Not very agricultural

Ironically, that extra refinement makes the Solterra feel less like a true Subaru, at least to me. Its distinctive boxer engines aren’t the most refined in the world, but they do add character, as does the mechanical all-wheel drive. Here, the drive experience is rather anodyne, albeit entirely acceptable for a daily driver.

In any case, it usually only takes a false alarm from the overeager EyeSight driver assist to remind you that, as with the Chevy Blazer/Honda Prologue pair, some automaker quirks still cross badge-engineered boundaries.

While the extra power of the XT lets it sprint to 60 mph (97 km/h) in less than five seconds, I’m not sure I ever really needed the extra power over the regular car. Then again, I was entirely content with the front-wheel-drive, single-motor bZ—late spring in the Washington area doesn’t require much all-wheel drive. But if you want a FWD Subaru EV, you’re limited to the smaller Uncharted; all Solterras are AWD.

The Solterra now boasts a native NACS port, which replaces the previous model year’s CCS1 socket, and DC fast charging tops out at 150 kW rather than the old car’s 100 kW. Subaru says a 10–80 percent charge should take as little as 30 minutes, and you can now manually precondition the battery for optimal fast-charging performance. However, if you pull up to a charger with more than 50 percent state of charge, as I did, you should expect things to take a little longer.

In terms of value, the Solterra XT might be a wash with the top-spec bZ Limited. The Subaru has a bit more power and a little less range for a few hundred dollars less. And like the bZ, it’s a solid driving appliance. But now that the brand has an electric don’t-call-it-an-Outback Trailseeker, will any Subaru buyers really want the Solterra anymore? I’m not so sure.