2024 Subaru Solterra

Time for our first report on Subaru’s first EV, the 2024 Subaru Solterra.

This Hot Red Chili Pepper experienced some cold, cold weather during its first two months with us, but it can’t stop this Subi, as we were getting around just as well as any other all-wheel-drive Subaru we’ve driven.

The Solterra’s 222-mile rating may be a little low as far as EVs go these days, but it hasn’t impacted our plans, having driven 2,500 miles already. It just takes a little planning to make sure you’re fully charged when you need to be, something easily done overnight even on a standard 110 outlet.

Despite sharing a platform with the Toyota bZ4X, this Solterra feels definitively like a Subaru. That’s mostly the extra ground clearance and the all-wheel-drive system, which was great in the snow. Granted, the cold temps contract our displayed driving range estimate, but the miles we do get are very pleasant.

While warmer weather is starting to arrive here in the Mid-Atlantic, our 2024 Subaru Solterra’s dual motor all-wheel-drive got us through 3,000-miles of winter weather without incident.

Modest power numbers are typical for Subaru, and the Solterra’s 215-horsepower rating appears totally on brand. But if you’re coming out of a Crosstrek, hold onto your granola bar when you nail the throttle here. No waiting around for a CVT to figure out what it’s doing, this thing just takes off, allowing you to merge easily, or just have a little fun.

This Solterra is a perfect example of a car being more than what it is on paper and it’s actually pretty decent on paper too, because its 249 lb-ft of torque is just shy of the WRX we just track tested and the torque is delivered almost instantly, so it feels faster than that torque number suggests.

The Solterra debuted for 2023, but with the arrival of the ’24 model year, Subaru made a few updates, chief of which is improved battery conditioning which allows for faster charging, especially in cold weather.

But that’s not all, the steering wheel has been updated with new paddle switches for adjusting regen braking, roof rails are now standard, and EyeSight driver assistance gets upgraded with new features.