The first Subaru Solterra electric vehicle has arrived in Europe as the brand's fourth SUV in the region and first EV.
To mark the occasion, the electric SUV in European specification is featured in a 25-minute walkaround video presented by David Dello Stritto, Subaru Europe general manager for sales and marketing.
Before our European readers get all excited, they should know that customer-bound Subaru Solterras will not arrive at European dealerships before the middle of 2022.
Born from the partnership between Toyota and Subaru, the Solterra is pretty much a rebadged bZ4X that will help the smaller Japanese automaker lower its fleet-wide average CO2 emissions in Europe.
As you can expect from a video that lasts 25 minutes, it presents the Subaru Solterra in great detail, placing emphasis on the model’s three main attributes, labeled Safe, Fun and Tough. We’re more interested in the European model’s specifications than PR talk or its already familiar design, so let’s delve right into that.
Slightly larger than the Forester, the Solterra features a 71.4 kWh lithium-ion battery powering two 80 kW electric motors—one at the front, one at the rear.
With a total output of 160 kW (215 hp/218 PS) and 335 Nm (247 lb-ft) of peak torque, the electric SUV is capable of going from zero to 60 mph) in 7.4 seconds (0-100 km/h in 7.6 seconds). The Subaru representative says Europe will only get the AWD version, unlike Japan where an FWD model will also be available.
As for the driving range for the Euro-spec Solterra, Dello Stritto says it “shouldn’t be too far from the 400-kilometer mark,” the equivalent of about 248 miles (pending homologation).
For reference, the Japanese-spec Solterra AWD is estimated to cover approximately 460 kilometers (286 miles) according to the WLTC Japan standard. More importantly, the exec says the battery will retain 90% of capacity for 10 years. Unfortunately, it's too early for pricing information.
Head over to the video above to learn more about the European-spec Solterra.
Learn more about the Subaru Solterra EV