At Château-Ferme de Moriensart in Céroux-Mousty, Subaru Benelux made its point quite clearly. The brand’s new electric models may share their core engineering with Toyota, but they are intended to be more than badge-engineered cousins; a ‘go-anywhere family car’.
On the short off-road course prepared for the press drive, the Solterra, Uncharted, and E-Outback showed why. Steep climbs, off-road tracks through the woods, and steep descents are hardly the natural habitat of most electric crossovers, yet the three Subarus felt composed and convincing.
X-Mode terrain settings
Their software-controlled all-wheel drive, generous ground clearance, and X-Mode terrain settings give them a sense of purpose that many otherwise competent EVs lack.
That matters because Subaru’s electric offensive is closely tied to Toyota. The Solterra is related to the Toyota bZ4X, the Uncharted to the Toyota C-HR+, and the E-Outback to the bZ4X Touring.
Toyota provides much of the costly EV hardware, including the platform, battery, e-axles, and safety architecture. Subaru’s role lies primarily in how the cars drive, with its own AWD software, X-Mode terrain settings, suspension and steering tuning, and more rugged bodywork, as well as a practical, outdoor-oriented specification.
Less generic crossovers
The result is not a complete escape from family resemblance. These are clearly Toyota-based vehicles, but Subaru has worked to make them feel less like generic, somewhat boring electric crossovers and more like capable all-weather, go-anywhere family cars.
Toyota targets the broad electric SUV market, offering choice in battery size, drive layout, range, and price. Subaru addresses a narrower but recognizable group of buyers. Think of families who do not need a hardcore off-roader, but want a car that feels at ease on snow, muddy access roads, campsites, boat ramps, and poor rural tracks.
The difference is clearest between the Toyota C-HR+ and Subaru Uncharted. The Toyota is a style-led compact crossover, while the Subaru has a more outdoors-focused brief.
Uncharted 25 mm higher
At 211 mm, the Uncharted sits around 25 mm higher than the related Toyota, reinforcing that distinction. With the Solterra and especially the E-Outback, however, ground clearance alone is not the decisive differentiator. The related Toyota bZ4X and bZ4X Touring already share much of the same all-wheel-drive hardware and terrain technology.
Subaru’s added value is therefore more subtle. Its engineers have retuned the suspension and power steering, retained a conventional mechanical steering connection rather than steer-by-wire, and developed their own calibration for traction, cornering stability, and off-road use.
The larger models are standard all-wheel-drive propositions, and Subaru makes that capability central to its identity.
There is an ironic performance twist, too. Subaru Benelux notes that the 343 hp Uncharted AWD reaches 100 km/h in five seconds, putting it ahead of the iconic rally-bred WRX STI in the benchmark sprint.
The E-Outback goes further still, with 381 hp and a claimed 4.5-second 0 to 100 km/h time. Neither is a spiritual replacement for the lightweight, turbocharged rally cars that built Subaru’s image, but both show how electric torque has given the brand’s family SUVs performance once reserved for its most famous sports models.
Off-road cruise control
Its ‘go-anywhere’ image becomes most apparent away from smooth tarmac. The AWD versions use Subaru’s X-Mode system, with Grip Control effectively acting as low-speed off-road cruise control, where the car can climb or descend a steep slope at crawling speed.
It can manage traction on loose surfaces, snow, mud, and steep descents without requiring the driver to be an off-road specialist. Yet these are not low-range 4x4s in the traditional sense.
Their electric motors and fixed-ratio drivetrains provide immediate torque and fine low-speed control, while X-Mode, Grip Control, and hill-descent control act as electronic substitutes for some of the confidence a transfer case once provided.
It is not a substitute for a low-range transfer case, nor a Subaru-exclusive invention, but it makes steep, slippery access tracks considerably less intimidating for an inexperienced driver.
With the focus on family use, they are highly credible on slippery access roads, campsites, boat ramps, and winter tracks, rather than being vehicles intended for serious rock-crawling or expedition-style off-roading.
1,500 kg towing capacity
Their 1,500 kg towing capacity in AWD form also gives the Solterra, E-Outback, and top Uncharted a more concrete appeal for caravan owners, particularly in the Netherlands, where a family EV still needs to pull a holiday trailer without becoming merely a second car.
The entry point is the new Subaru Uncharted, a C-segment SUV offered in Belgium from €36,995. The base 2E-xcite has a 58 kWh battery, a 123 kW front motor, and a WLTP range of up to 451 km.
The 77 kWh 2E-xcite+ raises output to 165 kW and promises up to 592 km. At the top sits the €47,995 4E-xperience+ with dual motors, 252 kW, all-wheel drive, 1,500 kg towing capacity, and up to 490 km of WLTP range.
Front-wheel drive
The Uncharted is the least traditional Subaru in the line-up because it can be ordered with front-wheel drive. Even so, it retains Subaru’s focus on visibility, safety, and practical use. Standard equipment includes a 22 kW AC charger, up to 150 kW DC charging, a 14-inch central display, and a wide suite of driver-assistance systems.
Above it sits the substantially upgraded Solterra, Subaru’s first BEV and the closest technical relative of the Toyota bZ4X. The 2026 version gets a 73.1 kWh battery, 252 kW dual-motor drive, a claimed 0 to 100 km/h time of 5.1 seconds, and up to 509 km of WLTP range.
It can tow 1,500 kg, double the rating of its predecessor, and starts at €47,995 in Belgium. The €51,995 4E-xperience+ adds 20-inch wheels, a panoramic roof, Harman/Kardon audio, ventilated front seats, and further comfort equipment.
E-Outback flagship
The real flagship is the E-Outback, Subaru’s electric interpretation of the model that helped define the crossover genre three decades ago. It is a large family wagon-SUV with a 74.7 kWh battery, 280 kW dual-motor all-wheel drive, 211 mm of ground clearance, and a 1,500 kg towing capacity.
Subaru quotes up to 523 km of WLTP range for the 18-inch version, while DC charging peaks at 150 kW, and the 22 kW onboard charger can replenish the battery in under four hours.
The E-Outback also carries Subaru’s traditional identity most convincingly into the EV era. It has roof rails, protective cladding, a 633-liter boot, two X-Mode settings, and Grip Control for low-speed terrain work.
At €51,995 for the 4E-xperience and €54,995 for the better-equipped 4E-xperience+, it is not cheap. But it offers something most similarly priced electric SUVs still struggle to deliver: a credible claim to be a family car that can travel far beyond the end of the tarmac.
More power, larger boot
The pricing ladder is unusually tight. The €47,995 top-spec Uncharted AWD costs exactly the same as the entry Solterra, while the €51,995 Solterra 4E-xperience+ matches the base E-Outback.
Buyers are therefore not asked to pay a large premium merely to move into the next, larger model. At €51,995, the E-Outback trades some luxury equipment for more space, more power, a larger boot, and a more practical body, making it the most obvious family and caravan proposition in the range.
Subaru remains a niche player in Europe, selling around 35,000 cars annually. Belgium is a small market for the brand, served by a network of 15 dealers, yet it is strategically important as Subaru Europe is headquartered in Zaventem.
The new EV trio is intended to widen Subaru’s appeal beyond its loyal base of boxer-engine and all-wheel-drive enthusiasts. Toyota provides the scale and costly electric technology, while Subaru’s challenge is to prove that there is still room for a more adventurous, more capable, and more characterful interpretation of the same hardware.
At Moriensart, that argument was easier to believe and more fun than it might sound on paper.
