Car Review: 2024 Subaru Solterra Appeals To Customer Base

EAST HADDAM, CT – Subaru has jump-started its earth conscious commitment to all things green, and given its dealers a calling card with which to appease its environmentally friendly customer base, with the 2024 Solterra EV model.

To do so, Subaru turned to its largest single shareholder – Toyota (at 20.4 percent) – for the electric know-how. The practice is known in the automotive industry as badge engineering. It’s verified in the Solterra with a window sticker that lists the final assembly point as “Toyota, Aichi, Japan.”

The Solterra is essentially a Toyota bZ4X EV, but with a more gracious name. The underpinnings are essentially the same. The model’s range is on the order of 220 miles. That’s somewhat shy of the 300-mile competitive set, particularly noteworthy as the weather turns cold and range decreases.

On the flip side, when it comes time to recharge, you can expect an accelerated return on your investment at the fast-fulfilling public station. Relatively expedient charging can also be achieved with 110-volts at home.

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As a Subaru, the Solterra is specified with symmetrical all-wheel drive, exclusively. In keeping with its outback intentions, there’s 8.3-inches of ground clearance. Dual-function X-Mode adds the to go-anywhere ability through Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud traction settings while StarDrive controls on-demand front and rear wheel motor torque even further. 

Grip Control (which functions like low-speed cruise control) and Downhill Assist are also included, while shifter paddles can be used to alter regenerative braking behavior.

Beyond such road-less-traveled attributes, the Solterra struggles to subdue its Toyota DNA. At first glance, it comes off as a Toyota RAV-4 derivative with retrofitted Subaru design cues added. There’s the brand’s hexagonal grille surround and fog lights. There are also protective wheel arch moldings, brand-inspired LED headlighting and unique C-shaped/boomerang taillights. But that’s where the sibling rivalry ends. 

Inside, it’s pretty much the same story. Toyota-dictated cabin space is generous, as is cargo carrying capacity, which is equivalent between the two. Large glass area provides open, airy environs. The two alternatives distinguish themselves through various equipment packages which are assembled as a function of brand preferences. It’s mostly all the same equipment, just mixed up in slightly different combinations of priority. There are two available groups for the bZ4X and three for the Solterra (Premium, Limited and Touring).

A large, 12.3-inch center touchscreen ensures that operations and infotainment remain in check. A unique, new instrument cluster adds to the tech-inspired image, which sits high and far forward. In fact, it combines the accepted practice of a standard display cluster with a more modern head-up unit and proved quite effective at night. This comes despite its offbeat, space age style, which also includes a rectangular steering wheel.

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The experience from behind that wheel is tranquil and serene, since this first-ever electric Subaru is typically EV smooth and sultry. With the equivalent of 215-horsepower and 249 pound-feet torque, acceleration is certainly adequate. Active Cornering Assist and 20-inch wheels ensure that when the pavement zigs, the Solterra responsively zags with its low center of gravity. 

The Solterra does weigh 4,500 pounds, compared to a gasoline-powered Subaru Outback which weighs about 3,800.

Being cross-bred by the best-of-the-best from Japan, it’s no surprise that the Subaru enjoys a 5-Star Overall Vehicle Safety Score thanks to airbags galore and everything from Pre-Collision and Emergency Steering Assist to Blind Spot Monitoring and Cross-Traffic Alert.

After spending time with a Solterra, it’s sometimes hard to comprehend that it’s really a Subaru, because it occupies a new, special place within the company’s portfolio. It simply gets the local/commuting job done as a functional, 200-mile electric vehicle with plenty of cabin space and refined road manners. It’s a generic appliance for those whose ambition it is to go from Point A to Point B and not necessarily inspired by what a six-star, Subaru grille badge traditionally stands for.  

It’s the sort of implement that you might expect to find at a commodity store like Costco. Which wouldn’t be far-fetched, if the Solterra Touring didn’t retail for $51,995. Only the allegiance to – and confidence in – a friendly, local Subaru dealer will be able to command that.

(Photos courtesy of Subaru unless otherwise noted.)