Not very agricultural
Ironically, that extra refinement makes the Solterra feel less like a true Subaru, at least to me. Its distinctive boxer engines aren’t the most refined in the world, but they do add character, as does the mechanical all-wheel drive. Here, the drive experience is rather anodyne, albeit entirely acceptable for a daily driver.
There’s nothing that feels Subaru about this interior.
Subaru
Jonathan Gitlin
Apple CarPlay is present and correct.
Jonathan Gitlin
Jonathan Gitlin
I wasn’t trying very hard, but I also didn’t get that close to the car’s official efficiency.
Jonathan Gitlin
Apple CarPlay is present and correct.
Jonathan Gitlin
I wasn’t trying very hard, but I also didn’t get that close to the car’s official efficiency.
Jonathan Gitlin
In any case, it usually only takes a false alarm from the overeager EyeSight driver assist to remind you that, as with the Chevy Blazer/Honda Prologue pair, some automaker quirks still cross badge-engineered boundaries.
While the extra power of the XT lets it sprint to 60 mph (97 km/h) in less than five seconds, I’m not sure I ever really needed the extra power over the regular car. Then again, I was entirely content with the front-wheel-drive, single-motor bZ—late spring in the Washington area doesn’t require much all-wheel drive. But if you want a FWD Subaru EV, you’re limited to the smaller Uncharted; all Solterras are AWD.
The Solterra now boasts a native NACS port, which replaces the previous model year’s CCS1 socket, and DC fast charging tops out at 150 kW rather than the old car’s 100 kW. Subaru says a 10–80 percent charge should take as little as 30 minutes, and you can now manually precondition the battery for optimal fast-charging performance. However, if you pull up to a charger with more than 50 percent state of charge, as I did, you should expect things to take a little longer.
Jonathan Gitlin
This IONNA rechargery was rather bare-bones—the Sheetz next to it was still under construction. But it has native NACS chargers.
Jonathan Gitlin
Jonathan Gitlin
This wasn’t a great test of charging times because I started with a battery already more than half full and ran it well past 80 percent. But it’s rude to give the car back without a decent state of charge.
Jonathan Gitlin
Jonathan Gitlin
By quirk of fate, that is 0.1 kWh more energy than you’d find in a gallon of gasoline. Sure, it cost a lot more than a gallon of gas and took a lot longer to deliver, but even at a not-amazing 3.2 miles/kWh, that’s still enough to go 108 miles.
Jonathan Gitlin
This wasn’t a great test of charging times because I started with a battery already more than half full and ran it well past 80 percent. But it’s rude to give the car back without a decent state of charge.
Jonathan Gitlin
By quirk of fate, that is 0.1 kWh more energy than you’d find in a gallon of gasoline. Sure, it cost a lot more than a gallon of gas and took a lot longer to deliver, but even at a not-amazing 3.2 miles/kWh, that’s still enough to go 108 miles.
Jonathan Gitlin
In terms of value, the Solterra XT might be a wash with the top-spec bZ Limited. The Subaru has a bit more power and a little less range for a few hundred dollars less. And like the bZ, it’s a solid driving appliance. But now that the brand has an electric don’t-call-it-an-Outback Trailseeker, will any Subaru buyers really want the Solterra anymore? I’m not so sure.
