Pricing was just announced for the bZ4X, and I expect the Solterra will be the same. This pricing is exactly identical to the Ioniq 5 top trip (with the extra package). The latter is clearly a better value with the faster charging. But it does not have off-road capabilities. My hope is this will steer some prospective Solterra buyers to the Korean models, so there will be more supply left for the rest of us, that need the off-road capability.
Yeah, my local dealer has 4 in as well, and just waiting to get PDI'ed and ready for test drives. These were built back in May and now finally released to the dealer. More on the way next year.
Finally got ours last week, and love it so far. Quite a bit larger than our Crosstrek and the previous Kona EV I had for 3 years. It is the top trim with the Technology package, with all the bells and whistles you can think of. Lots to learn though, and making good use of the manuals as I am adjusting/configuring parameters and options to my liking. The colour is called Smoked Carbon (ie grey). It is off-road capable with the high clearance, AWD and the regular multiple off-road X-Modes used in other Subaru SUVs.
It is quite large, bigger than my Crosstrek and much bigger than the Kona, esp back seats. Very roomy and comfortable inside. Just a bit longer than a Forester, but cargo volume is more in the Forester due to the more square rear back.
Nope, just enough room in the compartment below the cargo to store tools, jumpers, tire kit and compressor, and my two EVSEs with various adapters. No front frunk either. But the 12V battery is easily accessible up front (unlike the Teslas) and the manual says you can charge it and/or give it a boost with jumper cables attached to another vehicle. They even say you can charge it a for a while with other vehicle running to give it a bit of a charge before starting. I thought that was a big no no with the Kona. Anyway, I will always be carrying a tire plug kit as well, and will get a second set of wheels/tires for off-road. Probably Falken WildPeaks which seem to be popular with the Subaru crowd these days. I have K02s which I run on the Crosstrek during the summer for the cabin. But they are a little overkill, very hard, and make a lot of road noise.
My initial thoughts after 3 weeks of ownership. I have the top trim in Canada, ie Technology package. 1200 kms on the odometer as of today. What I like: Nice solid ride, does not sway much on corners, and soft over the bumps. Quiet, too. Comfortable interior, seats, and lots of room. Memory settings for seats and mirrors work very well. Extensive climate control settings to optimize comfort and economy (ECO, etc) with multiple Auto settings incl heated steering wheel and seats. Rear view mirror both optical and digital work very well. Have driven in rain several times, and was surprised how good the rear optical view visibility was despite no wipers. Seems the airflow funnelling back there does work to help keep it clear. So far have not had to switch to the digital mirror to see better. Sound system is good. Helps to have a quiet car. Driver Assist features are top notch. Esp like how well with cruise control it tracks the centre of the lane hands off (have to touch wheel occasionally) incl around corners where it also slows if necessary. Makes for a very relaxing drive on the freeway. Good looking exterior, lots of compliments from people. Wireless phone charging works well. And wireless Android Auto with Google Maps and Waze integrates nicely with the HU. I just place the phone in the wireless charger and Google Maps or Waze or whatever other AA app was running the last time the car was on comes up automatically. Nothing to plug in or any buttons to push. Not so much: The S-Pedal regen is not very strong. And it has to be restarted every time you drive the car. Ideally, there should be several settings (less to more regen) for each drive mode, which would engage as you soon as you start the car. Need to add a few things to the dash display, like SOC% and/or markings on the battery gauge. SOC% should be on app, too. When charging, should show the kW rate of the charge going in on the dash and on the app. Only shows time left right now. Lights inside car should be brighter. Did not get a trial subscription for the onboard cloud nav. Don’t even get a basic GPS map. But not a big issue with me as I prefer Google Maps and Waze better anyway. All in all, very happy with the car. Definitely a big step up from my previous Kona, and my son's Tesla in terms of comfort, room, driving, features and capability. It's off-road capable with its high clearance (8.8" with AT tires) and multiple X-Modes (like all Subaru SUVs), so looking forward to taking it to our cabin which is off a very rough FSR. First I need to get another set of wheels with the AT tires (WildPeaks) so I don't wreck my OEMs on the sharp shale rock/gravel on that road. I will also be charging it at the cabin from our off-grid solar system. Haven't been on a trip yet, so don't have a good handle on the real range. But if I can believe the GOM, it shows a lot higher than spec. And need to try some L3 fast charging to see how that goes. Not many free ones anymore, and I hate to pay their rates, when I can charge at home for far less.
Nice initial review...with so few of them out there, it is good to have some insight into this EV. It certainly sounds like this should be a great vehicle for your "rough road" application. Look forward to the future charging curve and longer distance efficiency results, especially with the new tires.
I don't expect a lot of activity on this forum. Everyone is on the VS Solterra forum. But I will give updates once in a while. There will not be a lot of these produced and available, nothing like Hyundai, Tesla or the other EV makers. Most of the buyers are current Subaru owners and others that are looking for off-road capabilities. That's why I bought it. And doesn't look like I will be getting my Ioniq 5 anytime soon. But I don't care now, as I have an EV to drive again and can wait. And my Crosstrek is still good for a long time to come. Probably will pass that off to one of my grandsons down the road.
The good feeling to finally be charging instead of filling was not on your "What I like" list, but I suspect it was probably going to be your next entry
You know, what I missed most was the 1 pedal driving and nimbleness of an EV. Not to mention the instant power that gives you that full command of the road feeling. While the Solterra is much bigger than the Kona, it feels the same when driving (except could use a slightly stronger regen). The parking aids really help (with all the cameras and sensors), easier to always end up exactly between the parking lines without having to open the door to check before shutting down or exactly how close you want to be to the curb when parallel parking. Has auto remote parking, too. Just tell it (register a spot on the screen or you phone) and let it do its stuff. Haven't tried that yet, but could be useful in tight spots or garage/carport. When I get in the Crosstrek, just can't get used to that coast and coast and coast, and having to use the brakes all the time. Thankfully, it is now spending most of its time parked in the garage, just like before when we had the Kona. BUT there are times when we still need 2 cars and it serves its purpose. And yes, so nice to just plug in at home instead of lining up for gas at Costco.
