2023 Subaru Solterra Limited Review – An EV That Is Bringing "Weird" Back To Subaru!

My name is Zach, and today I am driving a 2023 Subaru. Soltera limited up front is a fully electric drivetrain paired to a one speed automatic transmission. Now I am super excited to be driving this soltera, because this is Subarus first EV product Im, so thankful that I have the job that I have. While all these automakers are putting out their first EVS, I get to say I was there when Subaru did their first ever electric vehicle and that to me is super exciting and thats what Ill be sharing with you today, but before we get on to anything else, I have a website zacredle.com, where you can buy stickers and other merchandise when it becomes available. You can also submit your own vehicle to be reviewed by me through a quick and easy submission form, and you get a video of your car just like this one, and you could read my behind the scenes blog to see what Im filming before it comes out On the channel, but lets get back to that all electric drivetrain, the soltera has two electric motors and Im going to be referencing it lot, but this is also a shared vehicle with Toyota. Toyota also sells this vehicle under a different name, and so there are a couple features that dont cross over that Ill mention, but this shares a complete drivetrain with Toyota, which I find really interesting. This particular vehicle gets 228 miles on one charge.

However, this actually gets six more miles of range than the top trim, so this is a limited. However, you can go up to the touring and the touring because it gets different Wheels. Couple different features its actually a little bit heavier and gets six miles less of rain. So if you want the longest range possible, you got to go with the lower trims like this vehicle. Now, like I said pair, do it one speed automatic thats, fine, its doing the job? However, I do want to note that this vehicle is all wheel drive its only offered in all wheel drive from Subaru, because every Subaru besides the BRZ, is all wheel drive in all of their formats, which I think is a really really cool Cornerstone of the company. So how does it feel to drive? Well, it drives like an EV. I like the size eyes of it. Theres not too many blind spots, think Mazda CX, 5, Toyota RAV4 or honestly behind me. I dont know if you could see, through the rear view, mirror theres a Volkswagen id4 very similar size, and I have a review of that as well. If youre looking to buy one, when I put my foot into it, it has electric car torque, it puts you back in your seat a little bit its nothing mind boggling or too too crazy, but it definitely does add that driving feel of an electric car that People have come to know and love over the last couple of years now it does suffer from a couple of EV downsides, which is the fact that the Driving Experience is somewhat numb.

At times the steering is kind of light and unforgiving. The throttle pedal you dont really feel so. It does feel like youre driving a piece of software rather than driving a physical combustion engine vehicle, which makes perfect sense with that stuff. Out of the way lets talk about the interior, because we have some really cool parts to talk about well in front of me, I have my digital gauge cluster. This is pretty highly customizable. I can have. It show me a lot of different things. Messages off to left, charge and power and miles till empty off to the right. I get this nice little gauge cluster, but its so far away, and it has these, like guard rails, leading up to it. I think this is really really interesting and funky, which I like to see from a Subaru and Ill share. Why, later on the steering wheel itself, again very different from typical Subarus off to left, I have my page and selector dials for that Center screen. I also get volume, voice, commands and phone options and off to the right. I have a bunch of different cruise control settings. This does not have Subarus eyesight system; it actually uses Toyotas radar Cruise system, which is still a good system, but people kind of come to know and love the eyesight from Subaru. This isnt that system, the overall look and feel the steering wheel is very fresh and modern. I feel like its something out of cyberpunk 2077.

. I like that off to the left. I do get a climate control vent as well as a speaker up at the top that has this sort of fading design on it again funky and different. Then I have my automatic headlights. Tailgate switch and two dead switches. Like I said, this is not the top trim moving on to the door, we do have two memory seat options, power mirrors, folding mirrors power, locks and power windows moving into the center. I do get a very, very modern, very fresh, fresh feeling, infotainment system. This is Toyotas brand new infotainment system. I just drove the new Sequoia with this same system. I really liked it in that car. I really like it in this car. It also does come with a 360 camera, which I find to be very, very nice and very useful in any car, but especially an SUV. It of course, has Apple, carplay and Android, auto and overall, I think its pretty simple and easy to use, and I like seeing that down below that, I have my power and volume buttons and then I have my climate controls. I like how Sleek they are. I still get some physical buttons for this, but what I really love is that this is the only Subaru to get automatic heated seats. So when it detects that the temperature outside is cold, it will automatically turn on your seat heaters, as well as your steering wheel. Heater, which is very very nice – and I am definitely taking advantage of today – then I get the power button as well as two climate control vents.

These are very, very clearly Toyota, and then we have a bunch of very interesting buttons off to the far left. This is our power parking brake brake hold as well as our one pedal drive in the center. This is the shifter. It takes a little bit of getting used to to shift gears. You have to push this ring down and then left or right for reverse, neutral or drive, and then Park is its own separate button. This is a little bit too funky for me. I know I said I liked that this car was funky, but this is a little too funky and I dont really see much of a point off to the right. I do have my different Drive modes, so I have power Eco or regular. Then I have X mode, which is only on the Subaru version, so the Toyota version does not get X mode. Then I get traction, control off and parking assist. However, this car cant actually use the parking assist because you have to subscribe to it. So if you buy the top trim touring, you get all the bells and whistles from the day you purchase it no subscription necessary, but if you buy a lower trim, you have the option to later subscribe to some of the nicer features, of course, for a monthly Fee then, we have a really cool wireless charger in the center. The reason I say its really cool is because it looks like this nice gloss black, but its actually windows.

So if you have a light or your phone lights up underneath the cover, you can actually see it light up, and I think that that is really really neat. Then we do have some cup holders, so we will do a big friggin bottle test here in the 2023 Subaru soltera and unfortunately, it doesnt fit the big freaking bottle. I really wasnt fully expecting it to. I guess I held my breath a little bit, but at the end of the day it unfortunately fails. Then I do get a little center console and well talk about the seats. The seats are power, memory, heated and theyre finished in this sort of funky color combination. I really really like that. Look, however, on upper trims like the touring, you actually do get ventilated seats as well, if thats something you would like to seek out. However, speaking of seats, we do have backseat seats, so lets go. Do a back seat review all right. So were in the back of the 2023 Subaru soltera limited and a couple of things to note. First of all, I have three different levels of heated seats back here: two USBC Chargers and two vents for the climate. I also do get a center console two cup holders and a little cubby space back here, but the biggest thing, the most notable thing is the space sitting up like a normal human being. I have six or seven inches between my kneecap and the seats.

Headroom is great. I can fit my hand above my head Im, 511, so Im not that small. I fit back here wonderfully and that was a little bit of a concern for me but sitting back here. All of those concerns have been thrown in the trash. I really really enjoy the seating position back here and I just really love this size of SUVs. Ive mentioned it before and Ill mention it again later in the video. This to me is the perfect size because theres ample room for the back great great backseat space, but theres no third row, so youre not trying to squeeze and compromise the second row to try to fit that third row. It just says two and done and thats it, and I really really like that. Speaking of the back area, however, lets hop out well take a quick look at the trunk and cargo space and then well talk about the looks all right so right off the bat. I do want to note that Im standing up on a Ledge Im not like this tall but uh anyway hold it here on the key fob for the rear, tailgate pops up like that, and once we are back here, nothing really too crazy. To note, I do get Harman Kardon speakers and some other niceties here. I can also pull this up and this is where the Chargers normally found. Now this is a demo vehicle, so the Chargers back at the dealership, but your charger would go down there.

Pretty simple stuff: nothing really crazy about the rear trunk area. However, it is power – and I really really like that about the soltera. Now we got ta talk about the looks, and this is very, very funky very, very weird, and I like that. I really really like the way this looks, but now lets get on to my final thoughts. What do I think, finally driving the Subaru soltera? Well, I have to say that I am pretty happy with it and Im happy with it on two different fronts. First of all, Im happy with the way it drives and how it acts as an EV, its nice and quiet its comfortable. It does what I want it gets decent range 228 miles is pretty good. All things considered as a car getting in and out of this every single day I think, would be nice and easy and not strange, but on the flip side I do want to talk about the other reason I really like it, and that is because it is Strange Subaru to me, Ive, driven a lot of Subarus here on the channel heres a quick little demo reel of the Subarus that Ive driven yada, yada yada. Very, very nice, turbos flat sixes flat fours manual automatic Ive done the lot Subarus before the 2010s used to be very, very weird. Take a look at this bug eye wagon that I drove it. Has this obnoxious hood scoop on it its bright yellow? It looks like a block of cheese hollowed out with a four cylinder.

Take a look at this Subaru loyal that I drove. We are the Subaru DL from 1979 that I drove super strange Subaru used to have this cunning personality. It was in your face and Brash and weird they made weird snorting noises from the turbos I like that they used to be fun, but in the 2010s, after the financial crisis in 2008 and financial crisis was all over. The world Subaru became very normal, offering good cars, yes, but they lost their personality a little bit along the way they Blended in with Camrys and Accords and mazda6s. But this this stands out from the crowd. This is different, its weird its like they gave the styling Department free reign on the interior and exterior look at the front end. It kind of looks like its trying to be the fifth member of kiss, but I like that. I like that it has a personality. It has a little Edge to it has a little bit of bite to it. Its strange and strange is good. Strange is very, very good, driving this car, no, its, not making those weird Subaru noises Ive, come to know and love theres, no flat, four flat. Six rumble under the hood theres, no turbo whistle. I do miss that dearly, but I think this captures the essence of an older Subaru just with an electric drivetrain. This car evokes emotion whether positive or negative. It evokes some type of emotion and that to me was such an important part of Subaru in the 1980s and 90s that I was sad when it went away.

But, like I said earlier, its back. This car is weird and I love it all the better. For that Im so happy to be driving this car and to me I see a little bit of Twinkle in Subarus eye. I hope you guys enjoyed the video huge thank you to Stephen over at Napleton Subaru in Schaumburg. He is absolutely awesome for helping me get this car Napleton Subaru is fantastic. They have a couple of these on the lot. They are just hitting Lots right now, so please go check them out in Schaumburg. They have fantastic service, they have a huge inventory, so whatever Subaru product you are looking for, theyll be able to help you get behind the wheel, but I hope you guys enjoyed the video dont forget to rate the video comment on the video and subscribe.