Test drive: 2024 Subaru Solterra feels fit for the blue highways (2024)

• Solterra efficiency is in the same ballpark as Hyundai Ioniq 5 and VW ID.4
• Even with improvements, it's one of the slower-charging electric crossovers
• X-Mode off-road mode gives the Solterra impressive AWD traction and finesse

Subaru’s vehicles have never completely fallen in line with the mainstream. As I spent more time with the brand’s first electric car, the Solterra, it started to make sense that there's no reason to think its EVs will shed the Gore-Tex look. This all-wheel-drive electric crossover is simply on its own trip versus other EVs.

After a brief sample of the Solterra off-pavement, I recently covered more than 400 miles in the Solterra, with the vast majority of that—nearly 360 miles—on freeways. During that time, taking its strengths and weaknesses in light, I realized that I had this model away from its element. The lesser-traveled routes, the gravel roads and rutted trails, and the travel days getting out to trailheads and launch points—the blue highways—altogether make much better sense in the Solterra than aiming to haul through interstate miles in the shortest possible time.

That said, I ran this electric Subaru on the Interstate Highway System slog to test out the 2024 Solterra charging improvements. Subaru aims to step up Solterra sales volume with a series of second-year upgrades and updates. In addition to quicker charging, steering-wheel paddle-shifters can now adjust regenerative braking on the fly, and roof bars can now hold a static load of up to 700 pounds, good for rooftop tents.

With a lot of attention paid to the charging and efficiency points, here are those pros and cons that help frame the Solterra.

Pro: Surefooted electric all-wheel drive

The Solterra is the result of a partnership with Toyota, and it’s very closely related to the Toyota bZ4X. But the Solterra is all-wheel drive only, unlike the bZ4X, and Subaru boasts that it oversaw the tuning of these models’ traction and stability control systems, including the Solterra’s incorporation of its X-Mode off-road traction system.

When I drove the Solterra earlier this year, at the annual NWAPA Mudfest vehicle roundup, on a demanding course that traversed a steep, somewhat loose incline, and over logs, boulders, and pits that challenged wheel articulation, it didn’t flinch.

Between its Eco, Normal, and Sport modes, throttle sensitivity seems to be the main difference, but for this course I opted for X-Mode, which Subaru has carried over from its gasoline vehicles. The Solterra doesn’t find its traction like a Forester or Outback, though, and so I noted that X-Mode here was tuned for finesse—in a way that shows off the precision that can be dialed into EV propulsion. It even includes a Grip Control feature that will maintain a set, very low, off-road speed, all with near zero tire slip. There's no high-speed driver assistant quite like Autopilot or Super Cruise here, but this is the trail-oriented cruise control Subaru owners need.

Like most other Subarus, the Solterra has lots of ground clearance. Its 8.3 inches is an inch or two more than most other electric crossovers with its exterior dimensions, and it could make a big difference in whether you get out of that uncleared winter driveway without high-centering. Conditions permitting, you can also turn off all the traction systems if and when you want, allowing fast and loose driving that favors power to the rear wheels.

Con: Solterra’s not quite there on road noise

One of the issues with EVs is that their propulsion systems are so quiet you start to dwell on all the other noises. During all the time I spent on the highway, I found myself turning the nice-sounding Harman Kardon audio up higher and higher—to compensate for the cabin noise, which was at levels much higher than in the Ford Mustang Mach-E I also spent a fair amount of time in that same week. While the Solterra’s design is relatively boxy, it didn’t seem to be wind noise up around the roof or pillars so much as a din of road noise from below and behind. It’s partly a matter of coarse American interstate highway concrete, and I’ve noticed such issues before in Subarus as well as in the Toyota RAV4, so it’s all in the family.

Pro: Decent efficiency, consistent range

By the official numbers, the Solterra earns an EPA range rating of 227 miles from a usable capacity of 65 kwh, out of a gross capacity of 72.8 kwh. And based on EPA combined driving cycle results, it’s rated at around 3.1 miles per kwh. These efficiency numbers are pretty good—right in line with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 AWD and its 260 miles from 74 kwh usable, and the Volkswagen ID.4 AWD Pro and its 263 miles from 77 kwh usable. It’s just a significantly smaller pack.

Over more than 400 miles spent with the Solterra I averaged 3.4 miles/kwh. That included 360 miles of highway driving between Portland, Oregon, and Bellevue, Washington, in which I averaged in the 3.2 to 3.4 mi/kwh range.

There are big asterisks to this mostly good report on how the Solterra works with the energy it has. Firstly, the weather was dry and mild (55 to 70 degrees F) during my time with the Solterra, and I’ve noted in a drive of the nearly identical Toyota bZ4X AWD that temps in the low 40s put a huge dent in efficiency and range. Secondly, I noted that Solterra efficiency falls off a figurative cliff much above 70 mph. On a short, flat stretch, on a relatively calm day, I saw 2.6 mi/kwh from the trip computer over several miles at 77 mph, versus 3.5 at 70 mph. Read on and figure in the factor below, and you won’t be speeding.

Con: Long charging stops

Yes, you can take the Solterra on a long road trip, but no, you can’t expect to be in too much of a hurry. My 360-mile Portland-to-Bellevue round-trip required TWO charging stops, and they weren’t brief. Subaru claims that the Solterra can now charge from 10-80% in as little as 35 minutes, though my charge times didn't at all demonstrate that.

Due to the way chargers were placed along the way, I needed to plug in at 25%. I intended to get to 80% but decided to cut and run at 77% after 41 minutes (35.8 kwh delivered). The charging session never reached 60 kw, and it displayed a whopping 120 minutes to get to 100%. Where's Matt Pinfield?

I then traveled another 152 miles, averaging 3.4 miles per kwh, and I plugged in at 9%, and this time the session power rose to 80 kw right away. It got from 9% to 48% in a speedier 20 minutes before the rate started slowing appreciably—adding nearly 80 miles of real-world range in that time, easily more than enough to get me back to Portland and plug in my L2 connector. That's closer to Subaru's claimed charge time, but the Electrify America charger still estimated the total time to 80% at 55 minutes for that session starting at 9%.

Overall, that’s an hour of charging for a 360-mile round trip where arriving back with near zero charge was fine. For a longer road trip with more uncertainties, it adds up; count on most of an hour of charging every 180 miles on the open road—an hour for every 2.5 hours at 70 mph—if you can get the chargers spaced out just right. It’s where the fastest-charging EVs like the Ioniq 5 and its 18-minute 10-80% state-of-charge capability can make a huge difference.

Pro: Solterra space in back is good for people, great for gear

Tapering rooflines that put the squeeze on backseat space and cargo usefulness are common in this latest cohort of electric crossovers. But you won’t find that here in the Solterra; from inside the back seat, it feels positively boxy, and spacious in a way few of those rivals do. Door cuts are wide and the seating position is comfortable enough for adults (especially without the Touring’s panoramic sunroof). And if you’re the type to haul a lot of gear out to weekend activities, or the finds from antique stores back home, the Solterra offers impressive space for things. There’s 23.8 cubic feet of flat cargo space behind the second row, or 63.5 cubic feet if you fold both of those 60/40-split portions forward (not quite flat).

Con. It’s hard to get comfortable in front

Between the short, unduly flat seat cushions, the hard center console, the unnecessarily complex dash layout, and the “squircle” steering wheel, it’s going to be difficult for lankier types to get comfortable in the driver’s seat. Even with the new steering-wheel design, this 6-foot-6 driver found it virtually impossible to adjust the manually tilting/telescoping steering wheel to a position that simultaneously yielded a comfortable driving position and allowed me to see the gauge cluster.

Technology didn’t help with the comfort level. The Solterra’s driver-monitoring system, which relies on a camera aiming around the top rim of the steering wheel, simply wasn’t helpful and it’s seemingly become even worse with the squircle at seeing whether taller drivers (if I’m an example of that) are alert or not. I adjusted my posture up and down and felt like I could have taped my eyelids open and the system still would have been nagging me to pay attention. Luckily I found a submenu allowing it to be disabled.

Solterra tech: Decent, but it’s missing this key piece

Design complexity aside, the Solterra’s interface does nearly all it needs to do once you’re familiar with it. Controls for the heated-and-cooled front seats are separate touch controls below the screen; the one-pedal driving mode with more regen is a physical button (in addition to steering-wheel paddles!); and vents are well located and easy to aim quickly without having to consult the touchscreen.

I had no big issues with the screen system, which felt familiar from time in recent Toyotas (including the bZ4X). Wireless Apple CarPlay worked great, and I appreciated the bright, 12.3-inch touchscreen display that’s the centerpoint for entertainment and apps in all but the base Premium.

In this top Touring trim, cloud-based navigation will help you find a nearby charging station but it’s sorely missing a well-integrated route planner that will, given the Solterra’s charging shortcomings, simply advise you on where to stop—so as to spend the least amount of your road-trip time charging. Luckily, there are apps for that.

2024 Subaru Solterra
Base price: $46,340 (Premium)
Price as tested: $54,558 (Touring, plus premium paint, floor mats, cargo tray)
Propulsion: Dual permanent-magnet motors, 107 hp and 125 lb-ft each, 215 hp and 249 lb-ft combined; all-wheel drive
EPA efficiency: 227 miles of electric range, 3.1 mi/kwh combined
The hits: All-wheel-drive traction and finesse, decent efficiency, back seat and cargo space
The misses: Slow charging, road noise, front seat space, no live route planner