Over the past few years Subaru has undergone a major restructuring. A change that has involved the brand’s very values, shifting the focus of its product list from sportiness to safety and from there to efficiency. Efficiency that today finds its highest expression in the new Subaru Solterra, the Pleiades manufacturer’s first electric car. It comes from a shared project with Toyota. The latter was responsible for the electric powertrain, consisting of a 71.4 kWh battery that powers two motors for a total power output of 218 CV and up to 460 km range, as well as the development of the platform. Subaru’s work, on the other hand, focused on fine-tuning the setup and all-wheel drive system, which has always been the flagship of the brand’s models.
Also from a style point of view, the Solterra shows an important change for Subaru. The styling approach chosen by the Japanese designers went in the direction of a radical change from current production, in order to more strongly remark the importance of this new model. At 4,69 meters long, it aims to a style that allows the observer to immediately understand that it’s an electric car, in which form follows function. At the front, for example, the hexagonal grille is completely faired, while on the sides of the bumper thin openings channel air flows to the sides, where there is however no lack of references qqqto the offroad world, emphasized by the presence of large black plastic protective fascias.
The rear, on the other hand, winks at the world of coupes, thanks to the very tapered shape of the roof. Inside the cabin, the “out of the box” approach of the exterior continues: once on board, one finds oneself enveloped by a cockpit that is as attentive to style as it is to ergonomics. The driving position, in fact, has been the subject of great study by Subaru, which has thoroughly revised the axis formed by the steering wheel and cluster. The latter is positioned rather high, allowing the driver to access information reproduced from above the steering wheel rather than through the crown, as it is usually the case. Rounding out the on-board technological equipment is then the infotainment system’s large screen with a 12.3-inch diagonal.
