LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. — Subaru of America doesn’t think it is late to the EV party with the introduction of its two new battery electric vehicles: the 2026 Subaru Uncharted and 2026 Subaru Trailseeker.
On the contrary, the timing hits the sweet spot for an increasing number of loyal customers who are clamoring for earth-friendly SUVs, said Garrick Goh, car line planning manager, Trailseeker, at Subaru of America.
“A little more than a third of current Subaru customers would consider an EV for their next car,” Goh told a group of media gathered for a recent test drive. “It's not all of them. Some of them would not consider it. Some of them want hybrid. Some of them want gas. But quite a bit of our customers are interested in EVs, and we see that growing in the future.”
Subaru is prepared to take advantage of the increased demand thanks, in part, to its alliance with Toyota Motor Corp., which dates back to 2005.
The two automakers have previously worked together on two vehicles — Subaru Solterra/Toyota bz and Subaru Uncharted/Toyota C-HR — and evenly split the costs of development, human resources, engineering and design for them.
The 2026 Subaru Trailseeker is a departure from that approach, as it marks Subaru’s first global BEV produced at its own facility. The vehicle will be produced at its Gunma Yajima Plant in February 2026, about 60 miles north of Tokyo.
“For Trailseeker, it's a little bit different,” Goh said. “Toyota and Subaru split a lot of the development as well, with Subaru doing additional development for the all-wheel-drive system and the ride and handling, some of the NVH and some of the engineering on the back section of the car. And we also do manufacture this one ourselves at one of our plants.”
The Trailseeker is available in Premium starting at $39,995, Limited starting at $43,995 and Touring starting at $46,555. Add $1,450 to each for destination and handling.
First drive: Trailseeker and Uncharted offer uncompromised capability
Subaru never shies away from showing off its off-road prowess, and this test drive was no different. Despite considerable rain the day before the drive, the automaker took us to Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park to play in the mud in both models.
The day’s driving began in a refined Subaru Uncharted GT. A few curvy roads gave us a chance to experience the active cornering assist.
Subaru loves its Subaru Eyesight driver-assist safety technology. So do we, but the front cross-traffic alert actually seemed a bit too enthusiastic and distracted us several times.
Once we got to the off-road course, we found the Uncharted proved as capable as the Trailseeker in tackling steep hills and rutted terrain.
The Trailseeker features 8.5 inches of ground clearance and X-MODE Dual-Mode System with Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud Modes, Grip Control and Downhill Assist Control for off-road driving. It also offers 375 horsepower and 0-60 mph acceleration in 4.4 seconds — making it the quickest production Subaru model sold in the U.S. yet — and about 281 miles of estimated range on a single charge.
Subaru engineers refined the Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive system to deliver excellent straight-line stability and control on varying surfaces. That’s due to acceleration sensors at the front and rear of the 2026 Trailseeker, which adapt to dynamic load while accelerating, braking or turning and help power the correct wheels for improved traction and stability.
Once we left the park, we traded the Uncharted GT for a Trailseeker Touring. It handled the pavement as well as it did the mud.
How the Uncharted compares to the very popular Crosstrek
While one is BEV and the other is hybrid, there are some similarities between the two vehicles, said Chris Charles, car line planning manager, Uncharted, Subaru of America.
“Crosstrek is one of our highest-volume car lines by our buyers [who] specifically seek it out for its right sizing, maneuverability, styling and design, and Uncharted also hits on a lot of these key metrics as well as performance,” Charles said. “When we look at overall EV intenders, the top three considerations are driving range, trust of brand and price, and we feel that Uncharted checks all three of these boxes.”
The Uncharted is about an inch and a half longer than the Crosstrek while its wheelbase is three inches longer.
"So that does give it more interior space, and it also has a shorter front and rear overhang,” Charles said. “However, even with a longer wheelbase, Uncharted’s turning radius is still identical to Crosstrek, and it has excellent maneuverability.”
Surprising note: Subaru offers FWD option to Uncharted
For a company that built its brand on AWD, it might be surprising to find a front-wheel drive option.
The 2026 Subaru Uncharted is available in three trim levels: the entry-level Premium FWD, Sport and GT. The entry-level trim is the only option offered as FWD, as the Sport and GT come with AWD.
“It wasn't an easy decision,” Charles said. “But when we look at this segment and what people are looking for, as far as affordability and range, there's only kind of so many levers that you can pull to try and achieve that.”
The FWD will be offered in limited quantities, mostly for customers who are looking for a less expensive vehicle, he said. It starts at $34,995 MSRP, the lowest entry price across Subaru’s EV lineup, plus $1,450 destination and delivery. Sport starts at $39,795 and GT starts at $43,795.
“We always ask how much they value all-wheel drive, if they could be okay without it,” Charles said. “Some say yes. So I think for us, it was trying to hit that affordable value proposition and price point and also that longer range. So you can order this car in all 50 states, but it's primarily expected to be sold in California.”
The FWD model has an estimated range of more than 300 miles and 221 horsepower. The Sport and GT models are equipped with standard Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive with X-MODE, and have a respectable estimated range of 285 miles along with more significantly more power — 338 horsepower.
