[Peterd15]

Wondering what everyone thinks about getting an extended warranty for a brand new model like this. Here is an article below that talks about EVs needing more early repairs than than ice cars. I’ve gone both ways with warranties. My wife’s Nissan had an aftermarket warranty which paid for itself with 1 repair. I got the warranty on my Impreza because of the eyesight system to be safe. Even though I just had both a lock switch and turn signal switch replaced under ext warranty I doubt I made back my money but I still have almost 2 years left so I think it was worth it. Any thoughts?

ICE Cars More Reliable Than Electric Cars, Study Shows | Carscoops

 

[bob E]

I got the warranty on my Impreza because of the eyesight system to be safe.

Like you, I got an extended warranty with an Impreza, mainly because it was the first model on Subaru's New Global Platform. It has not paid for itself; all of the repairs to the car have been for recalls.

I think the jury is still out on whether ICE cars are more or less reliable than BEV cars. I tend to keep a car for 15 to 20 years. Over that time period, I would expect the BEV car to be more reliable, and cheaper to own.

Another thing to consider is how long a car manufacturer will continue to update the software/firmware in the car. Subaru's extended warranty only runs for ten years. Will I have to get a monthly subscription for firmware updates beyond that first decade? Or will Subaru cut me off and say "no more firmware updates, not even to fix security vulnerabilities" after a decade?

 

[JIm_in_PA]

In recent years, I've generally opted for the manufacturer Extended Service Contracts, such as Subaru Gold because I tend to keep a vehicle longer these days and there's a lot of expensive tech. For the Solterra, I'd keep my option open...assuming the contract is available...and make that decision before the OEM warranty expires.

 

[Protranope]

Wondering what everyone thinks about getting an extended warranty for a brand new model like this. Here is an article below that talks about EVs needing more early repairs than than ice cars. I’ve gone both ways with warranties. My wife’s Nissan had an aftermarket warranty which paid for itself with 1 repair. I got the warranty on my Impreza because of the eyesight system to be safe. Even though I just had both a lock switch and turn signal switch replaced under ext warranty I doubt I made back my money but I still have almost 2 years left so I think it was worth it. Any thoughts?

ICE Cars More Reliable Than Electric Cars, Study Shows | Carscoops

The thing I'd keep in mind is that by far the biggest seller of EV's right now is Tesla. Out of 28 different car brands ranked in order of reliability, Tesla comes 27th!!!!! Tesla is legendary for delivering product that has to be returned multiple times to the dealer to get fixed as Musk explores the limits of what he can get away with. I'd tend to associate reliability with brand, more than type of vehicle. Electric cars are inherently simpler other than by loading up on electronics.

 

[Protranope]

The thing I'd keep in mind is that by far the biggest seller of EV's right now is Tesla. Out of 28 different car brands ranked in order of reliability, Tesla comes 27th!!!!! Tesla is legendary for delivering product that has to be returned multiple times to the dealer to get fixed as Musk explores the limits of what he can get away with. I'd tend to associate reliability with brand, more than type of vehicle. Electric cars are inherently simpler other than by loading up on electronics.

27 out of 28 is as ranked by Consumer Reports

 

[R P]

And Subaru is #1.

Consumer Reports 2022 Rankings Rate Mainstream Cars Over Luxury Models

Japanese brands dominate Consumer Reports’ roster of the top new cars. Subaru, Mazda, BMW, Honda and Lexus ranked highest. The top U.S. brand: Buick, 11th.

www.forbes.com

I also like that Toyota is behind the development of the Solterra. Their reliability reputation is also still very good.

 

[Protranope]

And Subaru is #1.

Consumer Reports 2022 Rankings Rate Mainstream Cars Over Luxury Models

Japanese brands dominate Consumer Reports’ roster of the top new cars. Subaru, Mazda, BMW, Honda and Lexus ranked highest. The top U.S. brand: Buick, 11th.

www.forbes.com

I also like that Toyota is behind the development of the Solterra. Their reliability reputation is also still very good.

Close but not quite winning a cigar! You reported overall brand rankings by CR. They have a separate list of brands ranked purely according to reliability alone. #1 is Lexis, #2 is Toyota, # 7 is Subaru - still pretty good out of 28 brands listed.

 

[R P]

Close but not quite winning a cigar! You reported overall brand rankings by CR. They have a separate list of brands ranked purely according to reliability alone. #1 is Lexis, #2 is Toyota, # 7 is Subaru - still pretty good out of 28 brands listed.

Yes, that is true. Subaru is still suffering from the Ascent problems.

 

[Protranope]

Yes, that is true. Subaru is still suffering from the Ascent problems.

Thank you for explaining.

 

[JIm_in_PA]

Yes, that is true. Subaru is still suffering from the Ascent problems.

Sadly, true because CR will not update their algorithms. To this day they still blame MY19 (the first year of production) for MY21 and MY22 "reliability" ratings. Yet my MY19 has been nearly stellar.

 

[R P]

Sadly, true because CR will not update their algorithms. To this day they still blame MY19 (the first year of production) for MY21 and MY22 "reliability" ratings. Yet my MY19 has been nearly stellar.

I almost bought the initial Ascent back then (got a Crosstrek instead), and I still follow the Ascent forum from time to time. I was surprised recently that they are still having issues with the CVT. That is pretty serious.

 

[Reknid]

Sadly, true because CR will not update their algorithms. To this day they still blame MY19 (the first year of production) for MY21 and MY22 "reliability" ratings. Yet my MY19 has been nearly stellar.

I'm in the same boat. The only two issues that have existed on my Ascent were the woefully weak battery that required replacing within a year and the rear gate battery drain when left open. Otherwise, my Ascent has been great. But my vehicle is on the recall list with no ETA on a resolution.

 

[JIm_in_PA]

I almost bought the initial Ascent back then (got a Crosstrek instead), and I still follow the Ascent forum from time to time. I was surprised recently that they are still having issues with the CVT. That is pretty serious.

The TR690 CVT is fine and has been in use by Subaru for over 12 years now...the current issue is programming that's causing damage. The first one was because of a defective harness. Bad wires and bad code. Sheesh. In both cases only a limited number of vehicle actually had/have issues. Mine did not, but they replaced the harness and reset the warranty out to 100K miles. Many of the complaints about the CVT are coming from folks who are not familiar with them, because the Ascent is a larger vehicle that competes in a different space than other Subarus have hit, other than the less-than-stellar impact of the Tribeca. That combined with the stupid fake shifting makes for lots of Internet commentary.

 

[JIm_in_PA]

But my vehicle is on the recall list with no ETA on a resolution.

There is a resolution. They are in process of training 600+ dealer service departments how to do the inspection and providing customized tools to do so. Appointments should start to flow in April, but some dealerships may not be ready that early.

 

[KSchneider]

I understand that this is a discussion of extended warranties / reliability. But we should remember that there are other reasons to buy EV's. An interesting article on Iceland <https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/news/2020/11/17/electric_car_revolution_in_iceland/>

 

[barrak]

The TR690 CVT is fine and has been in use by Subaru for over 12 years now...the current issue is programming that's causing damage. The first one was because of a defective harness. Bad wires and bad code. Sheesh. In both cases only a limited number of vehicle actually had/have issues. Mine did not, but they replaced the harness and reset the warranty out to 100K miles. Many of the complaints about the CVT are coming from folks who are not familiar with them, because the Ascent is a larger vehicle that competes in a different space than other Subarus have hit, other than the less-than-stellar impact of the Tribeca. That combined with the stupid fake shifting makes for lots of Internet commentary.

Just a data point: My TR690 equipped 2015 Outback 3.6R required a CVT replacement last fall after 80,000 miles (slippage and bad internal sensors). Luckily, Subaru footed the entire bill, complete with a month long '21 Outback loaner till they got hold of a limited availability remanufactured unit.

I feel comfortable now to hold on to it and have my college-age kids share it while I get myself a Solterra. Would be great if it can plow through up to 20" of snow along my 600' gravel driveway. My 3.6R Outback/Hakkapeliitta tires spoiled me so.