I’ve noticed a bit of a trend with the latest batch of electric vehicles. Automakers are clearly aware that everyone is sick of the “futuristic, emotionless” aesthetic that we were trapped with for a few years. Now, they are trying to capture what we love about some of the most iconic gas-powered vehicles in their latest EV lineups.
Subaru is the latest to try this approach, with an electric Outback it’s calling the Trailseeker. But is it delivering the experience that drivers waiting for a new Outback have been craving? While it’s better than the Outback in a lot of ways, I think it falls short in the most important area.
The Subaru Trailseeker is good for off-roading if you only compare it to EVs
The Trailseeker starts at $41,445 and is marketed as Subaru’s most rugged EV yet. Unfortunately, that’s not saying too much. I think the Trailseeker is a great electric SUV for someone who wants a capable, fun, and efficient vehicle — and at a lower price tag than its competitors.
The Trailseeker throws away the usual featureless, aerodynamic appearance of electric vehicles, clearly hoping to evoke the spirit of the Outback, with a boxy design and signature plastic cladding. It gets you up to 281 miles in range and you’ll enjoy every mile, thanks to its balanced chassis and responsive steering. Reaching zero to 60 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds in a Subaru is also quite nifty.
However, Subaru is not marketing the Trailseeker as a sporty, fun EV. It’s supposed to be rugged — and that’s sadly where it falls short. While it’s a better vehicle than the Outback in many ways, it’s off-road capabilities is not one of them.
Earlier this month, Subaru paid some journalists to test out the Trailseeker on a variety of courses, including a very tame off-road path. While every journalist couldn’t stop complimenting the Trailseeker throughout the testing, nobody could pretend that it was worthy of the term “rugged.” Not even with the Trailseeker’s 8.5 inches of clearance, all-wheel drive, and off-road software modes.
Road & Track described Subaru’s off-roading course as “limited,” offering some steep inclines, uneven areas, and other small challenges. They said that the Trailseeker has “reasonable” off-road ability, although they weren’t doing anything that challenging for a SUV marketed as rugged.
US News noted the Trailseeker’s power and smoothness on the road, but the off-roading seemed limited to simple dirt roads rather than rock climbing. They wrote: “You cannot go as far afield in this vehicle as you could in an Outback Wilderness and there is no underbody protection, but for forest or gravel roads, or moderate off-road trails, it’ll be fine.”
So, let’s be real. The Trailseeker can tackle some off-roading, but it’s not as rough-and-tumble as Subaru is claiming. And we’ve seen this time and time again with this new generation of EV. Toyota claimed that its bZ Woodland EV is focused on off-roading as well, but it’s not going to ever compare to gas-guzzling off-roaders. It also claimed its C-HR was sporty and it’s just a regular SUV. Dodge tried to recreate Charger with the similarly styled Daytona, but nobody wants a Charger without the roar of a V8.
Are any of these EVs bad? No, except maybe the Daytona .But they don’t fully deliver on the thing that makes the gas equivalent so special. The Trailseeker can drive on a dirt road and it has plastic cladding, so it’s not like it’s another featureless Tesla knockoff. But if you want to go off-roading, you’re still going to pick the Outback over it. But we’re getting somewhere with the EV market at least.
There’s a lot of reasons to pick the Trailseeker if you want to switch to electric. But off-roading is not one of them.
Technical Specs
| Engine Displacement | 74.7 kWh battery |
|---|---|
| Power (hp) | 375 |
| Curb Weight | 4,465 |
|---|---|
| Cargo Capacity (cu ft) | 31.3 |
| EV Range (miles) | 281 |
|---|
| Starting MSRP | $41,445 |
|---|
