2026 Subaru Solterra.
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Of course, since we saw the revised Toyota BZ4X a few weeks ago, a revised Subaru Solterra was just a matter of time.
And again, while Toyota did a good job with the updated BZ4X, the 2026 Solterra looks lie a weird, disturbing mess. And a huge step backward from the previous design.
This is basically the same car, with a brand new front end and slightly revised rear end. And again, the same interior as the 2026 BZ4X. But that new front end is just horrible and something that should have never been approved by anyone. It almost makes you miss all that black plastic trim from the previous version. However, that black plastic might not be completely gone. Subaru officially mentions: “On certain colors, the new 2026 Solterra features new body-color front fenders for a sleeker, urban look”. And I, for once, think the black plastic might look better.
At least, the specs are better. It now comes with a standard NACS plug. The 74.7 kWh battery is now good for a very decent 285 miles, with faster charging. Which will help a lot. And its electric motors are even a bit more powerful.
A smoother suspension and upgraded steering feel are also welcome bonuses.
Currently, the Subaru Solterra starts at under $39,000, which is pretty good for a roomy AWD EV SUV. It seems the 2026 model is pretty improved where it counts.
Why would the brand that’s putting black plastic cladding on everything they make remove the black plastic cladding from their EV? This should have gotten the same front end as the Trailster and kept the black plastic cladding on the fenders.
I disagree… imo there are way too many cut lines along the side adding detail. By painting the wheel arches and especially the one that goes across the entire front fender to the headlights removes some of the visual clutter – which was always this car’s exterior design problem. I’m not sure the headlights are an improvement, but whatever. I’m glad to see the small number of technical changes (range, charging rate, NACS, etc…) The sad interior, however, remains. No one wants that.
Changing from plastic to body color did not change the number of cut lines. Now they just look pointless because they’re still there, but not needed.
Pretty much everything Subaru released this week has an odd vibe to it, like they just stuck a bunch of random parts together and called it a day.