Subaru has unveiled its first globally available battery EV, the Solterra.
Unveiled in Tokyo, the Solterra was jointly developed with Toyota – Subaru’s largest shareholder. The car should be available to buyers in Japan, the US, Canada, Europe, and China in the middle of next year.
The Solterra, however, won’t be the only Subaru EV. The car is built on the e-Subaru Global Platform – designed specifically for EVs.
The car will be available in two flavours: a front-wheel-drive version and an all-wheel-drive variant. While the overall dimensions are identical for both vehicles, the AWD drive version packs a bit more power (160 kW compared to 150 kW) than the FWD version. The AWD variant gets twin 80 kW motors on the front and rear axles, while the FWD versions gets a single 150 kW power plant.
However, the extra rear-mounted motors add some extra heft to the AWD Solterra which tips the scales at 2,020 kg dry while the FWD version clocks in at 1,930.
As a result, the less powerful and (likely) cheaper FWD version will get some extra range compared to the AWD version – 530 km compared to 460 km, respectively. Whether this will confuse drivers, remains to be seen.
Both cars get the same 71.4 kWh battery and can charge at 6.6 kW with an AC charger or 150 kW with a DC charger.
When it comes to design, the Solterra is a fairly prototypical BEV SUV. It has angular front and rear sections with large slab-like sides. Subaru claims the “seamlessly shaped hexagon grille expresses the energy efficiency of a BEV,” we think it looks like most other new cars.
What is unusual, however, is the huge and quite gaudy black, and presumably plastic, wheel arches.
Inside, the familiarity continues with a large central touchscreen and a very wide centre console. Fortunately, the Solterra retains a circular steering wheel unlike the Tesla-style yoke steering wheels that are becoming uncomfortably commonplace.
Keyword: Subaru Unveils First All-Electric BEV, The Solterra