Can you believe it’s been nine years since we first saw the Subaru Ascent? That’s a long time for one generation of something as important as a three-row crossover, so it’s about time Subaru introduced a new one. Here it is, it’s called the Getaway, and it looks deeply familiar for a reason.
It’s no secret that Subaru and Toyota have been in a tryst of sorts. From the wonderful, affordable sports car that is the BRZ and GR86 to an electric wagon, the line between “Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive” and “Oh, What A Feeling” has grown thinner and hazier over the past decade or so. A few months ago, Toyota revealed the new Highlander, which is electric. This is Subaru’s version of that.
The big aesthetic difference is, of course, the nose. Subaru’s gone with a bluff front end instead of Toyota’s sharky face. The centerpiece is, unfortunately, an illuminated Subaru emblem standard on all models. How gauche. Look past Rudolph’s nose, however, and you’ll find quite a lot of interchange with the Toyota Highlander, including the greenhouse, the quarter panels, the doors, and even the same recessed door handles with mechanical emergency releases. This should make backyard body repairs cheaper in 15 years’ time when your youngest child ends up scraping a door on the frame of your garage door, but the result in the meantime might be too much similarity. Still, there is one big way in which the Getaway is different from the Highlander.
While the Highlander features a maximum output of 338 horsepower, the Getaway initially comes standard with a whole lot more. I’m talking 420 horsepower from dual electric motors, which Subaru claims is good enough to fling this three-row crossover from zero-to-60 mph in fewer than five seconds. Just make sure the family dog isn’t loose in the cargo hold when you bury the skinny pedal. Range doesn’t seem to take a big hit either, with Subaru still touting more than 300 miles from a charge from a 95.8 kWh battery pack. You know, the same size of battery pack as the one in top-spec Highlanders. Of course, a smaller 77 kWh battery pack is expected to come online in 2027 as a base offering, matching the base pack in the Highlander.
Inside the Getaway, it looks pretty much identical to the cabin of the new Highlander. We’re talking the same shifter, air vents, dashboard, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster screen, and 14-inch infotainment touchscreen. It’s a bit sparse on physical buttons, but it looks to have plenty of interior storage and some nice amenities. Top-spec Getaways get a heated third row, ventilated second-row seats, a huge slab of glass for a moonroof, and the same sort of seat-mounted USB-C charging ports seen in various Kias. It’s a great idea, why not use it?
Regardless, I can’t help but wonder what the future will actually be like for Subaru. With the debut of the Getaway, approximately 45.45 percent of Subaru’s American lineup will have direct Toyota-badged equivalents. The BRZ’s twinned with the GR86, the Uncharted’s twinned with the C-HR, the Solterra’s twinned with the bZ, the Trailseeker’s twinned with the bZ Woodland, and the Getaway’s twinned with the Highlander. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it allows development costs to be shared, but how much identity do some of these models, especially the electric ones, have beyond the badges on the front?
Maybe horsepower is the move. After all, if the Getaway ends up priced close to the Highlander, why buy the Toyota? They both charge at 150 kW, they both offer roughly the same sort of range, and they feature near-identical ergonomics. However, the Subaru’s a lot quicker, and horsepower gets the people going. I guess we’ll just have to wait for pricing to drop closer to the Getaway’s on-sale date late this year.
Top graphic image: Matt Hardigree
Man that gray on gray interior is depressing
Hoping Subaru will give vans a try again in the US. The Domingo is wild, but I’d prefer something built to modern crash safety standards.
It actually looks better than the Toyota, so between the two, I’d agree you go for the Subaru.
Shame it’s based on Toyota’s “this’ll do” EV tech. Launching with EV specs that would have been adequate 3-4 years ago. The EV world moves too fast to be behind the ball.
These new Toyota interiors need to be called out. They are unforgivably cheap at these price points.
I think the specs are less important to many buyers for these than it being a normal looking 3-row from a brand they like with a big and less-bad dealer network. Toyota and Subaru have high brand recognition and perception, these vehicles don’t stand out and that’s the point, and these specs are perfectly solid. But we’ll see! I think much of the proof will be in the reliability, and I think the conservative specs are probably because Toyota isn’t pushing components close to their operational limits.
This will be available unlike the Toyota version. The Toyota dealers won’t have any stock while Subaru dealers will have about twenty sitting there.
We’ve been going through our EV inventory pretty well here at the Subaru dealership in Central Ohio. We don’t get many, but they don’t sit for more than a week or two.
Friend got the subaru version of the Bz for this exact reason and loves it.
Subaru wasn’t going to develop an EV on their own so this makes sense, I guess. A four-and-a-half second rebadged Highlander will have its merits.
Really not digging this hyper-angular eternally-grey hard plastic generic dystopian-movie hovercar interior motif Toyota is doubling down on, though. I wouldn’t want to look at that every day.
Yeah, I saw that interior picture and the immediate thought was “how grim”. All dark gray plastic, it looks like a depressing place to spend time. And the exterior is also the same shade of gray that blends in with the pavement.
I would tolerate an un-needed third row for something good.
I don’t think this is the vehicle to move me that way.
I have often thought of Toyota as the Chevrolet of Japanese auto manufacturing, but up until now I hadn’t thought of Subaru as the Buick.
Subaru is more Oldsmobile, Mazda is Buick lol
Mazda is Mercury.
At least this doesn’t have Subaru plastic cladding around the wheel wells. That will probably be a dealer installed option.
Oh look – another generic sight-blocking family hauler with no bumpers whatsoever.
*Yawn*
I’m so tired of mega center console screens. They’re lazy, an eyesore, and I have no need or desire for one.
You know, I kinda love the name. As I approach a Subaru salesman thinking that maybe I should buy one, but I don’t recall the name I ask him to tell me about the car. He replies “Getaway.” I leave and never make the mistake of buying it.
“One more step and we’re walkin!”
-George Costanza
Also: “TWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIX!”
Who actually likes those giant center consoles? Not just in this car, but they seem to have no functional purpose other than to make the front seats feel more crowded.
I say this out of personal experience selling cars, and being around people in general whilst talking about cars, and out of no disrespect at all:
The people responsible for 60 percent of new car sales in by gender and the primary decision maker in 85 percent of new car sales overall…….The ladies. They love a console, and they love a nice big screen.
I can second this. A majority amount of non-enthusiasts will see the bigger screen in the car and compliment it.
I like a cocooned feel more than a wide open space. As long as I get the console space back in the form of storage, I’m happier with a console than open space.
This has so little resemblance to current and upcoming Subaru models. As a certified hater of current Outback, Crosstrek, and Forrester exterior designs, I think that’s great. If you love Subaru’s though, I would be disappointed. Then again, as an overall hater of Subaru, I’d say you should probably expect disappointment, it’s the biggest hallmark of their powertrains.
Is… Is it time to put subaru out to pasture? I know their designs have been a desperate scream for help of late, adding further self-damnation to their reliance on CVTs. They don’t do anytjing particularly nor uniquely well, many shops don’t want to touch their boxer engines, and their quality continues to suffer with each generation.
Maybe put them down to videos of their WRC championships, and allow them to drift off permanently to that great rally stage in the sky. I’m reasonably certain Fuji Heavy Industries can make better use of their manufacturing capability and capacity.
FHI was put out to pasture in 2017, wasn’t it?
Name change. But I think they did close up a power solutions division as part of it.
Nah. Subaru was in a much worse position in the ’90s and aughts. WRC aside it was a time of near-bankruptcy followed by terrible quality. Pre-bankruptcy GM was the brand partner, not Toyota.
It seems like Toyota is intentionally sunsetting Subaru with these shared EV models, but really it’s hedging its bets on EV sales as Subaru is attempting to boost its volume over 1 million units/year. Subaru still has among the highest dealership profitability in the business, which is reason enough to keep it healthy. Subaru has never had a “full-line” of models and suddenly it will be offering 12.
You could say everyone’s drinking the Kool-Aid, but Subaru has a unique engine, a unique longitudinal AWD-ready drivetrain, a unique market position, and more recently has begun expanding its unique hybrid drivetrain. If CVTs couldn’t kill Nissan, it won’t kill Subaru, which will likely move to eCVTs in the future.
The biggest weakness is a shortage of hybrid models and the sheer greediness of many of its dealerships, which has kept me from even considering a Subaru locally.
The Legacy saved Subaru then, so I’m curious if they can pull something out now instead of being subsumed into Toyota as a novelty outdoorsy sub-brand.
The EV partnership feels more like Toyota bankrolling Subaru EV-ifying their lineup and recouping some costs by also selling them as some others have pointed out.
I’m sure it’s a lot more complicated behind the scenes than either company really being in charge, but people saying these vehicles aren’t real Subarus or whatever are underplaying Subaru’s involvement. Subaru knows they have a ton of customers looking for EVs (the most percentage of any legacy marque), and if they don’t have any on offer, customers are going to jump ship and go to Hyundai or Rivian.
Yep
“Desperate scream for help” to describe the non-Toyota designs is very on point. I cannot comprehend how they went from the fourth generation Legacy/Outback, which looked so sharp and European with interior quality that seemed actually decent, to the complete morass they’re in now with the new Outback. I understand they’re trying to make a pivot into a different segment (“congrats, it’s a real SUV now”), but any of the other Japanese manufacturers make a better looking product. The Trailseeker (I had to google the Subaru name, I could only remember the Toyota model) at least looks the way an Outback should in the year of our lord 2026.
I think the interior of the new Outback is really solid, but the Trailseeker (e-Outback in Europe) really nails the exterior of what it should look like. I had a 95 and 99 Outback, so I feel betrayed by the new SUV “Outback.”
Subaru and Mazda are both too small the last a decade with the current rapid change in the auto market. The Japanese auto sector is well past the point where it should be consolidating around a few strong brands.
We have already seen that the Japanese government won’t allow them to be purchased by an outside company so internal consolidation is the only option.
I agree completely. This increasingly seems to me like Subaru looked around and didn’t want to be Mitsubishi (‘twas ever thus…) so decided it was just time to slowly become absorbed by Toyota. Toyota, I think, ultimately finds what they were looking for with Scion—a quirky, slightly counter brand for people wouldn’t consider a Toyota.
Subaru makes sense in the Toyota portfolio as they have a rabid following. The key is to avoid too much overlap in models which is what we are getting today with Subaru and Toyota as separate companies.
With Mazda the only thing really unique is the Miata.
What Toyota doesn’t need is a VW or GM situation where they make 3-4 version of the same thing and compete between their own brands.
“BRO, that front logo is LIT!”
Toyota, it’s what makes a Subaru a Subaru.
Fuji Heavy Industry made mechanically reasonable / excellent vehicles. They built the SVX for heaven’s sake! Rally Impresas. All honour to them. Unfortunately the world market for what is a mid market brand with essentially no USP at the moment means they have to cuddle up to the safest uncle on the block. The box on wheels at the top is foul and both Subaru and Toyota should be ashamed by the medicority of it.
USP?
Unique selling point – marketing guff.
The SVX is Exhibit A for ‘what nearly killed Subaru’ in the early ’90s. Rally Imprezas… less clear but probably good for marketing. Not that the U.S. even got one until after Subaru wisely stopped focusing so much on rallying. Targeted niche marketing and the Outback is why the company exists today.
It increasingly feels like all the Toyota/Subaru EVs are are primarily “for” Subaru and Toyota sells them too to offset development costs/improve the economies of scale.
The Subaru names though, idk. Getaway is the name of Hyundai’s regular sales event. The 2 closest Subaru dealers to me are also Hyundai dealers, so seems like it might lead to some confusion in the internet departments…
“I’m looking for a Getaway.”
“Ah great timing, it’s the Getaway Sales Event.”
“Oh so it’s on sale?”
“They all are.”
“Ok well…I’m looking for a white one.”
“Which one in white?”
“The Getaway!”
“Getaway” is also what I tell most car salespeople when they approach me unsolicited
Mazda does he same with the RAV4/CX50. Hybrid and Gas models
No, just the CX-50 uses the RAV4 Hybrid’s powertrain. The regular CX-50 is on the same base Mazda platform as the CX-30, but is longer.
jinx
I don’t think the CX-50 and RAV4 are built on the same platform. Mazda is definitely using a Toyota hybrid system, though I think a generation older than what is in the RAV4.
They do share at least one paint color though
They are independent platforms, Mazda retrofitted the outgoing gen Rav4 hybrid powertrain to work in the CX-50, but the cars are completely independent designs and platforms. Also Mazda got Toyotas metallic green while Toyota got soul red crystal, but I don’t think the Rav4 got SRC, only the Corolla Cross which is built in the same facility (I think)
I think I recently saw a RAV4 in Soul Red. It was the best looking RAV4 ever.
The CX-50 borrows the Toyota hybrid powertrain but the two are unrelated models, the Toyota Corolla Cross built in the same plant is wholly unrelated. The Toyota and Subaru EVs are rebadges, but it feels like Subaru is more committed to them, offering more build varieties (ex. Uncharted offers a FWD model that the CHR doesn’t, the Getaway offering the higher hp option that the Highlander does not).
We named a car the “Ass-scent” and we got away with it. Let’s call the next one the “Getaway”.
VW kinda did too with the AtlASS but id(ont) see too much buzz.
Alas, no one noticed.
Considering the models have all been to fill out EV versions of the Subaru roster so far, and Subaru owners are the most likely among legacy buyers to be interested in an EV, I think you’re spot on. They’re sharing development costs, but Subaru might be driving the show more than it seemed initially when the Solterra/bZ4x launched.
Solterras had quickly outnumbered bZ4xs when they launched too. I’m sure some of it was Toyota being choosy in where they distributed and they could turn up the wick if needed if demand was strong, but when it comes to keeping the lines moving and return on the model program the Subaru seems like a safe bet.
Also helped that Busy Forks are just ugly as sin while Solterras are awkward but much less offensive to look at
I always need like 10 seconds to remember if it is Subaru Ascent or Accent. Same with the Hyundai. That’s got to be fun at those shared dealerships.
Wow, what a terrible name on that rebadged Toyota. Wait, does this mean there will be deals on Subarus during Toyotathon?
Giving the consumer the perception of choice while actually taking it away.
The future that automakers truly desire is to sell everyone the same fucking thing at the highest possible price. The “rationalization” of platforms, powertrains and brands isn’t complete until we are all in the same grey transport pods with 86 months loans.
Goddamn is this going to be a very, very terrible flop for Subaru.
First, there’s basically nothing about this vehicle that is tied to anything that resembles a Subaru. It’s genuinely a badge job. If there’s anything that Subaru buyers need, is for their car to assertively scream “I am Subaru, hear me roar”.
Second, the Ascent hasn’t been particularly successful for the brand, because it really doesn’t align with any of the brand’s core values. The segment is 3-row crossover, the most normcore of American vehicles, and regardless if Subaru buyers are actually interesting (*Ron Howard narration voice* “They weren’t”) this tends to be a demographic that’s drawn to practical vehicles that don’t copy-paste from the Toyota playbook which… is exactly what they did here. Toyota would be wise to continue to let Subaru print money and provide Subaru better powertrains, instead of going all GM on their ass and force them into badge jobs.
I guess it doesn’t matter because it’s electric and probably wasn’t going to sell well anyway. But I’d caution Subaru to not allow Toyota to dilute the last shreds of quirkiness left within the brand.
They have that lighted Subaru badge, just like Muffy has the lighted star on her Mercedes 2-box blob. Isn’t that enough today?
But when it comes to Subaru in general, my field of fucks is barren, and thus I have none to give. Pretty much how I feel about Toyota too with rare exceptions, so the combination? Meh, whatever.
I have a lot of fond memories of the brand and our local dealer is the only “non-rapist” new car dealer we have around here. So I tend to root for Subaru despite my overall frustration with them lately.
Feedback from said dealer seems to indicate that they can’t give the new Outback away, which is freaking them out greatly (in a place where the Outback has often been the official car of basically everyone). They really don’t need any more salesproof products there.
My very first car was an ’82 Subaru. It was very meh but mostly survived 16yo me, so that is a bit of an accomplishment. Once they went all in on AWD, I very much lost interest, as that is something I have no use for in an on-pavement vehicle. Plus sticking with horrible boxer motors for all these years. They never seemed to get the memo that boxers are supposed to be *smoother* than inline motors, because theirs sure aren’t.
Cheap inline fours are *far* worse than any boxer four. Most of the observed vibration is down to unequal-length headers and a slight rocking couple.
The amount of extra effort to smooth out naturally-aspirated I4s is just not necessary on a boxer.
Modern Subarus don’t sound fantastic but considering a lot of modern engines sound a little like diesels it’s not bad.
I think Subaru engines sound like ass, but you are entitled to your opinion. I will take a balance shafted four over one any day. Boxers are added complexity for no good reason at this point.
I really dislike advertising on my car, so lighted advertising is pretty abhorrent to me. I might consider a car with a lighted badge if the manufacturer will pay me a SUBSCRIPTION FEE.
You and me both, Brother! And besides, it’s just plain tacky.
I too have doubts on the success of this, but the Ascent has been a pretty steady seller averaging around 60k/year, not really seeing a big drop until last year, its 7th model year on the market basically unchanged. I wouldn’t be surprised if the drop was more from production constraints as they’ve added the Crosstrek (set a new sales record each of the last 3 years) and Forester, and added hybrid production more recently.
While I do think buyers look to Subaru for something a little different than the usual Honda/Toyota, more of that is the brand than the product; the dealers generally seem better to work with for one. The main thing the products have had to do are maintain strong Consumer Reports and IIHS ratings. I see a ton of older folks in Foresters and Outbacks where those ratings probably carried more weight than anything having to do with image.
If it’s dirt cheap to put Subaru badges on a vehicle that Subaru won’t or can’t produce on its own, it doesn’t take many sales to be in the black. I doubt this is displacing anything already on their showroom floor and some Subie fans won’t go to a Toyota showroom.
Excellent point, Subaru is nearly doubling its model choices thanks to Toyota. And Toyota gets more outlets for EVs it probably committed to years before the market for them collapsed. Traditionalists get their ICE Subaru, EV buyers get many options.
Subaru had to saved from its self as of late. They couldn’t figure out a hybrid let alone a bev. It’s sad to see a badge engineered vehicle where there used to be a separate product line. But I can’t see Subaru selling enough of a bev to develop one their selves. Even if it was somehow good and that seems a tough ask right now. You can get a Subaru badge for cheaper then the Toyota that seems like a win for everyone. Subaru is sort of like the new Scion just less fun with the same cars. It would be a lot more interesting if they picked some overseas jv cars to brand as Subaru. GAC Toyota has some interesting things. Given how terrible Toyota dealers have become it’s possible Subaru dealers sre better and might be more likely admit fault with the vehicles because they are used to it.
Oof. They’ve gone full Mercedez Benz! Never go full MB!
It will never be mistaken for a MB – Not enough stars embedded in every vertical surface.
I’d actually be completely OK with this one if they *only* had the Pleiades illuminated.
I just can’t get excited about “hopped up” EV variants. The base models are already so blindingly fast compared to ICE vehicles, that killing range to extract a bit more acceleration seems pointless.
Unless you’re gonna go straight bananas with a car in the 4 digit horsepower club, I fail to see the appeal.
Horsepower is basically free in an EV though unless you drop a motor for FWD.
https://youtu.be/8UOWglRQtm8
Agree.
For me, anything faster than 0-60 in 7 seconds makes me want the gearing to allow more efficient highway speeds (65-75mph) than faster acceleration.
Or am I missing something? I understand that maintaining higher speeds requires more energy than lower due to aerodynamic drag.
But if Porsche gets more miles per kW at higher speeds with a 2-speed transmission, it seems engineers can design for higher miles/kWh at 70mph if acceleration is 7 seconds to 60mph than 5 seconds?
Subaru is becoming literally just a badge. All of the new EVs are like late Plymouth/Dodge levels of differences, or even less
Yep. At least the old DSM cars had unique personalities despite being basically the same cars mechanically.