The new Subaru Getaway is a powerful family SUV
Subaru is famous for making cars for people who love the outdoors. If you see a car with a dog in the back and a kayak on the roof, there's a very high chance it's a Subaru, but the brand's electric cars felt like they were struggling to keep up with that image. The Solterra was okay, but it did not really wow anyone. The Trailseeker was much closer to the idea of an off-road Subaru. Now, the company has revealed something much bigger and much faster - the Subaru Getaway. And it's the most powerful vehicle Subaru has ever put into production.
It might seem funny that the fastest Subaru is a big family hauler with three rows of seats. Before the advent of the EV era, fans of the brand looked to the WRX STI for speed, but those days are gone. The new Subaru Getaway's two electric motors deliver 420 horsepower (313 kW) - this heavy SUV can go from 0 to 60 mph in less than five seconds. This electric SUV can literally outrun many sports cars while carrying six or seven people and all their bags.
Of course, Subaru did not build this car all by itself. The Getaway shares its "bones" with the Toyota Highlander EV. But Subaru made sure its version had more muscle. While the Toyota version has 388 horsepower, Subaru bumped it up to 420. It still looks a lot like the Toyota, but it has a rugged style that is all Subaru - it looks ready to climb a mountain, even if it is just headed to a shopping mall.
Inside, the Getaway is all about the room. It is 198.8 inches long and 78.3 inches wide. You can choose to have "captain's chairs" instead of the standard second row bench. Subaru says that even people who are six feet tall can sit comfortably in the third row. That is a big deal because the back seats in many SUVs are usually only for small children.
When it comes to carrying gear, the Getaway beats some of its biggest rivals. If you fold down the third row of seats, you get 1,291 liters (45.6 cubic feet) of cargo space. This is more room than you find in the Kia EV9. Even with all the seats up, there is still 450 liters (15.9 cubic feet) of space in the back. Whether you are hauling groceries or camping gear, this electric car has the space to handle it.
Subaru also updated the technology inside the cabin. The center of the dashboard features a huge 14-inch touchscreen. Drivers also get a 12.3-inch digital display behind the steering wheel that shows speed and battery life. You don't even need a cord to connect your phone because wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard. There are USB-C charging ports in every row, so no one has to argue about whose phone gets to charge first.
You can get ventilated seats to keep you cool and heated seats for all three rows to keep everyone warm. There is even a big panoramic glass roof that lets you look at the stars. To keep everyone safe, the Getaway comes with Subaru's EyeSight technology. This system helps the car brake automatically if it senses a crash and keeps the car in its lane on the highway.
A big SUV needs a big battery, and the Getaway gets one with a 95.8 kWh capacity. Subaru expects this battery to provide over 300 miles of range on a full charge. For people who don't drive as much, a "standard-range" version with a 77 kWh battery will arrive in 2027. For the US market, the new electric Subaru gets the NACS plug, which means it can use Tesla's vast Supercharger network.
The Getaway can charge at speeds up to 150 kW - not the fastest in the world, but it is fast enough to go from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Subaru also added a neat trick to the front lights. The daytime running lights actually show you how much the battery is charged while the car is plugged in.
Even though it is electric, this is still a Subaru. Every Getaway comes with all-wheel drive as a standard feature and sits 8.3 inches off the ground - plenty of space to clear rocks and deep snow. The "X-Mode" system helps the tires grip the ground when things get slippery. If you need to pull a trailer, the Getaway can tow up to 3,501 lb.
We still do not know the exact price for every model, but Subaru says it should start around £40,000 when it goes on sale in the US. This price puts it right in the middle of the competition. It is cheaper than the Hyundai Ioniq 9 and about the same as the Kia EV9. For a car that is this fast and this big, that price might be a very good deal. We should see the first ones on the road by the end of 2026.
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