Subaru has revealed its first fully electric car, the Solterra SUV. Expected to arrive in Ireland next year, the medium-sized family car will offer a choice of electric motor layouts and a sizeable battery pack to provide a maximum range of approximately 530km.
Toyota ties
Measuring in at 4,690mm in length and 1,860mm wide, the Solterra is roughly the same size as the Ford Mustang Mach-E. It will also compete with the forthcoming Toyota bZ4X electric SUV, which is also pretty much the same size.
But then it would be, because the Solterra was born out of a collaboration between Subaru and Toyota, which sees the two cars developed in unison. As a result, the Solterra shares much with that company's new bZ4X SUV, including mechanical components, a large number of body panels and most of the interior fittings.
That said, the Solterra is marked out by its front bumper design with hexagonal grille and slightly modified lights, although the off-road-inspired body cladding is the same. Inside, the two cars are more or less identical with a high centre console and a large central infotainment system, as well as a digital instrument display and a steering wheel festooned with buttons.
Zero-emission all-wheel drive
Both the Solterra and the bZ4X come with a 71.4kWh battery pack that lives under the floor, keeping the centre of gravity low to improve handling and maximising interior space at the same time. On the Japanese standard economy test, that permits an estimated maximum cruising range of around 530km on a single charge, although that may not be the case by the time the Solterra is launched in Europe.
That range will only be achievable in the front-wheel-drive version, which has a 204hp electric motor and rides on 18-inch alloy wheels. If you choose the 218hp, twin-motor all-wheel-drive model, that will fall to 460km.
Nevertheless, the four-wheel-drive version is expected to appeal to drivers living outside towns and cities, thanks to its 210mm minimum ground clearance and clever X-Mode traction control systems.
Arriving this summer
Subaru says the new Solterra should go on sale in Europe around the middle of next year, but there's no word on when the car will come to Ireland. Nor is there any confirmation of Irish pricing, but we'll be sure to let you know when we have more.