Subaru Solterra Touring

Overview

SUBARU is expanding its push into battery electric vehicles (BEVs) with the Outback-sized Trailseeker wagon now confirmed for Australia and the XV-sized Uncharted reasonably likely to follow.

The uptick in Subaru’s BEV attraction reflects European and Australian realities as strict new vehicle CO2 emissions limits dictate powertrain mix for carmakers, with electric and plug-in hybrids brought to the fore.

Meanwhile, in the United States market that is Subaru’s largest commercial concern by far, BEV incentives are on the political outer and gasoline is back, baby—while the home front in Japan still prefers hybrids.

With different geographies accelerating towards differing fuel types, Subaru’s late-2010s decision to hedge bets in relation to the development of its first BEV model—the Solterra—could be seen as quite prophetic.

The initial version of the Solterra launched overseas in 2022 and landed in Australia in 2024 as what would normally be called a badge-engineered variant of the Toyota bZ4x if Subaru hadn’t engineered the AWD system.

To Subaru’s credit, its expertly tuned AWD system was a rare strong point of the first series of Solterra/bZ4x. Ambitious pricing, poor range, slow charging, off dynamics, and odd styling were the bigger takeaways.

Barely 18 months later a facelift is here that visually, at least, makes the Solterra considerably more handsome. Subaru’s rival to the Tesla Model Y is also considerably cheaper, rangier, and more spec-laden than before.

Entry point is the simply named AWD grade which—thanks to a new 74.7kWh (gross) CATL nickel manganese cobalt battery, superior motor efficiency and 18-inch wheels—now claims 566km range (+152km) despite the price falling $6000 to $63,990 plus on-road costs.

Specification is up: for 2026, the base Solterra adds a larger 14-inch touchscreen while gaining dual 15-watt wireless device chargers, 64-colour ambient lighting, heated steering wheel, and acoustic glass.

Other inclusions carry over with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, 7.0-inch digital cluster, heated front and rear cloth seats, 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, six-speaker stereo, digital radio, satellite navigation, 360-degree camera and a power tailgate on the menu.

It’s now a $6000 step to the Touring, which itself is now priced like the old base model after a $7K price reduction. This premium grade is distinguished outside by a panoramic but non-opening glass roof and low-profile 20-inch wheels (which reduce range by nine per cent to 517km).

Inside, the Touring steps up the ambience with a 10-speaker Harman-Kardon stereo, powered passenger seat, driver’s seat/mirror memory, automated parking, and black vinyl seat upholstery.

Optional extras are limited to paint. Standard Attitude Black mica can be replaced by five single-tone solid, pearl or mica options for $660; more unusually, choosing grey/black or white/black two-tone exterior paints swaps the vinyl seats for black/blue two-tone leather ($1500).

For owners with access to three-phase AC charging, both Solterra grades now accept 22kW speeds. DC charging peaks at 150kW, though the 10 to 80 per cent charge time claim of 28 minutes is unimpressive, with a session average charging speed of just 110kW.

Scheduled maintenance is relatively frequent for a BEV with ICE-like 12 month/15,000km intervals—however, the five year/75,000km cost of $980 is reasonable. Warranty is five years/unlimited kilometres for the vehicle and eight years/160,000km for the traction battery.

Driving impressions

With the wick of its dual motors dialled up from 160kW last year to 252kW this year, the Solterra shockingly claims the title of most powerful factory-spec production Subaru…ever.

Such power is nothing to be sneezed at, but like many two-tonne crossovers, even this much shove does not result in a vehicle that feels highly strung. The modest torque number (437Nm) tells the story: the Solterra feels reasonably muscular but it’s no performance car.

AWD is expected in a Subaru; it is a worthwhile differentiator against the related Toyota bZ4x, which demands $68K for dual motors. In other words, there’s no ‘base’ spec bZ4x with AWD, unlike the Solterra.

The problem is that at $55,990 + ORCs, the base FWD bZ4x is a whopping $8000 cheaper than the entry grade Solterra. There is a price to be paid for AWD and here, it is substantial.

Consider that the segment leader, the Tesla Model Y, asks $58,900 + ORCs despite including generous standard equipment and suddenly, the Solterra still looks expensive even after the price cut!

The Subaru is an acceptable drive but the Solterra (and the bZ4x) have become caught in a tough market position, between the ubiquitous Model Y and surprisingly premium new Chinese cars like the Zeekr 7X (from $57,900 + ORCs).

Notwithstanding tinsel like the big main screen, the Solterra’s cabin is no more premium than a Subaru Outback Touring ($56,990 + ORCs), with semi-soft uppers giving way to durable hard plastics below the beltline.

Comfort in the high-set front seats is good, particularly in the Touring which benefits from power adjustment in both pews plus both heating and seat ventilation—the latter a valued convenience in summer.

The simple operating system powering the fixed HUD-style instrument cluster and the much larger central display is easy to learn. Wireless phone mirroring worked well, while permanent dials for temperature adjustment make sense.

Unfortunately for a family-sized crossover, the back seat accommodations aren’t great. With the floor driven upward by the placement of the skateboard battery pack, rear occupants’ knees are forced high while the seat bench remains super-low with no support.

Like those up front, back seat passengers benefit from good airflow plus USB-C ports—and a flip-down centre armrest—but door skins revert to the scratchy stuff and ultimately we’d prefer to be in the back seat of an Outback or a Forester.

On paper the Solterra’s 410-litre boot space looks well off the pace but the cargo room isn’t as bad as it seems. The rear seats fold flat 60/40 but unlike a 7X or Model Y there is no frunk.

That is because the Solterra’s e-TNGA platform is an adaptation of Toyota’s midsize combustion car architecture. Where under-bonnet space normally houses an engine, here it plays host to the inverter and air conditioning system.

Subaru and Toyota are not alone in having co-opted an ICE platform to get BEV models to market quickly and cheaply. Others have done so. The problem is that e-TNGA does not feel like it has been deftly re-engineered.

You see it in the poor packaging but it is also in the unwieldy vertical control and abrupt ride quality that afflicts all Solterras and bZ4Xs, exacerbated by the Touring’s 20-inch wheels.

Quality Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tyres (235/50 R20 all round) give the Solterra Touring precise turn-in and impressive grip. When pushed, the SUV proves it can handle athletic driving.

The problem is in how little feedback flows to the driver from the heavy, single-mode electric power steering or indeed from the chassis itself, which is mute, sharing precious few clues about remaining bandwidth.

Those things hold the driver at a distance, unable to bond with the control surfaces. That may suit many modern Subaru customers, but it is easier to get into a flow state in the Zeekr 7X or something like a Skoda Enyaq.

It is lazy to say that the reason the 7X and Enyaq drive so well is because they both use dedicated BEV platforms. That is one reason, but it is not a defining element.

There is a fundamentally capable and decent car lurking under the Solterra’s sheetmetal, but it will require more care in its spring, damper, steering and traction control tuning to bring it out.

At least the Solterra’s AWD system is a proper standout with superb low-speed wheel control on gravel. Shame that (like most EVs) there is no spare tyre for peace of mind off the blacktop.

The Solterra is settled on the motorway where it finds a pleasant-enough gait. Adaptive cruise control and lane-centring work fine, though Subaru has no analogue to Tesla’s Full Self Driving (Supervised) tech.

Hyperactive driver attention monitoring had to be switched off every drive.

While Subaru claims a massive 36 per cent gain in driving range thanks to battery and motor upgrades, a bugbear was working out the usable size of the traction battery as it is not published.

We conducted our own deep-charging test to determine that around 71kWh of the 74.7kWh NMC battery is available to owners.

With that in mind, our tested highway efficiency of 16.5kWh/100km yielded 430km range, which is just about acceptable but ultimately leaves you wishing for faster DC charging to speed up road trips.

In town we managed a more impressive 14.5kWh/100km, which is fundamentally decent for an AWD crossover of this size and yielded a more respectable 489km range—not too far off the 517km claim.

So, where does all this leave the Solterra? Arguably it’s taken two steps forward and two steps back.

Despite lopping 10 per cent from the price and adding 57 per cent more power, upstart rivals from Zeekr and BYD plus the omnipresent Model Y just keep stealing the limelight with even more spec at even lower prices.

Unfortunately, the downside risk of Subaru’s choice to hedge its bets on product development in this segment was realised.

The Solterra likely saved money up-front compared to going all-in, but more complete, better-value alternatives leave the Solterra searching for an audience.