Last year, the Japanese carmaker launched its first-ever all-electric SUV – the Subaru Solterra!
The model has been on sale in North America for a while, and after a couple of delays, the Australian version is finally about to arrive this summer. What will be Solterra's key strengths?
Are there any potential drawbacks that could make it less competitive than its rivals? Let's look at some of the key features of the new all-electric SUV.
Subaru Solterra Design
Subaru's first all-electric SUV has been in development for a few years, and it is finally here. It represents a joint venture of Subaru and Toyota, which created a new all-electric architecture called e-Subaru Global Platform or e-TNGA (for Toyota).
The Solterra rides on it the same way that the Toyota bZ4X does on the e-TNGA. Toyota was primarily responsible for the battery and electric motors, while the Subaru provided the latest version of the X-Mode AWD control system.
Design-wise, the two models are compact SUVs with the same mechanics but slightly different aesthetics. The shape and dimensions are the same, but the front end isn't.
The Subaru Solterra design utilises a slightly different grille, revised headlights, and a new bumper. There is another big difference between the two models in the way—the bZ4X is available both in FWD and AWD configurations, while Subaru normally comes exclusively with all-wheel drive.
Suspension and Brakes
As for the suspension setup, things aren't much different from its Toyota sibling. There is a typical spring strut with coil springs at the front and a double-wishbone suspension at the rear.
One of Solterra's clear advantages over the competition is a decent off-road potential, something that most electric crossovers don't have.
This SUV features a respectable 210mm of ground clearance. As mentioned, all-wheel drive is part of the standard equipment, along with goodies like several traction modes, hill descent and ascent assist, etc.
When it comes to brakes, anti-lock brakes are standard, of course, with ventilated discs on all four wheels. The front discs are 328mm in diameter, while the rear wheels are equipped with slightly smaller 318mm discs.
Dimensions
This EV was designed to compete in the compact-crossover segment; therefore, dimensions are similar to the Forester but slightly bigger. It has a wheelbase of 2850mm, an overall length of 4690mm, a width of 1860mm, and a height of 1650 millimetres.
With a ground clearance of 210mm, it is 10mm lower than the Forester. Another vital aspect of Subaru Solterra dimensions is the kerb weight, which goes between 1,910 and 2,020kg, depending on the configuration.
Subaru Solterra Dimensions
- Wheelbase: 2,850 mm
- Length: 4,690 mm
- Width: 1,860 mm
- Height: 1,650 mm
- Ground Clearance: 210mm
- Turning Cycle: 11.4m
- Curb weight: 1,920–2,020 kg
Interior
There are a lot of things to like about the Subaru Solterra interior. The modern cabin features decent interior trimmings and attractive aesthetic solutions, starting with a cockpit-style digital instrument cluster.
The centre stack seems even more impressive, with a massive 12.3-inch infotainment system. On the other hand, older generations will certainly like that the Japanese manufacturer decided to keep a good portion of physical controls, especially in the air-conditioning section.
The passenger space is also good, especially at the front, where Solterra features around 1,070mm of legroom and utilises well-shaped seats with good side support. The driver’s seat is ergonomically designed and has outward visibility.
The second row is not that roomy, but it has nearly 900mm of legroom to accommodate adults easily. The cargo area also offers decent capacity. With nearly 850 litres behind the second row and rear seats that fold almost flat, loading bulky objects is not a problem.
Drivetrain and Battery
Of course, the most exciting part of Solterra is its drivetrain and the battery. Unlike the bZ4X, the Solterra isn't available in the front-wheel-drive version.
Instead, Subaru was loyal to its AWD tradition, and this is our first opportunity to see how Japanese engineers have managed to implement their huge AWD experience into an all-electric car.
Things are different in this case. Instead of Subaru's well-known Symmetric All-Wheel Drive with equal half axles and perfectly positioned differential, this vehicle comes with a couple of electric motors, one on each axle.
The combined output goes up to 160kW and 337Nm of torque. With such figures and excellent all-wheel-drive traction, Solterra is expectedly nimble. It has a top speed of around 200km/hour, requiring only 7 seconds to hit 100km/h.
As for the battery, we expect things to be the similar to Toyota bZ4X, but I bet you’ll want to know this interesting trivia.
Since there will be no FWD version of Solterra, we won't see a 71.4-kWh battery pack from Panasonic. Instead, this AWD SUV uses a battery produced by CATL, with an expected capacity of 72.8kWh and a max range of 470km.
The battery capacity and autonomy are decent and typical for the class. However, both bZ4X and Solterra trail behind the competition in battery technology, especially the one produced by CATL.
That battery supports 100kW charging speed, which is subpar for the class, resulting in a longer charging time than most competitors. The U.S. market version needs almost an hour to get to 80% of the battery with the fast charger, so we don't expect anything better in our part of the world.
How Much Will Subaru Solterra Cost?
After a few delays, Subaru's all-electric SUV will finally hit the market this summer. However, the officials are still quiet about the Subaru Solterra price in Australia. The U.S. model starts at around 45,000 US Dollars, which equals AUD 67,000 to 68,000.
Still, if we consider that all cars are cheaper in North America than in most other parts of the world, it's easy to conclude that Solterra will cost a little bit more Down Under. How much, it's still hard to say, but we presume that the figures will be closer to future rivals, such as Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, which start at around AUD 76,000 and AUD 83,000, respectively.
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By Nebojsa Grmusa