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Subaru’s Next EV Won’t Be Small—and It Won’t Be Alone

Subaru is about to get a lot more serious about electric family hauling. After dipping its toe into the EV world with the compact Solterra, the brand is preparing to add something much bigger, bolder, and more suburban-friendly: a three-row electric SUV aimed squarely at the heart of today’s electric crossover boom.

And no, Subaru isn’t developing it from scratch.

Just like the Solterra is essentially a Toyota bZ4X in hiking boots, Subaru’s upcoming three-row EV will be a rebadged version of Toyota’s new all-electric Highlander-sized SUV. Toyota and Subaru first confirmed the shared project back in 2023, promising production would begin in 2025. That timeline has slipped, but Subaru of America COO Jeff Walters recently reassured Automotive News that the project is very much alive—and due to hit showrooms later this year.

Subaru is positioning the new EV as a second car for households that already have a garage and a charger. In other words, this isn’t meant to replace your Outback just yet—it’s meant to park next to it. It will slot above the Solterra and alongside Subaru’s other Toyota-derived EVs, the Uncharted and Trailseeker, forming the backbone of Subaru’s still-nascent U.S. electric lineup.

A Highlander in Subaru Clothing

If you’re expecting Subaru to dramatically rework Toyota’s design, don’t. History suggests we’ll see the usual playbook: a unique front and rear fascia, Subaru-specific trim pieces, and some brand-appropriate badges, but otherwise the same vehicle underneath. That’s been the story with the Solterra and Toyota bZ4X, and it’s how the Uncharted borrows heavily from the Toyota C-HR.

That said, Subaru could give this new three-row EV a slightly tougher look. The company has made a habit of leaning into its outdoorsy image when given the chance, and the Uncharted already wears more rugged styling than its Toyota counterpart. Expect plastic cladding, roof rails, and just enough visual muscle to convince buyers this thing might actually see a gravel road.

Underneath, though, it will be Toyota’s SUV through and through.

Toyota Finally Enters the Big-EV Fight

Toyota’s new three-row electric SUV is expected to closely follow the bZ Large concept it previewed a few years ago. If that show car was any indication, the production version will look like a stretched and slightly bulked-up version of the current Toyota bZ, with a clean, futuristic design and the proportions needed to challenge the big dogs of the segment.

And it needs to. The electric three-row SUV market is no longer empty. The Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9 have already planted their flags, offering real space, real range, and real family-friendly features. Toyota’s entry—along with Subaru’s clone—finally gives the Japanese brands something to fight back with.

A Lexus Version Is Probably Coming Too

Toyota won’t be the only one spinning this platform into something new. Reports suggest Lexus is also preparing a premium version of the same electric three-row SUV, likely called the TZ. It would serve as the electric counterpart to the gas-powered Lexus TX, further spreading Toyota’s EV architecture across multiple brands.

So from one electric SUV platform, Toyota will get a mainstream family hauler, Subaru will get a ruggedized version, and Lexus will get a luxury one. That’s modern automotive efficiency at work.

For Subaru, this three-row EV could be a turning point. The Solterra has struggled to stand out, but a practical, family-sized electric SUV—especially one that doesn’t cost luxury-car money—could be exactly what the brand needs to finally gain traction in the EV space.

And if nothing else, it proves one thing: Subaru’s electric future will be built not alone, but side-by-side with Toyota.

Source: Subaru

News

The Cold-Weather Fuel Rule

Every driver has their own fuel philosophy. Some treat the gas gauge like a nervous parent, refilling at three-quarters full. Others drive on fumes, convinced the glowing low-fuel light is more of a suggestion than a warning. And then there’s the old AAA advice: keep the tank full to prevent condensation—especially in winter.

All of that contains a grain of truth. But if you want the real sweet spot for your car’s health, it lives somewhere between paranoia and recklessness.

According to mechanics and fuel-system engineers, the ideal operating range for your fuel tank is between one-quarter and full. Dip below that too often and you risk stressing expensive hardware. Keep it topped off all the time and you’re not doing yourself—or your wallet—any favors either.

Why Running Low Isn’t a Flex

Modern cars don’t just use fuel to make explosions in the engine. They also use it to cool and lubricate the fuel pump, which in most vehicles sits inside the tank. That pump is bathed in gasoline while it works, shedding heat and staying slick thanks to the fuel flowing through it.

Let the tank drop too low and that protective bath disappears. The pump runs hotter. Lubrication becomes inconsistent. Over time, the internal components wear faster—kind of like revving a cold engine every morning and hoping for the best.

Sure, you might get away with it. Plenty of people do. But it’s the mechanical equivalent of living on energy drinks and four hours of sleep. Some bodies survive it. Others break down early.

And No, Overfilling Isn’t Heroic Either

On the other end of the spectrum are drivers who religiously click the nozzle until every last drop fits. That’s not doing your car a favor either. Overfilling can saturate the evaporative emissions system—the part that traps fuel vapors—leading to check-engine lights, rough running, and repair bills that make you wish you’d stopped at the first click.

Your tank is designed to have empty space for vapor expansion. Filling it past that point defeats the engineering.

Winter Changes the Rules

There is, however, one time when more fuel is better: bad weather.

Cold temperatures increase condensation risk, and snowstorms or natural disasters can turn fuel stations into chaos overnight. If you’ve ever seen what happens to gas lines after an earthquake or during a major winter storm, you know exactly why mechanics recommend keeping at least half a tank in winter.

Fuel isn’t just range—it’s security. Heat if you’re stuck. Mobility if roads close. Peace of mind when everyone else is scrambling.

Your fuel gauge isn’t just a countdown timer to the next fill-up—it’s a health monitor for one of the most critical parts of your car.

Keep it above a quarter tank for everyday driving. Don’t top it off obsessively. And when winter or emergencies loom, give yourself the cushion of a half tank or more.

Treat your fuel system right, and it will return the favor with fewer failures, longer life, and fewer unpleasant roadside surprises. And that’s a win no matter what’s in your garage.

Source: American Automobile Association

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Volvo’s Next EV Platform Might Finally Kill the “Electric SUV” Look

For a company that once made its reputation on long-roof wagons and dignified, low-slung sedans, Volvo’s current showroom looks suspiciously like a luxury crossover dealership. Five of its six model lines are SUVs, and even the one that pretends not to be—the ES90 electric “sedan”—sits so tall it could borrow ground clearance from a Subaru Outback.

But that might finally be about to change.

Volvo’s new SPA3 electric platform, debuting under the upcoming EX60, has been engineered to do something no modern Volvo EV platform could do before: build a genuinely low car. And not “low for an EV,” but low like a proper S60 or V90—roofline, seating position, and all.

In other words, the age of Volvo’s electric baby SUVs might be coming to an end.

The Real Problem with Today’s EVs

The reason so many electric sedans look like lifted hatchbacks isn’t fashion—it’s physics. Most current EV platforms (including Volvo’s SPA2) are adapted from gas-car architectures. That forces the battery pack to live under the entire passenger cabin, which raises the floor, which raises the seats, which raises the roof, which turns everything into a crossover whether you like it or not.

That’s why the ES90 rides roughly eight inches higher than the old S90. The battery is basically a giant slab under the cabin, so everyone has to sit on top of it.

SPA3 fixes that.

Because it was designed as a pure EV platform from day one, Volvo’s engineers were free to move the battery, crash structure, and cabin around like chess pieces. And that changes everything.

Batteries That Don’t Dictate the Car’s Shape

The breakthrough is deceptively simple: SPA3’s battery doesn’t have to live only between the axles.

Volvo moved the front crash structure forward and reshaped it so battery cells can now sit ahead of the firewall, spreading part of the pack under the hood instead of under the rear passengers. That frees up space in the rear footwell, letting the floor drop lower—just like in a gas-powered car.

That’s how cars like the Porsche Taycan and Audi E-tron GT achieve their low seating positions, and now Volvo can do it too.

The result?
Rear passengers no longer sit on a battery pedestal. The roof doesn’t have to be taller. The windows don’t have to be stubby. The car can finally look like a sedan again.

Volvo Can Now Build Anything

According to Volvo CTO Anders Bell, SPA3’s design removes the one thing that has been holding modern EVs hostage: a flat, full-length battery slab.

Instead, battery cells can be added, removed, or repositioned depending on whether the car needs to be tall, low, wide, or sleek. Even the scuttle height—the base of the windshield—can be raised or lowered.

Volvo can build SUVs, wagons, sedans, MPVs, and sleek low-riders on the same bones.

And Bell didn’t hide what that really means.

“We can do low. We can do sleek. We can do high. We can do MPVs… It’s all in the cookbook.”

That’s engineer-speak for: we’re no longer trapped in SUV land.

The Return of the Electric S60 and V90?

Volvo won’t officially confirm an electric S60 or V90 yet, but the implications are obvious. SPA3 could easily support a low-slung sedan sibling to the EX60—effectively an electric S60 in everything but name.

And that matters.

BMW is working on a new i3. Mercedes has a C-Class EV coming. Audi is preparing the A4 E-tron. If Volvo wants to be taken seriously as a premium EV brand, it needs something that isn’t shaped like a refrigerator on stilts.

SPA3 finally gives Volvo the hardware to do it.

The Most Important Volvo Platform in a Generation

For the last decade, Volvo has followed the market into SUVs. SPA3 gives it a way back out.

It’s not just a new EV platform—it’s a reset button for what a Volvo can be. If demand exists, Volvo can now build cars that sit low, look elegant, and drive like real sedans and wagons again.

And for anyone who misses the days of S60s and V90s carving through traffic instead of towering over it, that might be the most exciting thing Volvo has done in years.

Source: Volvo

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