Subaru has joined the electric vehicle revolution with its all-electric Solterra SUV.

Built on the e-Subaru Global Platform – a platform Subaru developed with Toyota specifically for electric vehicles and which also underpins Toyota’s bZ4X model – the Solterra EV is due for launch in Japan, the United States, Canada, Europe and China from mid-2022.

The five-seater Solterra will be available in two-wheel-drive (2WD) or all-wheel-drive (AWD) forms, with a 150kW motor up front for the 2WD version, and two 80kW motors – one up front and one at the rear – for the 4WD model.

Energy comes via a 71.4kWh battery pack that, the company says, will enable a range of approximately 530km for the 2WD and 460km for the AWD.
DC charging of a maximum 150kW is available, meaning charging up to 80 per cent should take less than an hour. AC charging of up to 6.6kW is enabled for overnight home charging.

The design of the Solterra is nice and neat and the SUV will sit on 18-inch wheels for the 2WD and be available with either 18-inch or 20-inch wheels on the AWD. The interior, as one would expect, is just as tidy with a digital gauge display in front of the driver and a wide, 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment display at the top of the ‘floating’ centre console.

Driver assistance and safety tech includes hill and descent assist, 360-degree surround-view camera, blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, and much more.

Well known for the AWD performance of its past models, Subaru says the Solterra AWD will feature the X-Mode AWD control system that ‘enhances the sense of security on rough roads’.

The Solterra may be Subaru’s first EV, but the company has made a commitment to apply electrification technologies to all its vehicles sold worldwide by the first half of the 2030s. When it, and subsequent models, will be available in Australia is not confirmed as yet.

“The Solterra heralds a new era for the Subaru brand and its global reveal stirs great anticipation and excitement as we see the next expression of Subaru Corporation’s commitment to electrification,” said Blair Read, General Manager Subaru Australia.

“Whilst Subaru Corporation are yet to confirm a timeline for the Solterra in Australia, we are working very closely and future electric projects form part of ongoing dialogue between Subaru Australia and the factory.”

VIDEO: THE ALL-NEW 2023 SUBARU SOLTERRA EV SUV

Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (December 2021/January 2022) 

16 December 2021