The Solterra Is Exactly the EV That Subaru Fans Want – Road & Track

Subaru buyers are liberals. Not all of them, of course, but its got to be most. They have their causes and wear them as bumper stickers. And Subaru has courted them. For instance, it was the first carmaker to appeal to LGBT buyers in its advertising. Outside of Saab (rest in peace), no OEM has so clearly accumulated an ideologically focused customer base. They know what they want, and what they want is an electric Subie.

Here it is: the all-electric 2023 Subaru Solterra. Thats Latin. Sol as in the sun and terra as in the Earth. Add luna to the name and we'd have the moon covered. Celo would include heaven. Theres a song in there somewhere.

As a virtue signal, the Solterra cant approach Tesla. It looks too ordinary for thata straightforward midsize SUV, not a transportation module of the science-fiction near-future. Subaru has produced some really strange and awkward looking cars in its pastthe 360, the original Leone, the bug-eyed generation of Impreza and WRXbut the company has grown more conservative in its styling as it has racked up sales success. Here was a chance to recapture some of that zaniness, and Subaru took a hard pass. Is that smart? Probably. But from the car-goon perspective, a touch disappointing.

Some of that conservativeness may stem from the fact that the Solterra is a collaborative effort with Toyota, which owns 20 percent of Subaru. Theres some RAV4 in the Solterra. The roofline and greenhouse are very familiar. The one note of Subaru whimsy is the raw black plastic of the front fenders, essentially riffing on the idea of fender flares with a kind of ironic flair. So, be ironic and call them flair flares.

Subaru and Toyota split up the development of this zapper, but production is taking place in Toyotas Motomachi plant in Japan, where such notable machines as the Lexus LF-A and the Mk. IV Supra were also assembled. And being built alongside the Solterra will be its near-twin, the Toyota bZ4X. Solterra may not be the most evocative name, but it beats the hell out of bZ4X.

Subaru calls the Solterras new structure the "E-Subaru" platform, and states that its not related to any other Subaru vehicle and isnt based on the Toyota TNGA platform found in the RAV4. The automaker also swears these underpinnings will not be shared with Toyotas other junior partner, Mazda.

At least here in North America, the Solterra comes standard with Subarus expected "Symmetrical" all-wheel-drive system. Except its not the same system used in the internal combustion Subarus. Instead its a two-motor setup, one powering each axle. The cases containing these two motors differ because of their position in the vehicle, but the internals are the same, and each is rated at 80 kilowatts. Thats a bit more than 107 horsepower, and Subaru calls it a combined 218 horsepower. Sometimes EV math doesn't make sense. Whatever.

The two electric whirlamajigs are fed by a 72.8-kWh battery pack under the floor filled with 96 lithium-ion cells delivering 355.2 volts. It will take about nine hours to recharge the pack on a Level 2, 240-volt charger; a DC fast charger will bring the battery to 80-percent charge in about 56 minutes. Have a long weekend and nothing to do? Well, a 120-volt outlet will use up 77 hours to fill the Solterras power sump. Like most electric vehicles, the Solterra relies on an SAE J1772 standard connector, and the charge port is on the left front fender.

Because it has a flat floor, and the layout pushes the wheels to the far corners, theres a lot of room inside this thing. The 112.2-inch wheelbase allows a generous amount of rear seat legroom, and that matters if, for instance, the sure-footed Solterra is being used for Uber in snowy Billings, Montana.

Subaru is proud of the Solterras claimed minimum of 8.3 inches of ground clearance. In light off-roading at the media launch event, it never stumbled. But what's best here is how the stability and traction control systems have been optimized to allow a touch of drift on soft surfaces before kicking in. When the computers do intervene, the adjustment is gentle and perfectly attuned to saving the drivers keister without any intimidating suddenness. Its so good, theres little temptation to turn it off.

Subaru also boasts of the Solterras reasonable curb weight, with the base Premium model coming in at 4365 pounds and ranging up to 4505 pounds for the luxury Touring trim. In electric world, those are skinny figures. But even with 249 lb-ft of torque from a standstill, 218 horsepower isnt going to rocket that much heft. So acceleration is good, but not gob-smacking, Tesla-challenging, physics-defying, multi-hyphenate quick. Think zero to 60 in about six seconds. At least thats how it feels. It will be great if it proves out quicker.

Again, I only had limited exposure to the new machine. But Subaru has equipped the Solterra with a "dual-function X-Mode" system that tunes the vehicle for varying conditions. There was no chance to test the Snow/Mud modes in dusty Phoenix, Arizona, but on the silt of the roads the new Subie worked great. And the "Grip" setting did seem to keep the machine calm in slightly hairy situations. Plus, theres downhill assist control and that is at least reassuring.

Standard rubber on the Premium is a 235/60 tire on 18-inch alloy wheels, while Limited and Touring models step up to 20s and 235/50s. These arent aggressive tires; theyre touring grade, optimized for quiet cruising and low rolling resistance. They work fine, but buyers will have to wait for the inevitable Wilderness edition for more aggressive off-road rubber. Or hope Subaru goes positively bonkers and makes an STi version for ultimate on-road cornering prowess. (That ain't gonna happen.)

As it is, the Solterra drives like a lot of other electric cars: composed manners, eerie quiet, perfectly suitable for commuting. The front MacPherson strut and double wishbone rear suspension is well-tuned for comfort, not that happy when pushed into corners. The electric-assist steering is communicative enough, but it doesnt have much interesting to say.

The biggest criticism comes inside the Solterra. Naturally, there are big screens that integrate all known forms of information through smartphones or cameras mounted to the vehicle. Yet Subaru has saddled the interior with a weird steering wheel placement. It sits at the end of a long pod that thrusts from the dash out to the driver. Its adjustable for rake, but it was impossible to position so the rim didnt block part of the digital instrumentation that sits behind it. I had to crane and strain to see mileage, or speed, or some other piece of information. Some things can be seen, but never all things at once.

Pricing hasnt been announced, but expect the Solterra to compete with other electric SUVish things in this size category. That means around $40,000 to start, with the swank ones up around $50,000.

For the liberal suburban audience Subaru has, the Solterra will work fine. But a second, equally staunch batch of Subaru lovers live in cold-weather states covered in sleet and mush half the year. A reputation for thriving in near-Arctic conditions will be crucial for the Solterra's success; whether this new EV earns that respect is yet to be seen.

Meanwhile, off-road ability in a battery-powered electric? Thats perfectly attuned to one states philosophical and practical needs. Vermont, this is your Subaru.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io

See the original post here:
The Solterra Is Exactly the EV That Subaru Fans Want - Road & Track