The all-electric Subaru Solterra, like its Toyota bZ4x twin, has been delayed for the Australian market until mid-2023.
Speaking with CarExpert, a company spokesperson said: “The all-new Subaru Solterra is currently slated to launch mid-2023. More information regarding anticipated arrival times will be revealed in due course”.
Previously, Subaru Australia indicated the all-electric crossover would lob Down Under during the first half of 2023, and since the original announcement has already received thousands of expressions of interest.
While local specifications won’t be released until closer to launch, Subaru’s local chief, Blair Read, recently all but confirmed that Australia would exclusively be getting the all-wheel drive (AWD) version, rather than adding a front-wheel drive variant to the mix.
“All-wheel drive is a core part of our DNA, but while I can’t confirm spec today, if you look at what Subaru has been consistent with over the last decade or more, you can probably work it out,” he said.
The Solterra measures 4690mm long, 1860mm wide and 1650mm tall on a 2850mm wheelbase. That makes it slightly longer and wider than a Forester. Ground clearance is 210mm, or 10mm less than a Forester, while kerb weight ranges between 1930kg and 2020kg.
Globally, the Solterra offers a choice of single-motor front- or dual-motor all-wheel drive variants. The front-wheel drive model produces 150kW of power and has approximately 530km of range on the stricter WLTP cycle, while the all-wheel drive version has 160kW and 460km of range.
Both variants use a 71.4kWh lithium-ion battery with a maximum AC charger output of 6.6kW and a maximum DC charging output of 150kW.
The Solterra is underpinned by a new electric vehicle architecture, co-developed by Subaru and Toyota, which the former calls the e-Subaru Global Platform and the latter calls e-TNGA.
The dual-motor all-wheel drive variant features a Subaru-developed X-Mode AWD control system, as in other Subaru SUVs. It’s also available with 20-inch alloy wheels, while the FWD model is only available with 18s.
Globally, the Subaru and Toyota have run into roadblocks while rolling out its first EV.
A crippling wheel hub bolt issue, which could cause the wheels to fall off, sparked a huge recall campaign and halted production for months – Toyota USA even offered to buy cars back – as the brands scrambled to find a solution.
Production of the bZ4x only just resumed in the past week, after Toyota announced it found a solution for the issue.
Toyota Australia confirmed just this week that the bZ4x will arrive in the second half of 2023, 12 months after it was initially scheduled to arrive Down Under.
Stay tuned to CarExpert for all the latest.
