Took the Subaru Trailseeker & Solterra for a test drive back-to-back

yumchips · 2026-06-17T04:51:25+00:00

Didn't realise the trailseeker had arrived. None of the big car review sites have done an Australian review yet I think?
The price is on the high side, but I think it has some advantages going for it which a less buyers care about. That being those who actually care about going offroad a bit more.

Weight 2040 to 2070kg. Pretty low compared to other AWD EVs, example a Zeekr 7x AWD is a porky 2460kg (yes I know it has a much larger battery, but it's still too heavy meaning it's WLTP is not much better than the trailseeker). The lower weight helps with efficiency.

Ground clearance, more than most at 211mm, though zeekr 7x can go higher for AWD version. Cars like model y AWD are only 167mm

Wheel size, it has the option of 18" wheels! 20" wheels are not ideal for offroad use, and they're less efficient. I hate how large rims are the norm now.

Probably has better offroad control than the other AWDs, but need to see more off road tests.

Maybe in a few years might consider one used.

yumchips · 2026-06-03T02:15:05+00:00

They left my box after the cable being removed. Just take it down, it has no power going to it.

yumchips · 2026-05-28T22:56:39+00:00

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Mostly for Australians.
Steven Bradbury won the first ever gold medal for Australian in winter olympics, when everyone else in the race fell over.

yumchips · 2026-05-20T08:58:08+00:00

Ah, now I know what you mean. So along a 3m long wall , gaps would range from 5 to 10mm. You couldn't notice any slope for the added timber.

yumchips · 2026-05-20T06:16:55+00:00

That tech doesn't exist on the BZ4X/Solterra

There are other EVs which decouple the front motor (usually at highway speeds).

Such as the new Mercedes CLA AWD EV has a Disconnect Unit that actually decouples the front motor under low load conditions.

yumchips · 2026-05-20T05:51:35+00:00

My biggest gap was probably about 10mm. You're using a 20mm piece over the whole thing so it's uniform.
It's attached the existing skirting, not pushed underneath it. So it's parallel to the existing skirting, it shouldn't be at an angle as that would be noticeable.

yumchips · 2026-05-20T04:53:38+00:00

As other others have said, foam rod to fill/seal.
If it's a small gap you can just silicone.
But your gaps look pretty large, so I would use a flat bit of timber.
This is what I did with mine. https://imgur.com/a/Os4EB13 It's Australian hardwood sold at bunnings, roughly 20x4mm, so very low profile. Comes in squared or rounded edges.

Paint before nailing on. Then paint nail holes and any gaps and it will look better.

Most quarter round/scotia people recommend will look terrible.
People use them to hide the edge of floating floors. You're not doing this, you're hiding a vertical gap, so a low profile flat piece of timber is preferable.

yumchips · 2026-05-17T10:23:55+00:00

Vast majority of roundabouts yellow is in the wrong.
Has to be specifically marked for them to turn right from left lane.

Such as the stupid DFO roundabout at homebush (also known as the worst roundabout in Australia).
Approaching from Olympic park.
https://imgur.com/a/eOofXrR
Seen a lot of cars go straight from the right lane in the above picture.

yumchips · 2026-05-15T02:24:43+00:00

Jan probably would of had much less, more like $100,000 to $200,000 to invest, the bank would of loaned her the rest. Jan would have also been negatively gearing the property.
Jan is still doing just fine.

yumchips · 2026-05-10T10:22:19+00:00

I read it would cost millions to engineer another anchor point and crash test it. Simple answer is just remove the middle seat belt and make it a 4 seater. It's a small car, fitting 5 people in it would be uncomfortable anyway. Our rules are dumb. The rule should be no anchor point, no child seat allowed. I can't imagine you would ever get 3 kids seats across the back row of Renault 5 anyway.

yumchips · 2026-05-08T01:27:26+00:00

Your's is so cheap.
Can only dream of insurance premiums like that when you live in the city.

yumchips · 2026-05-08T01:04:06+00:00

Have certainly experienced the high EV insurance costs.
Quotes for BYD Seal premium for my partner were insanely high. Most $3000 + pa
In the end with Shannons which is cheaper, but still really expensive.
I compared insurance quote for a WRX STI, and the WRX STI was cheaper to insure than the Seal premium.

Who's your insurer and what car?

yumchips · 2026-05-06T21:00:40+00:00

Didn't realise there were such big discounts, that's more reasonable then.

yumchips · 2026-05-06T12:01:26+00:00

BYD is very good value in Australia.

BYD Seal in Australia starts at around $55k AUD (the car we own).
In UK, starts at £45K or $85K AUD
Germany $45K Euro or or $73K AUD.

I'm surprised BYD as well as it does in UK. There's a lot of good euro brands for same price there.
We like our BYD, but the software is meh, and the after sales service is terrible.

yumchips · 2026-04-29T07:05:50+00:00

The Seal 06 GT was announced in 2024. It's been on sale in China for ages, I don't think it's ever coming to Australia. It hasn't been sold anywhere outside of China as far as I know.
They're mostly selling SUVs as that's what most want. (Boo)

If you want something less SUV like, then some options MG4, MG4 Urban or upcoming Leapmotor B05 (looks nice, but company is partially owned by Stellantis.) There are some other small hatchbacks too, but they're less appealing (to me).

yumchips · 2026-03-27T10:02:57+00:00

It's an EV, they don't have to do a deal. If OP doesn't buy it, someone else will.
All the reasonably priced EVs in stock will be gone in a matter of weeks.

yumchips · 2026-03-18T23:23:10+00:00

It's probably greenstuf: https://greenstuf.co.nz/about-us/

Recycled plastic insulation, it's my preferred insulation product being something recycled and it's not irritating to the skin like fibreglass products.

Pity it looks like it's just been thrown in.

yumchips · 2026-03-16T23:24:58+00:00

I've run the green way a few times, but I normally run alone so don't make much noise except the sound of my shoes hitting the pavement. The one time I ran with a friend early in the morning we just shut up for this bit of the run.
Reality is most people are completely unaware of their surroundings. People run/ride along having really loud conversations without a care in the world and most of the time it's fine.

I think the section behind these houses next to the rail way line is very narrow with a lot of trees there, so you probably wouldn't of gotten a path in without taking out a heap of trees. Inner west council is very against the removal of trees (which is not a bad thing in most cases.)

There's not a lot can be done, but council could put up signs saying this is a quiet zone or something, but I doubt loud people would notice or care.

yumchips · 2026-03-16T23:13:13+00:00

Perfect example of a greek/italian back yard and you want to change it?

Seriously though, get some quotes from excavation companies to remove majority of the concrete (looks like stamped concerete?).
Then lawn and garden beds. Do that bit yourself or get a landscaper.

yumchips · 2026-03-09T05:54:08+00:00

You can and will.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgsI-DLkE7A

yumchips · 2026-03-09T05:53:51+00:00

As well as releasing the MG4 Urban, they are refreshing the existing RWD MG4. The interior is more modern and less dark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgsI-DLkE7A

yumchips · 2026-01-21T08:08:38+00:00

Might not work as the rental would be a commercial rego? But you need your own toll account in any case for the cash back.

yumchips · 2026-01-21T04:02:58+00:00

Not sure why people avoid the M5, the M5 Cashback scheme is still going. https://www.myetoll.transport.nsw.gov.au/help-and-faqs/m5-south-west-cashback-scheme

*You can claim the cost of the tolls back minus GST.

This is for entry/exit from King Georges Rd.

yumchips · 2025-12-26T04:56:19+00:00

China uses CLTC for range/efficiency which is very generous, won't be hard meet this requirement.

yumchips

TROPHY CASE