I just came back from spending an entire week with the 2026 Subaru Solterra and honestly, it is *so much better* than I expected — which will surprise anyone who remembers the original model struggling for identity in a crowded field! Jonathan Gitlin at Ars took us through all of it on June 4th, and what struck me most is that this isn't just your typical "facelift with new headlights" update. Subaru's badge-engineered SUV has stuck around alongside Toyota — same e-TNGA platform underneath as the closely related bZ but clearly trying to carve its own lane between their newest EVs: it sits larger than Uncharted and more road-ready than off-roady Trailseeker, which makes sense given how they've split those siblings up. Now that Subaru's electrification story has really taken off with both of them joining the lineup last year alongside Solterra itself (after a slow start to their electric journey), you can tell they're finally getting good at this EV thing.
The tech specs jumped forward significantly without feeling like a full generation redesign — battery capacity went from 73 kWh up to 74.7 kWh, which sounds minor but delivers an incredible range leap from the original model's EPA estimate of around 216 miles all the way up to **288 miles (463 km) at just less than $39k for base**, with standard power output now hitting a healthy **233 hp across both front and rear motors**. And Subaru added an interesting new variant called Solterra XT that bumps things further, almost doubling the torque by pairing a 223-hp front motor with that familiar 170-ish kW rear unit for a combined total of roughly 425 peak horsepower — still good range retention at **278 miles** and only adding about $4k to reach an estimated price tag in the mid-$40,000 neighborhood. The styling now almost evokes that cool Autobot-meets-Japanese-car look when you see it from certain angles (the illuminated logo was a really nice touch), but what I find most interesting is how Subaru kept things mostly identical along the sides while making meaningful changes elsewhere on both front and back ends — classic badge-engineering done right.
There were plenty of smaller refinements underneath that make this feel like an actual product development story: suspension geometry got revised, chassis control software was thoroughly updated by engineers who clearly cared about handling better across different road surfaces (subtle stuff but you notice it on imperfect asphalt), plus they added more sound-absorbing material throughout the cabin. Body stiffness improved too which means less noise and vibration during regular driving — a detail that matters enormously for electric vehicles where every little rattle becomes noticeable without engine noise masking them, as Gitlin noted after putting real miles behind us rather than testing on forest roads or mountain trails (though I'm glad he did so we know it rides well enough even if the road is just asphalt). At **$38k** to start for base and with that XT variant pushing around mid-$40s territory, this feels like solid value considering everything else available from Hyundai's Ioniq 5 up through more premium offerings in the same range. What really sold me though was how it simply *feels* like a proper car now rather than an EV placeholder — which is something nobody says enough about electric SUVs these days since so many share their platforms with Toyota but still end up feeling too generic or agricultural (in Gitlin's perfect phrasing) for what they're trying to be. I'm genuinely curious how the new XT model compares on longer road trips once those reviews start rolling in from people doing actual driving instead of one week around town, so keep an eye out if you want more deep dives later this summer!
Source: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/06/2026-subaru-solterra-review-the-badge-engineered-bz-aint-bad/
The tech specs jumped forward significantly without feeling like a full generation redesign — battery capacity went from 73 kWh up to 74.7 kWh, which sounds minor but delivers an incredible range leap from the original model's EPA estimate of around 216 miles all the way up to **288 miles (463 km) at just less than $39k for base**, with standard power output now hitting a healthy **233 hp across both front and rear motors**. And Subaru added an interesting new variant called Solterra XT that bumps things further, almost doubling the torque by pairing a 223-hp front motor with that familiar 170-ish kW rear unit for a combined total of roughly 425 peak horsepower — still good range retention at **278 miles** and only adding about $4k to reach an estimated price tag in the mid-$40,000 neighborhood. The styling now almost evokes that cool Autobot-meets-Japanese-car look when you see it from certain angles (the illuminated logo was a really nice touch), but what I find most interesting is how Subaru kept things mostly identical along the sides while making meaningful changes elsewhere on both front and back ends — classic badge-engineering done right.
There were plenty of smaller refinements underneath that make this feel like an actual product development story: suspension geometry got revised, chassis control software was thoroughly updated by engineers who clearly cared about handling better across different road surfaces (subtle stuff but you notice it on imperfect asphalt), plus they added more sound-absorbing material throughout the cabin. Body stiffness improved too which means less noise and vibration during regular driving — a detail that matters enormously for electric vehicles where every little rattle becomes noticeable without engine noise masking them, as Gitlin noted after putting real miles behind us rather than testing on forest roads or mountain trails (though I'm glad he did so we know it rides well enough even if the road is just asphalt). At **$38k** to start for base and with that XT variant pushing around mid-$40s territory, this feels like solid value considering everything else available from Hyundai's Ioniq 5 up through more premium offerings in the same range. What really sold me though was how it simply *feels* like a proper car now rather than an EV placeholder — which is something nobody says enough about electric SUVs these days since so many share their platforms with Toyota but still end up feeling too generic or agricultural (in Gitlin's perfect phrasing) for what they're trying to be. I'm genuinely curious how the new XT model compares on longer road trips once those reviews start rolling in from people doing actual driving instead of one week around town, so keep an eye out if you want more deep dives later this summer!
Source: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/06/2026-subaru-solterra-review-the-badge-engineered-bz-aint-bad/