Electric cars are no longer special vehicles, and the new 2023 Subaru Solitaire and 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 show just how far the mainstream battery-powered crossover SUV has progressed.
The pair also represents a trend of automakers’ partnerships to divide costs in a rapidly evolving global market shaped by emissions regulations.
Ioniq 5 and related Kia EV6 Share a platform and have the same electric vehicle development resources, yet two electric crossovers cannot be mistaken for each other. The Solitaires came up with another partnership with Toyota, a co-developer of the Toyota GR86 and the Subaru BRZ Sport Coupe. Yet Solterra looks and feels a lot like Toyota BZ4X Inside and outside that two may appear interchangeable.
Sized like a Subaru Forrester but styled like a Toyota RAV4, the Solters wear black cladding on the bumper, rocker and fender, where it is wrapped around an LED headlight to create a raccoon eye-like automatic equivalent. Aerodynamics affects everything from the side curtains to the roof line, which flows in an unusually split roof spoiler and below a racked rear windshield without a wiper. Inside, the recessed instrument cluster set near the windshield and away from the driver has been removed from a spacious center console that is typically Toyota.
2023 Subaru Solters
2023 Subaru Solters
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5
The interior of the Ioniq 5 takes the opposite approach, with a wide open floor and a small armrest console that can be moved 6.0 inches from front to back to push it further away. A pair of 12.3-inch screens from the dash underlined by a panel of Haptic Climate Control buttons. This is unique, not only for the Hyundai, but also for the Ivonic Ioniq series.
Unique look extends exterior styling as well. The retro hatchback Vibe has a squat rear, a prominent nose, diagonal cut across the body and LED headlights and taillights that look like 8-bit games. It attracts attention and has received much more praise than anodine solitaire in our experiments.
The Ioniq 5 is also faster and faster than the Solterra. It has a 77.4-kilowatt battery pack, and can be fitted with a 225-hp single motor and rear-wheel drive, or a dual-motor all-wheel-drive version that produces 320 hp and 446 pound-feet of torque; A small 58-kwh battery pack is planned for the end of this year. It can be tilted alternately, and the independent suspension is tuned to the soft side, but the AWD model shoots 60 miles per hour in 5.0 seconds.
The Solterra takes about 6.5 seconds to hit 60 miles per hour, loading more, and riding more like a traditional crossover. Except in the case of Subaru, it is characteristically calm. It comes with a 72.8-kwh battery pack and the standard dual-motor all-wheel-drive system churns out 218 hp and 249 pound-feet. The Ioniq 5 may be better on the road, but with the Solterra’s 8.3-inch ground clearance and three off-road settings, it can hit dirt trails with a sense of adventure just like any other Suzuki.
In a weird switch, the Solterra can’t tow but the Ioniq 5 can lift up to 2,000 pounds.
The Solterra has a top range of 228 miles, and has an EPA efficiency rating of 3.1 miles per kilowatt. DC Fast-Charging 100 KW can recover up to 80% of the charge in less than an hour, and Subaru has partnered with EVgo Charging Network, but the owners’ benefits have not been finalized.
2023 Subaru Solters
2023 Subaru Solters
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5
Ioniq 5 surpasses Solterra for range, efficiency and charging ability; The AWD versions of the Ioniq 5 have a 256-mile range (303 miles with RWD), and an efficiency rating of 3.3 miles per kwh. Fast-charging up to 240 kW in DC, the Ioniq 5 delivers up to 80% power in just 18 minutes. Also, it has a vehicle-to-load function that allows owners to charge a power appliance at a campsite, for example, or another EV.
Both vehicles use the pedal shifter for four-grade regenerative braking, taking the Ioniq 5’s most aggressive setting to a complete stop. The Solterra has a fifth setting, called the S-Pedal which is supposed to work like one-pedal driving, but it doesn’t stop completely. They both have three drive modes, Normal, Sport and Echo, the latter softens the feel of the paddle and reduces the air conditioner output.
The Ioniq 5 also has the advantage of interior space. Riding on a 118.1-inch wheelbase, longer than the Palisade three-row SUV, the Ioniq 5 can seat up to five people in a comfortable seat and lean back and forth in the second row. The fixed glass roof and open floor plan give it a spaciousness that you can’t get in combustion engine cars.
The Solterra can ride more quietly than the Ioniq 5, but the roomness is compromised by a long, wide center console that eats up the legs and buttocks. Its wheelbase is 6.0 inches shorter, and it has five seats, though you would prefer four if you didn’t have one. All seats are covered with water-repellent animal-free synthetic leather upholstery. A crossbar divides the panoramic sunroof, so the headroom also feels a bit stiff. The available roof rails give its buyers a simple subaru utility and the roof can support a static load of 700 pounds on that roof tent.
Both cars have 60/40-split folding rear seats, but the Solterra Ioniq 5 makes a little more cargo room at 27.2 cubic vs. 30 cubic feet. A small franc for the charge cord when Solterra does not.
2023 Subaru Solters
2023 Subaru Solters
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5
Toyota’s much-improved new infotainment system simplifies solitaire controls, including hard buttons for climate control and drive modes, where much of everything has to be done through Hyundai’s touchscreen. In both cases the voice commands are great and limit the reliance on touch inputs, but Solterra’s instrument saves cluster space, especially compared to the Ioniq 5’s HD dynamic cluster. With the exception of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in Solterra, the Ioniq 5 has a better set of features, as well as a better 5-year / 60,000-mile warranty (Solterra’s is 3 / 36,000), although warranty is offered for both electrified systems. Is. 100,000 miles
Both vehicles have excellent driver-assistance features, including automatic emergency braking, active lane control and automatic high beam, but adds adaptive cruise control as well. Crash tests on both models have not yet been completed.
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 scored high TCC rating is 8.4 out of 10And outperforms Solterra and its rating 7.6 In most of our test sections. But the Solters capitalize on the Subaru owners’ adventurous self-image and mark an important first step in Subaru’s future. With the Ioniq 5, however, the future has already come.