The Subaru Trailseeker Should Be The New Outback

The state of the auto show industry seems to always be in flux. While we all can agree they’re still important for the consumer, there is still much discussion on whether these shows are a proper venue for debuting new products. This week was the New York International Auto Show, and it was busier than normal with several new debuts. Let’s talk about them.

In This Issue

• Genesis

• Subaru

• Kia

• Hyundai

• Volkswagen

• Wrap Up

Genesis

My favorite Star Trek-themed automaker had its usual private event at Genesis House the night before the media day, and it had two products to show off. Neither product is something you can buy.

The first was the introduction of the X Gran Equator concept. Looking quite a bit like a Range Rover, in a good way, this concept leans heavily on both overlanding in luxury and minimalism. There’s a lot to like in this concept, actually, with the lack of a giant screen for instrumentation (the dials are screens, but it’s much more tastefully integrated) and the use of premium materials.

It’s inspired by a horse, and it’s obvious that Luc Donckerwolke is a talented and capable designer.

I’m also a fan of what Genesis is doing, especially around electric vehicles. But man, I’m ready to see a new product from the company and not just another new concept. Donckerwolke can spit out concepts like it’s his job (I mean, it is), but aside from some product updates, we’re still missing some products that we’ve been promised to fill out the entire Genesis lineup. Concepts are cool, but consumers can’t purchase concepts.

Genesis also debuted its race car designed to compete in LMDh for the FIA World Endurance Champsionship (WEC) and the IMSA SportsCar Champsionship (IMSA).

It’s an incredible-looking machine, and I suppose if you plan on someday, eventually, maybe, introducing a Magma-badged consumer car to customers, you’ll have to have some racing heritage. But this program seems more like a distraction from the act of selling cars. It also seems strange to invest in a twin-turbo V8 when the brand’s mission is to electrify — and then fully BEV — its lineup.

Is the Genesis buyer someone who appreciates a motorsports heritage? Isn’t that niche already covered by the European brands? I guess I don’t know the answer to either. I hope it works out for them, because like I said, I like the product a lot and think that it’s a underrated car brand.

Subaru

Subaru had three product reveals over two separate press conferences — an industry first? — and started things off with the updated Solterra EV and the new Trailseeker.

The Solterra gets much of the same updates that the Toyota bZ4X recently received, including better charging and a native NACS connector. Range is also improved. Additionally, much of the black plastic cladding has been eschewed for a more streamlined — and less Toyota-looking — look. I’m not sure if white is the color I’d go with, but I dig the overall redesign. The headlights seem controversial on the internet, but I think I’m a fan.

The new Trailseeker is also interesting. It looks like a wagon version of the Solterra, almost like a Subaru Outback (of old, not new), and is built on a modified version of the Solterra platform. It keeps some of the plastic cladding that the regular Solterra abandoned, but it fits the mantra of the vehicle.

The new Outback has the internet all up in arms.

Deciding that the Forester didn’t have enough competition in the showroom, Subaru opted to convert the Outback into a full-fledged SUV. The Wilderness trim — which in my head I always pronounce like the Canadians do (wild-er-ness) — brings that point home even more.

Maybe Subaru will sell gajillions of them, but the not-that-different Forester comes with a hybrid option, now. The Outback is still just a gasoline-burning vehicle. Maybe Subaru is trying to court potential 4Runner customers?

If you ask me, and you didn’t, I think that the Trailseeker is more Outback than the new Outback.

Friend of the newsletter, Robby DeGraff (of AutoPacific fame), took these photos at the show to get a better look at the Trailseeker.

I don’t know about you, but when I think Outback, I see in my mind something much closer to the new Trailseeker than anything resembling the new Outback.

Subaru, of course, can call its vehicles whatever it wants. It just seems like the new Outback was geared towards the anti-EV flyover parts of the country, while the new Trailseeker is designed for the rest of the world that is embracing electrification and innovation.

Kia

Kia dropped two new products on the U.S. audience: the new K4 hatchback and the U.S.-spec EV4 electric sedan. It also introduced a new trim of the fantastic EV9.

The K4 hatch is a much-anticipated addition to the Kia lineup, and something that will probably sell reasonably well. The new K4 seems like a compelling product in a segment that is abandoned by many automakers. Adding the versatility of a hatchback will add to that desirability. I don’t fool myself, the sedan will sell significantly better, but having the choice is very much appreciated as cars get more and more expensive.

The EV4 is an E-GMP sedan with some 330 miles of available range. While I think the upcoming EV3 will be the bigger deal, it’s nice to see Kia sticking to its guns on EVs and bringing even more consumer choice to showrooms across the country.

The design isn’t my cup of tea, but unlike the Cybertruck, you can buy a funky design that doesn’t support the fascist takeover of the United States.

My only concern regarding the 2026 launch of the EV4 is that production is slated for Kia’s Autoland Gwangmyeong EVO Plant in South Korea. With the tariff situation changing by the nanosecond, I imagine it’s quite challenging for Kia to figure out how they’re going to get the car here and how much they plan on pricing the car at.

Hyundai Motor Group is shockingly good at making EVs, and I look forward to driving this one.

Finally, Kia debuted a Nightfall trim option of the EV9. Aside from a change in some trim options, peak torque in boost mode increased to 516 lb-ft, which is a lot. Kia is claiming this thing can go from zero to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. Of course, that’s with the first foot of rollout deleted, which is NOT how you calculate ZERO to anything, despite what some automakers claim² .

Hyundai

Speaking of the Koreans, Hyundai debuted the refreshed Palisade. There is a new XRT PRO off-road focused trim, and there’s a new hybrid powertrain option. But what does it look like?

Nobody can accuse the Korean automakers of boring designs. Actually, there was a time when they thought boring would work, and they lost sales because of it. Remember that Sonata that looked like a Camry? Yeah, nobody remembers.

I’m eager to drive the new hybrid, as I’m already a fan of the Palisade. These looks are quite something, and we’ll have to wait and see if they grow on me. But regardless, I’d like you to refer back to my Cybertruck comment.

Volkswagen

Rounding out the day, Volkswagen added a new trim with a new turbo-powered engine to the Tiguan. For customers who wanted some more oomph, they now can spec their Tiguan with 268 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque.

What else is there to say? I think the Tiguan is an attractive crossover. Having more power as an option surely can’t be a bad thing. I’d like to see some electrification, even if it’s just a regular-ole hybrid. I think that would improve its competitiveness even more.

Wrap Up

Wrapping things up, depending on how you do the math, there were 9 to 10 reveals at the show (or show adjacent, with Genesis). That’s nearly a full auto show, even if the press conferences were over by noon for the most part. Are auto shows back? ¯_(ツ)_/¯

One thing I will say is the Senator from the great state of Ohio, Bernie Moreno, is an idiot. He told Automotive News that we won’t be talking about tariffs next year at this time, but rather how we’re selling so many cars that manufacturers can’t keep up.

As an Ohioan, I can say with 100% certainty that he has no idea what he’s talking about and is an idiot who didn’t pay his employees properly at the Mercedes-Benz dealership that he owned.

Just a reminder to all my wonderful followers that this newsletter is a self-funded venture and that your support allows me to keep doing that. If you aren’t a paying subscriber, you can do so by upgrading your account. I’m currently running a promotion where you can get all the extra benefits for less than $2/month for life. If you’re not interested in subscribing, you can also buy me a coffee.

If you’re in the industry and have something you want to talk about, I’ll protect your anonymity. You can reach out at my Proton Mail address at [email protected], hit me up on Signal at chadkirchner.1701, or send files via my secure Tor-based OnionShare setup.

1  Yes, I quoted the Black Eyed Peas. Deal with it.

2  If I wanted to calculate 5 mph to 60 mph, I’d use a foot of rollout deleted, but for me, zero means zero. Now, at the drag strip, when calculating quarter-mile times, it makes sense because the timing lights delete the rollout. So, to match drag strip times, it makes sense to delete the rollout, but the drag strip isn’t used for 0 to 60 challenges. Though it probably should be.