Subaru Trailseeker (US) review

It’s the Subaru Trailseeker, an EV built to do Subaru stuff, which means everything from off-road adventuring to taking your labradoodle to its afterschool kayaking lessons.

Hey, wait a sec, that’s just the Solterra with extra bits!

Not true… It’s the Toyota bZ with extra bits.

Wait, really?

We’re pulling your leg, but you’re not far off the mark. The Trailseeker is built on the same platform as the Solterra, itself part of the Subaru-Toyota joint venture that brought us the bZ (or bZ4X if you’re reading this outside of North America or, um, Ireland) and Solterra EV crossovers. This is more of an evolution of that, and yes, Toyota is getting its own version, the bZ Woodland.

As such, there is most definitely a number of shared design cues and hardware elements present, but there are several differences, too, starting with the powertrain. The Trailseeker is powered by two electric motors giving it all-wheel drive and an output of 375hp, nearly 40hp more than the Solterra.

So who actually makes this thing?

While design and engineering duties for the cars produced in this collab are fairly split down the middle, Subaru is the one who ultimately builds the Trailseeker. Makes sense, given that it’s basically an all-electric Outback.

It does have a wagon look to it, doesn’t it?

For sure. You’ll also notice it doesn’t have the sloped fastback roofline of the Solterra, giving it both that wagon-like style as well as more storage space. A full 31.3 cu ft (883 liters), to be specific.

How does it drive?

On the road, the Trailseeker is composed and planted, pretty much what you’d expect from a family hauler, particularly one with a big EV battery keeping it hunkered down. While it makes good use of the power at hand, as well as its independent suspension, this isn’t a sleeper sports car by any stretch. With a 0-60mph of 4.4 seconds, it’s a touch quicker than the Solterra, too.

Powering the Trailseeker is a 74.4kWh battery, fitted with a NACS port and Subaru states it’ll charge from 10 to 80 per cent in around 28 minutes, so long as you’re on a DC fast charger.

All in all, there isn’t much more to the Trailseeker’s on-road character. Depending on trim, it’s capable of providing between 274 to 281 miles of range, the difference being the 18-inch wheels on the Premium version versus the 20s on the Limited and Touring models.

How about in the dirt?

Yes, that is the big question, isn’t it? The Trailseeker is certainly set up for success in this area, starting strong with 8.5 inches of ground clearance. That, the independent suspension and the all-wheel drive sum up to a decent off-roader for most adventures. It won’t out-wheel a Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco, but it does well enough over terrain that would give the average weekend warrior pause.

Subaru’s X-Mode off-road drive mode is brainy enough to know how to distribute power, be it dirt, snow or mud, with built-in hill descent control as well as a version of cruise control for low-speed crawling over rough terrain. The Trailseeker will get you to any lodge, camp site or trailhead you might want to tackle, so long as you don’t get too ambitious.

How’s the cabin?

The interior of the Trailseeker is uniform with all the other vehicles it shares a platform with, meaning it's comfortable and functional, if a little reserved. We’re fairly certain Subaru’s given the Outback’s cupholders more scrutiny than Toyota has with this car’s entire interior. Still, it’s a step from the initial bZ and Solterra offerings. The seven-inch digital gauge cluster sits about as far forward as possible, it’s basically a HUD, and this is twinned with the 14-inch touchscreen tablet that dominates the dash.

Home to the usual infotainment culprits, the touchscreen is also used as the Subaru’s Multi-terrain monitor, meaning in X-mode, it will feature a forward camera as well as display side views for superior off-road awareness. A great feature with a huge flaw – it shuts off at 7mph. While it's common for similar systems to disengage at certain speeds, like in the new Toyota 4Runner, for example, 7mph is low enough to make it, at best, a distraction.

Apart from that there’s the standard Subaru EyeSight safety suite of preventative safety software and a driver monitor system to remind drivers to keep their eyes on the road while they marvel at whatever majestic vista they might be trundling towards on their Subie-powered adventure.

The rest of the cabin is all business, with a serviceable second row and that big 31.3 cu ft of cargo space we mentioned, which can be expanded to 74 cu ft (2,095 liters) with the second row folded down. This, the functional roof racks and a tow rating of 3,500lbs means this EV can be quite the cargo hauler, so long as the battery holds out. 

The Subaru Trailseeker ticks many of the boxes to make it a competent EV for off-the-grid adventures. It’s got a decent amount of ground clearance to traverse enough uneven terrain to get you to your next basecamp, and both its hardware and software work in tandem to make sure of that.

The Subaru’s on-road manners and ample cargo space mean that it can easily split the difference between weekend trips and the usual daily duties of a runabout.

It should be said that there are plenty of vehicles out there that offer up the same utility and conveniences as the Trailseeker, but not many of them are EVs, and the price isn’t too bad… by today’s standards, anyway. If you’ve been waiting around for a rugged wagon like the (old) Outback that’s also fully electric, your moment has arrived.