Subaru Solterra’s a nice ride, charging issues aside

SUBARU

The Subarua Solterra electric is quick and nimble but can be a challenge to charge.

Subaru has upgraded its all-electric Solterra with the kind of technology that should make it appealing. 

It gets a power upgrade, increased range and tweaked looks. There is even a Tesla charging port which should give it many more options for refueling. Alas, those charging options became the bane of my existence during my week with the Solterra.

The car can be charged with a provided cord that can be plugged into a standard home outlet. This is the slowest method of charging, or Subaru says. I tried charging  with the cord and got a message saying the car would be charged to 100% in 95 hours. Bummer. An adapter is included to use non-Tesla chargers. I tried the adapter at a couple of charging stations, and it didn’t fit. 

My best option seemed to be the Tesla network. To do so you need the Tesla app. Once downloaded, you add the car to the app and search for available chargers. I already had the app, so I searched for a charger and proceeded to the location. I couldn’t get the vehicle to charge. 

Realizing I didn’t add The Solterra to the app, I did so and did another search. The stations were no longer on my app. The station has to appear on the app to select a charger. In fact, no supercharging stations appeared on my app within 10 miles, I found a couple of “destination chargers” at hotels. These are provided as a convenience for overnight guests, but the general public can use them. 

My charge level was at 20% upon arriving at the charger (which I passed three times due to no signage). Luckily, I was successful in getting the charger to work. A fast charger charges at 150 kW. My destination charger was moving at 6 kW. I arrived at the charger around 6:30 p.m. I reached 55% at 3:30 a.m. Yikes.

The third time I attempted to charge, I called Tesla about my problem. I got an AI assistant on the phone that informed me my car may not be registered to work on every supercharger. You think? Determined not to spend most of my evening trying to charge the car, I did another search and a Tesla supercharger appeared on the app. I reached with 17% remaining. I got the vehicle to 80 in a little more than 20 minutes. Success!

Once the threat of running out of juice was lifted, I found the Solterra to be enjoyable. The 388 combined horses made the vehicle feel quick. Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel drive gave it solid handling. Four-wheel independent suspension helped provide a delightfully smooth and comfortable quality. I experienced very little wind noise at 70 miles per hour (on the interstate). The tires were fairly quiet as well.

The Solterra’s interior has been upgraded to look more modern. A larger touch screen is responsive and bright and houses Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, both of which can be used wirelessly. The Harmon Kardon sound system was especially impressive.

A fixed glass panoramic sunroof, seating for five, heated and ventilated front seats along with a smart rear-view mirror are among a plethora of standard interior features.
The Solterra’s range has been increased to up to 288 miles. That’s not bad but most vehicles should be shooting for at least 300 miles minimum. 

I really liked the Solterra despite my charging woes. Some of my problems may have been due to user error, but I’ve driven lots of electric vehicles before and none were this troublesome. 
Pros:

• Tweaked exterior design

• Spacious, modern interior 

• Copious standard equipment

• Improved range

• Fast charging 

• AWD

• Solid handling

• Quiet, comfortable ride

• Quick acceleration 

Cons:

• Difficult to charge

• Needs more range

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