My husband and I are in our late 70s and we will probably buy our next car this year. Because this is likely our last car, we want something that will work for us in the last driving years of our lives.
We are currently driving a 2015 Subaru Outback. It has 350,000 kilometres – we’re now doing about 2,500 km a month, nearly all of it highway driving. Our Subaru has been a great car and has served us well, never failing us in all sorts of winter conditions.
We live in a rural area about 80-100 kilometres from the nearest urban area. We are unlikely to do any travelling outside of a 150-kilometre radius. The first 10 kilometres from our house is gravel, quite hilly and not always in great shape (potholes).
We want to stay with all-wheel drive, need a good cargo capacity (we have a dog and marathon shopping trips to town), and good ground clearance. Our preference is to stay with Subaru, and we’re looking at a slightly used Outback, a new Outback and a Forester hybrid, though we haven’t test-driven anything yet. We are also thinking of an electric Subaru or Volvo. We have a garage and would be able to install a home charging station.
Given where we live, our annual mileage, and our ages, what should we buy? Our budget with taxes is about $65,000 up to a maximum of $70,000. – Linda
Mark Richardson: My first thought is that Linda and her husband should keep their Outback until it rusts out or needs a costly repair, which is what I do because the car’s paid for and owes me nothing. But when you’re in your late 70s, there’s an added appeal to hassle-free auto ownership.
Miranda Lightstone: I’m with you there. Keep that Outback until the bitter end. But reliability could potentially become an issue, so something newer brings peace of mind. And I’m going to hop on the stick-with-Subaru wagon and agree with looking to the Forester hybrid, given their location and seasonal needs.
The styling of the new Subaru Forester e-boxer hybrid has been cleaned up with a less polarizing face and a neater, boxier aesthetic.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
Richardson: They should certainly look first to Subaru, because they’re happy with the brand. I’d advise against paying the extra money for a hybrid version of the Forester, though. The hybrid is only available in the top-of-the-line Premier trim, starting at $51,532 before taxes, and even then, it’s $3,000 more than the non-hybrid Premier. Their country driving means the hybrid motor won’t be used enough to make it worthwhile – hybrids operate best in stop-and-go city use, when constant braking recharges them.
Lightstone: Valid point. The Forester is a good option, but they are getting on in years and a lower ride height for easy in-and-out needs to be considered. Sticking to the all-wheel-drive family, the Outback offers the same capabilities but can be up to two inches lower than the Forester, depending on the model.
Richardson: She and her husband should visit their Subaru dealer and try both the Forester and the Outback for their ease of getting in and out, to see which they prefer. A slightly used Outback will probably be a good deal and have any bugs worked out, but if this is to be perhaps their last car, it’s a comfort to buy new, with the warranty that’s provided and that can be extended if they choose.
Lightstone: And while they’re at the dealer, they should take a look at Subaru’s EVs, either the smaller Uncharted or the compact Solterra.
One difference between this Subaru Uncharted and the Toyota C-HR is the daytime running lights on the Subaru are a half-dozen LED lamps.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
Subaru revealed a refreshed Solterra EV with more range and power at the 2025 New York International Auto Show.Petrina Gentile/The Globe and Mail
Richardson: Have you driven the Uncharted yet? I drove it in California and was impressed that it offered more options at less cost than its Toyota equivalent, the C-HR. The all-wheel-drive version starts at about $53,000 before taxes, with a claimed range of 438 kilometres.
Lightstone: I haven’t had the chance to drive the Uncharted yet, but I have been in the Solterra and I was pleasantly surprised that it somehow maintained its Subaru-ness while also embracing EV efficiency.
Richardson: What do you mean by “its Subaru-ness”? To me, it felt exactly the same as the Toyota bZ that’s built in the same plant, which is not a bad thing.
Lightstone: I mean that it managed to still feel like a Subaru. It is just different enough from the bZ to make you feel like you are driving a Subaru – at least, that’s how I felt.
The 2026 Toyota bZKunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
Richardson: It seemed a little different to me in its steering feel, but that was all I could really tell.
Lightstone: The Solterra is not much more costly for its extra size. It starts at $55,327 before taxes, and all its versions are all-wheel drive. It’s not quite so well-equipped at that price as the Uncharted, though.
Richardson: The issue with electric vehicles is their fewer moving parts give them less differentiation between brands. Linda’s situation does seem to fit an EV though – she can charge at home and normally drives within a 150-kilometre radius, so range shouldn’t be an issue.
Lightstone: Range definitely won’t be the issue. What Linda will have to ensure is that she learns to set up the EV’s preconditioning, so the car is well heated and ready to go before she embarks on her longer journeys in the colder months. Having the car plugged in overnight in a garage is the ideal scenario, and the Subaru has an easy onboard system to program.
Richardson: EVs can be more rewarding to drive in winter conditions because warming them beforehand with power from your home means you never need to scrape the windshield. If Linda decides against Subaru, though, what do you think of her Volvo suggestion?
Lightstone: Volvo has some solid options, as well, and even its EVs are proven to handle winter conditions well, with comprehensive cold-weather testing in Sweden. The EX40 is the ideal size, in my opinion. And with more than 400 kilometres of battery range and all-wheel drive, it will be able to handle those wintery roads. Do you have a current Volvo you’d suggest besides the EX40?
The EX30 is more like a tall hatchback than an SUV.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
Richardson: I’d suggest the EX30, because it’s the only electric Volvo that’s within Linda’s budget. The EX40 is all very nice, but it starts at $67,519, which will make it around $75,000 after taxes. The EX30, however, offers similar technology in a smaller package, starting at about $52,000 before taxes for the all-wheel-drive edition. I’d recommend the more rugged EX30 Cross Country for those bumpy gravel roads and more comfortable access, which starts at around $53,000 before taxes.
Lightstone: I recently drove the EX30 Cross Country in rural wintery conditions, even on a frozen lake ice-track, and I was surprised at how well it performed. I’m not sure if the EX30 will offer enough cargo space for big city shopping trips and the dog all crammed in there at once, with only 400 litres of space when the rear seats are up.
Richardson: There’s 1,000 litres with the seats down (and not-quite flat), but this is where Linda and her husband have to decide just how much cargo space they really need. Many people go far too large, accounting for taking the dog to the vet at the same time as filling their vehicle with groceries and children, but those scenarios rarely occur together. In the meantime, you pay the price in fuel for lugging around a mostly empty vehicle.
Lightstone: We’ve given Linda some solid options, but what about one more, this time in the PHEV family, such as the Mitsubishi Outlander? Because they have a garage, they can ensure the vehicle can be plugged in and warmed up before they head out, and the battery-only drive time will save them on paying at the pumps in the long run, plus it has that added cargo space just in case.
Richardson: The Mitsubishi does make sense on paper for all the reasons you mention, but it won’t give them the capable “Subaru-ness” they may be looking for, and its cabin falls short of the premium Scandinavian feel of the Volvo. It starts on-budget at about $50,000 before taxes, so I think they should look at it, but just to rule it out for themselves.
The 2026 Outlander PHEV looks similar to the 2025, but one subtle difference is the new wheel design.Petrina Gentile/The Globe and Mail
Lightstone: I wouldn’t dismiss the Mitsubishi so quickly. But I won’t deny it doesn’t feel as solid and well-rounded in all conditions as the Subaru. At the end of the day, Linda is going to have to take a day or two and drive all of her options back-to-back, as close to each other as she can, so she remembers how they feel in comparison before she makes her decision. I stand by my Forester suggestion and agree to look at the two Volvo EVs.
Richardson: I think Linda’s circumstances mean she’ll be well served with an electric car and I’d recommend considering both the Subaru Uncharted and the Toyota bZ. She’ll like the Volvo EX30 too, if it’s not too small for her needs. All three qualify for the federal government’s $5,000 rebate and the Mitsubishi PHEV qualifies for a $2,500 rebate.
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