Payne: Stylish Subaru Uncharted EV a hard sell next to Crosstrek ICE

Posted by Talbot Payne on March 5, 2026

The 2026 Subaru Uncharted is a subcompact, electric SUV that parallels the gas-powered Crosstrek.

The 2026 Subaru Uncharted is a subcompact, electric SUV that parallels the gas-powered Crosstrek.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Orange County, California — You know the popular subcompact Subaru Crosstrek. Now meet its electric doppelganger, the Uncharted.

I entered Interstate 5 North at San Juan Capistrano into dense, midday California traffic. ZOT! I merged with authority despite wet pavement. ZOT! I shot the gap between two cars into the middle lane. ZOT! I was in the left lane, adaptive cruise control set at 75 mph. It’s good to have instant electric torque in a 338-horsepower, all-wheel-drive Subaru.

The much-ballyhooed electric revolution of the 2020s has fizzled to a niche market, with EVs settling in at about 5-8% of U.S. sales. But for niche makers like Subie, the EV niche is opportunity.

The Japanese company’s off-road green brand has attracted a core of all-season, off-road tree-huggers who crave EVs at higher rates than mainstream mega-brands. We’re talking 37% of customers interested in buying an EV versus, say, Chevrolet at 23%.

So Subaru has invested in three EVs that parallel the brand’s most popular gas models: the $41,445 Trailseeker (across from gas Outback), $39,945 Solterra (boxy, gas Forester sibling), and the $36,445 Uncharted (gas Crosstrek hatchback sibling).

Read full article here.

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