Subaru Solterra to be AWD-only in Australia
Japanese car-maker says its trademark all-wheel drive strategy will continue with its first EV, potentially push its price upSubaru Australia says its first EV, the 2023 Subaru Solterra, won’t stray from the car-maker’s all-wheel drive legacy, which could spell a relatively high entry price for the pioneering mid-size electric SUV.
Other than the rear-wheel drive Subaru BRZ, ‘symmetrical all-wheel drive’ has long underpinned Subaru’s entire model range in Australia, where the new Solterra is already generating strong interest.
Speaking with press at a Sydney function recently, Subaru Australia managing director Blair Read said the forthcoming Solterra will continue the AWD blueprint, confirming it will only be available in all-wheel drive form and ruling out the more affordable front-drive version offered in some markets.
“For Solterra to be an electric, capable SUV, it needs to be all-wheel drive,” Read said.
“It will have great ground clearance, Subaru levels of ground clearance.”
The AWD-only approach for the Solterra locally could provide a point of difference with the closely related Toyota bZ4X, which was co-developed alongside the Subaru but won’t go on sale Down Under until the second half of 2023.
Subaru remains tight-lipped on the timing of the Solterra’s local release, saying only that it will be in 2023, and Read declined to comment on whether it would beat the Toyota bZ4X to market here.
“We’ll just run our own race and make sure we do our best,” he said.
All-AWD could also mean a higher starting price for the Subaru if Toyota offers its usual model ‘walk’ of front-drive and all-wheel drive grades.
Read said it was important for Subaru to release a vehicle suitable for Australian conditions, revealing the car-maker was looking into developing a specific ride and handling tune for Aussie roads.
“We’ve got two cars driving around Australia at the moment [undertaking] a lot of rural testing,” he said.
“We think it’s really important to get this testing done with a new style of product for Subaru, to understand the product.
“We’re putting it through its paces and doing what normal customers would do – taking it to all types of places. There’s some marketing behind it as well, getting some images of the cars out on roads, but it’s really about getting an understanding of the cars.
“We’re working with the factory and giving feedback not just for the product that will come next year but for future product as well, and how that style of technology works in Australia.”
Asked about the bespoke ride and handling tune for Australia, Read said: “It’s an option for the future of that car and other cars as well.
“Every market’s different. We’ve done it before with other models and this is new technology for Subaru and a new style of car. It’s part of our commitment to customer and making sure that what we deliver on with an AWD vehicle fits our loyal owners.”
The Solterra shares its platform and key running gear with the forthcoming Toyota bZ4X under an industrial alliance between the two Japanese car-makers.
Confirmation of AWD as standard for Australia means the Solterra will be available here exclusively in dual-motor all-wheel drive form, fitted with a 71.4kWh battery and outputting 160kW of power and 336Nm of torque – enough for it to hit 100km/h in a claimed 6.9 seconds.
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