Car Reviews
Subaru Trailseeker EV – SERENITY? NOW!
Subaru Trailseeker EV
SERENITY? NOW!
My friend and txGarage contributor Alan Pease and I have a lot in common. Alan likes and owns motorcycles, while I like and would love to own a motorcycle. He lives in Austin and I’ve wanted (since the ‘80s) to live in Austin. And Alan enjoys a real loyalty to Subaru, while I’ve owned Subarus in the past – and will undoubtedly own one in the not-too-distant future. Subarus often pop up in our conversation, and whether it’s the WRX (Alan) or Crosstrek Hybrid (your correspondent) representing our current fixations, there’s one attribute underpinning our collective enthusiasm: Subaru’s all-road capability. And the newest entry in that all-road menu is Subaru’s aptly named Trailseeker, the company’s new battery electric.
As I’ve written, these are interesting times to launch an EV. With the expiration of federal incentives, the net cost for almost all EVs is higher. And although range anxiety is often overstated, it seems to have taken hold faster than EV range – as a category – has been extended. But new EVs continue to hit showrooms, and one of the more recent is Subaru’s Trailseeker, sharing the 21st century showroom with Subaru’s earlier EV entrant, the Solterra and newly introduced Uncharted. Yep. Uncharted.
The overriding impression of the new Trailseeker (beyond the tag – Trailseeker?) is its wagon-like proportions. While the new-for-’26 Outback has taken on the two box, high profile proportions of a more traditional SUV, the Trailseeker arrives looking like a Subaru take on a Volvo wagon. To be sure, there’s more ground clearance here (along with more design input from the folks at Rubbermaid), but it’s definitely wagon-like in a way that a trad SUV will never be. And as a fan of wagons, I like its lower roof height (easier to put something up there!), easier step-in and elongated – without being too long – proportions. Despite roughly 8.5 inches of logging trail ground clearance there’s a carlike vibe here. And if you like cars – as I continue to do – you’ll be impressed with the Trailseeker’s proportions and relatively restrained details.
Inside, our Touring trim offered generous room front and rear, while its gray perforated leather enclosed comfortable buckets in front and room for your three youngsters – or two big booster seats – in the rear. A small instrument panel is immediately in front of the driver, while infotainment is housed in a desktop-sized screen immediately to the driver’s right. It’s not as big as you see in Teslas, but it ain’t far behind. The good news: The combo of infotainment and ventilation is intuitive, but I continue to wonder why screens have to dominate the modern dashboard.
The Trailseeker’s interior room and comfort are augmented by good outward visibility, along with 30 cubic feet of space behind the second row, and 72 cubic feet if that second row is folded. This is real room, and while that load floor won’t accommodate a 4’X8’ sheet of plywood, it should handle almost anything else your Home Depot can throw at it.
If there’s disappointment, it’s with the relatively hard plastics and – in general – a distinct lack of visual pop within the Trailseeker’s interior space. I wasn’t expecting something Audi-esque, but if Subaru were to take that Volvo comparo inside, they could create a space more welcoming than what they currently spec. The current deliverable is easier to justify on the lower end of the trim ladder than it is on the almost $50K asked for the Touring.
The Trailseeker is propelled by two electric (synchronous electric!) motors, one front and one rear, for a combined output of 375 horsepower. That power is distributed to all four corners of the Trailseeker via Subaru’s Symmetrical all-wheel drive. The combo offers some real get-up-and-go, delivering 60 miles per hour – according to Car and Driver – in under four seconds (Thrillseeker?), and the 1/4-mile in 12.5 seconds. This is comfortably quick, and – like many other EV powertrains – absolutely serene. It’s amazing how relaxed you feel when acceleration is immediate, and only suffer the subsequent anxiety when (inevitably) you’re handcuffed and told to duck. The stated range is 274 miles, while I saw just under 250 with a 100% charge, and Car and Driver was able to find 190 miles of range at 75 miles per hour. I’d hope that within the next couple of model years Subaru and its competitive segment would all find 300 miles of real driving range; you may not need it, but it would constitute a psychological boost, especially for a platform with a get-off-the-grid premise.
At the end of a week there’s a lot to like. Not only are the Trailseeker’s proportions car-like, but so is the feel behind the wheel. Cornering is relatively flat, steering direct and braking predictable. This isn’t – and won’t pretend to be – a track day weapon, but with 3,500 pounds of towing capability, it could comfortably tow your track day weapon to – you know – the track.
There will be a time – in the time I have left! – to park an EV on one side of the garage, and Subaru’s Trailseeker would be a viable choice! If we had a Car of the Year trophy, I could easily hand it to the Trailseeker team…if, of course, they can get off the trail.
