Subaru News: Subaru Reveals new 2026 Subaru Trailseeker

[Drew Dowdell]

New York - Subaru unveiled the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker to a packed crowd as the New York International Auto Show this morning.  The Trailseeker is Subaru's first fully in-house electric vehicle and Subaru promises another electric SUV, likely based on this same platform, later this year.

The Trailseeker come standard with Subaru's legendary Symetrical All-Wheel Drive system with dual motors placed at the front and rear of axles. With around 375 horsepower available, the Trailseeker is rated to tow 3,500 lbs. An X-Mode system allows for further off-road chops offering Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud modes, Grip control, and downhill assist.

Power comes from a 74.7 kWh lithium ion pack capable of delivering at least 260 miles to a charge in optimum conditions. Subaru is moving to the NACS charge port standard, enabling a wide range of charging options, including up to 15,000 additional Tesla charging stations. The Trailseeker accepts up to 150kw charging and can charge from 10-percent to 80-percent in as little as 35 minutes when using the battery preconditioning system.

Compared to Subaru's other offering, the Solterra, the Trailseeker is 6-inches longer and an inch taller than the Solterra. Inside, the open cabin is punctuated by a 14-inch touchscreen, the largest ever in a Subaru. Metallic finishes along the dash emphasize the horizontal theme, and a wide center console provides a centralized hub for devices and personal items for easy storage.

The standard 14-inch Subaru Multimedia touchscreen offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility for entertainment on the go. Two wireless, 15W smartphone chargers keep devices charged, while two fast USB-C chargers keep rear-seat passengers connected.

All models are equipped with a suite of EyeSight driver-assistance technologies, including Pre-Collision Braking, Front Cross Traffic Alert, Blind Spot Monitors, Lane Departure Alert, a panoramic view monitor, Emergency Stop Assist, Traffic Jam Assist, Lane Change Assist, Advanced Adaptive Cruise Control, and more.

Pricing and detailed specifications of the 2026 Trailseeker will be available closer to launch in early 2026

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[surreal1272]

I wonder why they gave this model less range (and I'm guessing smaller battery) than the upcoming Solterra, even though it is clearly a larger model?

[ccap41]

51 minutes ago, surreal1272 said:

I wonder why they gave this model less range (and I'm guessing smaller battery) than the upcoming Solterra, even though it is clearly a larger model?

My guess is it may be the same size battery. 

[surreal1272]

4 hours ago, ccap41 said:

My guess is it may be the same size battery. 

After reading a separate article about it, you are correct in your guess. It is the same battery.

[ccap41]

30 minutes ago, surreal1272 said:

After reading a separate article about it, you are correct in your guess. It is the same battery.

I just had a feeling with a larger vehicle and therefore less range, it was probably the same battery size just plopped into a larger vehicle. 

[smk4565]

260 mile range and 150 kw charge rate aren't that great, but maybe enough for the majority of buyers that charge at home and drive 50 miles a day.

I wonder if this is really unique to Subaru or if the Toyota Crown Signia EV is coming out next year.

[Drew Dowdell]

1 hour ago, smk4565 said:

260 mile range and 150 kw charge rate aren't that great, but maybe enough for the majority of buyers that charge at home and drive 50 miles a day.

I wonder if this is really unique to Subaru or if the Toyota Crown Signia EV is coming out next year.

260 miles range and 150kw is the same as a RWD Model-3. This has AWD and is likely cheaper. It can also charge at Tesla chargers. It’s fine.

2 hours ago, ccap41 said:

I just had a feeling with a larger vehicle and therefore less range, it was probably the same battery size just plopped into a larger vehicle. 

Aero is the likely culprit.

[smk4565]

57 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

260 miles range and 150kw is the same as a RWD Model-3. This has AWD and is likely cheaper. It can also charge at Tesla chargers. It’s fine.

Aero is the likely culprit.

These might be over $50k, which is a lot for a Subaru.  The Mercedes CLA has 400 mile range and will charge at 320 kw, not that Subaru is competing with Mercedes, but 150 kw is sort of slow, but the Ultium cars are the same.  But if EV buyers rarely fast charge and charge at home, then it doesn't matter.

[Drew Dowdell]

2 hours ago, smk4565 said:

These might be over $50k, which is a lot for a Subaru.  The Mercedes CLA has 400 mile range and will charge at 320 kw, not that Subaru is competing with Mercedes, but 150 kw is sort of slow.

A CLA is a tiny car compared to the Trailseeker. This is basically a slightly slower Forrester in size.

2 hours ago, smk4565 said:

Ultium cars are the same

Some are, not all.

2 hours ago, smk4565 said:

But if EV buyers rarely fast charge and charge at home, then it doesn't matter

Again, 150kw isn't slow, it just isn't the fastest. I've done an 800 mile trip in a 150kw car and it was fine only charging when my body needed to stop. Add 50 miles there, 75 here. It doesn't need to be 10% to 80% every time. Just put in enough juice for long enough to get a bathroom break, coffee, and a shmuffin (Pittsburgh reference) and be on your way.  By the time you're done you'll find you've added anywhere from 50 - 80 miles to your range.  By the time that coffee is trying to make its way back out of you, you can stop and charge again.

[G. David Felt]

3 hours ago, smk4565 said:

These might be over $50k, which is a lot for a Subaru.  The Mercedes CLA has 400 mile range and will charge at 320 kw, not that Subaru is competing with Mercedes, but 150 kw is sort of slow, but the Ultium cars are the same.  But if EV buyers rarely fast charge and charge at home, then it doesn't matter.

Curiosity is always a good thing. As such, took a look and discovered that Mercedes Hide their CLA EV in the overall CLA press release.

The all-new Mercedes-Benz CLA: gorgeous, effortless, intuitive and flexible.

So first off, their claim to half that range in 10 minutes, full 80% in 20 minutes, this is based on a continuous 500-amp DC Fast charger. 350 kW chargers are not 500-amp chargers in all situations. As such, it is highly unlikely that these all new 800V EVs from Mercedes will actually charge as fast as they say they can. The press release pretty much says without saying it that if all the stars align, and you get a continuous 500-amp DC charger, you can get a considered full battery pack in 20 min. Yet then they say they have limited the auto to a maximum of 320 kW charging. So, there is no way it can charge as fast as they say the battery pack can handle due to the charging speed limitation.

I find it interesting that many of the specifications seem to mirror the Koreans. Maybe they actually used Korean as well as Tesla to benchmark since the 400V lineup of EVs are dead now.

As a NMC battery pack, it will be interesting to see their charging curve in regard to how fast it hits it maximum speed of charging and when it starts to taper off since this is all new technology for Mercedes. The press release implies that it will be an inverted U for the most part, but NMC do not always handle a constant high voltage charge, so it really will be interesting to see how their charging plays out.

Interesting is that standard controller for home charging is 11 kW but you can buy an upgrade controller to have 22 kW. Nice option, but for a luxury maker just like Cadillac, I hate these upgrade controllers to get the best home charging experience. Your already paying a premium, give me the goods.

[ccap41]

My biggest issue with sub-300 mile range EVs is the actual range in the winter.

If said vehicle has a 260 mile range and to maintain the life of the battery I'm only charging it to 80% that then leaves it with 208 miles. Take another 30% off for 4-5 months out of the year when it's cold and crappy... 145 miles of range. Do I drive 150 miles a day? Absolutely not. Do I think a realistic range of 150 miles is adequate? No. 

[G. David Felt]

4 hours ago, ccap41 said:

My biggest issue with sub-300 mile range EVs is the actual range in the winter.

If said vehicle has a 260 mile range and to maintain the life of the battery I'm only charging it to 80% that then leaves it with 208 miles. Take another 30% off for 4-5 months out of the year when it's cold and crappy... 145 miles of range. Do I drive 150 miles a day? Absolutely not. Do I think a realistic range of 150 miles is adequate? No. 

You have one problem here; your generalized 30% loss is not true for all EVs. More current testing shows that depending on the maker the range can be big like you stated but also very small. Hyundai and Kia showing the smallest battery loss in winter extreme weather and Tesla showing some of the largest loss.

Even other stories where extreme testing was done in some of the most extreme Northern European countries showed at most around a 20% range hit on the latest EVs and of course up to 57% hit on 5-year-old EVs. Which brings up the value of a Heat Pump over traditional ICE heater, enhanced insulation of the battery pack, liquid temp managements and so many other new technologies that have been applied to the latest models. We have changed in 10 years what took Ice 50 years to do. This will continue to improve.

Keep in mind that Tesla was the golden yard stick that every auto maker took and built to be equal or exceed them

Testing reported in December 2024

New Study Reveals Which EV Models Lose the Least Range in Winter - Vehicle Research - Automotive Fleet

Here a story from February 2025 of independent testing also showing the losses not as bad as you generalized depending on who you pick

https://cleantechnica.com/2025/02/10/recurrent-data-clarifies-ev-range-loss-in-cold-conditions/

[ccap41]

28 minutes ago, G. David Felt said:

Here a story from February 2025 of independent testing also showing the losses not as bad as you generalized depending on who you pick

I get that some are worse than others but a general 30% is pretty standard for the industry, as a whole. Yes, I'd need independent research for something I'd actually be buying, but most of those numbers aren't all that great. 

Yes, I also realize that ICE vehicles lose about the same efficiency in the winter months as well. But, we also all know it only takes 5-10 minutes to replenish an ICE tank in the winter.

[G. David Felt]

5 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I get that some are worse than others but a general 30% is pretty standard for the industry, as a whole. Yes, I'd need independent research for something I'd actually be buying, but most of those numbers aren't all that great. 

Yes, I also realize that ICE vehicles lose about the same efficiency in the winter months as well. But, we also all know it only takes 5-10 minutes to replenish an ICE tank in the winter.

Refill time is only true if your driving a Subcompact or compact, much longer for mid size and especially full size ICE fuel tanks and then if you fuel at Costco or Walmart with their fuel discount, plan to spend 10 to 15 min in line if not longer before getting to the pump.

Published paper from Standford University shows the average EV battery will also last 38% longer than current expected life as stated by the auto industry with the University requesting that auto companies test more realistically their battery packs.

Dynamic cycling enhances battery lifetime | Nature Energy

[ccap41]

1 minute ago, G. David Felt said:

Refill time is only true if your driving a Subcompact or compact, much longer for mid size and especially full size ICE fuel tanks and then if you fuel at Costco or Walmart with their fuel discount, plan to spend 10 to 15 min in line if not longer before getting to the pump.

We live in different worlds, brother. It does not take more than 5 minutes at a pump to fill my Navigator. If I decide to walk inside and grab something to eat or drink, sure the time goes up. Just filling a tank though, 5 minutes. 

[G. David Felt]

10 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

We live in different worlds, brother. It does not take more than 5 minutes at a pump to fill my Navigator. If I decide to walk inside and grab something to eat or drink, sure the time goes up. Just filling a tank though, 5 minutes. 

Interesting, according to the website your Navigator has a 23 gallon tank compared to the 32 gallon tank my escalade has.

Looked up the certified fuel pump filling speed, 23 gallons take 7 min. The gas industry has stated that the average 20 to 24 gallon fuel fill up take on average 8 minutes due to temperature, pump speed, how clean the fuel filter is in the pump equipment, etc. of course they also say the larger the tank the longer the fueling. So depending on how much gas you have in your tank it could be much shorter. So if you have a quarter tank of gas and are filling up, I can see this taking 5 min.

[smk4565]

I assume this is like Blazer EV size, and the Blazer has a lot better range.  Also a tough size of SUV anymore, because the "compact" SUVs like the Rav4 an CRV aren't so compact any more, they are kind of like mid-size vehicles and if you need bigger than that you go right to the 3 row.  That is why vehicles like the Edge and Venza got killed, and the Blazer (ICE) is probably getting killed.

[Drew Dowdell]

13 hours ago, smk4565 said:

I assume this is like Blazer EV size, and the Blazer has a lot better range.  Also a tough size of SUV anymore, because the "compact" SUVs like the Rav4 an CRV aren't so compact any more, they are kind of like mid-size vehicles and if you need bigger than that you go right to the 3 row.  That is why vehicles like the Edge and Venza got killed, and the Blazer (ICE) is probably getting killed.

No, this feels smaller. It's shorter in height than a Forester and about the same length externally. It's also narrower than the wide-body Ultiums.

[ccap41]

On 4/17/2025 at 4:53 PM, G. David Felt said:

Interesting, according to the website your Navigator has a 23 gallon tank compared to the 32 gallon tank my escalade has.

Looked up the certified fuel pump filling speed, 23 gallons take 7 min. The gas industry has stated that the average 20 to 24 gallon fuel fill up take on average 8 minutes due to temperature, pump speed, how clean the fuel filter is in the pump equipment, etc. of course they also say the larger the tank the longer the fueling. So depending on how much gas you have in your tank it could be much shorter. So if you have a quarter tank of gas and are filling up, I can see this taking 5 min.

Whatever site you're looking at is wrong. It's a 28 gallon tank and pretty easy to find that out. 

Edmunds:

Car and Driver:

So what silly site gave you 23 gallons taking 7 minutes? 

All I'm finding is 8-10 gallons per minute.

https://www.franklinfueling.com/en/this-is-franklin/whats-trending/the-hidden-challenges-of-inaccurate-fuel-dispensing/

[Drew Dowdell]

On 4/17/2025 at 12:28 PM, ccap41 said:

My biggest issue with sub-300 mile range EVs is the actual range in the winter.

If said vehicle has a 260 mile range and to maintain the life of the battery I'm only charging it to 80% that then leaves it with 208 miles. Take another 30% off for 4-5 months out of the year when it's cold and crappy... 145 miles of range. Do I drive 150 miles a day? Absolutely not. Do I think a realistic range of 150 miles is adequate? No. 

It's going to matter whether the EV in question has a heat pump HVAC system or resistive heater.  I don't have time to look into the Subarus at the moment, but that is an important question to answer.  Hyundai/Kia make them optional on lower end EVs, but if you live anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon Line, you should be getting a heat pump by default. Also, if you're in for a cold patch, it's perfectly acceptable to keep the charge at or close to 100% and use house current to pre-heat your battery/cabin before departure.  Doing so you'll keep any battery loss to a minimum in cold weather while driving.

 

4 hours ago, ccap41 said:

So what silly site gave you 23 gallons taking 7 minutes? 

All I'm finding is 8-10 gallons per minute.

I should time it sometime, but the main takeaway I have is that it varies widely even at the same station.  The Costco I go to can be a fast pump or slow pump depending on how busy they are.

[ccap41]

40 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I should time it sometime, but the main takeaway I have is that it varies widely even at the same station.  The Costco I go to can be a fast pump or slow pump depending on how busy they are.

I've done it and showed @G. David Felt in the past (posted here). I've tried finding the video but have had no luck. If you have super hero powers as an admin/site owner, please find it! I'll try and remember to do it again the next time I get gas. 

There are places to wait in lines around here but those are the exception to the rule, not the rule. From my house, I could drive the two blocks away, fill up, and get back home in under 10 minutes. There are never lines in town and it takes no time to start pumping using a credit card. 

Or I could find a Sam's Club and wait 5-15 minutes in line before pumping gas, but they're the only places you're waiting in line and it isn't every time. I've certainly gotten gas at a Sam's Club and not waited in line. 

47 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

It's going to matter whether the EV in question has a heat pump HVAC system or resistive heater.  I don't have time to look into the Subarus at the moment, but that is an important question to answer.  Hyundai/Kia make them optional on lower end EVs, but if you live anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon Line, you should be getting a heat pump by default. Also, if you're in for a cold patch, it's perfectly acceptable to keep the charge at or close to 100% and use house current to pre-heat your battery/cabin before departure.  Doing so you'll keep any battery loss to a minimum in cold weather while driving.

Yes, a heat pump would be necessary here for battery efficiency for at least a third of the year. 

[Drew Dowdell]

34 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I've done it and showed @G. David Felt in the past (posted here). I've tried finding the video but have had no luck. If you have super hero powers as an admin/site owner, please find it! I'll try and remember to do it again the next time I get gas. 

Site search here does suck and there's not a lot I can do about it.   Using "site:cheersandgears.com {search terms}" in google might help.

35 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

There are places to wait in lines around here but those are the exception to the rule, not the rule. From my house, I could drive the two blocks away, fill up, and get back home in under 10 minutes. There are never lines in town and it takes no time to start pumping using a credit card. 

Or I could find a Sam's Club and wait 5-15 minutes in line before pumping gas, but they're the only places you're waiting in line and it isn't every time. I've certainly gotten gas at a Sam's Club and not waited in line. 

At least for me, there is a 35c - 45c difference to fuel at not-Costco/Sams.  Filling a 27 gallon tank makes it worth the wait to fill at a warehouse club.  Once in a while I get Speedway deals and can fill up with E85 for super cheap.

[ccap41]

1 hour ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Site search here does suck and there's not a lot I can do about it.   Using "site:cheersandgears.com {search terms}" in google might help.

At least for me, there is a 35c - 45c difference to fuel at not-Costco/Sams.  Filling a 27 gallon tank makes it worth the wait to fill at a warehouse club.  Once in a while I get Speedway deals and can fill up with E85 for super cheap.

It's cheaper here, too, but not THAT significant. It's more like 8c-15c. I also have to be around one. My town of 10k people does not have a Sam's Club or Costco, hahaha. 

I will almost always fill up when I'm near a Sam's Club, but I'm not waiting in line for 15 minutes. 

[Drew Dowdell]

1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

It's cheaper here, too, but not THAT significant. It's more like 8c-15c. I also have to be around one. My town of 10k people does not have a Sam's Club or Costco, hahaha. 

I will almost always fill up when I'm near a Sam's Club, but I'm not waiting in line for 15 minutes. 

I have a Costco on one side of me in a shopping center I'm always in and a Sam's on the other side of me in another area I'm always in. I have both memberships, though the Sam's is not getting renewed when it's up.  Both are within 7 minutes of the house.

I have my favorite stations marked in GasBuddy and the cheapest prices in the county are those two plus a Speedway that sometimes gives me bonus discounts that is near one of my clients.

I probably put way too much effort into figuring out which is the cheapest because I compare the E85 price to the others but have to factor the drop in MPG and the cashback rebates my Costco credit card gives me. There is a spreadsheet on my phone.

I'm making a concerted effort to not overthink things this year.

[G. David Felt]

27 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I have a Costco on one side of me in a shopping center I'm always in and a Sam's on the other side of me in another area I'm always in. I have both memberships, though the Sam's is not getting renewed when it's up.  Both are within 7 minutes of the house.

I have my favorite stations marked in GasBuddy and the cheapest prices in the county are those two plus a Speedway that sometimes gives me bonus discounts that is near one of my clients.

I probably put way too much effort into figuring out which is the cheapest because I compare the E85 price to the others but have to factor the drop in MPG and the cashback rebates my Costco credit card gives me. There is a spreadsheet on my phone.

I'm making a concerted effort to not overthink things this year.

Not Overthinking is a good thing this year with all the craziness going on.

Washington just raised their gas tax 6 cents per gallon, so 55 cents for WA tax and 18.4 for Fed tax, so a 73.4 cents in fuel tax on top of the gas price. On average 40 to 45 cents per gallon cheaper at Costco/Sams Club here. Worth waiting in line unless I have a dollar discount at Fred Meyers which I get about once a month. Makes it worth fueling up at their slow pumps to save $32 on a tank full.

Like you Drew, not renewing Sams Club, just not seeing the value in comparison to Costco here.

Sadly Dell has done a RTO for full campuses, Hybrid for all others. As such, I now have to go into work 3 days a week. Lucky our Light Rail just opened up, so rather than 1 to 1 1/2 hrs in my own auto to drive into Seattle. I can drive 5 min to the Lynnwood rail station, jump on the train and be 4 blocks from the office 35 min later. Seattle requires all businesses to provide mass transit passes, good on the busses, trains or ferry system.

Looking at fueling up every 4 to 5 weeks now for my Escalade.