Next Vehicle will NOT be a Subaru

[mikeduf]

I have the 2024 hybrid limited all wheel drive. I have about 5K on it now. Don't drive excessively. But I do like the direct and fuel injection. It has a lot of get up and go other than the throat noise from engine air flow.

Yes the 2026 are R4 will be interesting to see what subtleties they make. I don't believe Toyota will mess with their meat and potatoes car

 

[GenSan]

Check out the Rav4 PHEV. I'm enjoying the 5.5sec 0-60 mph daily and it's more efficient than a Prius. You can drive in pure EV mode at 85 mph which helps efficiency. My friend is always bragging about his BMW M8 Competition doing 0-60 under 3 seconds and I joke with him that the Rav4 Prime is only about 2 seconds slower. I know apples to oranges.

 

[mikeduf]

Yes absolutely the prime is very enticing I did test drive a few of those before making my decision on the hybrid. I see the prime only gets about 40? on a charge.
I am planning on extended road trips which probably would most likely deplete the EV side quickly and go to combustion, and then finding a place to plug in when I'm in the Outback is always questionable I'm not one to pre-plan like that I like to just go.

So electric cars have their purpose and so do hybrids. Just my two cents they're both great cars. If the future calls for a new car down the road then I would probably go with a prime.
But the older I get in my retirement and living on a fixed income I pretty much just keep a car until it gets very old or problematic. Just my two cents

 

[wag123]

The problem with the Toyota Prime Hybrid PHEVs is the supply/demand mismatch. Toyota still has a 1 to 2 year waiting list on them. Many/most dealers are still price gauging to the tune of $10k or more over MSRP (in addition to Toyota having raised the MSRP significantly over the last few years). On top of this, you are likely not going to be able to get the exact model/options/color you desire, you are going have to take what you can get. If you are trying to keep the price down you should know that the model mix Toyota is producing is heavily biased towards loaded XSE models (other than the SE they have dropped all the other models to simplify production, including FWD models, AWD is now standard). When it is all said and done you will not likely be able to purchase one for under $60k.
IMO the only real advantage the PHEVs offer over the standard hybrid is the ability to drive around 25-30 miles on battery power alone (which will suffice for most people's daily commute).

 

[GenSan]

The problem with the Toyota Prime Hybrid PHEVs is the supply/demand mismatch. Toyota still has a 1 to 2 year waiting list on them. When it is all said and done you will not likely be able to purchase one for under $60k.

Mine was delivered from Japan in 3 weeks from when I put a deposit on one at the biggest dealer in the Midwest and under $60k.

 

[IndyIan]

Too bad Subaru does the fake shifting now

The non-turbo SJ doesn't use fake shifting, and it's optional on the turbo (you can choose whether to fake-shift or not)

Our Outback doesn't if you stay below ~25% throttle, just idles up to 55mph at 18-1900rpm in ~30s or so.
I don't mind the fake shifting either, the 7 "gears" are tight enough that it makes no real difference in acceleration or mileage.

 

[mikeduf]

I'll throw my two cents in here as I have been a previous owner of a 2023 Forester.
I will comment that if you have ever driven a stick shift car you become very in tune with the engine RPM.
I used to drive my Forester and put that sucker in manual mode and shift like it was a stick shift.
it down shifted and up shifted perfectly.

Then when I got lazy in the city traffic driving I let the CVT do its thing. So I've been on both sides of the fence I now have a RAV4 hybrid. And I can shift that the same way, I can be aggressive or tame. You need to know your RPMs to manually shift a cvt. Experiment and try it and you will see that it will respond.

Personally the Subaru has a better all-wheel drivetrain than the R4 specifically mine being electronic hybrid. And if you want to put a subframe lift or just enhance the coils with a leveling 1 inch lift all the way around, the global chassis does not have a problem with that. My RAV4 is limited to a 1.5 and then you start getting some angle on the CV joint.

Anyway just my two cents love the boxer motor. Mine was rear-ended that's why I don't have any longer. Party on!

 

[Al]

I'll throw my two cents in here as I have been a previous owner of a 2023 Forester.
Anyway just my two cents love the boxer motor. Mine was rear-ended that's why I don't have any longer. Party on!

I had a '22 Forester. Now that I had my fun with my GR86 6 speed sports cay..I wish I still had the '22. It was a great car. I think it had 34K miles on it.

I don't intend to get scalped on a Hybred in which case it might be a '26 Forester again..lol

 

[JHZR2]

Not a fan of how far Toyotas styling has fallen from the handsome designs of the mid 90s to the weird angles and facets of today. The rav4 hybrid is a decent drivetrain and pretty efficient. Two family members have them and both have had problems.

 

[Paco Pena]

I had 2 Rav 4's but older models. Loved that V6 engine.

Paco

 

[rijndael]

Loved that V6 engine.

They were very peppy, but super hard to work on. That engine bay was not made for the 2GR-FE.

 

[Paco Pena]

They were very peppy, but super hard to work on. That engine bay was not made for the 2GR-FE.

Better have small hands and a lot of universal joints to change those rear plugs.

Paco