[Jenovalente]

Just for the record, I haven't signed anything either, everything done by text/email. But I have an order (with a supposed expected delivery date) that has been confirmed by SOA.

Right now, I’m leaning towards not getting the Solterra and hedging my bets on an ID4. I don’t “need” a replacement car now, so I have the luxury of time. My current car will go to my daughter once she gets her driver’s license. My Mini is 9 years old, paid off and works well, so no rush to get into a new car.
My daughter needing a car is just an excuse to replace the Mini with an EV.

 

[JayEM]

Hmmm ok. Didn't realize it could be done that way. I wouldn't want to do it that way, since at the dealer, he pulls up the big screen and goes over all the options and accessories, explaining all the costs, fees, taxes, etc. itemizing everything that results in the out-the-door price. I could ensure there's no embedded ADM.

We've bought 3 other Subarus from this dealership and I've been "talking Solterra" with my sales associate for over a year now. He confirmed (and the dealership makes a big deal about) no dealer markup. At the time my order was placed I was in a car driving back from 4 states away.

We didn't order any accessories because those can be ordered separately closer to delivery time.

 

[StevenH]

The dealer is out of state for me, so I would suppose they could have had me scan the order sheet once signed?
The reservation was converted into an order # and I received an email from SOA with the VON.
Confirmed that there is no ADM.

The email from the dealer with a copy and paste from the ordering system clearly states “sold order”.
The whole order process was a cluster because the EV “specialist” (no hint is sarcasm) confirmed my reservation and color choices but ended up placing an order for the wrong interior color. It took the sales manager three weeks to figure out how to correct the mistake, which floored me. There was talk about a regional sales manager having to make an override, SOA got involved and referred me back to the dealer, and at one time I was told that SOA might need to issue me a new reservation number so that the original reservation tied to the wrong interior color could be canceled and replaced by a new reservation/VON combo.

I was planing on buying the car from this dealer and frankly not ever going back there since I have four Subaru dealers locally, but when the reservation system first opened , the local guys did not show.

Wow, sorry you had the color choice issue. My dealer showed me the code definitions and how they tie to the color and trim options to ensure my order was exactly what I intended. Touring trim has different codes depending on two-tone or not two-tone.

 

[StevenH]

We've bought 3 other Subarus from this dealership and I've been "talking Solterra" with my sales associate for over a year now. He confirmed (and the dealership makes a big deal about) no dealer markup. At the time my order was placed I was in a car driving back from 4 states away.

We didn't order any accessories because those can be ordered separately closer to delivery time.

Cool. I chose the cargo floor cover. But, there was no matching rear seat back cover in the accessories list. The salesman said it'd probably show up later and I could add it. I also wanted carpeted floor mats, but the salesman said they'd probably come with the car.

 

[Jenovalente]

Wow, sorry you had the color choice issue. My dealer showed me the code definitions and how they tie to the color and trim options to ensure my order was exactly what I intended. Touring trim has different codes depending on two-tone or not two-tone.

Yeah, I think the issues stems from the EV “specialist” who was pretty clueless and has not been heard from since the sales manager stepped in and corrected the order.
I gave the sales guy my reservation number and told him to place the order exactly the way the reservation had been set up. Reservation was for Harbor Mist two-tone Touring with gray/blue Startex. Should be simple enough, one would think.

I think this started off badly when I called the EV specialist to ask what I needed to do to turn my reservation into an order and he told me that he’ll just get back to me once I let him know what kind of car I was interested in. Awkward silence.
A Solterra. Ok, I’ll put you on the waiting list I have a reservation. Looong silence.
I’ll have to get back to you.

 

[JayEM]

Cool. I chose the cargo floor cover. But, there was no matching rear seat back cover in the accessories list. The salesman said it'd probably show up later and I could add it. I also wanted carpeted floor mats, but the salesman said they'd probably come with the car.

We probably would've done a few accessories at the time but my SA didn't want to bother me while we were driving (he texted me the screenshot to show the order had been placed). About one week earlier I had been sitting in his office discussing when we'd be able to place an order, also with the sales manager there. At that point it wasn't certain but looked like 4/25 or 4/26, subject to the pricing announcement.

Now... I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever take delivery, accessories or no. The earlier waits all had pretty well-defined ends. The current wait (for info on the wheel bolt problem) seems totally undefined.

 

[Jenovalente]

We probably would've done a few accessories at the time but my SA didn't want to bother me while we were driving (he texted me the screenshot to show the order had been placed). About one week earlier I had been sitting in his office discussing when we'd be able to place an order, also with the sales manager there. At that point it wasn't certain but looked like 4/25 or 4/26, subject to the pricing announcement.

Now... I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever take delivery, accessories or no. The earlier waits all had pretty well-defined ends. The current wait (for info on the wheel bolt problem) seems totally undefined.

I really like the Solterra but the whole slow charging did not become apparent until after I locked in the order. I am totally cool charging it at home or the office, so charging speed is not an issue. I’m really just put out about the wheel issue and a total lack of any correspondence from the dealer or SOA about anything. Totally get that I could reach out and call every day, but that’s not my personality.
The wheel thing is for something so basic that it honestly worries me what other issues could pop up since none of the Subarus and just a few bz4x s have been driven any meaningful distance to shake out bugs.
But if as a car maker you fail at keeping the wheels on the car - whatever the reason is and I’m not going to speculate HOW to fix it, I’m not an engineer - then that’s a real issue to me. Someone has posted that just because the NHTSA recall mentioned the left front wheel, it does not mean that the other wheels are not equally affected. To me that’s an issue and the fact that there has been no communication from Subaru on this is dumb. For this to be Toyota/Subaru’s flagship EV, I certainly would have expected more.

 

[bobleon39540]

No, you can’t be forced to purchase the vehicle, but whatever deposit, if any, paid to reserve the vehicle may be forfeited to the dealership…depending on the terms of the sales agreement you signed when placing your order.

I never signed any order, just put down the $250.

 

[Tucson John]

I suspect most of what is going on with the Solterra is associated with strains on labor force due to attrition, new hires, supply chain, and over stressed employees trying to get a completely new product out. For goodness sakes, a Tesla will still require something like an 8-month wait, Rivian like 24 moths, and Hyundai/Kia 4-6 months. Even with well-established, huge companies like GM, the Bolt has a 6 month wait time. We all put down our $250 refundable deposit in late April or early May...a little more than two months ago. I think Subaru is just performing like most others. Of course, these are all generalities that someone can easily take a singular discrepancy to say the information is unilaterally incorrect.

I too was surprised by the lack of information when I was ordering my Solterra. My dealer said that Subaru was late releasing the info. I can believe this since their website still lacks some of the basic info we have all become accustomed to. Remember Subaru is one of the smallest mainstream car companies. This is also evidenced by the Toyota website having a lot more info available since Toyota is one of the largest.

While I too am not necessarily happy with the lead times, slow information release, and a recall before any of us got cars (thanks Toyota for taking that kidney punch), I do not want to exert a pressure campaign on Subaru since doing so may result in a Subaru rushed response that may cause more problems down the line.

Subaru (and Toyota) are known for producing quality cars that last a very long time. I am cutting them some slack to allow them to get it right.

Anyway, just my opinions.

 

[Jenovalente]

I suspect most of what is going on with the Solterra is associated with strains on labor force due to attrition, new hires, supply chain, and over stressed employees trying to get a completely new product out. For goodness sakes, a Tesla will still require something like an 8-month wait, Rivian like 24 moths, and Hyundai/Kia 4-6 months. Even with well-established, huge companies like GM, the Bolt has a 6 month wait time. We all put down our $250 refundable deposit in late April or early May...a little more than two months ago. I think Subaru is just performing like most others. Of course, these are all generalities that someone can easily take a singular discrepancy to say the information is unilaterally incorrect.

I too was surprised by the lack of information when I was ordering my Solterra. My dealer said that Subaru was late releasing the info. I can believe this since their website still lacks some of the basic info we have all become accustomed to. Remember Subaru is one of the smallest mainstream car companies. This is also evidenced by the Toyota website having a lot more info available since Toyota is one of the largest.

While I too am not necessarily happy with the lead times, slow information release, and a recall before any of us got cars (thanks Toyota for taking that kidney punch), I do not want to exert a pressure campaign on Subaru since doing so may result in a Subaru rushed response that may cause more problems down the line.

Subaru (and Toyota) are known for producing quality cars that last a very long time. I am cutting them some slack to allow them to get it right.

Anyway, just my opinions.

Yep. Totally agree. We have a 2019 Forester and it’s a great car.
There are issues with anything new and the Solterra is having growing pains. All good. I just hope that this doesn’t sour people on EVs.

 

[Tucson John]

And part 2...

Toyota and Subaru are well-known for providing the most reliable vehicles out there. Hence, their approach to electric cars is representing this philosophy. If we take a step back from the VERY flashy marketing aspects of the other car makers (0-60 times, large batteries, and long ranges), this becomes more apparent. These assessments will not apply to everyone, but probably the majority of us...the Toyota/Subaru philosophy.

Here are some Solterra gripes:
1. Long charge times: Yes indeed the Level 2 will require most/all of your sleep time to recharge from 10% to 100%. They could have upped the amperage on the Level 2 charger to be done a few hours quicker (while most of us are still sleeping). Slower charging will save on long term battery life. Most of us do not drive 150+ miles a day. Some people do drive a lot and the Solterra is the wrong car for them. For long trips, there are the DC fast chargers. The Subaru/Toyota research is indicating 90% battery life after 10 years...OUTSTANDING!!! Yes of course, they ae only warrantying 70% at 10 years.
2. Short range: The ~220 miles of range was hard for me to swallow at first since I have only owned internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. But average USA car usage is 15,000 miles/year which equates to ~41 miles/day. Indeed I agree 220 miles is not road trip friendly. Yet, the options are DC fast charge, extensive overnight planning around charge stations, and/or renting an ICE vehicle. My wife and I still sometimes ratchet back on this short range thing as well. It is hard to change our ICE-engrained thinking, especially when logic is fighting perception (and marketing propaganda).
3. 0-60: Albeit, I don't believe there have been any gripes on this forum about the ~6.2 second 0-60. Electric vehicles sure are cool at how fast they can accelerate. Not very long ago, a 6-second 0-60 was Lamborghini and Ferrari territory.

All right, now back to the Sunday yard work.

 

[StevenH]

Indeed I agree 220 miles is not road trip friendly. Yet, the options are DC fast charge, extensive overnight planning around charge stations, and/or renting an ICE vehicle.

No extensive overnight planning is needed. Just use "A Better Route Planner," and it's done for you. Sure you can tweak starting times, minimum plugs at stations, destination state of charge, etc. I prefer the slightly more but quicker stops option. I go for an average of 90 minutes (100 miles) driving and 25 minutes charging to coincide with pee stops. And staying in or near the sweet spot of the charging curve (start charging at 5% state of charge). 200+ miles range is far more than enough range for my strategy on most trips. And as infrastructure builds out, more trips will be possible using entirely DCFCs and the charger-hopping strategy. Even now, areas of few DCFCs have campgrounds or destination chargers you can plug into overnight.