2024 Subaru Solterra review

Japanese brands have been slow to join the electric car race, but now two have arrived at the same time.

The Subaru Solterra is one half of another joint venture with Toyota, following the successful BRZ/GR86 sports cars.

Toyota’s twin, the bZ4X, was launched in Australia on the exact same days as the Solterra, though our review of that car is embargoed until this Friday.

JUMP AHEAD

• Pricing and specifications
• Cabin comfort and practicality
• How it drives
• VERDICT

Pricing and specifications

What we can tell you is that the bZ4X is more affordable by way of a front-wheel-drive option, which starts at $66,000 before on-road costs.

Subaru is sticking to its all-wheel-drive guns, and while the entry Solterra is priced from $69,990 before on-road costs, its extra-gear $76,990 Touring spec is two grand more than the AWD bZ4X but offers some additional items.

Those Solterra prices are notably lower than initially, following a late change by Subaru Australia just a week before launch – cutting the entry model by $8000 and the Touring by $6700. It’s still the most expensive Subaru by more than $10K.

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The change was made before Toyota’s pricing became known but either way, it’s a wise move in a segment that’s not only one of the busiest for EVs but one containing the world’s – and Australia’s – best-selling electric vehicle, the Tesla Model Y.

It can at least claim, for now, to be the only AWD electric medium SUV offered for an RRP below $70K, even if there are caveats (which we'll come to later).

There’s a simplistic way of describing how the Solterra and bZ4X were co-developed – essentially playing to the strengths of each manufacturer. The battery platform and propulsion side were the responsibility of Toyota; the chassis side was Subaru’s remit.

On paper, the battery and electric motor specs look a bit undernourished.

Despite being a dual-motor EV, power and torque are rated at 160kW and 337Nm – split exactly between the front and rear motors.

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Most rivals with a single (RWD) motor offer more power, while competitors’ more comparable AWD variants offer between 239kW (Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6) and 384kW (Model Y Long Range).

The platform-integrated battery pack is also relatively small at 64kWh (usable). Rivals are again higher, with 70-something kilowatt hours.

Strangely, Subaru refuses to quote a commonly used WLTP figure for the Solterra’s battery range, offering only a 485km maximum distance based on the optimistic NEDC cycle.

Toyota provides a more realistic guide, claiming a 411km WLTP range for its AWD bZ4X.

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Cabin comfort and practicality

Where Subaru and Toyota tried to make some differentiation between the BRZ and GR86 cabins, far less effort was put into this EV JV. The Solterra and bZ4X interiors are virtually identical.

Although we can’t yet report on the Toyota, the Subaru’s driving position is certainly slightly flawed – picking up an issue common to the latest Peugeots. Not all drivers will be able to have the steering wheel at their optimum height without obscuring the digital driver display.

The distinctively shaped steering wheel – curved sides with flattish top and bottom – doesn’t help. A traditional round wheel would likely have been better.

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It’s snug up front, too, the front seats divided by a high and wide double-decker centre console, with open storage (and ports) beneath and two lidded compartments, plus cup holders, up top.

The middle compartment reveals a wireless charging tray in the more expensive Touring but the feature is oddly omitted from the base model. The shiny plastic tray in the Touring isn’t ideal, either, as a smartphone slides around easily.

A 12.3-inch horizontal infotainment screen looks right-sized for the cabin, though it’s a shame it houses Toyota’s software as the menus – which don’t even include a proper home screen – are visually underwhelming.

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In the bigger picture, the Solterra’s interior wouldn’t feature in a book titled How to Create a Premium Car Cabin.

Some rival models offer a choice of light and dark interior trim, but the Subaru’s interior is mostly black and grey. There’s also greater usage of hard plastics than expected for the price, even at eye level on the A-pillars, while the door handles feel cheap and plasticky, and shiny piano-black trim for the console, dash and doors is no shortcut to lifting perceived quality.

At least some welcome Subaru traits are evident. The front seats are the type you’d be happy spending hours in, storage options are plentiful, and there’s good all-round vision (further aided by a digital rear-view mirror).

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Rear passengers are treated to air vents, heated outboard seats, two USB-C charging ports, and a folding armrest with two cup holders and a smartphone/iPad slot.

Legroom is good, aided by a wheelbase that’s longer than that of the Forester, and headroom clearance is at its most generous in the sans-sunroof base model. The rear seatbacks also recline.

Toe space is limited without asking front occupants to kindly raise their seats, and the high floor creates a knees-up riding position even for average-height adults.

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Raising the electric tailgate reveals a boot that offers a conveniently low loading lip and useful width but luggage space is shallow, not helped by a relatively low-set retractable cargo blind and the Solterra’s raked roof.

A rubber boot mat is standard, under which there’s access to a small underfloor section for a charging cable. Flip-out bag hooks seem to be placed precariously close to where the tailgate closes, and the Solterra doesn’t share the Forester’s electric buttons for folding the 60:40 split rear seats.

There’s also no full-size spare as offered by a petrol Forester; the Solterra has a puncture repair kit like the hybrid Forester.

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How it drives

The lack of spare tyre is an important note as Subaru was eager to promote the Solterra’s off-road credentials.

And it does have some genuine capability.

With 212mm of ground clearance (just 8mm lower than the Forester’s) and similarly utilising an X-mode system with calibrations for Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud, the Solterra navigated a short uphill/downhill 4WD track featuring some slightly awkward creek crossings and soggy mud ruts without fuss or scraping any bodywork.

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The Grip Control function is clever. It’s a low-speed off-road cruise control function that allows the driver to dictate the crawling speed of ascent/descent via a small toggle.

We deliberately stopped in the middle of one soaked mud rut to give the electronics an extra challenge. After a couple of seconds of fruitlessly spinning the right-rear wheel that was in the puddle, the system detected our subtle increase in throttle pressure and switched more torque to the wheels with better traction to get us underway again.

How adventurous owners might get with their Solterra may be guided more by the vehicle’s battery range.

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Forget the 485km NEDC quoted by Subaru as this industry mark is so hopelessly optimistic that most EV-makers these days quote the more realistic WLTP (as does Toyota with the twin bZ4X).

Even then, Toyota’s 411km WLTP figure for its AWD version would be difficult to achieve based on our drive.

Using the trip computer to take an average of the Solterra’s best and worst efficiency figures from our test car on the launch day – 18.5kWh/100km – the Subaru would cover 346km before running out of battery.

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The steering is slicker than you’ll experience in Subaru’s other SUVs, the Crosstrek and Forester, with a nicely judged heft.

Ride quality is on the firm side and doesn’t quite have the cosseting cross-country suppleness of its SUV siblings, but the suspension is well controlled and combines with the low centre of gravity to limit body roll through corners.

We found particularly strong grip from the Touring’s bigger 20-inch wheels, though the 18-inch-wheeled base model felt a little lighter on its feet from a quick sample drive. Road noise on the 20s was intrusive at times during our drive.

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Any former WRX owners moving into the more mature world of family SUVs just shouldn’t anticipate much driver involvement.

Owners of non-turbo petrol Subarus would appreciate the Solterra’s performance, even if it’s slow by class standards – a 6.9sec 0-100km/h claim paling against the circa-five-seconds of AWD Ioniq 5s, EV6s and Model Y LRs, for example.

For additional context, the last turbo Forester (the 2018 XT) took 7.5 seconds in the benchmark sprint.

Still, the drivetrain’s lively response to throttle applications would likely come as a shock to someone jumping out of a Subaru powered by a lacklustre naturally aspirated boxer engine.

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While the rate of acceleration tails off as speeds rise, the initial surge is enjoyable and maintaining a set speed on undulating country roads is a cinch even without using cruise control.

As also typical of EV driving experiences, the brake pedal can be regularly ignored for slowing the Solterra by using regenerative braking.

The level of regen can be adjusted via paddle levers behind the steering wheel, with the most noticeable effect coming in the higher levels. The highest is called S Pedal and claimed to offer one-pedal driving, though we found the Solterra never came to a complete stop when lifting off the accelerator, always requiring a foot on the brake pedal to prevent the car from rolling into the vehicle ahead.

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VERDICT

Importantly, despite the Toyota JV, there’s some Subaru character to be found in the Solterra beyond its AWD chassis.

That will mean more to the brand’s famously loyal customer base, though both first- and long-time buyers are sure to appreciate the electric drivetrain that ensures effortless – if not rapid – motoring.

For now, it's also the closest buyers can get to an electric Forester, complete with some light-duty off-roading ability.

An upcoming Wheels comparison test will provide a more definitive picture of where the Solterra stands in a fast-growing segment. First impressions are that it's a good first electric effort from the Japanese brand that sets a new benchmark for AWD pricing if little else.

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