2026 Subaru Solterra review: The badge-engineered bZ ain’t bad

Subaru's badge-engineered SUV remains on sale alongside the new Trailseeker.

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[Snackasaurus]

Never heard of Ionna but my experience with the most common EV charging stations in the US have been uniformly good.

Count yourself lucky. My parents bought an EV and the worst part was explaining which adapter they'd need for what and the literally dozen apps they'd need and what they all did. And then fielding their calls when the charger didn't work or someone had vandalized the QR code you need to scan or whatever.

My parents buying an EV added another layer of tech support for me with them and it shouldn't be that way.

Edit, not sure why this is getting downvoted. It's reflective of the current state of EV charging in the US and it's bad. I want it to be better! Literally my comment that's the most upvoted reflects that, lol.

 

[Mr. Perfect]

I wish they would give it a regular gauge cluster/steering wheel.

Like that new Ferari Luce interior! They had dials, knobs and even some freaking fighter jet toggle switches in there. Those elements are starting to feel like premium features us povos don't get anymore.

 

[borcean]

Why for the love of god did the charge port on the 2026 Solterra and bZ4x move from the driver's side quarter panel to the passenger front quarter panel?

For optimal access to the Tesla Supercharger network charge ports should be located on the driver's side rear or passenger side front (in LHD markets) as the cables at V3 Superchargers are just under two meters in length.

 

[MacBrave]

For better or worse, Subaru historically more of a rally racing / outdoors brand than an environmental brand - with their earlier model all being pretty big gas guzzlers (the more recent CVT model do have much better efficiency).

And don't forget the Lesbians: https://priceonomics.com/how-an-ad-campaign-made-lesbians-fall-in-love-with/

 

[UhtredsonofUhtred]

For $14 worth of gas at current prices (~$4.70/gal in my town), my Maverick hybrid will go 120-150 miles, depending on the weather.

That's not to knock EV's at all. Just tired of the lack of extremely efficient (i.e. smaller) and cheap EVs. Until there's a dependable EV econobox available, like an early 90's Civic, Corolla or Escort, that can be acquired by the masses and is cheaper to drive than a gas car already in hand, EV sales will forever lag in the US.

 

[Snackasaurus]

For $14 worth of gas at current prices (~$4.70/gal in my town), my Maverick hybrid will go 120-150 miles, depending on the weather.

That's not to knock EV's at all. Just tired of the lack of extremely efficient (i.e. smaller) and cheap EVs. Until there's a dependable EV econobox available, like a early 90's Civic, Corolla or Escort, that can be acquired by the masses and is cheaper to drive than a gas car already in hand, EV sales will forever lag in the US.

For 14 dollars, my EV will go 560 miles. 10 cents per kwh, 4 miles per kwh.

 

[lurknomore]

For $14 worth of gas at current prices (~$4.70/gal in my town), my Maverick hybrid will go 120-150 miles, depending on the weather.

That's not to knock EV's at all. Just tired of the lack of extremely efficient (i.e. smaller) and cheap EVs. Until there's a dependable EV econobox available, like an early 90's Civic, Corolla or Escort, that can be acquired by the masses and is cheaper to drive than a gas car already in hand, EV sales will forever lag in the US.

DC fast charging is priced near parity with gas.
AC charging (at home or level 2) is where you save a truckload of cash compared to gas.

Driving a small EV with a Euro-spec battery rather than a 250+ miles 2-ton SUV is where you really commute to work for dirt cheap.

 

[UhtredsonofUhtred]

For 14 dollars, my EV will go 560 miles. 10 cents per kwh, 4 miles per kwh.

Charging on the road?

 

[thelongdarkteatimeof]

For $14 worth of gas at current prices (~$4.70/gal in my town), my Maverick hybrid will go 120-150 miles, depending on the weather.

That's not to knock EV's at all. Just tired of the lack of extremely efficient (i.e. smaller) and cheap EVs. Until there's a dependable EV econobox available, like an early 90's Civic, Corolla or Escort, that can be acquired by the masses and is cheaper to drive than a gas car already in hand, EV sales will forever lag in the US.

and for $1 my EV can go the same distance.

 

[UhtredsonofUhtred]

DC fast charging is priced near parity with gas.
AC charging (at home or level 2) is where you save a truckload of cash compared to gas.

Driving a small EV with a Euro-spec battery rather than a 250+ miles 2-ton SUV is where you really commute to work for dirt cheap.

"Near" isn't good enough for the masses and the comparison was not with charging at home.

 

[sphenodont]

This is true for my wife's Subaru outback also: the eyesight field of view is a little bit too large for what it considers as "in front of the vehicle". My guess is that they don't have good logic for determining whether a road is curving or not and so compensated by just making the field of view wider.

The EyeSight in newer models feels like a regression, honestly. I think the sensitivity on my 2015 Outback is just right on side detection, lane drift, and automatic braking, but when driving newer cars (borrowed from relatives or rentals), EyeSight seems a lot more fidgety and aggressive.

And don't get me started on the rear seatbelt detection. That drives me absolutely nuts and it's one of the larger reasons I'll drive my car into the ground before getting a newer Outback. (And that's before they destroyed it with the new redesign.)

 

[ewelch]

I've been a happy user of the Crosstrek plug-in hybrid. Fast, fun, and efficient. But Subaru has zero clue when it comes to EV design. I looked inside one of the new Uncharteds, and it looked crowded. Leica Apollo space capsule and moon lander crowded. Having recently sat in a Rivian R1s, and planning to get an R2 when the one I want becomes available, I took one look at the Uncharted, and said, "Nope, I'll pay $20,000 more for the R2 and be comfortable, and really go off-road. Just firms up my commitment to never buy a car from a legacy Manufacturer's dealer, ever again.

 

[jonbob_newcastle]

I don’t understand the remark about Subaru’s boxer engines being “unrefined”. Keep on top of maintenance and they’ll last 100 thousand miles easily.

Is it the head gasket thing from twenty-ish years ago?

Is it the famous Subaru growl? Unlike a certain motorcycle maker, they don’t sound like that because they’re unbalanced.

 

[eXceLon]

Not that I'd ever be able to afford one, but lord, that god-awful, glued on tablet look for the interior just nopes me out of any interest in it.

I actually like what Hyundai/Kia has been doing.

It doesn't look like a tablet bolted to the dash, and though it's actually two separate displays the instrument cluster display seamlessly blends into the infotainment display.

Unfortunately some of their upcoming redesign concepts seem to be sporting the bolted-on tablet design so I won't be happy if they move back in that direction.

 

[andygates]

That's not to knock EV's at all. Just tired of the lack of extremely efficient (i.e. smaller) and cheap EVs. Until there's a dependable EV econobox available, like an early 90's Civic, Corolla or Escort, that can be acquired by the masses and is cheaper to drive than a gas car already in hand, EV sales will forever lag in the US.

The rest of the world has plenty of cheap new EVs. That's a "politics has consequences" thing for the US.

But there are plenty coming off lease now and Ars has a whole bunch of "get a cheap EV" articles here in this very section.

 

[chalex]

Count yourself lucky. My parents bought an EV and the worst part was explaining which adapter they'd need for what and the literally dozen apps they'd need and what they all did. And then fielding their calls when the charger didn't work or someone had vandalized the QR code you need to scan or whatever.

My parents buying an EV added another layer of tech support for me with them and it shouldn't be that way.

You need to buy the most common EV and use the most common EV charging network, not some odd-ball one.

 

[TheDot]

Solterra 2026 owner here. Also own a 2017 Outback (36R boxer engine) and plan to keep it until around 100K miles as our chore/road trip vehicle.

I like the Solterra a lot. I’m sure I’d like the Trailseeker too, BUT...

Fact of the matter is that another Outback-sized vehicle wouldn’t easily fit in our garage. The Solterra fits fine, but we were accustomed to a Chevy Bolt. So all the beeps and yellow stuff on the big-assed screen were/are very helpful.

I love the fact that it looks like any other car. In fact, there are so many white body, black roofed vehicles on the road right now, it’s hard to know if it’s a Toyota, a Chevy, Range Rover, etc. etc.

I love it that it has more road clearance than many, but isn’t a SUV. The ride is very nice.

The interior is perfect, and, I will admit I’m a snob on interiors, so we got the Touring XT Leather (easier to remove the cat hair that gets transported around.) The seats are very comfortable. Not so sure about the bi-directional opening arm rest cubby and the open space beneath it. We had some passengers try out the back seat and they said they were comfortable.

Seriously, the interior isn’t really that different from our old Outback except for the displays and gear shift.

LOVE THE STEERING WHEEL!

AWD is a must-have in Minnesota.

 

[PhilGil]

The rest of the world has plenty of cheap new EVs. That's a "politics has consequences" thing for the US.

But there are plenty coming off lease now and Ars has a whole bunch of "get a cheap EV" articles here in this very section.

I'll probably hold on to my "classic" Ioniq for a couple more years and then pick up an off-lease 2026+ Toyobaru CH-R/Uncharted or Bz/Solterra. I'll be 70 by then and an EV with 250 miles of range and Toyota reliability will likely be the last car I'll need to buy.

 

[clackerd]

IMHO, Subaru missed a huge opportunity. For years they'd built an image as the car brand for tree huggers. They could have leaned into EVs and kept that going. Instead, they sided with the Trump administration in fighting environmentally friendly efficiency regulations. I guess they decided it would be too expensive to develop their own EV platform, so now their cars just look like any other EV on the road, with another manufacturers drive train to boot. It's a bold strategy, Cotton.

They lost a sale to this three-Subie family with their EV hemming and hawing simply because they didn't have anything to offer when my turn for a new car came up. Their siding with Trump against California efficiency regs and their weaksauce limp-in with the Solterra helped confirm I made the right choice.

 

[TheDot]

For $14 worth of gas at current prices (~$4.70/gal in my town), my Maverick hybrid will go 120-150 miles, depending on the weather.

That's not to knock EV's at all. Just tired of the lack of extremely efficient (i.e. smaller) and cheap EVs. Until there's a dependable EV econobox available, like an early 90's Civic, Corolla or Escort, that can be acquired by the masses and is cheaper to drive than a gas car already in hand, EV sales will forever lag in the US.

Well, there should be a well-cared for 2020 Chevy Bolt out there for cheap. With a nearly new battery! We got a great trade-in value when we bought our Solterra!

 

[clackerd]

I don’t understand the remark about Subaru’s boxer engines being “unrefined”. Keep on top of maintenance and they’ll last 100 thousand miles easily.

Is it the head gasket thing from twenty-ish years ago?

Is it the famous Subaru growl? Unlike a certain motorcycle maker, they don’t sound like that because they’re unbalanced.

I replaced the head gasket in my '06 Legacy and my '15 Legacy. Last month I was treated to a $6k bill for the dreaded cam carrier defect in the '15. In my experience, unrefined is pretty accurate, though, knock on wood, the '19 Ascent hasn't been affected by anything similar so far.

 

[chaos215bar2]

I'll always keep saying that for a general consumer car, 0-60 is way less important than 60-0 times.

Sure, but 60-0 is mostly about your tires, the road conditions, and to a point your skill as a driver. Is it actually interesting as a spec?

0-60 tells you a lot more about the car, and depending on loading, driving conditions, traffic, and local driver behavior, it can in fact be extremely helpful to have a bit of headroom there.

(Ever had someone try to block you from passing just because they're having a bad day or something?)

 

[chaos215bar2]

I don’t understand the remark about Subaru’s boxer engines being “unrefined”. Keep on top of maintenance and they’ll last 100 thousand miles easily.

Is 100k miles on an engine impressive?

I kind of assumed that any modern, well-built car should be able to hit at least 200k without much trouble.

 

[Fred Duck]

Very well. I shall ask the question everyone else seems to understand already...

What is the connection between Subaru and agriculture?

 

[Ken_g6]

I don't think I've ever seen the word "anodyne" used outside of Star Trek before.

 

[sevans]

Why for the love of god did the charge port on the 2026 Solterra and bZ4x move from the driver's side quarter panel to the passenger front quarter panel? That truly has to be the single most inconvenient place to put a charging port. No driver wants to walk all the way around the car every single charge.

Would make it more convenient for home charging for me.

 

[chaos215bar2]

Very well. I shall ask the question everyone else seems to understand already...

What is the connection between Subaru and agriculture?

I think most people just glossed over it, because there is no connection AFAIK.

Maybe Subarus are popular with farmers in Japan?

 

[PhilGil]

Very well. I shall ask the question everyone else seems to understand already...

What is the connection between Subaru and agriculture?

Someone else can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it was a common automotive press trope to compare Subarus to farm equipment because they were somewhat rough and unrefined (but also quirky and appealing).

 

[chaos215bar2]

I don't think I've ever seen the word "anodyne" used outside of Star Trek before.

When your car's anodyne relays start going, you know you're really got a problem.

 

[Caleth]

Test drove a Subaru Forester a couple months ago. The salesperson (excitedly) told me it had a Toyota drivetrain, and sure enough, it made me really sad to drive. Nothing wrong with it, just felt soulless somehow. It matched every Toyota I've rented. They're great cars, and if you're optimizing for reliability and efficiency, it can't be beat.

If the Solterra is anything like that, I can imagine it sucked the fun out of an EV drivetrain.

IME when I tried to drive one I don't even fit. I tested this and the BZ and I fit in neither of them they are just incredibly tiny interiors for people on the higher end of the height bell curve. I'm buying a car that I and my likely to be taller son can fit in that's also electric.

The 3 minute test drive I did left me rubbing my head and I didn't really notice the drive. It was technically fine but I found the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and surprisingly the ID4's getup and go to be more exciting.

I settled on the VW due to the dealership being less terrible than the Hyundai one, they didn't come in 7k over asking price on a new one, and almost new MSRP on a used one.


Sorry a bit tangential to your statement, but just wanted to note, it was Fine but more important for me was that it didn't fit me.

 

[AusPeter]

Sure, but 60-0 is mostly about your tires, the road conditions, and to a point your skill as a driver. Is it actually interesting as a spec?

0-60 tells you a lot more about the car, and depending on loading, driving conditions, traffic, and local driver behavior, it can in fact be extremely helpful to have a bit of headroom there.

(Ever had someone try to block you from passing just because they're having a bad day or something?)

Tires and road conditions also affect 0-60. But in the age of ABS brakes, driver skill is irrelevant for 60-0. You plant your foot on the brake, and the car implements the optimum braking solution.

And yes, I have had someone block me. But I was riding a 90cc motor bike, and that was over 40 years ago. Nowadays I know what power I have in reserve and don't even attempt stupid passing maneuvers without knowing that I'll succeed.

 

[clewis]

I don’t understand the remark about Subaru’s boxer engines being “unrefined”. Keep on top of maintenance and they’ll last 100 thousand miles easily.

Is it the head gasket thing from twenty-ish years ago?

Is it the famous Subaru growl? Unlike a certain motorcycle maker, they don’t sound like that because they’re unbalanced.

My 2013 CrossTrek's CVT transmission failed at ~80k miles / 120km. Luckily I found a guy that knew how to work on them, and he was able to fix it for $2k instead of swapping the transmission for $7k. The head gaskets blew at ~125k miles / 200km. The mechanic warned me that the CVT was likely to fail again at ~150k / 250km and cost $4k to repair, so we traded it.

The 2014 CrossTrek stick blew the head gasket at ~150k / 250km. Luckily my kid had some free time, so he replaced them with the WRX head gaskets. It still drinks oil, but it runs fine. It was not well maintained before we bought it. I have to top it up with half a quart/liter of oil every time I fill up the gas tank.

 

[UhtredsonofUhtred]

The rest of the world has plenty of cheap new EVs. That's a "politics has consequences" thing for the US.

But there are plenty coming off lease now and Ars has a whole bunch of "get a cheap EV" articles here in this very section.

Yeah. And what do either of those points have to do with the mass adoption of affordable EVs in the US? Jack and squat.

 

[lurknomore]

When your car's anodyne relays start going, you know you're really got a problem.

Nah, one turn of sonic screwdriver to reverse the flux capacitor, and you're good to go !

 

[chaos215bar2]

Nah, one turn of sonic screwdriver to reverse the flux capacitor, and you're good to go !

Don't cross the streams!

But anyway, so long as the hyperdrive motivator is in working order and all the chevrons are encoding, you should be good to go. Just don't hit the backwash from the jump gate on the way in.

 

[jonbob_newcastle]

What is the connection between Subaru and agriculture?

All Wheel Drive pretty much as standard for one thing. The Forester was very popular here among farmers who wanted something with plenty of room in the back.

(Ever had someone try to block you from passing just because they're having a bad day or something?)

Yes. This is why people sometimes concentrate on the 50-70 times. As someone who does a lot of motorway driving being able to quickly nip out from behind an HGV is more important than cutting a couple of seconds the from 0 to 60 time.

Is 100k miles on an engine impressive?

I kind of assumed that any modern, well-built car should be able to hit at least 200k without much trouble.

No, 100k is not particularly impressive, I was just being conservative. That said, I’d compare a Subaru to something like a BMW 3-series rather than the average family saloon and if you neglect one of those they’ll die just as soon as a Subaru, so I just don’t see what marks them as being notably “unrefined”.

 

[UhtredsonofUhtred]

and for $1 my EV can go the same distance.

Please show your math on that claim.

 

[frewster]

I have put a little over 2000 miles in my 2026 Solterra since I got it two months ago. It was a better deal than the BZ since I wanted AWD (useful in Colorado) and I am paying half per month what my CRV hybrid cost. Regarding the dash and the main screen, they do seem odd at first but you quickly get used to them. The car is comfortable, pretty roomy, and looks 10 times better than the previous years thanks to the glossy black wheel well trim that blends in unlike the raw textured plastic the original generation had. Haven't had any problems with it so far, and my only real complaints are 1) the AC controls aren't fully tactile. Temperature change is, but the rest is touch screen and 2) the bolstering in the seats could stand to be more aggressive. I find myself sliding side to side a bit in turns.

The larger EVs that Subaru is releasing this year are interesting, but I don't find the increased price and decreased range to be worth it and I'm happy with the Solterra.

 

[frewster]

I heard that the odd flattened steering wheel takes that shape so that it doesn't block the driver's view of the odd top-mounted instrument cluster. The driver is meant to look over the top of the wheel, rather than looking through the open portion of a round wheel to see where a traditional inset gauge cluster would be.

Toyota created a weird problem and then created a weird solution.

Amusingly the Toyota BZ still has a round steering wheel and, thus, worse instrument gauge visibility compared with the Subaru.

 

[wanderling]

This is true for my wife's Subaru outback also: the eyesight field of view is a little bit too large for what it considers as "in front of the vehicle". My guess is that they don't have good logic for determining whether a road is curving or not and so compensated by just making the field of view wider.

My Hyundai ioniq five does not have this problem, and has a lot less trouble when a car takes an exit ramp in front of it. On the flip side, the range for detecting the key fob and opening the trunk is massive, so that I can just walk past the side of the car and unless I hurry, it'll open the trunk. The Subaru doesn't have that problem.

I'm not a mechanic, but wonder how much of this is a calibration issue. Eyesight needs a fair amount of driving to calibrate, as I understand it. You might take it to an auto glass place and see if they can check the calibration on yours and if it can be better focused into the lane. My 2020 Forester gets confused with cars moving out of my lane while I'm in cruise control, but is otherwise quite good. It's the driver-monitoring stuff that glitches out on my side.