Subaru Trailseeker first drive: tougher than it lets on

Words: Gavin Shoebridge

The Trailseeker is Subaru’s second electric car in New Zealand, and the one the local distributor calls the proper start of its EV business after the Solterra. We drove it in Australia earlier this year. This time we’ve had both NZ variants on local roads at the national launch.

Two versions, $3,500 apart

The Trailseeker AWD costs $68,990 and the AWD Touring $72,490. Both use the same 74.7kWh CATL battery and two 167kW motors, one on each axle, for a combined 280kW. Subaru claims 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds, which it says makes the Trailseeker the fastest production Subaru sold here.

The AWD rides on 18-inch wheels and has a WLTP range of 533km. The Touring moves up to 20-inch wheels and drops to 488km. It also adds a panoramic glass roof, a 10-speaker Harman Kardon stereo, leather-accented seats with front ventilation, memory for the driver’s seat and mirrors, Advanced Park Assist and a 1,500W vehicle-to-load outlet.

If it were our money, we’d keep the $3,500 and take the AWD. You give up the glass roof and the better stereo, but you get an extra 45km of range, and on the roughest roads we drove the AWD’s 18-inch wheels gave a slightly more polished ride.

Bigger than it looks

The Trailseeker is an imposing thing for a Japanese car, though the headlights and front grille still look very Japanese. The plastic cladding over the wheel arches and the deep sculpting in the doors give it a rugged look, even if the overall effect is a little like an extra from the original Tron.

Its rounded proportions hide its size. At 4845mm long and 1860mm wide it’s a big car, and that’s obvious once you’re in the driver’s seat, where the far corners feel a long way away.

Inside

The interior colour depends on the variant. The AWD gets black synthetic leather, and the Touring gets blue and black leather-accented trim that can look slightly purple in some light. The dashboard is busy, with a lot of different textures and contours, so it’s as busy for your fingers as it is for your eyes. A 14-inch touchscreen and a 7-inch driver’s display are standard on both.

Getting in and out is easy. The seat sits at a height where you slide sideways into it rather than climbing up or dropping down, which older buyers will appreciate. The rear seat reclines, though not far, with two positions to choose from.

Boot space is 609 litres in the AWD and 595 litres in the Touring with the rear seats up, rising to 1230 and 1216 litres with them folded. There’s a clever spot to stow the parcel shelf when you don’t need it. The launch car had a space-saver spare under the boot floor, but that’s a $1,299 accessory arriving in January; standard cars come with a puncture repair kit. There’s no front boot either. Open the bonnet and you’ll find cables and hoses.

On the road

Both variants rode well on the launch route, rough roads included. What stands out is the amount of suspension travel, which is generous for a family SUV. Add 211mm of ground clearance and X-Mode with the new Grip Control function, and we suspect the Trailseeker is more capable off the beaten track than Subaru is letting on.

Rivals

The closest rival shares almost all of its hardware. The Toyota bZ4X Touring was priced at $69,990 when Toyota announced it in January, with the same 280kW output. Subaru says it tunes its version differently. Tesla’s Model Y Premium Long Range AWD was listed at $77,900 in March.

Ownership

The Trailseeker has a three-year/100,000km vehicle warranty, a five-year/100,000km EV driveline warranty and an eight-year/160,000km battery warranty. Servicing is every 15,000km or 12 months. A three-year service plan costs $599 and adds roadside assistance and a further three years of warranty, giving six years of cover. Towing capacity is 1,500kg braked.

Verdict

The Trailseeker is roomy and easy to live with, and its long-travel suspension suggests it will handle more than gravel roads. The AWD is the one to buy, with more range, a better ride and $3,500 left in your pocket.

Subaru Trailseeker specifications