This is Subaru’s first electric car and it’s second project with Toyota. Keeping up Subaru’s heritage as an all rounder, they have included off-road features in its Solterra, something which not too many EV’s can claim. The X-Mode system controls the motors and brakes to deliver optimum traction on difficult terrain, such as deep mud, snow or even steep, slippery slopes. Permanent all-wheel drive comes as standard from the electric motors on each axle. The Solterra’s price rivals include Kia’s EV6, Nissan’s Ariya, Skoda Enyaq iV, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Tesla’s Model Y, VW’s ID.4 and its donor car Toyota’s bZ4x.
Special mention : Light, nippy, space, comfort, durable materials, multi drive settings, brilliant infotainment.
Needs work : Range and capacity in cold weather could be better, price is expensive, needs to be more ‘Subaru’ looking.
| 218 PS | Electric / Auto |
| 0-100 km/h in 6.9 seconds | Road Tax €120 |
| Price: €51,495 | Boot Space 452 litres |
Inside you get faux-leather upholstery which is easy to clean and you don’t worry about damaging as it looks pretty tough, a pano sunroof, a very nice Harman Kardon sound system, electrically adjustable seats, adaptive cruise, heated front and rear seats and a heated steering wheel. Other standard kit includes an excellent HD 360-degree parking camera, digital rear-view mirror, heat pump for those extreme temperatures where extra juice is required, powered tailgate and 18” alloys. Wireless AppleCar Play works flawlessly, is easy to pair with your phone and connects every time. It’s a user friendly environment with the right mix of traditional buttons and touch screen functions.
The 7” drivers binnacle has limited information and is easy to read once you manage to look above or around the steering wheel. When charging, it doesn’t show the remaining time left either, assuming most owners will probably be using the app to gauge charging time etc. The central 12” screen is brilliant, nice graphics, easy to read and navigate, responding to swooshes and prods accordingly.
Cabin space and storage is good with plenty of cubbies dotted around. There’s a large storage space under the centre console with charging ports where you can place your phone or you can use the tray on top which has a translucent cover. Somehow the cupholders still get the multi tasking job of phone, keys and sometimes actual cup storage. Rear seat passengers are also well catered for with comfortable seats, armrest with cupholders and a pair of USB-C sockets.
There’s also no transmission tunnel so you get plenty of leg room and the ability to angle the seat backs which is one of the best additions for rear passenger comfort in recent times. The boot opening has a wide square shape leading to 452 litres of capacity. To create even more space you can fold the rear seatbacks 60/40. There’s space in the boot floor specifically for the cables but unfortunately no extra frunk space. There’s lots of safety tech, some of which you can access on the steering wheel, including lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking and blind-spot monitoring.
While the scales tell us the Solterra is a two-tonne electric SUV, Subaru has made it a great little runabout to drive with decent handling and a great way of nipping in and out of parking spaces like a pro at the supermarket. Speed bumps melt away and passengers are comfortably cushioned from pot holed surfaces. Range is given as 465 kms on Limited settings, if you want to drive it normally you get 330 kms and in the cold that charge doesn’t hang around for long.
To increase range, you can adjust the level of regeneration using paddles mounted behind the steering wheel, with a quick access button for the strongest setting on the dashboard. In its hardest setting one-pedal driving is almost do-able, but don’t count on it to bring the Solterra to a complete stop. If you’re like me and prefer a more fluid driving style, then leave it in normal, you will however suffer an energy deficit. The Solterra is nippy, getting from 0-100 km/h in just 6.9 seconds. It really doesn’t feel as heavy as it is, the battery barely makes an impression in the handling, in a good way.
The two electric motors produce 215 bhp and 337 Nm of torque which is plenty for a runabout. Load it up with people and their belongings and you will pay a weight penalty with the battery taking on extra work to move them all. The Solterra is capable of 150kW rapid-charging which means in less than 30 minutes you can get from 10-80% charge. Slow charging on the other hand is quite slow taking around 12 hours from a 7.4kW home wallbox to get to full.
While it has multiple on-board settings and drivetrain settings, it’s not massively capable of venturing too far off the beaten track, between the range and ordinary ground clearance you will be covered for tracks and wintery trails. Anything further afield and in cold weather, will require plenty of nearby charging availability. While most of the Solterra comes from Toyota’s BZ4X, the X-Mode settings here have been developed by the more experienced Subaru.
The Solterra solves a problem for those looking to get an electric SUV that will go off-road. The price is high against rivals whose range also goes further. Yet the Solterra is comfortable, nippy with decent performance and space.
