The Electric Crosstrek Everyone’s Sleeping On

Modern electric vehicles subscribe to one of two philosophies. Some play up the nature of their technology, behaving and operating in ways that are totally foreign to gas-powered cars because they’re not gas-powered cars, and therefore must be used with different considerations in mind. Others are designed to feel mostly traditional, pursuing a sense of familiarity for their owners, and more or less masquerade as normal cars that just so happen to be battery-powered.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches, and neither is perfectly right or wrong, but the 2027 Subaru Uncharted is definitively the second kind of EV. And that’s why I like it.

The Uncharted is the smallest of Subaru’s three electric SUVs, repackaging the guts of the Solterra into a shorter footprint with a sleeker roofline. It starts at $36,445 including destination, and its only drivetrain option is a 221-horsepower electric motor mounted on the front axle.

That’s not the Uncharted you see here, though; I drove the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive GT variant that makes 338 hp and 323 lb-ft of torque. It cost quite a bit more than that—$45,720, to be precise. Every Uncharted comes equipped with a 74.7-kWh battery and, when paired with the dual-motor powertrain, it’s rated for up to 287 miles on a full charge. (It should be said that this GT model, with its larger alloys, promises only 273 miles. They look nice, but they’re not worth 14 miles on a full battery.)

Especially tuned-in readers will note the similarities between Subaru’s smallest EV and Toyota’s smallest EV, the C-HR. The key difference is that Subaru sells a front-wheel-drive Uncharted, while the C-HR starts at a higher price, as it only comes in dual-motor form. A bit odd, since you’d expect Subaru to be the carmaker to exclusively offer an all-wheel-drive version of something, but here we are.

The Uncharted is not a vehicle that’s getting a ton of buzz, and while I don’t think it’s a revelation or anything, it does offer plenty to like. I find it looks quite sharp, particularly from the rear three-quarters perspective, with its kicked-up haunches and tapered roofline. This GT model is also decent fun to drive—it’s nearly a whole second faster to 60 mph from a standstill than a WRX—with a comfortable, quiet ride and eager steering. Yeah, it rolls a lot when changing direction and weighs about 4,500 pounds, so it’s no WRX in the canyons, but it is nevertheless a fun, peppy daily.

It’s also pretty efficient. Sure, there are some people who would scoff at any EV that returns less than 300 miles on a full charge; on that note, the range-obsessed should know that the FWD Uncharted promises 308 miles. But this spicier version still easily delivered 4 miles per kWh on average without breaking a sweat during the week I had it, which is very solid. It also tops up at 11 kW through a Level 2 charger, which is better than the pre-refresh Solterra’s 7.6 kW, and up to 150 kW over Level 3 DC, all through a NACS port. That’s even with the new Chevy Bolt, but well behind the 350-kW Hyundai Ioniq 5.

Inside the cabin is where Subaru (and Toyota) demonstrate the most room for improvement. I don’t hate the positioning of the digital instrument cluster or how simple and easy to parse that display is, but surely they could’ve positioned it in a way where the top of the steering wheel didn’t obstruct it as easily. The Uncharted also heavily relies on its touchscreen for almost everything, including climate, but this infotainment system—which is really Toyota’s—is inconsistent. While I appreciate that it’s pretty straightforward to navigate, it’s also sluggish and messy, with many settings that aren’t explained well. Fonts straight up fail to load in the built-in navigation at times. At least you get those neat dual-zone temperature dials that incorporate the screen.

I like the steering wheel, which I’ve talked about before, and I really like the regen paddles, which let you modulate the strength of off-throttle energy recapture without digging through software menus. No, there’s no one-pedal driving mode in this car, and I suppose if that’s a dealbreaker for you, there are other options on the market. Personally, I’m totally fine with that, and I love the degree of granularity in stopping power the paddles provide.

On the flip side, the football-field expanse of differently textured plastics staring back at you from the driver’s seat is an unavoidable reminder that you’re sitting in a cheap EV, and there was absolutely no need for Subaru to devote so much otherwise useful center-console space to a pair of wireless phone chargers that 1) are anemically slow and 2) don’t keep anything in place. If they’d used the Qi 2 system with its integrated magnets, as Nissan has, I’d be more receptive to the idea.

Overall, though, what I genuinely like about the Uncharted is that it’s not different for the sake of being different. It’s pretty much as approachable as a normal car. Aspects like switching drive modes and nudging regen up or down are all done with paddles and buttons, not rendered in toggles buried in layers of menus. On top of that, it’s efficient, snappy, comfortable, and fairly sharp-looking. It’s not quite the value that the Bolt is—and, as with the Bolt, I wish it had a frunk—but I enjoy driving and using it much more, and I think it’s being slept on. Maybe Subaru doesn’t need three EVs in its lineup, but I’m still glad this one exists.

Subaru provided The Drive with a seven-day loan of this vehicle for the purpose of writing this review.

2026 Subaru Uncharted Specs

Quick Take

The Subaru Uncharted isn’t the best value among entry-level EVs, but it is a fun, attractive, and very solid all-rounder that is remarkably easy to wrap your head around, in a way more EVs should try to be.