Cory Gunther
While Subaru’s new all-electric SUV, the Solterra, will make its official U.S. debut next week at the LA Auto Show, the company fully unveiled its version for the Japanese market this week. The news gives us our first detailed look at the front, range ratings, and much more.
Aside from the initial announcement in May and a few teaser images lately, we haven’t seen much of the vehicle. Now, potential buyers can get a better glimpse of the interior, controls, front fascia, and more from the images and launch video below.
The Solterra is Subaru’s first all-electric SUV, features AWD, and looks quite promising. The name stems from the Latin words for “Sun” and “Earth,” representing Subaru’s goal to deliver an environmentally-friendly SUV for the masses — and now they have.
Here’s what Subaru had to say during the launch overseas:
“In developing SOLTERRA, the brand’s first BEV to be launched globally, Subaru aimed to exceed the various customer expectations for BEVs and make it a practical vehicle so that customers can choose it comfortably and confidently, as the vehicle will be the cornerstone of Subaru’s future BEVs. At the same time, as a Subaru SUV, Subaru aimed to make it a vehicle that existing Subaru customers can feel that it truly is a Subaru.”
For those unaware, the Solterra has an extremely similar overall look and design as Toyota’s BZ4X electric SUV, as they’re built on the same platform thanks to the partnership between both manufacturers. Including the same powertrain, similar driving range, interior, and electric motors.
According to the spec sheet revealed today by Subaru, the Solterra sports a 71.4 kWh battery capable of delivering nearly 329-miles per charge. However, the AWD variant cuts those numbers down to 286-miles.
We’re expecting a similar 275-285 mile EPA rating here in the United States. The Solterra’s DC fast-charging capacity is capped at 150 kW, and we’re assuming it’ll be able to charge to 80% in roughly 30 minutes, which is the spec for Toyota’s similar BZ4X.
As expected, the baseline front-wheel-drive version is equipped with a single 150 kW motor (201 horsepower) while the high-end AWD (all-wheel-drive) model gets a little more juice, with 80 kW motors on each axle.
Remember that these numbers are for the Japanese version, but again, we’re expecting highly similar overall info when Subaru makes its US announcements next week.
The 2023 Subaru Solterra SUV EV will be available in mid-2022 for Japan, Europe, and the American market. Unfortunately, we still don’t have pricing information but look for those details early next year.
Source: YouTube
