2026 Subaru Solterra Overhauled From Top to Bottom—Now It’s Ready to Compete

The 2026 Subaru Solterra debuted astatine the New York International Auto Show with a melodramatic refresh that breathes caller beingness into the erstwhile underwhelming EV. Subaru has turned a forgettable crossover into a morganatic subordinate with conscionable 1 reveal.

The previous model’s specs—227 miles of range, 100-kW max charging, and 216 horsepower—lagged down the pack. Now, the revamped Solterra improves crossed the board, backed by sharper styling and upgraded tech wrong the cabin.

More Than a Makeover

The 2026 Subaru Solterra sports a noticeably refreshed face, particularly successful the Touring trim previewed earlier its nationalist debut. Gone is the Toyota bZ4X resemblance—replaced by a cleaner beforehand bumper, split-style headlights, and a smoother, much cohesive design.

The caller daytime moving lights diagnostic six idiosyncratic LEDs, giving the beforehand extremity a sharper, much distinctive look. The main headlights jut retired from the bumper similar gadgetry from a Bond car, portion an illuminated Subaru emblem adds a interaction of modern polish.

At the rear, the Solterra keeps astir of its archetypal design, including the sharp, Gundam-like winglets and angular taillights. A caller spoiler makes a tiny aerodynamic improvement, but the biggest ocular alteration is the power from Subaru’s bluish emblem to a fashionable, full-width wordmark connected the tailgate.

Inside, updates are subtle but meaningful. A caller 14.0-inch touchscreen—the largest Subaru has ever offered—anchors the dash, portion the halfway console present includes dual wireless chargers and inactive offers a spacious unfastened cubby below.

Range With Room to Roam

The updated exterior hints astatine what’s underneath—a meaningfully improved EV powertrain. While the artillery lone grows somewhat to 74.7 kWh (up from 72.8), the 2026 Solterra present boasts up to 285 miles of scope connected a azygous charge.

Subaru hasn’t elaborate however it squeezed 25 percent much scope from conscionable 2 percent much capacity, but it’s a invited mystery. The modular dual-motor AWD setup gets a humble bump to 233 horsepower, but the caller XT trim takes things further with a robust 338 horsepower.

That output would marque the Solterra XT Subaru’s astir almighty model—if not for the upcoming 375-horsepower Trailseeker stealing that title.

The Solterra sticks to its adventurous roots with modular dual-setting X-Mode all-wheel drive, letting drivers toggle betwixt Normal, Snow/Dirt, and Deep Snow/Mud modes. It’s a wide motion to Subaru’s outdoorsy DNA.

Hill descent power besides comes standard, giving the Solterra an borderline implicit astir electrical crossovers successful off-road cred. Only the Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT and its Toyota cousin, the bZ4X, connection akin downhill support.

The 2026 Solterra present comes modular with a NACS connector and a noticeable boost successful charging speed. DC accelerated charging jumps from 100 kW to 150 kW, made imaginable by a caller artillery pre-conditioning strategy that optimizes ratio connected the go.

Despite the faster charging capability, Subaru inactive quotes a 10–80 percent complaint clip of 35 minutes—same arsenic before. The difference? With its accrued range, you’ll beryllium stopping to complaint a batch little often.

A Serious Contender astatine Last

While the 2026 Solterra mightiness not pb the battalion successful immoderate azygous category—aside from Subaru’s famously loyal instrumentality base—it’s yet successful the race. With a 285-mile scope and 150-kW accelerated charging, it present holds its ain alongside rivals similar the updated Ford Mustang Mach-E and dual-motor Chevy Equinox EV.

Its cleaner, Toyota-free plan aligns it much with the Forester and Crosstrek, portion the larger Trailseeker EV gives shoppers different electrical enactment with much space. For a marque that erstwhile had small to connection successful the EV space—aside from the occasional lease bargain—Subaru present has thing genuinely worthy checking out.

Source: Subaru