Slow charging and inefficient driving, Solterra is no electric WRX or Forester.
Over the years, Subaru has generated a cult following in the US, making its name with all-wheel drive powertrains and a go-anywhere attitude. Cars like the rally-bred WRXes and STIs did a lot of work here, but lately, Subaru has seemed to go in the opposite direction, phasing out fun drives like the STI lineup in favor of volume-movers like the Ascent and bloated versions of existing models such as the Subaru Wilderness editions.
Its first electric vehicle is perhaps even less in character. The $44,995 Solterra is the result of an ongoing partnership with Toyota and was developed together with the bZ4X. Unlike the Toyota, there’s no single-motor option for the Solterra. It’s all-wheel-drive only, with a pair of identical 107 hp (80 kW) permanent magnet electric motors, one for each axle. That means you can do some, but not all, of the off-road things you’d expect to do with a Subaru.
Looks are deceiving
At first glance, the Solterra looks like the edgy, tech-leaning offspring of a Crosstrek and an Impreza wagon. The 8.3 inches of ground clearance is slightly less than the Outback or Forester, while the Solterra comes in at 184.6 inches (4,689 mm) in length, placing it squarely in the middle of the brand’s stable. It’s a rather compact SUV, even more so when you try to get comfortable in the cockpit. My short frame was cramped, and anyone taller than me won’t feel welcome on long drives.
In what seems to be the norm with Subaru these days, the interior is full of plastic and cloth. Even on this top-line Touring trim test car, which comes in at just under $55,000, there’s a very cheap-looking dash with a plethora of rigid lines. Controls are close by, but the overall layout is borderline infuriating, with slow response times through the central infotainment system and a driver alert system that beeped and shrieked every 20 seconds for one reason or another. There were so many driver warnings and advisories popping up that I eventually tuned them out, which is probably not the intended effect.
Range Non-Rover
There’s about five miles (8 km) of charging difference between the 228-mile (367 km) Premium trim level and the Limited and Touring trims, which have an EPA range of 222 miles (357 km) on a single charge of the 72.8 kWh lithium-ion battery. In my 10 days with the car, the only time I eclipsed 200 miles (321 km) was leaving my driveway with the range reading 201. After about 10 minutes, it slumped back under 200 miles. In fairly normal city and highway conditions, I realized around 180 miles of range (290 km). When the weather called for air conditioning, I lost another 5–7 miles (8–11 km).
- The Solterra is 184.6 inches (4,689 mm) long, 73.2 inches (1,859 mm) wide, 65 inches (1,651 mm) tall, with a 112.2-inch (2,850 mm) wheelbase. It has a curb weight of between 4,365 and 4,505 lbs (1,980–2,043 kg) depending on trim level. Subaru
- The Toyota-developed infotainment system can be laggy. Subaru
- The back seat has 35.5 inches (902 mm) of rear legroom. Subaru
- There’s 27.7 cubic feet (783 L) of cargo volume with the rear seats in use and the cover in place. Subaru
- Wireless device charging, as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, are available in the Limited and Touring trims. Subaru
Charging is slow, however. A stop to recharge from about 20 to 80 percent state of charge took the better part of 45 minutes. At launch, the Solterra was rated at an even longer 56 minutes to DC fast-charge to 80 percent, but for model year 2024, Subaru says that in ideal conditions, this should now be as quick as 35 minutes.
Charging at home was an overnight endeavor—nine hours on a level 2 charger. The Solterra currently features a CCS1 charge port, but in 2025, the company will adopt the J3400 standard, with adapters made available to existing customers so they can charge at Tesla Supercharger sites.
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Leaving the pavement
Whether or not you intend to ever go off-tarmac, if you buy a Subaru, you probably expect to have the option—it’s straight to the soul of “what makes a Subaru a Subaru,” to quote the company’s own slogan. The Solterra comes with two “X-Drive” modes: Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud. I got as far as the rutted gravel in my nearest state forest and switched to Snow/Dirt after we left the main road.
The car did just fine going up decent inclines, and hill assist kicked in when it needed to. The power distribution was excellent, and I always felt in control of the car. I would have loved some more customization in my off-road modes, but there’s just not much of it here. You can use the steering wheel paddles to adjust the amount of regenerative braking you want and toggle between a couple of power modes on the steering wheel, but that’s about it.
Lost gumption
As satisfying as it was to get out and explore, the Solterra can’t be that car for everyone. It’s missing the spirit I used to love about Subarus. Between the low range and slow charging, this isn’t really a car suited for off-grid trips. The Solterra is fine in light off-road conditions—a chiseled gravel trail, say, or typical spring mud—but unless you live adjacent to a drivable forest, you won’t get there and back on one charge.Advertisement
It’s a shame, too, because the Solterra actually has some zip between its front and rear motors, setting it apart from its gas-powered brethren, who have lost any sort of will to accelerate over the past few years. Subaru’s signature all-wheel-drive character integrates nicely here, and handling is superb for a compact SUV.
The Solterra ends up in second-car territory as the “around town” car rather than a primary off-road go-getter. It’s also not a cheap one, with so many robust, longer-range EVs available at or around $50,000. After the first few days, my mind immediately considered the new Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally, which does everything the Solterra can and more, with longer range and a better interior, for just a few thousand dollars more. Meanwhile, a Kia EV6 charges faster and goes further, with better infotainment, for less money.
For the Solterra to work, it can’t rest in second position. The hope is that the Subaru/Toyota partnership can capture the former brand’s lost spirit without deferring to the soulless personality of the latter. For now, I’m leaving X-Drive off and venturing to the shopping center parking lot with the over-eager driver collision warning blaring on repeat across the instrument cluster.
