The 2023 Subaru Solterra electric SUV has been teased one last time before its reveal at the Los Angeles motor show on November 17, 2021.
The teaser image was shared on Subaru of America’s Instagram and shows a close up of the front right-hand wheel with its rounded wheel arch, expansive wheel cladding and prominent ‘EV’ badge.
Subaru has confirmed the Solterra will be revealed at 10:45am PST (5:45am AEDT, November 18).
Under the skin, the Solterra is a cousin to the Toyota bZ4x and uses a dedicated electric car architecture co-developed with Toyota, referred to as e-TNGA or e-Subaru Global Platform depending on the brand.
Both the Solterra and bZ4x will use an all-wheel drive system developed by Subaru which is also claimed to boast “impressive off-road performance”.
A couple of months ago, Subaru released teaser images of the Solterra’s interior and exterior design, both of which are almost identical to that of the BZ4x.
The Solterra will go on sale in other markets in 2022, though an Australian launch isn’t on the cards yet.
“The Subaru factory in Japan confirms that there is no timeline for the electric Solterra vehicle in Australia,” said a spokesperson for Subaru Australia earlier this year.
“However, we are very interested and future electric projects form part of ongoing dialogue between Subaru Australia and the factory.”
While the Solterra hasn’t been slated for a local launch, the bZ4x has.
The Toyota EV is set to arrive sometime after its mid-2022 global launch.
External changes between the Solterra and bZ4x appear to be limited to the front fascia, including the headlights, fender flares and tail lights.
The wrap-around tail lights, however, look virtually identical to those of the Toyota.
It’s a similar story inside with a flowing centre console and a large touchscreen, an usual patterned material on the dashboard, and a digital instrument cluster mounted up high and far back towards the windscreen.
The Solterra ditches the polarising steering yoke that’ll be available on Chinese-spec bZ4x models for a conventional unit instead.
Toyota has confirmed the cheapest versions of the bZ4x will come with front-wheel drive and be powered by a 150kW motor, with the company claiming a 0-100km/h sprint time of 8.4 seconds.
All-wheel drive versions instead use two 80kW motors, one at each axle, to make 160kW combined and achieve a 0-100km/h time in 7.7 seconds.
Both front- and all-wheel drive bZ4x models use a 71.4kW lithium-ion battery with expected ranges of 500km for the FWD and 460km for the AWD using WLTC protocols.
Toyota also says the bZ4x can charge at a maximum DC fast-charging speed of 150kW.
The FWD weighs 1920kg, with the AWD adding 85kg taking it to 2005kg. For context, the dual-motor Tesla Model Y weighs 2003kg.
It’s expected Subaru will use only the all-wheel drive powertrain in its Solterra EV, in traditional Subaru fashion.
The bZ4x measures in at 1860mm wide, 1650mm tall, and 4690mm long with a 2850mm wheelbase, which is a similar size to the Tesla Model Y and is slightly longer than the RAV4.
Once the bZ4x and Solterra go on sale they’ll face a growing number of electric crossovers, including the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Nissan Ariya and Tesla Model Y.
Over at Toyota, the ‘bZ’ (beyond Zero) moniker will be applied to no fewer than seven full-electric car lines on bespoke platforms to be launched globally by 2025.
This seven-strong ‘bZ’ line-up will be the backbone of the wider Toyota group’s plan for 15 BEV products, available in various regions, by that 2025 date.
