Subaru Solterra Touring 2026 Review

The 2026 Subaru Solterra Touring is $69,990, which represents a $7k price cut on the equivalent model that launched in 2024. The ‘Touring’ name denotes it as the premium model in the two-tier range that also includes the entry-level Solterra from $63,990.

What you might also consider are the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai IONIQ 5, Tesla Model Y, Toyota bZ4X and Zeekr 7X. All prices exclude on-road costs.

We’ve already outlined what is new about the 2026 Subaru Solterra Touring upgrade but it’s safe to say that it’s a little more than a nip-and-tuck operation.

The top-spec Touring serves up equipment such as heated, auto-dipping and auto-folding side mirrors, 20-inch alloy wheels (with no spare wheel, just a puncture repair kit), glass sunroof and rear privacy glass.

The cabin is trimmed in synthetic leather, while the front seats are power-adjustable, heated and cooled. The rear outboard seats also receive heating, as does the leather-wrapped steering wheel. Other highlights include the 64-colour ambient interior lighting, dual-zone climate control and keyless entry with push-button start.

A handy 220V/1500W Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) port is housed inside, while the towing capacity is now 1500kg (braked).

Altitude Black Mica and Cosmic White Pearl are the no-cost colours, while for $660 you can have Dark Blue Mica, Elemental Red Pearl, Smoked Carbon or Harbour Mist Grey Pearl.

The Touring is also available with optional two-tone exterior paint and natural leather-appointed seat trim in blue/black for $1500 extra. This is available as Cosmic White Pearl/Attitude Black Mica or Harbour Mist Grey Pearl/Attitude Black Mica.

The Solterra is covered by Subaru’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, with the high-voltage battery pack gaining eight-years/160,000km. Five years of free roadside assistance through your local state motoring club is included with the Solterra.

Maintenance is scheduled for every 12 months or 15,000km and a five-year/75,000km capped-price service plan is available for a total of $983.57. Or you can opt for three years of pre-paid servicing for $548.29.

The 2026 Subaru Solterra runs with a five-star ANCAP safety rating attained by the original version in 2022.

For adult occupant protection, ANCAP gave the Solterra 88 per cent and child occupant protection also scored 88 per cent. Meanwhile, vulnerable road user protection was accorded 79 per cent while safety assist features achieved 93 per cent.

The airbag total in the Solterra stands at seven, being twin front, front-side and full-length curtain airbags, plus a centre airbag to avoid head knocks between front occupants. There are three top-tether anchorages and two ISOFIX points.

Active safety falls under the Subaru Safety Sense umbrella. Highlights include autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with car-to-car, vulnerable road user and backover detection as well as junction assist. Lane departure warning, lane keeping with emergency steering assist, active cruise control, road sign recognition, speed limiter and driver fatigue warning are standard.

Subaru Vision Assist adds advanced park assist, adaptive high-beam, blind spot monitoring, front view monitor, 360-degree monitor, rear cross traffic alert, safe exit as well as front and rear parking sensors.

The 2026 Subaru Solterra has a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.0-inch digital infotainment touchscreen in the middle of the dash.

The latter screen houses embedded satnav and runs wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as the usual Bluetooth, voice control and AM/FM/DAB+ radio. Meanwhile, dual wireless smartphone chargers, a 12V/120W outlet and a couple USB-C ports are fitted up front and there are two USB-C ports in the back.

The Solterra Touring also gains a 10-speaker Harman Kardon sound system with subwoofer and amplifier.

The big news under the sheet metal for the 2026 Subaru Solterra is a much beefed-up all-wheel drive EV powertrain and energy supply system.

The 167kW/268Nm front and 88kW/169Nm rear permanent magnet synchronous motors amass a combined 252kW/437Nm, which is a considerable gain from the previous 160kW/337Nm outputs.

The 2026 Subaru Solterra Touring is powered by a 74.7kWh lithium-ion battery pack that delivers a maximum WLTP driving range of 517km and an energy consumption figure of 15.98kWh/100km

The Solterra’s maximum three-phase AC charging rate is 22kW (7kW using single-phase), while a maximum DC charging rate of 150kW will see the battery go from 10 to 80 per cent in around 30 minutes. For zero to 100 per cent charging, it takes a claimed four hours on 11kW AC three-phase and up to 12 hours on AC single-phase.

On test we recorded an energy-consumption average of 14.9kWh/100km, with a low figure of 13.9kWh/100km on motorways and 18.0kWh/100km around town. With the battery showing 96 per cent charge at the start of the test, the range displayed was 450km.

With exactly 12 hours of overnight charging on single phase AC 2.4kW wall plug power, the Solterra went from 60 per cent charge and 296km range to 78 per cent and 370km. That’s 74km or 6km per hour, which is on the slower side for the increase in range.

Most owners would install a single-phase 7kW wall box (or even better three-phase 22kW) anyway. If Subaru’s claim of 12 hours on 7kW from 0-100 per cent, which equates to 43km per hour of additional range (from 0 to 517km maximum claim), holds up, this would be a good compromise.

The 2026 Subaru Solterra is one of those vehicles that gets on with the business of transporting you around without idiosyncratic behaviour. There’s no unnecessary audible or visual alerts to make the car seem like a desktop computer in desperate need of an update. If only all modern cars that are blessed (or blighted, really) with the full suite of safety acronyms operated like this.

The Solterra has a comfortable, supple ride and plenty of power. The steering is not vague but isn’t exactly nuanced. And even though the Subaru’s weight is low in the chassis, this is a two-tonne SUV, so it doesn’t change direction with vigour. Ultimately, it isn’t a sporty SUV, but more a comfortable one.

While we set the regen braking to the maximum level four, it still isn’t as aggressive as some other EVs. If it could remember this setting rather than resetting to level one on restart, it would be even better.

One unusual thing about the Solterra is that it’s relatively easy to see out of when parking. Refreshingly, there are fewer blind spots than typical modern cars.

There is a total of 212mm of air under the 2026 Subaru Solterra and a wading depth of 500mm. So yes, in theory you can drive over rocks and sand along your favourite off-road track. The X-Modes also afford improved traction for specific surfaces.

However, there isn’t adequate gearing or underbody protection to consider this as anything more than a dirt-road dweller or snow-season hauler.

There is more cabin room than you might first think inside the 2026 Subaru Solterra. While it’s a sea of grey plastic and faux leather, it is well put together.

The driving position is great, with good sightlines, while the controls and instruments have a good mix of touchscreens and physical buttons (although even more buttons would be nice).

The instrument cluster is a take on Peugeot’s i-Cockpit, where you view the instruments over rather than through the steering wheel. The set-up seems to work fine, but it is dependent on the stature of the driver.

The odd omission is in front of the front passenger’s knees. There is no glovebox, which cuts down the amount of available secured storage space significantly. It also lacks a ‘frunk’ (front boot), a feature that is usually a hallmark of a well-designed EV.

There is enough storage elsewhere, but the owner’s manual in the test car was placed in the open centre console area, making it less useful. At least there’s a large bin in the central console and sizeable door pockets.

The 2026 Subaru Solterra now has the performance and range to compete with the growing list of electrified SUVs. Bolstering its appeal is a long list of standard kit and safety features.

It is a bit slow to recharge on single-phase AC. Although, we’d imagine that would probably be a last-resort power source for most owners. There are more dynamically talented options within the segment, plus the lack of a glovebox and frunk may annoy some.

However, as an electrified SUV allrounder, the greatest positive of the Subaru Solterra is that it doesn’t have any deal-breaking flaws. And to many family-oriented buyers in the current market, finding a vehicle that won’t frustrate or annoy you is paramount.

2026 Subaru Solterra Touring at a glance:
Price: From $69,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: Dual permanent magnet synchronous motors
Output: 252kW/337Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic with reduction gear
Battery: 71.4kWh lithium-ion
Range: 485km (NEDC)
Energy consumption: 14.1kWh/100km (NEDC)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)

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