Words: Andrew Sluys
Published 18 June 2026
It’s got an all-wheel drive system, has 280kW on tap, and can hit 100km/h from a standing start in 4.5-seconds. These stats don’t sound out of place when talking about Subarus, as performance has always been a factor from its rallying days. But what if I told you the car in question has almost nothing to do with that rallying pedigree, and is instead arguably the most well-rounded vehicle to wear the six-starred badge. The car in question is Subaru’s new Trailseeker, and while we’re not expecting it to land locally until September, we recently crossed the ditch to drive it on some Australian soil.
While we spent a fair bit of time behind the wheel of the Trailseeker, Subaru New Zealand is yet to release local pricing and specification. Apparently we can expect to see this in the next month or so.
Sharing is Caring
To address the elephant in the room; the Trailseeker is Subaru’s version of Toyota’s BZ4X Touring. Just like how the Solterra is their version of the BZ4X. According to Subaru, almost all the hardware between the two vehicles is identical, but it’s in the tuning of the drivetrain where the differences start to arise, but more about that later.
The Trailseeker is powered by a CATL-built 74.9kWh battery that provides a driving range of up to 488km in the Trailseeker Touring, which is the only variant New Zealand will be getting. I say this because a base model is available in Australia, which sits on smaller wheels, and gets a maximum driving range of around 530km.
This battery feeds a pair of electric motors, one on the front axle, and one on the rear. They work together to produce a peak power output of 280kW. Torque output sits at 268Nm for each motor, but a combined figure hasn’t been provided.
As for charging, the Trailseeker is rated to 150kW DC, which will charge from 10 to 80 per cent in around 30 minutes. It can also be AC charged at up to 22kW, which will take around four hours to be fully replenished.
A Unique Offering
While the electrical bits underneath the Trailseeker are all quite familiar, the vehicle itself is quite a unique machine. It walks the line between being an SUV and a station wagon — something that Subaru was lauded for in a previous life.
At 4.8-metres long and 1.8-metres wide, it’s big, and feels more akin to the last-generation Outback than the current one. It also features a wheelbase of 2850mm, which is around 10cm longer than the Outback’s.
With a name like Trailseeker, it’s clear Subaru is targeting an adventurous demographic, and the styling reflects this. The black panels across the front and wrapping the wheels are a matte plastic, which shouldn’t scratch up like paint. It’s the same story for the inserts at the bottom of the bumpers and in the same place below the doors. With a ground clearance of 211mm, it won’t go as far as an Outback will, and the break-over angle will also be affected by the extended wheelbase.
The Trailseeker Touring rides on 20-inch alloy wheels, which are wrapped in 235/50 tyres. More rim means less sidewall, which is another area where the Touring loses points to Australia’s base model in my books.
Room for Activities
So while its size might be imposing on the outside, stepping inside the Trailseeker reveals an expansive cabin, true to its EV underpinnings. Easily the biggest advantage of the extended wheelbase is obvious in the second row, where leg room is plentiful. You also forgo getting any sort of transmission tunnel down the middle, meaning drawing the short straw isn’t as punishing as usual.
Up the front, the tech offering is impressive with a 14-inch infotainment screen taking centre stage on the dash. Wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto are standard with this system. It is also flanked with few physical controls. While I’d want a few more buttons, there are temperature control dials and a volume knob at the bottom. Window demisters are also assigned their own buttons here.
The digital cluster is set quite far back in the dash, and almost acts as a head-up display on the windscreen.
Carried over from the Solterra, the steering wheel is a strange unit. Not only does it look unusual, but the button layout is unlike anything else. I’ll admit I wasn’t a fan at first, but after using it for a while, you realise it’s one of the more ergonomic solutions for accessing buttons with your thumbs while driving.
It’s a similar story for the driving position, as you’re sitting quite high in the Trailseeker. I’d imagine this was a big factor in implementing the squared-off steering wheel, as it takes a bit of adjusting to get used to. But once you’ve maneuvered the seat into the correct position, it’s comfortable, and the high position means cabin visibility isn’t an issue. I’ll also add that thanks to the high roofline of the Trailseeker, head room isn’t an issue for taller people.
As for cabin amenities, you’ve got heated and ventilated seats in the front row, and just heated seats in the back. There are a pair of wireless phone charging pads above the transmission selector, and a bunch of USB-C ports around the cabin.
As for the boot, there’s 595-litres of space with the rear seats in place, and this extends to 1216 litres when they are dropped. The fact there isn’t any sort of spare tyre offered with the Trailseeker seems like a massive oversight on Subaru’s part — especially when this is marketed as an electric adventure vehicle, but apparently this is something Subaru Australia is “looking into”.
You do get a puncture repair kit back there, and there’s also a 1500W V2L port to power camping appliances and such when you and the family are far off the beaten track (hopefully sans puncture).
An EV All-Rounder
If you’ve seen any of the marketing surrounding the Trailseeker, you’ll be aware Subaru is leaning heavily into the performance element. Like sure it is the most powerful, and the quickest Subaru ever produced, but I feel like the brand is leading potential customers astray with this. On the EV scale, a 4.5-second 0-100km/h time is leisurely, and it isn’t uncommon to come across a little hatch that can do this.
On the road, the snappy performance is fun to play with, and a far cry from what I’ve come to expect with CVT-equipped Subarus of late. Obviously off the line it throws you back into the seat, but even at highway cruising speeds, it will accelerate impressively with a stab of the throttle.
For a long time now, Subaru has used its symmetrical all-wheel drive system as a selling point, and I feel like it’s been perfectly in electric form. The result of all these torque splitting calculations done at light speed is a sure-footedness you wouldn’t get from old fashioned mechanical differentials.
We got to test these systems on a closed track as well as a gravel road, and traction was never an issue on either. We found the limits of the tyres pretty quickly on the former, but I doubt any Trailseeker buyers are planning to make it their trackday hero. I will also say that the traction control system is far more conservative in what you can do with it switched off compared to the old rally-bred machines.
On a gravel road, the car doesn’t let you away with too much wheelspin, only giving half a second or so before torque is cut. I had hoped for some more exhilarating gravel action from the Trailseeker, but that’s something to dig into more once it launches locally.
At the other end of the scale, all the safety systems work fantastically in the Trailseeker. For most of the highway driving throughout the launch, I was using adaptive cruise control and the lane keep assist system. Both provided confidence, and didn’t do anything unexpected. Subaru has also fitted a driver monitoring system to the Trailseeker, but unlike the brand’s early systems, this one is far more relaxed. It never alerted me throughout the two days I spent in the car, which is a welcome change.
A Question of Price
As mentioned, Subaru New Zealand is yet to let us know how much the Trailseeker costs, which makes judging it quite difficult. In Australia, the Touring starts from A$75,000, which means we’ve got a ballpark figure to work with. And because Inchape distributes Subaru vehicles on both sides of the Tasman, it should be somewhat comparable. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it land somewhere in the $78k – 85k region.
At that price, it’s going to be more expensive than the Toyota BZ4X Touring, of which it shares almost everything with. This puts Subaru New Zealand in a difficult position as Kiwis love Toyotas. But to reference one of my early gripes with the Trailseeker, this only further enforces the case for bringing in Australia’s base model at a lower price, and would eclipse the driving range of the Toyota to the degree of around 40km.
As a whole, the Trailseeker is one of the most impressive electric vehicles I have driven, and I think it’s perfect for New Zealand conditions. The brand’s local arm might have a battle on their hands with Toyota on the price front, but a bit of friendly competition never hurt anyone.
