Why No One's Buying These // 2024 Subaru Solterra Review 

Somewhere out there is a hairy cardboard engineer screaming "IT'S NOT HAIRY CARDBOARD!!!"

This car is proof of why the Chevy Bolt was such an amazing deal. New Bolts were $25k, same range and charging speed. If the Solterra was $25k it'd be a screaming deal, but for $45k or higher there are better options, gas or EV.

AWD system that is made to handle any slight rise in asphalt you might encounter at the local Whole Foods parking lot.

That blue round Subaru badge on the front makes it looks suspiciously like a Mach E

Such a fun channel. I audibly laugh on a car review video. No one else does that for their viewers. From the fun lab coat to the foam finger beat downs to the jokes that are 🔥. Thank you for your content.

Enjoyed your subtle joke on the importance of correctly torquing the wheel nuts.

The hill climb was like watching people try to run up the wall on the Ninja Warrior course 😂

coming as a wrx owner, if it doesn't sound like a tractor going down the road it's not a subaru. at least have the speaker on the bottom make sewing machine sounds instead of the weird ev hum.

2023's with barely any miles are going for ~$28k from Hertz. No need to pay $40-50k for a brand new one.

I enjoyed the Angel Food Cake audio cameo after the first hill climb attempt! And thanks for your assessment of character of this vehicle.

This is just a compliance car. It’s not really meant for mass sales. It only exists so Toyota and Subaru can sell cars in California.

The fabric on the dash is an opportunity for abstract art with coffee and other media of your choosing.

The future of driving...."come on robots figure it out!" Sarah, copyright that line and sell the T shirts to engineers.

100% agree with the idea that Subaru needs to go with a motor for each wheel, or something equally different. They have a real opportunity to stand out.

I think it's cool that they made a black and white one to match your outfit👍

We lease a SOLTERRA and we are happy with it

That bZ4X "falling wheels" punch was smooth af!

My favorite moments are “lift up the giant RC car” and “Give it the E Beans”! 😂

i was able to drive this as a loaner car for two days. i loved driving it TBH, but i wouldn't buy one new. i don't understand why on earth they considered 20" tires considering the already low range. fantastic video. many thanks. subscribed

Electric cars like this one are the 8-track tape player of the automotive world.

I would say the average driver today is looking for an appliance. But this one was less range than a Chevy bolt Which can be had for almost half the price of this. If toyota put their mind to it properly they could blow away the industry but they're not in that.

It's easy to see why your foam hands keep breaking 😂 You're going to deform that chassis by tapping so hard on the batteries 🤣

“Character matters!” Indeed indeed.

7:13 The powertrain packaging is adorable, shows how much they lean on the suppliers for this stuff.

Thanks for this unboxering video!

"Removing a boxer engine from a Toyota, still makes it a Subaru." ZING!

boxerless? i call that going commando

These are great reviews! You always find the best weird details and design choices

Sarah: "Brisk summer day in Canada" LMAO From Wasaga Beach Ontario, Canada. ;)

Sara the best looking automotive reviewer. Nice!

Love the dig about keeping the wheels on!

I always look forward to your detailed reviews!

You can lease these toasters for $169 a month now. However, even at that absurdly low rate, I can't find any reason to

Subaru referring to that as Symmetrical All Wheel Drive, is like how Audi still refers to the variety of different AWD systems in their lineup as Quattro. Both have now become merely marketing abstractions, which devalue the technical merit of their original drivetrain technologies.

This is what I vall a technical overview, quite deep indeed, not only gadgets and confort features about . Love this channel ❤

your reviews are awesome!

Thanks for another cool review!🌻🐧

Sarah - As far as 'Paddle shifters' in an Electric car goes.. You wanna try get your tidy tush in a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N... From what I've seen (Hagarty & Throttle House etc), you'll have A LOT OF FUN! - Proper feeling gear changes, 'Lugs' in 5th/6th in lower gears, bouncin' off 'Red line', 'proper 'Shoves' when changing gears etc, turns out Hyundai have REALLY done some excellent stuff making that car (when you set in the right mode) like a proper ICE car... 🤔😏👍 😎🇬🇧

Love the way it looks honestly

Just for the hill climb test, I’m giving you an appreciation note of 11/10! 😂 Loved it!

Another super professional and excellent review

Subaru should put some broken piston rings in the glovebox for that boxer nostalgia...

love your colour coordinated road tests

Much awaited, much appreciated looking forward to excellent insights as always from you.

watching that car trying to climb the hill is like watching a turtle trying roll back up right.

[Before watching review] I own multiple Subarus and love them, but have never been less interested in a vehicle than the Solterra. Let's see what Sarah has to say. "Let's see if removing the boxer engine from a Toyota still makes it a Subaru" *that's why I subscribe* The range on this thing is the killer. 220 miles? In the US this brand is sold as an adventure/wilderness vehicle you can take camping in the mountains. If you thought range anxiety is bad on the highway, it would be worse out in the woods.

Another Great review Sarah 😊

Like how its clearly marked where you can jack it from. Nice 😊

Volvo built an awd electric S80 styled test car that had 4 individual electric motors..one per wheel….I saw it while touring Volvo in Gothenburg Sweden… like 20 years ago..

As a WRX owner, I personally love this car. It allowed Subaru to comply with CAFE standards enough to release one last ICE WRX and a bunch of torque monster turbo crossovers before they go HEV/EV for their entire lineup.

Aaaaaah yea, gotta love the spring bucket.

Thank you Sarah

Also hard to insure. My insurance agent couldn't even find these in their system. This is the second model year.

The ioniq 5n is making waves as a fantastic enthusiast EV. Can't wait for your review on it

Had a 4x4 Justy I bought in 80's. Sold it was 380,000 miles. Girl drove it from NC to California. Prior to that a Subie Wagon; the front emblem flipped up as a fog light... heck yeah, keep Subaru funky.

The kei cars in Japan use little inlines like the Justy still; but, the Justy was definitely the last one in the US that didn't have a boxer.

RC Car - I love it

I remember the Justy hatchback, what a great little car that was. With its 4WD and skinny tires, it would have climbed up your off-road hill easily.

enjoyed your take on this one.

Love your review videos they are well done 👌

Heartbreaking not seeing a Subaru make that hill!

It does look and sound like a washing machine.

Great and fun review and rundown. I'm holding off for my first EV to be the APTERA.

Thanks for acknowledging us up here in Canada sweets!

Everyone thought digital watches were g oing to take over the world, cd, mp3 players, all supposed to be superior. Well, Im still wearing a mechanical watch and would rather listen to LPs than silly CDs. By the looks of record sales, I'm not alone. People are, like you said, slowly realizing " character" matters.

"Toyobaru." LOL!!!

Nice review, and you included a number of details that I have not seen elsewhere. However, do note that the unit you pointed to around 7:30 and identified as the front electric motor assembly is in fact the Electricity Supply Unit (built in onboard traction battery charger/DC-DC converter). The front motor is much deeper (to line up with the wheels).

So many cool design features

SARAH!!!!!

Its such a shame to see Subaru reduced to selling appliances. I hope they can come up with a unique design concept, if not, I fear they may disappear forever.

It outweighs my pickup!

Definitely the best review somebody made since this Subaru Toyota pair came to the market

2 questions I always have with electric vehicles: Does the battery get a full warranty like the vehicle, and when the warranty runs out and the battery dies, how much will the consumer be screwed for the cost of a replacement, or do you just trade it in and go thru the same process again...?

Solterra is certainly a better name that "bZ4X"

I have had mine for a year. Love hate relationship after owning only Subarus for 30 years. Great car as long as you live in a family with an ice vehicle (my wife has a forester), and do 99% of your charging at home. When people ask how I like it, I usually say, “it’s one of the best cars I have ever owned, but it is a shitty Subaru and an even shittier EV. Does great in the snow though.

That outside sound speaker puts out a vibe of a Christmas song stuck on one note. Like bells tolling... A future Jetson's tone... That original tone sounded like an early Volkswagen Beetle exhaust. haha

$54K, Hard pass.

One side effect of how poorly received this car is: in Vancouver we have the highest gas prices in Canada, but cheap electricity and a lot of rich people... so a pretty high EV uptake rate in general. The Subaru dealers have PLENTY of Solterras, and I can only imagine is that corporate allocation is stuffing them here because they have the a higher chance of selling here.

Hey. I come here often just to admire your depth of presentation, but when in your intro you mention the rc nature of this one, I turned flips! Sarah! Big LOL!!!

Excellent video 📹 Lovely Sarah 😍

Over priced and looks like a Chevy bolt

Sarah the thing I noticed most about the Solterra is how pretty your eyes are 😍

I like how technical you get and the attention you give to details other reviewers never mention. really speaks to my autistic brain :p also a little tired of always seeing men talk about cars on youtube. so im even more happy to have found this channel

thanks for reviewing the car

For the average person that doesn't understand apexes and heel and toe... great car. For anyone that doesn't treat their car like a toaster... EV's got a LONG way to go.

Glorified golf carts. PS. I still LOVE the finger!😂

OMG Angel Cameo Cake!!! 🎂 👋

Great reviews, always….the second reason I watch😉😉😉😉

My $.02 …. Your scores were perhaps too generous based on your overall comments and body language during your testing🤔, even your tone of voice. And did a LARGE hot chocolate explode💥 in the engine bay! 😳

as far as towing goes .. no ❤️

I agree that it’s like an appliance, just like all non turbo Subaru’s these days.

Monday drive with Sara!!

Unlike most modern cars, I actually like how the front end looks!

Thank you Sarah, for adding the Mi/kWh graphic for economy. It's the gold standard for comparing fuel economy on ev vehicles (in the USA at least).

i find your pronunciation of ‘aluminium’ adorable. and your show rocks!

Spot-on, and wonderful review. Love the channel!!!! Long-time and current subaru owner here. Had a chance to test drive a Solterra at an event not too long ago. It's a reasonably nice car. I like where Subaru is going with the design aspect for the driver experience. The dashboard makes sense going forward for all vehicles. Forward-mounted guages are really nice and gives you a sense of more driver space. The ride was nothing to write home about outside of it felt like a regular Subaru just missing the torquey boxer engine. Accelleration was snappy enough for a regular SUV/crossover for it's class. I do agree with the general consensis about the price. If it were offered starting at 25K minimal options, no doubt EV adopters would beat a path to any Subaru dealership. +40K for a car that's just Par is not what we're really after. Par should start at 20K and move up the scale. With Chinese EVs hitting the market just a hair over 10K, no doubt we'll see some hopefully healthy competition in the coming years with lower prices, and better offerings per dollar.

90% of the cars sold are appliances.

Just picked up my first EV, a slightly used 2020 BMW i3 for an incredible price. So quirky, and so fun, BMW went well out of their way to make it different than your typical car. But when EV's go all-out to mimic regular cars, I think they miss an opportunity to stand out. This being an example, by trying so hard to appeal to regular car buyers, the benefit of the EV powertrain and packaging is lost.

-22F is a nice spring day. Might not be able to wear shorts and flip-flops. 😂

Nice sound. 😄