Shockingly Capable Small, Electric SUV: 2026 Subaru Solterra EV Review

I’m 8,000 feet high in the Rocky Mountains, and I smell horses. I carefully turn the steering wheel and navigate the 2026 Subaru Solterra EV through tightly spaced lodgepole pines, then over a steep drop. As I wind through the working ranch, I grow increasingly impressed by this car that I may have earlier called “cute.”

No, it’s no truck. The 2026 Subaru Solterra is an EV first, and SUV second, and an “off-road” vehicle — whatever that means — a distant third.

But as I took it up and down steep slopes, over a dry river bed, and even over a convoluted section of offset bumps meant to take one wheel fully off the ground, I was shocked at this little car’s moxie. It was more than happy on rough road, gravel, and tricky trails that would make many drivers nervous.

In short: The 2026 Subaru Solterra drives easily in the city and on the highway with modern design and tools to assist drivers and make the commute as painless as possible. But those who venture into wild places on the weekend, it’s a little EV that can, offering reasonable cargo space and capable all-wheel drive. I came away from the test thinking it’ll be a wonderful option for many Denverites who commute daily but often hit ski resorts and mountain bike trails hours from the city.

2026 Subaru Solterra From Denver to the Mountains

It was a hot morning in Denver when I hopped into the base-level Premium 2026 Subaru Solterra. But one minute inside the vehicle, and I felt that it was anything but basic.

With the key in pocket, I pressed a button to start the vehicle, and a 14-inch multimedia screen flashed to life. I set the climate control, and the car began to quickly cool in the hot morning sun. It took a few moments to familiarize myself with the controls, as it was my first time in a Solterra. But after a few seconds, I’d adjusted the mirrors, adapted to the center-mounted drive controls, and was underway.

While the Solterra was a completely foreign car to me, it took almost no time to feel comfortable navigating the busy morning traffic in the city. The accelerator gave responsive, predictable input, and the car easily whizzed into my first merge onto a highway. I checked my speed, not wanting to push the speed limit. The SUV was surprisingly quick and felt smooth and quiet even at highway speeds.

A fellow journalist and I were off to Golden first, for a quick drive up a steep climb and winding roads. Here, the car showed off confidence, with smooth, predictable cornering ideal for a morning commute.

I’ll admit I was a little skeptical of the car at first. It looks nice, but very similar to the sea of small SUVs pulsing through the heart of every big city commute. While certainly an attractive vehicle, it isn’t one to raise eyebrows.

Yet I was starting to see the appeal.

Pavement, Gravel, and Ranch Dirt

The first 30 miles of driving covered a lot of pavement, and then some nicely maintained gravel roads. On these surfaces, the Solterra offered a quiet, easy driving experience that allowed my fellow traveler and me a quiet space to chat. The morning was clear and bright, and the roads relatively uncrowded as we wound up and through the Rocky Mountains.

I pushed the car a little harder into corners as we rounded onto gravel. I love driving gravel roads and have a lot of experience with full-size trucks ripping around backroads.

Try as I may to find fault with the Solterra, it didn’t give an inch. I pushed the accelerator as the car crossed a section of washboard road, and it absorbed the bumps admirably, the all-wheel-drive clawing up the incline. There was no familiar skittering of the rear, which I expect with decades of driving rear-wheel-drive pickups. It just went on up the hill, smooth and confident.

Yeah, I admitted to myself, I can see the appeal.

Next up, we arrived at a ranch where Subaru had set up an off-road test course. By now, I was comfortable that the car would handle modest offroading without much trouble. I was about to find out I was right.

Steep Driving and a Wheel in the Air

The off-road course wound through a stand of thick lodgepole pines. My first thought was about how narrow the road was, and how my F-150 would be really tight on that course. I’d have had a few multipoint turns to maneuver my big truck through the course, but the Solterra fit with no issue. A tight turning circle of 36.7 feet allowed the car to take tight bends among the narrow trails.

Next, I came to a steep decline. Here, I engaged the X-Mode, a button that engages a slow-speed traction control and hill assist system. I dropped the front of the lip of the hill and let off the accelerator. The car slowly walked itself down the rough, steep slope with no drama at all. “Very nice,” I thought.

An off-camber hill with some rocks proved that 8.3-inch clearance, while not exactly epic, was enough to keep the bottom clear on a fairly sketchy spot. Then, purpose-built rollers reinforced the notion that the car wouldn’t easily high-center. I scraped the bottom lightly on the dirt berms, but the car didn’t slow at all.

Then, the crux: six offset bumps challenged the X-Mode’s ability to send power to the tire that needed it most. Two bumps in, and my front corner tire was in the air, and then another bump, and the rear wheel left the ground. I stalled out and a tire spun, not able to pull me forward. I backed up and tried it again with a tad more speed. At probably 3 mph, the car crawled over the obstacle, wheels alternating into the air.

I was impressed. For a car that is right at home commuting to a city parking garage, the 2026 Subaru Solterra had just driven over a course that would give many vehicles a tough run. By now, I could see the appeal of this car, and exactly why many people will consider it.

2026 Subaru Solterra Review: A City Car at Home in the Dirt

The 2026 Subaru Solterra is an excellent car for people living in a city like Denver who want to spend weekends in nature.

During the week, you get an electric vehicle that will cost very little to operate, considering the 117-120 combined mpg rating and minimal maintenance required of an EV. The plush yet utilitarian interior is a nice place to spend a half-hour on the road with your morning coffee. It’s quiet, and the driver’s assist systems will help a tired commuter feel a little safer and more alert with regular “eyes on the road” reminders.

But that’s not why you buy a vehicle like a Solterra. There are lots of nice EVs that’ll take you to the office.

Where the Solterra stands apart is through its admittedly modest off-road capabilities. Will it replace a Tacoma or Bronco? Absolutely not. But what it will do is carry you and your family up I-70 and through a rough forest road to a remote wilderness campsite. It’ll take you a lot of places I wouldn’t even consider driving a Prius, and do it with even better fuel efficiency.

Of course, it’s electric. For me, that could pose problems when facing long drives to remote places with zero electric outlets. But as charging times shrink, and with a little more advanced planning, I think these challenges are surmountable.

Is the Solterra an off-road vehicle? Not really. It won’t take you wheeling on the Rubicon trail, and I’m pretty sure it would get stuck if I tried to take it to a lot of my hunting spots. But that’s not the job Subaru built this vehicle for.

Subaru built a pleasant, efficient vehicle that can reach the vast majority of outdoor destinations, even in bad weather. For people living in the urban jungle, but playing in the great outdoors, it should be high on the list.