I doubt there's a Solterra in my future, even though I had probably one of the first reservations in the nation at 8:56AM PST on Feb 8th. I have been trying really hard to like the Solterra, but unfortunately the colors and [practically mandatory] recurring costs to Toyota and Google are really driving a nail into the purchasing coffin.
Since Subaru setup a dedicated electric vehicle division at the beginning of the month, there will certainly be an acceptable "Real Subaru" EV in the next few years (maybe 2027), but I'm thinking in the near term Stellantis (Jeep) may mop the floor with Subaru in the off-road EV space if additional Subaru EV's continue to be partnerships with Toyota that ignore Subaru norms (and customer base).
There's also a huge story to be told in the amount of personal data being sent to Google as a result of the Toyota/Google relationship (as well as Volvo/Polestar). Google already productizes humans enough and actually paying them (via "required" subscriptions) to exploit people is something that should fundamentally be illegal.
Shortfalls with US version (at least what I can think of off the top of my head) |
No Dark Blue Mica exterior, even though it's available in Japan |
No brown leather Interior, even though it's available in Japan |
No cargo area tie-downs (high-mounted grocery bag hooks don't count) |
No cargo area power outlet (120v or 12v) |
No self-contained navigation system (that works in remote locations without a cell connection) |
Huge display that default to a "Subscribe" button |
No towing, even though it's available in other markets |
No lockable/concealed storage (glovebox) |
Very little rear storage for emergency and cold weather equipment |
Huge blind spots |
No power passenger seat, even in the highest trims, even though it's available in other markets |
No published sound system specifications or differences between trims |
Small fonts and distance from driver make digital gauge cluster difficult to read (Lexus did a fantastic job with the dash of the RZ 450e, the bZ4X clone) |
No rear wiper; rear window will be constantly obscured (watch Arizona reviews and snow testing in Japan videos) |
Digital rear view mirror only available on the Touring (only way to see behind vehicle with a dirty rear window) |
Dismal (nonexistent) customer communications throughout vehicle development as well as post-production (now) |
Super-slow charging (L2 and L3) |
Since Subaru setup a dedicated electric vehicle division at the beginning of the month, there will certainly be an acceptable "Real Subaru" EV in the next few years (maybe 2027), but I'm thinking in the near term Stellantis (Jeep) may mop the floor with Subaru in the off-road EV space if additional Subaru EV's continue to be partnerships with Toyota that ignore Subaru norms (and customer base).
There's also a huge story to be told in the amount of personal data being sent to Google as a result of the Toyota/Google relationship (as well as Volvo/Polestar). Google already productizes humans enough and actually paying them (via "required" subscriptions) to exploit people is something that should fundamentally be illegal.