Quick, Roomy, Value Priced: 2026 Subaru Trailseeker Review

Subaru’s research shows that 37% of its owners would consider an EV as their next vehicle. As such, it is filling out its lineup of EVs. Uncharted, Solterra, and Trailseeker are the EVs, mirroring the Crosstrek, Forester, and Outback gas-vehicle lineup.

Subaru invited me to Southern California to test the largest of its EVs, the 2026 Trailseeker. I drove it for half a day across a wide range of conditions, including city traffic, interstate, a muddy off-road course, and very wet, windy backroads. I came away from the experience with he feeling that many Subaru faithful will be very happy with this new vehicle.

In short: If you’re looking for an electric vehicle (EV) that offers off-pavement capability and room to carry all your stuff, the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker is for you. It’s also quite quick and is value-priced on today’s EV market. Besides an annoying hard-plastic center console that encroaches on your leg room, limited driving range, a busy gauge cluster, and it feeling more Toyota than Subaru, there’s not much to complain about here.

2026 Subaru Trailseeker Review

The Trailseeker is a longer, more wagon-like Solterra. It drives and handles very similarly, as it is effectively a Solterra to the C-pillar.

The smallest member of Subaru’s EV lineup is the Uncharted. It is also very similar to the Trailseeker in terms of interior and functionality, but it does use different electric motors, making it slower.

Trailseeker is the most fun of the bunch off-road, as it allows you to turn off more electronic nannies and get more wheelspin and slip angle. This means hooning is on tap with the Trailseeker.

It comes in three trim levels, Premium, Limited, and Touring, and pricing starts just over $40K. It also has a lot of quality standard features that Subaru owners will want: ladder-style roof rack, rear wiper, headlight washers, 3,500-pound towing capacity, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and more.

Is It a Toyota?

Trailseeker offers Subaru front-end styling, badges, off-road driving aids, and pricing, but the rest is all Toyota. That’s not surprising, as it was developed in collaboration with Toyota, but is being built by Subaru. Interestingly, its sibling, the Toyota bZ Woodland (also being built by Subaru), gets Subaru’s X-Mode and Grip Mode off-road driving aid terminology. A note for context: 20% of Subaru is owned by Toyota, its largest shareholder.

I’d argue that the Subaru Trailseeker has much better front-end styling than its Toyota sibling. But, the rest of the exterior and the interior of both vehicles are extremely similar.

Performance

Behind the wheel and with the right pedal mashed to the floor, this 375-horsepower wagon-like SUV gets to 60 mph from a standstill in just 4.4 seconds. Yes, that’s quick, and feels so. The Trailseeker feels light and responsive, but it is pretty large and numb in terms of feedback. Luckily, it has a pretty large greenhouse, so visibility is good.

The two–electric-motor symmetric AWD system not only helps the Trailseeker off-road and during weather events, but also helps launch it off the line and pull it through corners.

Sadly, its driving range on a single charge is under 300 miles. While not horrible, you’d think an EV debuting in 2026 would have more range than ones that debuted over a decade ago.

The Tesla-style NACS charge port is now standard, and the Trailseeker comes with adaptors to charge just about anywhere. Battery preconditioning is now also standard, so with a fast charger, a 10% to 80% charge can be completed in as little as 28 minutes. As with range, not inspiring, but acceptable.

Capability

Whether tackling pothole-riddled city streets or remote forest service roads, the Trailseeker’s 8.5 inches of ground clearance and flat underbelly come in handy. While the vehicle has very little wheel travel or articulation, it does impressively find traction without much drama.

Dual-function X-Mode is standard. It offers Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud driving modes, but they only work up to 25 mph. Grip Control is also standard, and is basically off-road cruise control. It only works under 7 mph. Downhill Assist Control is also standard equipment on Trailseeker.

The multi-terrain monitor camera system works quite well. It even has a see-through hood view, which can be handy when off-road. In order to use the full camera system, you must be in X-Mode.

When off the pavement, the low-rolling resistance all-season tires do let this vehicle down. Even at full-street pressures, the sidewalls have lots of flex. All-terrain tires aren’t — yet — offered from the factory.

Carry All the Stuff

Trailseeker and bZ Woodland are the only vehicles in the EV AWD segment to include a ladder-style roof rack as standard equipment. With 176 pounds of capacity when going down the road, and 700 when static, it should work well for all your bulky adventure gear or a roof-top tent.

If you need cargo space in your EV, the Trailseeker is a great option, as it has the most cargo volume in its class. It has a large opening and is able to fit a full-sized dog crate. Only the Outback has more cargo room in the Subaru lineup.

While other EVs offer a pet/dog mode to keep your furry friends comfortable in the vehicle while you’re out running errands, Subaru hasn’t yet introduced such a feature.

All the Features

Of course, this modern vehicle is packed with safety features, ways to charge all your devices, and a big infotainment screen. You can even get it with a 110V power outlet in the trunk, ventilated front seats, and heated rear seats.

The driver gauge cluster is very Toyota. It’s also in an odd location and has a bit of a messy display with all sorts of info scattered across it.

On offer are six exterior colors. With the white paint, you can opt for a black roof for that two-tone look. Inside, there are three interior colors to choose from: black, white, or blue.

Pricing & Availability

Trailseeker offers very competitive pricing in the mid-sized AWD SUV category, and is priced considerably below its Toyota bZ Woodland sibling. With the $1,450 destination charge included, pricing for the Premium model starts at $41,445.

For about $4K more, you can upgrade to the Limited model, which gets you a liftgate with kick sensor, 20-inch wheels, Harman Kardon audio, Multi-terrain monitor system, a 1,500W 120V outlet, a heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, and a power passenger seat.

Add another $2.5K, and you can step up to the top-of-the-line Touring. That adds features such as a panoramic glass roof, ventilated front seats, a digital rear-view mirror, radiant leg heaters, available two-tone Crystal White paint, and available blue leather interior.

I drove a Touring model in “Daybreak Blue Pearl” with a sticker price of $48,700. The paint added $395, and leather upholstery added another $300 to the base Touring package. I must admit that I really liked the blue leather interior, but not so much the white in my tester. And, I loved the radiant leg heaters — a unique feature that really worked to quickly warm the front occupants up. The 2026 Subaru Trailseeker hits North American dealer lots in April.

2026 Subaru Trailseeker Review: Conclusions

The 2026 Subaru Trailseeker is more efficient than its competitors, offers more ground clearance, and weighs less. It also has a very competitive AWD EV starting price and is very quick. It could use some more range, better tires, a cleaner driver gauge cluster, and a less intrusive center console.

With all that said, I have little doubt that the Trailseeker will be a hit with Subaru fans looking for an EV. And, it will likely even attract a few new Subaru buyers with its attractive pricing and utility.