Mysterious-sounding new Subaru is actually another electric SUV based on a Toyota
In reality, the Subaru Uncharted treads familiar ground. It's a mid-size electric SUV, designed to be more sporty than intrepid, but it still has quite the mountain to climb because it's going to rival to our 2025 Car of the Year, the Skoda Elroq - as well as the Kia EV3, Renault Scenic and many others.
Subaru won't be the brand that springs immediately to mind when talking about EVs, but the Uncharted is the third electric SUV the Japanese firm has revealed to date. The larger Subaru Solterra arrived first in 2022, with the new facelifted version due early next year. The Uncharted should appear around the same time and the more estate car-like Subaru E-Outback, which was only unveiled a couple of months ago as the Subaru Trailseeker, is landing next summer.
Just as the Subaru Solterra is a re-nosed Toyota bZ4X, the Uncharted is a lightly tweaked version of the Toyota C-HR+. The main difference, aside from the badges on the nose, is a new front end design that borrows styling cues like the six-element daytime running lights from the E-Outback. The front and rear bumpers and the tail-lights are slightly different too, there's more plastic cladding along the doors, plus fresh 18 to 20-inch wheel designs. Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below
The interior on the other hand is identical to that of the Uncharted's Toyota twin. Sitting atop the dashboard is a 7.0-inch instrument display, which drivers have to look over the steering wheel to see - like in the Solterra. Meanwhile, the impressive 14-inch central touchscreen offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and has two physical rotary dials for the cabin temperature - a handy touch borrowed from the Lexus NX.
There's an array of physical buttons on the steering wheel, plus paddles to adjust the strength of regenerative braking. There are more buttons on the floating centre console along with dual wireless charging pads, a rotary gear selector and a large storage space underneath.
Three versions of the Uncharted will be offered however, controversially, most models don't feature Subaru's trademark symmetrical all-wheel drive. Front-wheel drive variants use either a 57.7kWh battery that can provide up to 276 miles of range, or a 77kWh battery good for up to 363 miles from a single charge, which is on par with the Elroq and EV3.
At least the top-spec model does get a dual-motor set-up for all-wheel drive and a total power output of 343bhp, allowing it to do 0-62mph in exactly five seconds and tow up to 1,500kg. It features the larger battery pack for up to 292 miles of range. A 10 to 80 per cent top-up should take half an hour according to Subaru, thanks to a 150kW maximum charging speed.
Because the Subaru Uncharted isn't due to go on sale in the UK until early next year, pricing and specifications haven't been confirmed yet but we'd be surprised if it didn't start from around £37,000 in order to be eligible for the government's new EV grant.
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