Subaru Solterra EV review 2023

Introduction

If the Subaru Solterra EV looks familiar, it’s because it’s virtually identical to the Toyota bZ4X.

The two manufacturers have joined forces to bring different strengths to each brand’s electrification programme.

It is not the first time they’ve worked together – in fact, the partnership dates back to 2005, when they agreed on a business collaboration.

A couple of years later, Toyota began building some of its vehicles at Subaru’s USA manufacturing HQ in Indiana, followed by an expansion of the partnership in 2008 to include development and production.

Its rear-wheel drive sports cars, the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ were jointly developed in 2012. Meanwhile, Subaru used Toyota's hybrid system to establish its first plug-in car, the Crosstrek, unveiled in 2018 for global markets but a car that never arrived in the UK. 

The following year, the two automakers launched a new business and capital alliance. Each owned 20% of the other company’s shares, committing them to new versions of the 86 and BRZ (which arrived in 2021), as well as expanding the sharing of resources to create autonomous vehicles.

Finally, in 2021, the Solterra and the bZ4X arrived.

So, it’s not a case of Subaru simply removing a Toyota badge and replacing it with its own.

Both have been jointly developed by the two manufacturers from the ground up.

With each playing to their respective strengths - the Subaru Solterra is all-wheel drive as standard, as you might expect from a manufacturer with bona fide off-road and rallying credentials - that should only benefit its customers.

We’ll see if the Solterra delivers in practice.

At a Glance

We said earlier that the Solterra and the bZ4X are virtually identical – and that’s true. But you’ll find some differences at the front.

Being an electric car, there's no grille, so a simple body panel replaces it.

But, unlike in the Toyota where it merges into the rest of the front end, the Solterra has a grille outline defined in a wide, Audi-ish hexagon shape.

This gives the Subaru more definition at the front, and, in our view, it's the preferred option of the two, but that’s very subjective.

The front end is created around the shape of this grille outline, with mean-looking headlights and a cladded, coloured, lower exterior, which builds in air intakes around the outside.

The cladding then extends upwards around the wheel arches at the sides, offering some chunky sills at the bottom of the doors. It then flows up again to form the rear wheel arches.

Various creases on the doors, including a curved one which extends from the top of the rear door to the taillights, add more definition and athleticism.

The rear is squared off, with the taillights extending around the sides. Meanwhile, a roof spoiler sits on top of the diagonal back window. This reaches a defined point on which a modest boot spoiler is placed.

More thick cladding protects the bottom of the car, hinting at the off-road capability which Subaru is renowned for.

Key Features

Of the Solterra’s two trims, entry-level ‘Limited’ offers 18-inch alloys with aero wheel covers, a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, DAB radio and navigation. It also features a seven-inch digital instrument cluster, dual-zone climate control and powered tailgate.

You also get automatic headlights and wipers, driver’s lumbar support, LED day-running lights, adaptive high beam, power-folding door mirrors, heat pump and a leather heated steering wheel. The trim boasts heated front and rear seats, electric adjustment in the driver’s seat and keyless entry and start, too.

‘Touring’ trim vaunts 20-inch alloys, a fixed panoramic sunroof, synthetic leather seats, driver’s seat and door mirror memory function and electric passenger seats. It also gets a wireless phone charger and a Harmon-Kardon premium audio system.

Both are exclusively available with all-wheel drive, which is to be expected of Subaru, given its reputation in this field.

As a result, you’ll get two electric motors – one per axle – a notable difference from the Toyota bZ4X, where all-wheel drive is an optional extra.

Decent power of 218PS is available from its powertrain.

Range & Batteries

A 71.4kWh battery pack powers the Solterra's motors.

That provides a claimed range of 289 miles in Limited trim, while Touring trim only manages 257 miles due to extra equipment and larger alloys.

Those are competitive figures roughly on a par with its adversaries, though higher-specified competitors can manage 300+ miles.

In practice, you'll likely never achieve the quoted figure – and everything from ambient temperature to driving style can impact the range significantly.

Around two-thirds of the advertised range is more realistic.

Performance & Drive

The Solterra is pretty good to drive. The road noise is well-damped out by efficient soundproofing, and, as a result, it's tranquil when motoring along.

As is typical with electric vehicles, you get an instant burst of shove when you press the accelerator pedal.

That is good enough to get from a standstill to 62mph in 6.9 seconds (and a top speed of 100mph), which isn't class-leading but more than acceptable for a car like this.

The acceleration feels smooth, consistent, and punchy in all situations, too. So, getting from 50 to 70mph quickly provides the confidence to overtake with ease.

It is also helpful when trying to dart in and out of traffic around town centre ring roads.

The Solterra’s standard all-wheel drive has more grip than the two-wheel drive Toyota bZ4X. You don’t necessarily need that in most conditions, but you may be grateful for it on wet, icy or snowy winter mornings.

The most significant benefit from the additional grip in day-to-day driving is when you try to take a bend fast. This, added to the well-weighted steering wheel, which firms up nicely in the corners, means you can push on knowing the car will point in your intended direction. Body roll is well controlled, too.

The turn-in feels precise, and there's a good level of feedback through the wheel.

Electric cars are heavy, and the Solterra is no exception. As a result, we didn’t expect its handling to impress, but it treads the tightrope between cornering ability and comfort well.

If ride comfort is a priority, the Limited trim is likely preferable, with its 18-inch alloys being two inches smaller than the Touring's.

While the Solterra feels well planted, and its suspension absorbs bumps and potholes, it’s noticeably more adept at this with the smaller wheels – despite Subaru adjusting the suspension in the Touring to compensate.

Nevertheless, the larger wheels of the Touring aren't back-breaking by any means and even on the 20-inch wheels, it still retains a good level of comfort.

Where the Solterra stands out, though, is off-road. Subaru has a formidable reputation for all-wheel drive, and through its X-Mode terrain system, it’ll tackle snow, mud, and other obstacles.

However, it's worth noting that this is a compact crossover, so while it will go off-road, it won't necessarily have sufficient ground clearance to tackle extremely lumpy terrain.

The brakes are impressive, too, with the pedal feeling consistent and predictable.

The strength of the regenerative braking is adjusted by paddles behind the steering wheel. However, the maximum setting has to be confirmed by pressing a button elsewhere.

It is not quite one-pedal driving, but it’s enough to slow you to a crawl just by lifting your foot off the accelerator, leaving you to provide the final tap of the brakes to bring it to a stop.

Of course, maximising the regenerative braking will increase the amount of charge that the Solterra can put back into the batteries.

Charging

The Solterra’s maximum charging speed is 150kW, which is reasonably impressive, although cars are coming along now which have broken the 200kW – and even 300kW – barrier.

Nevertheless, those speeds will only be achievable if the charger supports it, and only a few public charging points in the UK do so.

If you can find a 150kW+ charger, it'll get from 10-80% in just over 30 minutes.

A 7.4kW wallbox, which you'll typically have if you install a charger at home, will take under 13 hours to get from 0-100%.

Running Costs & Emissions

Two of the best things about owning an electric car are the lack of miles-per-gallon figures – and, of course, the absence of emissions.

Electric vehicle motors have fewer moving parts, so servicing should be cheaper, too.

Insurance is likely expensive, though, as the Solterra is near the top of the tree regarding insurance groups.

Electric cars offer the best value for money when it comes to company cars, as they're in the lowest bands due to their zero emissions, maximising savings in Benefit In Kind (BIK) tax.

Regarding reliability, it's difficult to predict where the Subaru will finish. Toyota (who, of course, part-developed the car) often does better in the dependability league tables, but both do well.

Interior & Technology

The interior looks striking as soon as you sit inside.

It is helped by a dual-coloured theme, which offers orangey-red seats alongside the otherwise black interior trim.

But it’s not all down to the colour scheme, as the imposingly wide infotainment screen dominates your attention initially, sticking out from the centre console like a tablet.

Beneath it is a storage cubby covered in piano black glossy detailing. Meanwhile, the steering wheel looks bold and imposing, with the digital instrument display popping up behind it.

Admittedly, the position of the instrument display won’t be to everyone’s liking. If you're lacking in height, it might pose a challenge to see the information it’s giving you, given the steering wheel is in the way. It is also set back quite a way behind the wheel.

The infotainment system is clear and has a crisp display, which is reasonably responsive to prods and swipes. There are plenty of buttons, too – a welcome departure from the latest trend of burying almost everything into the infotainment screen.

Thankfully, Subaru has retained physical controls for the air conditioning system, although some are touch-sensitive.

However, the infotainment system’s menu layout isn’t as intuitive as we’d have liked. But we’re nit-picking: we've used significantly inferior systems before.

There are lots of plush materials which add to the premium feel, although lower down, you'll find some inexpensive plastics.

When the Japanese car is parked, you can control various aspects from the comfort of your smartphone or tablet using the Subaru Care app. This means you can set the Subaru to charge up in time for your departure or pre-heat the cabin on a winter's morning.

A wireless phone charger is standard on the Touring trim, but the Limited trim doesn't have one. There are several USB-C sockets, meaning multiple occupants can keep their devices topped up using a wire.

Overall, the Solterra’s cabin is notable. While it's not the poshest interior, it looks nice and competes well with most of its rivals. And even if they wow you more than the Solterra, you won't be disappointed with the Subaru.

Space & Practicality

Considering it’s not the biggest SUV, you still get a driving position that feels high.

That gives you a commanding view of the road ahead, and the visibility out of the front and sides is impressive.

The diagonal back window, though, has large pillars, which heavily restrict the rearward view.

Thankfully, parking sensors, plus a 360-degree camera, are included as standard.

Finding a comfy driving position is a cinch due to the electric driver’s seat adjustment. Solterra Touring editions get the same in the passenger seat, as well as a driver memory function to make things easier if multiple people regularly drive the car.

There is plenty of space up front, so legroom and headroom aren’t an issue, even for taller occupants.

The sloping roofline means the height isn’t as generous in the back, but taller passengers should at least find they have sufficient legroom.

Three adults in the rear is more achievable in the Solterra than some rivals, although you'll likely be rubbing shoulders slightly. It is helped by the completely flat floor, which ensures everyone has enough space for their feet.

The rear seats can recline, too, which is another convenience.

You will find plenty of storage compartments in the Solterra to store little bits and pieces, including cubbies, a tray for your phone, and another storage space in a hollowed-out floating centre console beneath the gear selector.

The door bins are a generous size, although the lack of a glove compartment is one surprising omission.

Boot space measures 452 litres (441 litres in Touring trim), which should be plentiful for shopping trips, golf clubs or a foldable pram.

That is alright, but some contenders have bigger capacities, such as the Skoda Enyaq.

There is also some underfloor storage in the boot to store charging cables.

The back seats can fold in a 60/40 configuration to expand the boot capacity. They don’t fold entirely flat, but it doesn’t cause too much of a problem.

Sadly, there’s no additional storage underneath the bonnet – a feature you’ll often find in electric vehicles, including some of the Solterra’s rivals.

The towing capacity is only 750kg, which is less than the likes of the Hyundai Ioniq 5, which can pull more than double this weight.

Safety

The Subaru Solterra was tested by Euro NCAP in 2022, earning a five-star rating.

It scored 88% for adult occupants, 87% for kids and an impressive 91% for safety assists.

Those assists include a plethora of tech as part of Subaru’s Safety Sense package.

That means you get dynamic radar cruise control, a pre-collision system, emergency steering assist, a lane departure alert, lane tracing assist, blind spot monitoring, and road sign assist. Rear cross-traffic alert, parking support brake, low-speed acceleration suppression and safe exit assist are all standard, too.

A driver monitor, a surround-view monitor and a tyre pressure monitoring system are also thrown in.

All safety systems included on the Touring trim can also be found on the entry-level Limited trim.

Options

Subaru offers no real options for the Solterra.

Five exterior colours (plus two extra ones on the Touring grade) are offered, but that’s about it.

That said, it comes very well-equipped as standard, even in entry-level Limited trim, which is anything but limited in practice.

Subaru offers various accessories, but these are minor generic Subaru paraphernalia, as opposed to more traditional optional extra add-ons intended explicitly for the Solterra.

Rival Cars

The Solterra has a long list of opponents, among them the Skoda Enyaq iV, the Volkswagen ID.4 and Ford’s Mustang Mach-E (below)

It is also worth considering the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and its sportier cousin, the Kia EV6, which both share the same underpinnings.

Elsewhere, Tesla's Model Y competes well, while the Nissan Ariya has won plenty of plaudits since its launch.

Verdict & Next Steps

Overall, the Subaru Solterra is an accomplished all-electric SUV.

If you're looking for something capable of going off-road, you'll struggle to find anything else that fits the bill.

If you’re not, then the near-identical Toyota bZ4X offers a two-wheel drive entry-level model - though the Subaru can be leased at a cheaper price* than its Toyota sibling, which is a really important factor to consider. 

So, the Solterra has plenty going for it, boasting a very generous equipment list on both trims offered. 

It is good to drive, too, offering proper performance, handling and ride comfort.

Where to next?

View latest Subaru Solterra leasing deals - from just £310 per month inc VAT**.

Call us on 0118 3048 688 or hit the green 'Enquire' button for more details.

Looking for a great leasing deal? Check out our incredible range of Special Offers and Lease Deals. 

New electric SUV? Read our latest Car Reviews and find the right model for you.

Want to know more about leasing? Take a look at our comprehensive Leasing Guides.

Interested in everything motoring? Why not catch up on all the latest Car Leasing News.

**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Subaru Solterra. 

**Correct as of 01/11/2023. Based on 9 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 24 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 9 monthly payments, or £2,790.63  (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.