New Subaru Trailseeker puts all-electric spin on the trusty Outback’s formula

The all-new Subaru Trailseeker has been revealed at the New York Auto Show. This is the outdoorsy-obsessed brand’s second electric SUV, but the first it has designed in-house, and is more focused on versatility and off-road capability.

Compared with the newly refreshed Subaru Solterra EV, the Trailseeker has a much boxier, more estate car-like shape, which will be familiar to the brand’s more loyal customers, as it is similar to that of the long-serving Subaru Outback. In fact, the pair are very similar in size as well.

The Trailseeker was revealed alongside the facelifted Solterra in New York, with the two cars sporting the same six-element headlight signature and nose design. Both cars also have exactly 210mm of ground clearance. But the Trailseeker adds faux skid plates to both ends, roof rails and large sections of black plastic cladding just about everywhere to make it look more rugged.

Inside, the Trailseeker features a 14-inch touchscreen – the largest Subaru has ever fitted to a car – with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, plus physical dials for adjusting the cabin temperature. There’s also a small instrument display mounted on the dashboard, and a rotary gear selector on the centre console.

Underneath, it sits on an updated version of the e-SGP (Subaru Global Platform), which is designed to deliver better range when cruising on the motorway, less noise and vibrations, plus improved handling. 

The Trailseeker’s chassis and powertrain have also been tuned to handle going off-road in various tough conditions, plus drivers will be able to select different modes for handling Snow/Dirt or Deep Snow/Mud, plus there’s a ‘downhill assist control’ function.

This being a Subaru, the Trailseeker will come as standard with permanent, symmetrical all-wheel drive courtesy of two e-motors – one on each axle. Combined power output is rated at 375bhp, while 0-60mph supposedly takes just 4.4 seconds.

The 74.7kWh battery pack also provides up to 260 miles of range on the American EPA test cycle, although we expect the figure to climb to around 300 miles on the WLTP standard used in Europe. Meanwhile, recharging from 10 to 80 per cent should take less than 35 minutes, with the car’s pre-conditioning function activated ahead of time.

Subaru says the Trailseeker will boast more luggage capacity than the Solterra, but an exact figure hasn’t been provided yet. There’s also no frunk or storage under the bonnet, as that space is taken up by the front-mounted e-motor and other gubbins.

The Trailseeker will go on sale in the UK in mid-2026, but it’s possible it will wear a different name. We wouldn’t be surprised if it was called something like ‘E-Outback’ as the new seventh-generation, petrol-powered Outback isn’t coming here.

Subaru says it will have four electric models on sale globally by the end of next year, and we’ll be seeing its third EV in the coming months, although details about it are still thin on the ground.

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