Up Close With the 2023 Subaru Solterra, Subaru’s Electric SUV
Subaru unveiled its first all-electric SUV at the 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show, the new 2023 Solterra. If you’re a little confused, thinking that it looks like something else you’ve seen at the L.A. show, that’s understandable: Subaru and Toyota jointly developed this new EV, so it bears more than a passing resemblance to the 2023 Toyota bZ4X that’s rotating over on the Toyota stand. Toyota and Subaru did the same thing for their joint sports car to make the Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86, so presumably they know what they’re doing. But what are they doing with this one?
Related: More 2021 L.A. Auto Show Coverage
The Solterra and bZ4X share the same chassis, similar styling, technology and interior, but they use some of the bits and goodies from each automaker’s strengths to create something aimed directly at the sweet spot for the burgeoning crossover EV category.
Looks Like the Toyota, But That’s OK
Let’s start with the size. The Solterra is about as big as a Forester SUV, putting it at the large end of the compact SUV category. And yes, the styling looks nearly identical to the Toyota version, but there are a few tricks to tell them apart, including the prominent Subaru badge and grille, as well as unique 18- or 20-inch wheel patterns. The overall look is attractive and modern, but it doesn’t necessarily scream “Subaru” in any way. The fact that it becomes a Toyota with just a few badge changes and some new wheels is telling.
The interior is much the same story, sharing layout and design with the Toyota version. It’s also modern and well laid out, with the instrument cluster a curiosity: It’s mounted very high, and you don’t look at it through the steering wheel — you look at it over the top of the steering wheel, so it almost doubles as a heads-up-display in its positioning. The multimedia screen is enormous, a 12.3-inch display that runs a Subaru-skinned version of Toyota’s brand-new, cloud-based infotainment system. Materials inside look and feel quite nice, and there’s a surprising amount of second-row space in both headroom and legroom. Visibility is also decent, and one thing you’ll surely find in the Solterra is a conventional steering wheel — Toyota is considering offering a yoke-style wheel for the bZ4X, like something out of “Knight Rider” or a Tesla Model S, but it hasn’t yet committed to it for the U.S. market.
Competitively Equipped, But that Range…
Under the hood is … nothing. You can’t open the hood, and there is no frunk (front trunk) in the Solterra. Under the floor is a 71.4-kilowatt-hour battery that powers two motors, one front and one rear, for standard all-wheel drive. Both the Solterra and bZ4X will use Subaru’s X-Mode AWD software, but the Toyota will also be offered in a longer-range front-drive version. Official range figures are not available, but Subaru estimates that the Solterra will achieve about 220 miles of range on a full charge, which comes in a good bit less than most competitors like the Volkswagen ID.4, Tesla Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E.
We still don’t know some important things about the Solterra, like how fast it charges on a DC fast charger. We still don’t have pricing for the new Solterra, either, but we’re expecting it to start around $40,000 when it arrives in early 2022.
More From Cars.com:
- Subaru Solterra All-Electric SUV Debuts in Japan, Bound for U.S.
- 2023 Subaru Solterra, Toyota bZ4X: 4 Things We Hope to See From the Toyobaru EVs
- Subaru Sheds More Light on Upcoming 2023 Solterra All-Electric SUV
- Subaru Solterra Electric SUV to Arrive in 2022
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