This review focuses on the entry-level Subaru Trailseeker AWD, the $63,990 starting point of Subaru’s new electric wagon range. Here is the short version: it is the fastest production Subaru ever sold in Australia, it is the driver’s pick of its class, and in a small act of pricing comedy the cheaper car is also the longer-range one. A few hard runs up and down the east coast out of Sydney tell you quickly whether a car is a relaxed long-hauler or a chore, and this one had me reaching for the keys.
It lands in the busy mid-to-large electric SUV class, up against the Kia EV5, the Tesla Model Y and Toyota’s own bZ4X, with which it quietly shares some DNA. Where that segment long ago decided every electric SUV should be a tall, upright crossover, the Trailseeker goes the other way. It is long, low and wide, a proper wagon, and it is all the better for it. At $63,990 before on-road costs, or about $69,000 drive-away depending on your state, it undercuts the performance it delivers by a comfortable margin.
| The Good | The Not-So-Good |
|---|---|
| Australia’s fastest-ever Subaru. 280kW, 0 to 100km/h in about 4.5 seconds, and genuinely fun in every drive mode. | Regen braking is mild even on its strongest setting. There is no proper one-pedal mode if you like to drive on the throttle. |
| Stays flat and composed for a tall two-tonne wagon, with a real off-road mode and 211mm of clearance. A true all-rounder. | Interface niggles: a persistent reverse beep, settings you cannot reach while CarPlay is running, and audio tuning buried in the menus. |
| Looks and feels like a $70,000 to $80,000 car for $63,990, and the base AWD is both the longest-range and cheapest to service. | No spare wheel, just a puncture kit, on a car sold on adventure. A couple of ergonomic quirks also take a week to click. |
What does the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker look like?
The best angle is the side. In a market awash with identical upright crossovers, a long, low electric wagon genuinely stops you, simply because you barely see the shape anymore. The sculpted bonnet, the raked roofline and the near full-width rear light bar give it a presence that reads as expensive, and the wide track makes it look planted before it has turned a wheel. Subaru offers it in six colours, and to my eye it looks best in Crystal White Pearl or one of the blues. The base AWD rides on 18-inch alloys rather than the Touring’s 20s, and they suit it fine. I drove both at the launch and barely felt the difference, so there is no need to covet the bigger wheels.
What is the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker like inside?
The cabin is the part that quietly justifies the price. It is modern and calm, with a 14-inch touchscreen, a 7-inch digital driver’s display and a refreshingly clutter-free layout, and crucially Subaru has kept physical controls for the things you actually use, like climate, volume and the drive modes. The materials feel a clear notch above the money. I will admit the high-set driver’s display and the squared-off steering wheel put me off on day one, but they clicked within a week. The flat top of the wheel and the raised display mean you glance down a fraction from the road rather than peering through the rim at the speedo, the way you do in so many cars, and the flat bottom makes it far easier for a taller driver to fold in without knocking the wheel on the way past.
Storage
Up front there is a deep centre console box, a pair of cup holders, big door bins with bottle holders and, the detail I ended up loving most, dual wireless chargers that physically grip the phone. It sounds like a gimmick until you take a roundabout with enthusiasm and your phone has not catapulted into the footwell. Two USB-C ports up front keep the rest of the family powered.
Rear seat and boot space
The flat-floor EV platform pays off in the back. There is no transmission tunnel, so the centre seat gets a proper footwell, and the rear is genuinely adult-friendly for the class. Rear passengers get their own vents, two more USB-C ports and heated outboard seats, which is generous on the base car. The boot is a usable, level 609 litres with the seats up, and folding the 60/40 split rear bench opens up a long, near-flat load bay. Subaru has not published a seats-down figure, but I loaded the Trailseeker up over the week and never once found it wanting.
Technology and connectivity
The 14-inch screen runs wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sat-nav, DAB+ digital radio and Bluetooth, and it is quick and bright enough in daylight. The 7-inch instrument display ahead of the driver keeps the speed, range and drive mode clean and fast to read. A digital rear-view mirror swaps the reflection for a camera feed, so a full boot or a head in the back never blocks the view rearward. The base AWD gets a six-speaker system rather than the Touring’s Harman Kardon setup, which is the one obvious place Subaru reminds you which variant you are in. My honest niggles all live in here too. The reverse beep is relentless, you cannot dig into vehicle settings while CarPlay or Android Auto is mirroring, and the audio tuning is buried deeper in the menus than it should be.
One-Touch Features
- Grip Control crawl: an X-Mode trick that holds a steady 2 to 10km/h over rough ground, so you steer and it manages the rest.
- Hands-free power tailgate: a kick under the bumper opens the boot when both arms are full.
- Magnetic wireless chargers: two pads that actually hold the phone in place through a corner.
Engine and drivetrain
Under the skin sit two permanent-magnet synchronous motors, one on each axle, making 167kW apiece for a combined 280kW. That is the headline: more power than a WRX, in a family wagon. The 74.7kWh CATL battery is mounted low in the e-Subaru Global Platform floor, and it feeds Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, here in dual-motor electric form with a predictive torque system working away in the background. Charging is handled over CCS2 at up to 150kW DC, which takes the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in about 30 minutes, a figure that held up accurately the couple of times I fast-charged it. AC charging runs at 7kW on single-phase or 22kW on three-phase. One opportunistic top-up summed up EV ownership nicely: I plugged in at the shops, did half an hour of groceries, and came back to a healthy charge, 52.57kWh for $39.42 on a premium public rate.
What’s the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker like to drive?
This is where it wins you over. You can absolutely feel the 280kW. Slot it into Power mode and it is properly quick off the line, with a snappy, instant response at low speed that never gets old in traffic. Eco mode softens the throttle noticeably without ever feeling sluggish, and you can sense the car change character between the two. What surprised me most was the body control. We took these to a racetrack at the launch, and a tall two-tonne wagon has no business cornering this flat, yet there was no roll worth mentioning, the low-slung battery doing exactly what physics promises. The steering is light but informative, so you still feel the road, and the safety systems are present without being naggy, which is rarer than it should be. Off the tarmac it simply cruises over the bumps, and X-Mode with its added Grip Control is genuinely useful rather than a brochure line. On the launch I got a lap alongside Dakar champion Toby Price, who reckoned it put a smile on his face. Having driven it on road and off, I cannot argue. The one flat note is the regen braking. Even on its strongest setting it is gentler than rivals, so there is no true one-pedal feel. I ended up running it off, where it coasts freely, or on one bar, where it slows just enough to feel like it is in gear.
Safety features
The Trailseeker carries a 5-star ANCAP rating, awarded off testing of the closely related European Subaru and Toyota’s bZ4X. Subaru Safety Sense is standard across the range, and on the road the assistance systems strike a sensible balance, helping without hectoring. Highlights include:
- Pre-Collision System, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control and Lane Tracing Assist.
- Blind Spot Monitor, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Safe Exit Assist.
- A Panoramic 360 Degree View Monitor, Front View Monitor and front and rear parking sensors.
- A Driver Monitor System for distraction and drowsiness, plus seven airbags including a front centre bag.
Owner benefits
Ownership is where Subaru quietly makes its case. The Trailseeker comes with a 5-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, an 8-year or 160,000km warranty on the high-voltage battery, and 12 months of roadside assistance. Servicing is the kicker. Visits fall every 12 months or 15,000km, and the five capped-price services over the program total just $984.18, or under $200 a year. For an electric car that is barely more than the cost of keeping the tyres in good nick.
Final thoughts
The Trailseeker is the rare car that refuses to make you choose. It is the fastest Subaru ever sold here, it handles like something far smaller and lighter, it will tackle a dirt road without flinching, and it still swallows a family and their gear with 533km of range and pocket-money servicing. Who is it for? In Zac’s words from the interview, it is for the person who enjoys a fun car but is burdened by the practicalities of life. This fills that gap while still putting a smile on your face. Its closest rival is the Kia EV5, and against it the Trailseeker is the driver’s choice. If your only metric is space-per-dollar you might find rivals roomier, and the regen and a couple of interface quirks stop it being perfect, but I would happily own one. That is about the highest praise I hand out.
2026 Subaru Trailseeker AWD — Frequently Asked Questions
How far does the Subaru Trailseeker AWD go on a charge?
The Trailseeker AWD is rated at up to 533km on the WLTP cycle from its 74.7kWh battery. In the real world I saw closer to 300km-plus when I leaned on it, with energy use ranging from about 18.4kWh/100km around town to 24.5kWh/100km at highway speeds. Counter-intuitively, the cheaper AWD out-ranges the dearer Touring, which drops to 488km on its larger 20-inch wheels.
How much does the Subaru Trailseeker cost in Australia?
The Trailseeker AWD starts at $63,990 before on-road costs, or roughly $69,000 drive-away depending on your state. The flagship Trailseeker AWD Touring is $69,990 before on-roads. Premium paint adds $660, and Subaru cut the launch pricing in May 2026, so it is sharper now than it first arrived.
Is the Subaru Trailseeker worth buying?
If you want the driver’s pick of the mid-to-large electric SUV class, yes. It is the fastest Subaru ever sold here, it stays flat and composed for a two-tonne wagon, it has a genuine off-road mode and 211mm of clearance, and it looks and feels like a $70,000 to $80,000 car for $63,990. The regen braking is mild and a few interface quirks grate, but none of it is a dealbreaker.
What should I cross-shop against the Subaru Trailseeker?
The closest rival is the Kia EV5, with the Tesla Model Y, Toyota bZ4X Touring and Kia EV6 also in the mix, plus the petrol Subaru Outback for the brand faithful. The Trailseeker is the more driver-focused choice of that group.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Model | 2026 Subaru Trailseeker AWD |
| Model Price | $63,990 MLP (approx. $69,000 drive-away, state dependent) |
| Engine | Dual permanent-magnet synchronous motors (one per axle) |
| Drivetrain | Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, single-speed reduction gear |
| Power | 280 kW combined (167 kW per motor) |
| Torque | 268 Nm per motor (combined figure not published) |
| Battery Capacity / type | 74.7 kWh CATL lithium-ion |
| Voltage / Cells | 391 V / 104 cells |
| Range (WLTP) | Up to 533 km |
| Economy / efficiency | 154 Wh/km WLTP (18.4 to 24.5 kWh/100km observed) |
| Fast Charge / Home | 150 kW DC (10 to 80% approx. 30 min) / 7 kW single-phase, 22 kW three-phase AC |
| 0-100kmh / Top Speed | Approx. 4.5 s / Not Published |
| CO2 Emissions | 0 g/km |
| Safety | 5-star ANCAP (2025, via E-Outback and bZ4X testing) |
| Servicing | 12 months / 15,000 km; 5yr/75,000km capped ($984.18 total) |
| Warranty | 5 years / unlimited km (battery 8 years / 160,000 km) |
| Roadside Assist | 12 months |
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Overall Length | 4,845 mm |
| Width | 1,860 mm |
| Height | 1,675 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,850 mm |
| Wheels | 18-inch alloy |
| Tyres | 235/60 R18 (Yokohama Advan or Bridgestone Alenza) |
| Kerb / Tare Weight | 2,040 kg |
| Boot Min | 609 L (rear seats up) |
| Boot Max | Not Published |
| Towing Capacity | Not Published |
| Turning Circle | 11.2 m |
| Max ground clearance | 211 mm |
| Seats | 5 |
For the latest pricing and to book a test drive, visit Subaru Australia.
2026 Subaru Trailseeker AWD — Buyers could also look at:
- Kia EV5 Standard Range 2025 Review
- Hyundai IONIQ 5 2026 Review
- Nissan Ariya 2025 Review
- Xpeng G6 Long Range 2025 Review