u/-tones

car look good

First off, thanks to all who replied to this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/SubaruUncharted/comments/1ugqe3v/whats_up_with_all_the_bad_reviews/

I ended up getting me this Toyobaru in early July. Very happy I didn't go with a C-HR or Ioniq. Overall I really love it (besides some baffling interior decisions... I cannot believe how un-padded the arm rests and center console are for what is essentially a $50,000 car).

Thoughts for those still looking:

Pros:

• Cost: Can definitely still haggle down on price / haggle up on trade-ins. My OTD price was ~$38k with a trade-in at a "no-haggle" shop. Original offer was a little over $43k. You gotta put in the work obviously, but $5k is nothing to sneeze at. Also got 0% financing for 75 months. Overall happy with what I paid considering this is the fastest Subaru ever made (besides the new Trailseeker) and my buddy who just bought an old Porsche is reconsidering his life choices.
• Speed: Car go fast. Almost too fast. Maybe when I put new tires on it'll be better, but if you punch it too hard you get a traction warning. I love it.
• Handling: is great. Love the tight turning and just general nimbleness of the handling.
• Space: Coming from a mid-size SUV, space was a concern—but has not been an issue. I won't be lugging any couches anytime soon, but for normal day-to-day, it's nice.
• Looks: Looks sexier than the C-HR, BZ, Solterra, and Trailseeker. I'd love a Trailseeker, too, but for my needs the added price didn't make any sense. Also I really detest all the cladding on new cars, but I don't notice it at much since I chose a black one.
• CarPlay: Connects seamlessly with CarPlay. Way better than my old car and I essentially have not touched the Subaru stuff since setup.
• Sunroof: Glad I got the GT for that alone, but the other GT features are also cool. Would have been amazing if it opened, but it's nice regardless.
• Sound: The car itself is so crazy quiet. Love the Harmon Kardan speakers. Way nicer than the JBLs on the C-HR/BZs I drove. Big deal when you're commuting.
• Upholstery: Love the Startex. Honestly, the only reason I started looking at the Subaru versions after being a lifelong Toyota man is because the C-HR's highest trim has really gross fake suede seats. I've heard some people are into them (it takes all kinds), but I hated that. Big whiff by Toyota to not offer a Limited C-HR trim IMO.
• Mirror: Digital rearview mirror is cool.

Mehs:

• Ventilated Seats: Can't live without them now, but even at the highest setting they don't work as well as other cars I've been in where I've gotten legitimately too cold to use them.
• Physical buttons: I love physical buttons. My only gripe is I wish there were more. Temp and Volume are definite must-haves, so at least we got that.
• Range: I'd love more range... who wouldn't. But also range anxiety has been mostly a non-issue becauseI have a charger at work and live in a city. I do not have charging at home by choice and it hasn't been an issue at all outside of occasionally having to wait for other people to use the chargers.
• Steering wheel: I've adapted pretty quickly to the squircle, and I do like the visibility it gives compared to the C-HR/BZ, but there are certain maneuvers that are just scientifically better with a circular steering wheel. Nothing like letting a wheel slide through your hand. Science!
• Regenerative Braking: It's cool, but anything beyond a level one feels really lurch-y. And as far as I can tell, normal braking offers a comparable regen.
• Gear selector: This is 100% a me thing, but I miss the feel of pulling the car in gear. I also have some baffling tendency to turn the dial clockwise no matter what, which has led to some close calls when reversing out of parking spots. That's just me being an idiot, though.
• Various Beeping: Some of it has been legitimately helpful, but for the most part I think all these random beeps for cars crossing and lane changes and going in reverse are just unnecessary if you're a drive who, y'know, actually pays attention to the road. Thankful it exists for other people, but I've turned off or lowered as much as I could.

Cons:

• Padding: It's actually obscene how little padding there is in the armrests and center console. The latter specifically is truly a hunk of plastic covered in a millimeter-thick pleather. Horrendous. That'll be the first thing I try to solve. And it's a bit ridiculous on a ~$50k car that they couldn't shell out.
• A/C Bug?: The car defaults to having the A/C off every single time I turn it off. I'm still working my way through the manual, so maybe there's something I'm missing or it's a range-extending "feature," but I wish it would just keep my settings like any other car on earth.
• Face Monitoring: I turned off the face monitoring because it was beeping at me all the time when wearing sunglasses. Problem solved, I thought. Except now I get a notification about how the camera is off and I need to go into the settings to turn it on. I know it's off, car! I am the one who turned it off!
• 20" Wheels: Objectively worse than the lower trim 18" ones for both range and general driving, but the Base/Sport ones are also a lot uglier. Will definitely be getting 18" for my winter tires and will reevaluate what to do about these monstrosities next spring. I wish you could just opt for the smaller ones.
• Lack of Foot Sensor: Hate that there isn't a foot sensor in the rear for the trunk. Such a simple feature, but it's so useful on other cars.
• Omnipresent 12V Paranoia: While I haven't experienced the 12V issue yet myself, I can't say that I feel confident every time I walk out to my car after a couple days. That sucks. Wish Toyota/Subaru would just address it. That said, I never connected services so I'm hoping that will be my safety net. Time will tell.
• The Subaru OEM Organizer and Pet Rear Seat Extender: Doesn't really fit behind the driver seat. My fault for not putting two and two together, but unless you're very small, that Uncharted accessories page in the Subaru brochure is a lie!
• Charging Pads: They suck. Phone gets super hot, doesn't charge well, and I don't use a case so it slides around a bit. Weirdly wasn't as much of an issue with the BZ I test drove. I ended up buying some cheap slip mats that allegedly still charge, and sometimes it does, but overall I think the endgame is just replacing them with some storage. Which leads to:
• Storage Space: In general kinda sucks without some mods. You don't realize how nice sunglasses holders and gloveboxes are until you don't have them. On the positive side, it means I'm not storing a bunch of random junk I don't actually need, but I feel like one more accessible compartment would do wonders. Thankfully a lot of third-party solutions are popping up, which have been really nice in terms of organization.

On the accessories front, here are a few things I've bought so far that have been really useful. Big takeaway is I hate having a bunch of loose crap rattling around such a nice vehicle:

Sidio Crate: Quarter size fits beneath the trunk floorboard and can store random stuff you don't use that often. Stupid expensive for what it is, but I couldn't find a cheaper/better alternative.

https://sidiocrate.com/collections/crates/products/quarter-size-sidiocrate?variant=42470436831291

Center Console Storage Tray: Fits perfectly and gives a little bit more organization within the center console if you don't like a rat's nest of stuff thrown in there

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H4H1HPTK?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Silicone Charging Pads: These are pretty meh in terms of actual use, but if you don't use a case or want to put your keys there, it'll at least keep the pads scratch-free.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H7C329HR?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Lower Console Organizer: Same deal as the center console, but considering how much you can actually see, it just keeps things a little tidier / you know where things are since you can't look around as easily.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H7JXKZG3?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Dash Organizer: Haven't received yet, but figure this will be a good sunglasses holder, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H9RHYH6K?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Now I'm on the hunt for what to do about the arm rests and center console that don't look super tacky. My hunch is that I'll have to have some upholsterer take care of it (which I REPEAT is ridiculous on a ~$50k car)—but if you've found a solution, let me know!

Well, y’all convinced me to get an Uncharted with your amazing responses on my last post. Now I’ve got a new question:

Anybody getting any good rebates / pushing the dealers here in July?

I had a dealership offer $5000 rebate in June. Now they’re giving me the whole “it’s only $1500 this month.”

I’m sure there’s some hidden dealer cash because I already got one to give me a $2500 “rebate” but don’t know how far to push it. Morally difficult / tough for me to swallow paying almost $3k a couple weeks later.

Strength in numbers!

I know I’m going to get biased answers here, but curious why y’all think every review I read or see has the Uncharted bottom of the pack in its category? (Other than this whole 12V thing.)

Drove an Uncharted GT the other day and loved it… really wanna pull the trigger. Compared to my 2010 RAV4 it felt like a damn spaceship. Interior was way nicer than the C-HR XSE I test drove. Faster and a bit more nimble than the BZ. Even compared to my better half’s recent Outback and almost-new CX-9, this thing rips.

So… What am I missing?

Every review says the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is light years ahead, but that just seems… untrue? The top trim gets even less range than the Uncharted. Looks fugly. Has the ICCU issue… Are they just comparing base models? Or are there other FWD vehicles that are better? I live in a cold climate so AWD is a must, but I’d also just much rather stick with the Toyota/Subaru family. I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!

Why’d you go Uncharted over Ioniq?