2023 Subaru Solterra EV Has Lots of Room but Its Battery Is Too Small
It has many of the same positives and negatives as the almost identical Toyota bZ4X
Update: Since this first drive was originally published, we finished testing the Subaru Solterra. Read the complete Subaru Solterra road test.
The 2023 Subaru Solterra the brand’s first widely offered all-electric car; it’s also related to the Toyota bZ4X. But other than the Subaru badging and the ever-so-slightly different nose and tail treatments, there’s little to visually distinguish the Solterra from the bZ4X. It’s only when you dig into the details that you can tease out the differences. And frankly, those aren’t particularly meaningful.
This shared-platform approach isn’t all-new ground for the automakers, who have been selling the almost identical Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86 sporty cars, which are currently in their second generation, for almost 10 years. But that’s a niche market, and there is further differentiation between those clones.
Electric vehicle sales are increasing every year, and it seems as if a new EV is being introduced every month. So into this competitive market comes the Solterra, which, like the bZ4X, is a competent if unexciting entry that has some things going for it but a number of shortcomings.
