately, and it takes the heat right out of it.

The good news is that it sounds like the MySubaru / Starlink will allow you a lot of functions on your car, like opening the windows or remote starting if you want. That'll help for sure.

Really is gonna come down to price for me.

Same for us. I love my Outback XT except for the fuel and maintenance costs. I do one extra oil change a year (change it at 4000 miles) because of my suburban/city/highway mix. I don't believe I'm quite at "severe" service interval requirements for most of the items. But, oil is cheap, engines are not. If $85 a year made this car unaffordable, I should've bought something else.

The main reason I have been considering an EV was for the eco factor. I didn't want the flash of the Tesla nor did I care for the performance. As long as this thing hits around the mid to upper 30's with the Federal Tax Credit, I'm good to go. Hopefully NJ will get their act together with the state EV rebate again and then I can see how the price settles.