2024 Subaru Solterra AWD Touring First Test: Small-Town EV

I hope you enjoy your time in town, as the Solterra won’t be traveling much beyond this point.

Eighteen years back, John Cougar Mellencamp penned a catchy tune for a Chevy advertisement. If he’s facing financial difficulties nowadays, he should consider reaching out to Subaru. They would surely be keen on acquiring the rights to his 1985 hit “Small Town” for a 2024 Subaru Solterra commercial, as it perfectly aligns with their brand.

If not, he should consider giving Toyota a shot. After all, the Solterra is essentially a rebranded version of the Toyota bZ4X, so any drawbacks can be attributed to Toyota rather than Subaru. It’s a shame though, because despite its lackluster performance as an EV, the Solterra is a decent car.

What’s So Small Town About It?

The Solterra’s limitations stem mainly from its Toyota-sourced EV powertrain. It falls short in terms of range compared to other EVs, and its slow charging speed makes it unsuitable for road trips. “Probably won’t make it out of town,” for sure.

The Solterra (and bZ4X) has a range of only 222 miles with its 72.5-kWh battery, which is considered low compared to current standards. If you take it on the freeway and set the cruise control to 70 mph, just like we do for our Road Trip Range Test, you’ll only be able to go 196 miles before using up 95 percent of the battery and needing to find a charger quickly. However, on a positive note, this is one of the smallest gaps we’ve observed between the claimed range and the actual road trip range.

Driving for nearly three hours, covering a distance of 196 miles, can be tiring. It’s a good idea to take a break during such a journey. However, the break will be a short time. While some of the fastest charging cars available today can go from 10 percent to 80 percent. State of charge in just 18 minutes on a DC fast charger, the Subaru Solterra requires at least 35 minutes. This is mainly because its peak charging speed is only 100 kW, which is one of the slowest in the industry. Interestingly, this is actually an improvement compared to last year’s model. Needed at least 45 minutes to charge, according to Subaru.

The Solterra is known for its slow charging speeds, even with the new hardware and software upgrades in the ’24 model. It took 45 minutes to charge from 5 to 80 percent during our test, which is quite slow. Despite Subaru’s claims of improved charging capabilities, we only saw speeds reach up to 81 kW, far from the promised 100 kW. On a different charger, it took 32 minutes to go from 49 to 80 percent, with speeds peaking at 43 kW. Due to the lengthy charging times, we didn’t wait to see it reach 100 percent as others were waiting to use the charger.

The Solterra’s limited range and slow charging make it impractical for road trips, even with excellent public charging infrastructure. Its ideal use is as a city car for daily commuting and errands. It’s recommended to have a second car with better range and faster charging capabilities if you can afford to have multiple vehicles.

From The Inside

If you’re willing to consider that condition, there are many great things about the Solterra. Above all, it offers a smooth driving experience. Utilizing Toyota’s top-notch TNGA platform, the Solterra delivers exceptional handling, surpassing expectations for a compact SUV. Despite this, it doesn’t sacrifice comfort while on the road. It truly is enjoyable to drive around town.

It’s great to simply stay indoors as well. The inside of the car offers a generous amount of space for both the front and rear passengers. Shoulder room, and hip room in both rows. The seats are cozy and even the base models come with heated front seats. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone automatic climate control, keyless entry, and more. This fully equipped model also includes a wireless phone charger, cooled front seats. A larger infotainment screen with navigation, a premium sound system, a panoramic sunroof, a 360-degree camera system, and a heated steering wheel.

We absolutely love the funky and futuristic design of the spaceship cockpit dashboard. However, despite the new squared-off steering wheel. A few members of our team still faced challenges in viewing the instrument screen. While some were able to make adjustments to the seat and steering wheel to get a clear view. Others struggled to find a comfortable position. Additionally, we found the screen to be a bit challenging to read due to the small font size and color choices.

The large infotainment system from Toyota has its pros and cons. While the design is basic and lacks in both appearance and features. Some have likened it to the Jitterbug phone made for seniors. The navigation system, in particular, is sluggish and cumbersome, leading us to rely on CarPlay and Google Maps instead. However, we did appreciate the improved stereo system.

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide information on the standard Subaru EyeSight suite of safety features right now. During our test drive, there was a severe storm which prevented us from testing. The new hands-free driving mode in low-speed conditions.