Why the Subaru Solterra is a better EV than you might think

In the past year, Subaru Solterra and its sister model from Toyota – bZ4X – have not received particularly positive news. To begin with, the first delivery was delayed by a few months due to the front wheels breaking.

In the months that followed, various reports came out from around the world about high usage and limited fast charging capabilities. We also experienced this personally during several months of endurance testing, but in the end we say goodbye to a suitable electric car with Solterra.

Prices and offers Subaru Solterra

Subaru Solterra is offered at a price between 56,395 and 62,095 euros, and the difference is due to equipment. The drivetrain always has an electric motor on each axle which together produces 218 hp and 337 Nm. This is different from the bZ4X, which is also available as a front-wheel drive.

The battery capacity is 71.4 kWh, but how much can be used has not been officially presented. This is one of Solterra’s main disadvantages, because as a driver you never know exactly if you still have enough energy to reach your destination. And that was often an issue, because of the very high consumption that the Subaru Solterra showed, especially in the winter months. It seems that the car needs a large amount of energy to keep the battery pack at the required temperature, and that the aerodynamic characteristics are not ideal for an EV. In the coldest part of winter, we found that on windy days you can drive 150 kilometers of road on a charge.

Update

However, the biggest advantage of modern cars is that they can be updated during their ‘lifetime’. Via a wireless network, or by visiting a dealer. During our endurance test, the Subaru Solterra was also improved in both ways, with good results. For example, the usable battery capacity was stretched during the endurance test, and usage information gradually became more accurate. In the last summer months of the endurance test, a distance of 400 km was possible repeatedly, which is quite close to the specific 414 km.

Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of the long-distance use of the Subaru Solterra was the mysterious limitation of the number of kilowatts that can be charged in 24 hours on a fast charger. Presumably to prevent accelerated battery damage (thus guaranteeing Toyota’s generous warranty terms of at least 70 percent remaining battery capacity after 10 years or 1 million kilometers), the maximum charging speed was greatly reduced after 90 kW per hour 24. After the latest update, this number increased to 150 kW, which should allow you to travel around 1,000 km even in the winter months.

Subaru Solterra Controls

However, what remains unaddressed is poor battery management, which means that fast charging performance is disappointing in low or high outside temperatures.

With the help of several updates, the infotainment system has become faster and more pleasant to operate, but it is still not very successful in enabling everything that comes with electric driving. Things like a smart router don’t exist, for example. Apart from that, Solterra is not a bad model for normal, everyday use, including operational safety and support systems. Watch the video to see if the pros outweigh the cons in our opinion.