How’s that for a haircut! Subaru slashes $8000 off Solterra electric car, but it’s still more expensive than Tesla Model Y

February 26, 2024February 26, 2024 John Mahoney 2117 Views BZ4X, id.4, solterra, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen

The price of the 2024 Subaru Solterra electric SUV has been slashed just days before first examples reach Aussie owners.

The revised pricing of the bZ4X clone applies to all existing and future orders.

The Subaru Solterra’s pricing now starts from $69,990 plus on-road costs, instead of the $77,990 the Japanese car-maker was originally planning to charge for its battery-electric mid-size SUV.

That’s a commendable saving of $8000 over the original pricing and the cuts aren’t limited just to the base Solterra AWD. The top-of-the-range Solterra AWD Touring is also cheaper to the tune of $6700, with prices now kicking off at $76,990, instead of its original list price of $83,690.

However, the Solterra’s cheapest pricing still can’t match the market-leading Tesla Model Y, which kicks off at $65,400 for the rear-wheel drive. The AWD Long Range Model Y is $78,400 (all pricing plus on-road costs).

No reason has been given for the drastic last minute price cuts but it might have been designed to steal the thunder of the incoming Volkswagen ID.4 SUV that is tipped to be priced from $75,000.

Giving it an added edge in the price war that’s hotting up in the mid-size SUV category, the Solterra also comes standard with all-wheel, while the base VW ID.4s are expected to be rear-drive.

Another motivator for the price cut might have been the imminent arrival of the bZ4X, for which pricing has yet to be announced. But the suspicion is it might be closer to where the Subaru now sits.

Included in the Solterra’s price is a free five-year service plan, five years of roadside assistance, a set of carpets, a cargo tray and a 2kW AC charging cable with a 10-amp wall plug.

Subaru has confirmed cars are already on the ground and the first demonstrators will be popping up in dealers for test drives in the coming days ahead of customer deliveries.

“Subaru Australia has announced a price adjustment for the brand’s all-new, all-electric Subaru Solterra ahead of its imminent launch and first customer deliveries,” a statement said.

“The readjusted pricing will apply to all existing pre-orders, with no further action required from customers as their Subaru retailer will communicate with them directly on their individual vehicle order.”

Watch out for our first drives of the 2024 Subaru Solterra and Toyota bZ4X coming soon.