The Toyota Solterra is another new electric SUV from Toyota. It’s built to be spacious and safe, making it a good choice for families who want to drive an electric vehicle.
The Toyota bZ4X is a new electric car that looks like an SUV. It's important because it shows that Toyota is making cars that run on electricity instead of gas, which is better for the environment.
An all-electric crossover is a car that uses only electricity to run, without any gasoline or diesel. It's a mix between a car and an SUV, offering more space and comfort.
The Honda Element is a type of SUV that has a unique square shape and lots of space inside. It was made until 2011 and is loved by many people for its practicality and cool design.
Car
2025 Soltara
The 2025 Soltara is a new electric SUV from Subaru. It has a starting price of $44,995 and comes with all-wheel drive, which helps with traction and stability on the road.
Symmetrical all-wheel drive means that power is sent to all four wheels of the car equally. This helps the car grip the road better, especially in bad weather like rain or snow.
Destination charges are extra fees that you pay when buying a car to cover the cost of getting it to the dealership. It's like a shipping fee for the car.
The Subaru Solterra is a new electric SUV from Subaru. It's important because it combines the features that Subaru is known for, like good handling in tough conditions, with the benefits of being an electric car.
Car
Subaru Uncharted
The Subaru Uncharted is a new electric crossover vehicle from Subaru that is smaller than the Solterra. It's part of their plan to offer more electric cars.
A battery electric crossover is a car that runs entirely on electricity and has the features of an SUV. These cars are becoming popular because they are better for the environment.
Car
Subaru Trailseeker
The Subaru Trailseeker is a larger electric crossover vehicle that Subaru is planning to release. It will be bigger than the Solterra and is designed for those needing more room.
The electric vehicle market is the part of the car industry that sells cars that run on electricity instead of gas. More people are buying these cars because they are better for the planet.
Permanent magnet motors are a type of electric motor that uses magnets to help it run. They are often used in electric cars because they are efficient and powerful.
A lithium-ion battery is a type of battery that can be recharged and is often used in electric cars because it stores a lot of energy in a small space.
Kilowatt-hours is a way to measure how much energy a battery can hold. The bigger the number, the longer the car can drive before it needs to be charged.
Four-wheel independent suspension means that each wheel can move separately. This helps the car handle better and feel smoother when driving on bumpy roads.
Noise vibration harshness is a term used to describe how much noise and shaking you feel inside a car while driving. Car makers try to make cars quieter and smoother for a better ride.
The EJ-25 is a type of engine made by Subaru. It's a flat-four engine, which means it has a unique design that helps make cars more stable.
Car
Subaru EV
The Subaru EV is an electric car made by Subaru. Electric vehicles run on electricity instead of gasoline, making them more environmentally friendly.
LIVE
Hello, back to another quick spin, the auto week podcast gets the essence of the automobile
today.
We are talking about the 2025 Subaru Soltara.
That's right, the battery electric Subaru, you can take a look at the Soltara on our
Instagram page right now.
That's at auto week USA and hey, while you're over there, why don't you head over to our
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directly to you.
We're going to spend a ton of time talking about the Subaru in just one second, but first
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And Tom, you're here today because you drove the Subaru.
Tom, how is your day going and how was the Soltara?
Did it bring the sun and the earth?
It's worth noting this is the outgoing version of the Soltara because there's going to be
a refreshed version coming along.
My good fortune is that I've also driven the newer Toyota version, which is no longer the
BZ4X.
It's the BZ.
I have some inkling as to what the next Soltara is going to be like.
Well, peeling the curtain back a little bit, I'll be driving the new Soltara in just a
little bit.
That said, Tom, you drove this Soltara later in the show.
You first take us on a quick little walk around, which we're going to go to right now.
This is the 2025 Subaru Soltara Touring Onyx.
The Soltara launched in late 2022 as a 2023 model.
And it's a mid-sized two-row all-electric crossover, which means you may have barely
noticed it on the highway and byways because there are so many other two-row mid-sized
crossovers that are all electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or straight internal combustion.
As I mentioned, this two-row all-electric crossover isn't bad to look at, but it's also not
going to stop you in your tracks with breakthrough styling either.
It has 8.3 inches of ground clearance, so it sits high enough to feel somewhat like an
SUV.
One stylistic element I don't like on this 2025 Soltara is the oversized black cladding
over each wheel.
And that cladding covers the rocker panels, too, to make the profile look a bit more athletic
and chiseled.
So let's have a seat here in the back.
Yeah, so inside the 2025 Soltara is a fairly spacious second row with decent headroom and
legroom, shoulder room.
Seems fairly competitive for the segment headroom.
Yeah, it's fine, even with a bump out for a sunroof.
And now we're going to go up into the front row.
So in the front row, this 2025 Soltara, of course, looks a lot like the 2025 Toyota BZ4X.
There's a 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen in this Touring Onyx trim, but in a lower
premium trim, you can get an 8-inch touchscreen.
The 2026 Soltara will have an even larger 14-inch touchscreen, and I believe that screen
will be standard across all trims for the new Soltara.
This 2025 Soltara has an interesting fabric on the instrument panel, almost like an industrial
grade carpet, and I'm not sure if this will carry over to the 2026 model, but it feels
quite durable.
Let's talk price.
When the Soltara was new in 2022, it came with a starting price of $44,995, with symmetrical
all-wheel drive, of course.
Starting price for the Soltara Touring in 2022 was $51,995.
And after that, Subaru offered a stepped-up Touring Onyx trim, which is this one.
And Subaru must have figured out a way to get the price down, because this 2025 Soltara
Touring Onyx stickers for $47,767, with destination charges of $1,420.
Now that $47,000, $48,000 is pretty close to the average price of a vehicle in the US
today, although we're looking at a Chevy Equinox EV, which comes in more like $30,000, $35,000.
If you can cash in the credit while you can, you can even get that price down below $30,000.
So Subaru is trying to keep the price down on the Soltara, and we'll see what pricing
looks like for the 2026 models.
Tom, believe you, you have your finger on the pulse of the sales chart.
Tom, how is this Soltara doing compared to, say, its busy 4x counterpart?
And more importantly, how is this Soltara doing across the board?
What's it competing with, and where is it winning?
Well, fair to Midland, I guess 6,500 units they've sold through the first half of 2025.
And that number is up over the previous, the first six months of 2024.
Interesting that while their sales have gone up, Toyota BZ4x sales have gone down.
That might turn the corner as they change the name for the refreshed BZ.
They're hoping that that's going to goose the sales a bit for that vehicle.
But in the marketplace, it's going up against, let's say Volkswagen ID4, which is 9,700 vehicles
sold in the first six months.
We're looking at also Nissan Aria, almost 12,000 units sold for that one.
We're looking at the Kia EV6, about 7,000 units there.
The Ioniq 5, which is more like 19,000 units.
So we have a Mustang Mach-E, 22,000 units for the Mach-E.
That's pretty good for a vehicle that's been in the market for a long time.
Tom, so we have the Solterra.
Where the heck is Subaru in the EV space?
What are the plans here?
Are they going to keep pushing the Solterra?
What's going on?
Well, Subaru has big plans here in the EV market.
Of course, we've already talked about the Solterra being refreshed,
but Subaru is also going smaller with a new Uncharted.
They're calling it the Subaru Uncharted 2-Row Smaller Battery Electric crossover.
They're also going larger with the Trailseeker from Subaru, larger than the current Solterra.
So by the middle of 2026, Subaru is going to have three battery electric crossovers,
which suggests that the folks in Japan know more about this market than we do.
We're all thinking, oh geez, this market doesn't look so hot.
But between Subaru and Toyota both, they're definitely planning to get more battery
electrics in the market. Maybe they're making up for lost time,
because they were slow out of the gate with the battery electrics.
But it's going to be very interesting over the next year to see how Subaru does with these
battery electrics in a market that is certainly going through a lot of changes right now.
A lot of changes indeed.
But Tom, what an electrifying answer.
That said, I think you have an electrifying drive as well.
I will never stop the puns with these EVs.
So let's take this out on a quick spin.
Solterra launched in 2022 with 215 horsepower and 249 pound-feet of torque,
which is the same today on this 2025 Solterra that we are test driving.
Power comes from two permanent magnet motors, one on each axle.
This current Solterra has a 72.8 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery that delivers 222 miles of
range on this touring Onyx model that we're testing.
If you spent less for a premium model, you'd get more range, 228 miles.
So we're going to put this in gear and we're going to go for a quick spin.
Let's wind it up, shall we?
Whoa.
I mean, there's no issue with being underpowered.
The Solterra has plenty of juice.
It's doing exactly what it should for someone buying a Subaru.
You're not expecting a rocket ship.
But yeah, you feel that torque.
You feel that thrust.
Also, with a slightly smaller battery, we're used to seeing EVs with batteries of about 100
kilowatt-hours.
Now with this one being 72 or 72.8, makes for better agility, lighter,
I think slightly better handling, four-wheel independent suspension.
Let's wind it up some more.
Got in a GTI who wants to catch me.
I drove the vehicle here about 500 miles.
I drove it north into northern Michigan during some pretty hot weather.
During some pretty hot weather, so I had to run the air conditioning.
But I also didn't run it like on high.
I just wanted to be comfortable enough to drive without sweating profusely.
So that kept me in the range of 3.4 miles per kilowatt-hour.
And I remember a couple years ago, the bogey was between what was to be between 3 and 4
miles per kilowatt-hour.
If you could do that, then your EV was fairly competitive.
I think that bogey has been crept up maybe closer to four or even five miles per kilowatt-hour.
So this is where the 25-solt air is.
And of course, when the 2026 model comes along, we'll see how that does.
And we should be driving that sometime later this year.
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No, Tom, I must say, and I say this with almost every EV because the NVH people,
the noise vibration harshness people at these automakers have gotten so good,
pretty quiet in there.
It sounds like it was a nice, quiet experience.
Seems like it really does make it a priority to filter out as much road noise, wind noise,
because things that you didn't notice before because of the sound of an internal combustion
engine running, no, suddenly everything is, you know, it's kind of like very church-like
inside a vehicle.
So yes, very quiet inside, I had zero complaints about that.
Now, the Solterra 215 horsepower, not exactly exciting on paper, but we've talked about this
kind of ad nauseam, but it's worth repeating still.
The EV driving experience does not necessarily translate to the spec sheet like a traditional
icewood, right?
That 250 horsepower, it sounded like you were getting some pretty good acceleration.
And actually, that's torque, you know, it's more the torque that I'm experiencing in these
motors, these electric motors, you know, you're getting 100% as soon as you step off from zero.
It's all right there.
So in a Subaru Solterra, I think a lot of drivers might not really expect that much punch,
especially with this lower level horsepower and torque.
But, you know, I'd say for most Subaru drivers, they're going to be perfectly happy with it.
And another question that I have, though, as we approach the end of our podcast here is,
how are people going to be deciding?
Like right now, if they're thinking about getting the Solterra, maybe they're wondering,
hmm, do I wait for the 2026 model, which has some fresh content, longer range,
I don't know where the price is going to land, or horsepower, more torque.
But, you know, if you really want to bargain right now, you go into a Subaru dealer and
you're bound to find somebody motivated to sell you a 2025 Subaru Solterra, you might get a good
deal.
The range will be lower, which makes it a little more palatable for you to be arguing for a lower
price on that vehicle.
So that's my advice.
And you can purchase your Solterra, Tom's, Subaru's, Mitsubishi's and Fiat's.
No, that is an interesting point to bring up whenever there's a significantly refreshed or
new version of a vehicle, new generation of a vehicle, that's definitely a strategy.
And I'm sure that some dealers would probably be more apt to play than others, but I don't know.
Buying cars is scary and expensive.
That said, Tom, on a quick spin to try to get to the essence of the automobile and the 2025
Subaru Solterra is no exception.
So Tom, I ask, I beg, I plead, what is the resultant betra of our fair Subaru?
What's its reason of being?
Why the heck isn't there an EJ-25 under the hood of this thing?
Tom, tell me about the Solterra.
Well, this is the pet lover's EV, you know?
Subaru lovers, they love their pets, their dogs.
And there's plenty of room in the back for a cage for your dog, for your cocker spaniel, for
your shitsu, for your collie, whatever you have.
And so it just seems like putting a dog in the back of this vehicle is the perfect thing.
I don't know why that just popped into my mind, but I know how Subaru values their pet owners as
a brand. Their customers are very loyal and they do love their dogs.
So, and I'm not saying anything bad about cats here.
I'm just saying that the dog lovers at Subaru would be quite happy with the Solterra.
Questions, whether they should wait for the 2026 model?
That's that, Tom. I think we have to put a pin in this one. Could not agree more.
Tom, thank you so much for driving this thing. I know it was a challenge out there cruising
500 miles in a Subaru EV, but hey, somebody has to do it.
Listener, if you could do me a favor and head over to the Apple Podcast or Spotify,
where you'll be listening to this bad boy and drop us a five-star review and comment.
Even on the AutoWeek website below, I would really appreciate it.
And while you're doing so, while you're cruising the internet, superhighway,
why don't you head over to the Facebook page, click that like button.
That'd be all the great AutoWeek content sent directly to you.
Now, I know I said it's at the end of every episode, but I do mean it.
Without your listenership, none of this would be possible. So, thank you for listening.
About this episode
The 2025 Subaru Solterra is reviewed as a mid-sized all-electric crossover, highlighting its design, features, and performance. The episode discusses its competitive pricing, spacious interior, and the driving experience, noting its 215 horsepower and 222-mile range. Comparisons are made with competitors like the Toyota BZ4X and Volkswagen ID4, while also touching on Subaru's future EV plans. The hosts debate whether potential buyers should wait for the refreshed 2026 model or take advantage of current deals on the 2025 version, emphasizing Subaru's appeal to pet owners.
Subaru’s Solterra joined the Subie lineup in 2022 for the 2023 model year after making its debut at the 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show. Sharing the bones with the Toyota bZ4X, the Solterra offered Subaru shoppers a battery-electric option. While the Solterra is gearing up for a major overhaul for 2026, the 2025 Solterra still packs effectively the same powertrain as its launch edition. That means there’s a 72.8-kWh battery pack underneath, which feeds a pair of electric motors. Together, those electric motors send 215 hp and 249 lb-ft of torque to the wheels. For 2025, the folks at Subaru slashed the Solterra’s price and brought the starting price to $39,915.
On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek executive editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Subaru Solterra and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a guided tour of the ’25 Solterra and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Murphy takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the 2025 Solterra, its spot in the market, and Subaru’s future in the battery-electric space. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 Subaru Solterra special.
