Subaru is up and working within the hotly contested EV market.
The Solterra is its first electrical automotive, and has been co-developed with Toyota. That’s why it appears very, very intently associated to the bZ4X – beneath the pores and skin, the pair are the identical.
There are some variations between the twins, although. Together with distinctive styling up entrance, even the bottom Solterra will get all-wheel drive in Australia.
Subaru has additionally fitted tools like blind-spot monitoring to its least expensive EV, one thing Toyota hasn’t.
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/800/533/app/uploads/2024/06/240513_Subaru-Solterra-MY24_Still-36.jpg)
The Solterra might want to do greater than outpoint its sibling if it’s to get Subaru off to a working begin within the EV wars.
It’ll additionally want to face out among the many a crowd together with the best-selling Tesla Mannequin Y, the retro-futuristic Hyundai Ioniq 5, and the Ford Mustang Mach-E. Does it have what it takes?
How does the Subaru Solterra examine?
View an in depth breakdown of the Subaru Solterra in opposition to equally sized autos.
![Subaru Solterra cutout image](https://c-images.carexpert.com.au/upload/q_auto:best/f_auto/c_scale,w_1600/v1/showroom/primarycutout/clqvkqcy4009z88464ty06vj0.png)
Subaru
Solterra
How a lot does the Subaru Solterra price?
The bottom Solterra is dearer than the bottom Toyota bZ4X, but it surely does have AWD and equipment equivalent to blind-spot monitoring – which the electrical Toyota misses out on.
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/800/533/app/uploads/2024/06/240513_Subaru-Solterra-MY24_Still-1.jpg)
To see how the Subaru Solterra compares with its rivals, use our comparability device.
What’s the Subaru Solterra like on the within?
Save for the squared-off steering wheel, the Solterra is equivalent to a bZ4X inside.
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/800/533/app/uploads/2024/06/240513_Subaru-Solterra-MY24_Still-41.jpg)
The large, flat central tunnel rises dramatically as much as meet the dashboard, and the steering wheel is a sq., nearly Peugeot-ish unit sitting on a cool pod beneath a high-set digital instrument binnacle. Throw within the slim dashboard and low scuttle, and it’s a pleasant place to spend time.
The motive force and passenger sit in snug seats packing loads of adjustment. The material trim on the bottom mannequin doesn’t look notably high-end, but it surely’s beautiful and heat on chilly Melbourne mornings and really feels fairly premium.
Leaving out a wi-fi cellphone charger within the base mannequin doesn’t really feel applicable in what’s meant to be a know-how chief, although. The manually adjusted passenger seat is prone to be a non-issue for house owners, but it surely additionally feels extra Impreza than $70k electrical hero.
There’s loads of area for large our bodies with the electrically adjustable driver’s seat set down low, and I used to be capable of see the instrument binnacle over the low-set steering wheel because of its odd form. It feels a bit bizarre as you move it by way of your palms in tight areas, but it surely does clear up an issue.
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/372/248/app/uploads/2024/06/240513_Subaru-Solterra-MY24_Still-34.jpg)
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/372/248/app/uploads/2024/06/240513_Subaru-Solterra-MY24_Still-59.jpg)
The 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system is excellent. It’s fairly to have a look at, responds shortly to inputs, and has a easy sufficient construction that house owners stepping out of automobiles that includes a lot older tech received’t really feel too misplaced.
It’s value noting although it’s a Toyota system, which implies it doesn’t look or really feel something like what you get in a brand new Outback or Impreza. Wi-fi smartphone mirroring is welcome, given the one USB ports that helps wired mirroring is an older, slower USB-A port.
The motive force’s show is utilitarian, providing a transparent learn in your pace, vary, and vitality consumption… however nothing extra. It really works, it’s not distracting, but it surely’s not precisely particular both.
There are twin cupholders on the base of the central tunnel, and an enormous area beneath that floating tunnel in which you’ll retailer issues. There’s additionally a deep bin beneath the padded central armrest – however a standard glovebox beneath the passenger aspect of the dashboard is a notable omission.
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/372/248/app/uploads/2024/06/240513_Subaru-Solterra-MY24_Still-48.jpg)
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/372/248/app/uploads/2024/06/240513_Subaru-Solterra-MY24_Still-53.jpg)
Toyota informed us on the bZ4X launch it had to decide on between becoming a glovebox or a extra environment friendly, radiator-style heater beneath the dashboard, and it opted for the latter. Given this is identical automotive, the identical rationale applies.
Rear seat area is a combined bag. Legroom is superb, with room for my lanky 6’7 body behind a full-sized grownup’s seating place. In contrast to a Mannequin Y, the lithium-ion battery beneath the ground doesn’t power you into a clumsy knees-up place.
Headroom isn’t all that flash, nevertheless. Between the sloping roofline and the raised rear bench, tall passengers will really feel as if they’re pressed proper up into the headlining.
Reclining the backrest (as much as 6.0 levels) doesn’t actually assist, as a result of there’s a chunky structural beam working throughout the roof behind the rear headrests.
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/372/248/app/uploads/2024/06/240513_Subaru-Solterra-MY24_Still-33.jpg)
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/372/248/app/uploads/2024/06/240513_Subaru-Solterra-MY24_Still-40.jpg)
Central passengers are perched on a raised part, and have to compete with a slight hump in the midst of the ground.
It’s odd given the platform underpinning the Solterra is supposedly a devoted electrical setup, and most EVs have a flat flooring.
A fold-down central armrest, air vents, and twin USB-C ports function again there. ISOFIX factors are current on the outboard rear seats, as does a trio of high tether factors for youngster seats.
Claimed boot area is down on what you get in a Subaru Forester (498L), and also you don’t get a spare wheel.
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/372/248/app/uploads/2024/06/240513_Subaru-Solterra-MY24_Still-30.jpg)
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/372/248/app/uploads/2024/06/240513_Subaru-Solterra-MY24_Still-32.jpg)
To see how the Subaru Solterra compares with its rivals, use our comparability device.
What’s beneath the bonnet?
In contrast to within the associated Toyota bZ4X, there’s no front-wheel drive model of the Solterra on supply in Australia.
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/800/533/app/uploads/2024/06/240513_Subaru-Solterra-MY24_Still-38.jpg)
To see how the Subaru Solterra compares with its rivals, use our comparability device.
How does the Subaru Solterra drive?
Easy, quiet, and fast sufficient – the Solterra is inoffensive.
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/800/533/app/uploads/2023/11/2024-Subaru-Solterra-13.jpg)
There’s little or no groundbreaking about it, however that has a allure of its personal. Anybody hopping out of a Forester or an XV/Crosstrek might want to regulate to the best way it delivers its efficiency, however the studying curve is shallower right here than in a Mannequin Y, for instance.
Put your foot down and it picks up easily off the road, with no scrabbling for grip because of the usual all-wheel drive system.
You get silent thrust, which is sufficient to gently squeeze you again in your seat – however not sufficient to make the common Impreza driver suppose they’ve unintentionally stepped on the hyperdrive button.
The AWD drivetrain packs extra of a punch than the bottom FWD on supply within the bZ4X, and is meaningfully extra responsive than the hard-working boxer engines in most Subaru fashions, but it surely’s additionally fairly tame by EV requirements.
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/800/533/app/uploads/2023/11/2024-Subaru-Solterra-14.jpg)
Trip high quality is strong round city, properly absorbing potholes, pace humps, and roads broken by heavy rains.
Regardless of its 2.0-tonne kerb weight, it doesn’t smack or slap into sharp bumps like some rivals. It’s properly managed, which isn’t all the time the case in heavy electrical automobiles.
Regenerative braking (which harvests vitality by turning the electrical motor right into a dynamo to sluggish the automotive, relatively than utilizing the brakes) could be very mild within the default setting, and even in its extra aggressive mode necessitates you utilize the brake pedal.
That’ll make house owners hopping out of petrol or hybrid automobiles really feel at dwelling, however does imply you don’t get to get pleasure from one-pedal driving like is obtainable in a Tesla or Hyundai Ioniq 5 – the choice for much more aggressive regen could be welcome.
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/800/533/app/uploads/2024/03/2024-subaru-solterra-awd-4.jpg)
At increased speeds, the Solterra settles properly right into a cruise. Trip high quality stays glorious at 100km/h on common Australian highways, and the suspension has been neatly tuned to successfully maintain the automotive’s 2.0-tonne mass in examine.
It’s properly managed over huge nation crests, and doesn’t bounce or bob round like a ship by way of huge dips within the street.
We not too long ago discovered the Hyundai Kona Electrical, for instance, struggled to maintain itself in examine on our high-speed check street at Lang Lang; the bZ4X we drove there didn’t get out of practice in the identical manner, regardless of its hefty kerb weight.
There’s even a little bit of enjoyable available on sweeping roads, offered you retain the actual fact this can be a huge, heavy automotive in thoughts. One of many downsides of going electrical nevertheless, is the actual fact there’s no petrol engine to drown out street noise at increased speeds.
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/800/533/app/uploads/2023/11/2024-Subaru-Solterra-06.jpg)
You discover street roar from the coarse-chip highways widespread in rural Australia at 100km/h extra right here than in a RAV4, which can have drivers upping the stereo quantity by one or two notches.
The upside although, is you might have loads of punch beneath your proper foot to overhaul at freeway speeds – that means you don’t want a run-up to move vans on undivided nation highways, which is a typical criticism within the Forester or non-turbo Outback.
The motive force assists are glorious, though they do feel and appear a bit completely different to the camera-based EyeSight methods within the broader Subaru vary.
The adaptive cruise is clean and sensible, the lane-keeping help solely intervenes when it’s truly vital, and the lane-centring doesn’t need to rip the wheel out of your palms. Subaru consists of blind-spot monitoring within the base mannequin, which Toyota doesn’t.
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/800/533/app/uploads/2024/03/2024-subaru-solterra-awd-1.jpg)
Our launch drive of the Solterra included a stint on a fairly rugged hearth path, which isn’t notably widespread within the EV world.
Together with distinctive tuning to the throttle and traction management, you’re capable of set the Solterra in X-Mode. The graphic and title are pure Subaru, and even Toyota admitted Subaru’s experience was key to creating the system work.
Set your pace, and it’ll keep it on tough surfaces – and it labored over some unfastened, rocky tracks. Likewise hill descent management.
Motor management is superb, with nearly no slipping or scrabbling from the tyres, and the 212mm of floor clearance on supply is on a par with a Subaru Outback. Will house owners ever truly do that? Unlikely – however the possibility is there…
What do you get?
There are simply two trim ranges out there, and the AWD is the bottom mannequin.
Solterra AWD highlights:
18-inch alloy wheelsTyre restore kitRear privateness glass2kW AC charging cablePower-folding exterior mirrorsAutomatic self-levelling LED headlightsAdaptive high-beamPuddle lightsRain-sensing wipersPower tailgateKeyless entry, startElectronic parking brakeDual-zone local weather controlTilt, telescopic steering wheel adjustment12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment systemSatellite navigationWireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto7.0-inch digital cluster6-speaker sound systemDAB+ digital radio2 x entrance USB-C outlets1 x entrance USB-A outlet2 x rear USB-C outpetsDigital rear-view mirrorLeather-wrapped steering wheelHeated steering wheelCloth upholstery8-way energy driver’s seatHeated entrance seatsHeated outboard rear seatsReclining rear bench
Is the Subaru Solterra secure?
The Solterra has a five-star ANCAP security ranking, based mostly on testing carried out by Euro NCAP on the bZ4X in 2022.
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/800/533/app/uploads/2023/02/toyota-bz4x-euro-ncap-crash-test-safety-testing.jpg)
It obtained an grownup occupant safety ranking of 88 per cent, a baby occupant safety ranking of 88 per cent, a weak street person safety ranking of 79 per cent, and a security help ranking of 93 per cent.
Commonplace security tools consists of:
Adaptive cruise controlAutonomous emergency brakingBlind-spot monitoringDriver consideration monitoringEmergency Steering AssistLane Tracing Help (lane centring)Parking Assist BrakeRear cross-traffic alertSafe Exit AssistSurround-view cameraTraffic signal recognitionTyre stress monitoringFront and rear parking sensorsFront, front-side, curtain and front-centre airbags
How a lot does the Subaru Solterra price to run?
The Solterra is backed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre automobile guarantee; plus an eight-year or 160,000km battery guarantee.
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/800/533/app/uploads/2024/06/240513_Subaru-Solterra-MY24_Still-17.jpg)
Subaru is providing free servicing for the primary 5 years or 75,000km – with intervals of 12 months or 15,000km. There’s additionally 5 years of roadside help.
The corporate is providing a alternative of both an Ocular LTE single-phase 7kW Kind 2 wallbox for $2250 together with set up, or a three-phase 22kW unit for $2645.
CarExpert’s Tackle the Subaru Solterra
The Solterra, just like the associated bZ4X, isn’t going to blow you away with its new-age design or drive.
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/800/533/app/uploads/2024/06/240513_Subaru-Solterra-MY24_Still-4.jpg)
It is going to, nevertheless, make anybody on the lookout for their first electrical automotive having hopped out of a Forester really feel fairly snug. If solely Subaru had tuned in a Boxer startup noise…
There’s polish to the best way it drives, the inside blends easy-to-use parts from the Toyota world with a contemporary and attention-grabbing format, and the rear seats make it a sensible sufficient household automotive. We’d love a bit extra boot area, although.
The Solterra does have some extent of distinction from the associated bZ4X, and that’s the actual fact it’s provided with AWD on the base degree.
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/800/533/app/uploads/2024/06/240513_Subaru-Solterra-MY24_Still-47.jpg)
It’s a nod to the normal Subaru purchaser, and makes the Solterra a compelling different to its Toyota twin if you happen to’re drawn to their no-nonsense model of electrical motoring.
It’s the variant I might purchase, given not one of the tools on the Touring is crucial.
Simply beware, there are extra thrilling choices on the market in order for you the electrical revolution to feel and appear a bit extra… revolutionary.
![2024 Subaru Solterra AWD](https://images.carexpert.com.au/crop/800/533/app/uploads/2024/06/240513_Subaru-Solterra-MY24_Still-25.jpg)
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