Subaru Soltera (2024) Review

About

My Subaru Soltera Touring model from 2024 has been an interesting journey. Though I do complain, it’s mainly been positive. 90% positive, might I add.

Likes

Dislikes

12-Volt Battery Discharge

Any observant reader of many of the forums or searches for this issue will note that these 12-volt batteries are far too underpowered, and while many seem to have no problem with the 12-volt battery in warmer climates with fewer issues. In colder climates, the 12-volt battery will have a painful experience. In the latest cold snap in January 2026, I had my second experience with the 12-volt battery. Even after a full warranty replacement of the battery, encountered yet another failed attempt to enter “Ready” mode. This issue made it seem as if the main traction battery had dropped from 55% to 0 with one cold night. That is unacceptable even for an ICE vehicle.

Areas for improvement

My open call for Subaru to fix some things with your Toyota counterparts:

Note to self 📝: find feedback avenues with Toyota and Subaru

Instrument Cluster

• Get rid of the “Ready” light or let us turn it off.
  • This has to be one of the most annoying icons on the cluster. I know the car is on and ready to go. When it’s not ready, you already flash a warning on the screen over and over.
  • Or better yet, once you have engaged in driving and are clearly going, let the light go. I want to have light burn in on the dash. Will Subaru be ready to offer us new clusters for when that happens? Prove me wrong.
• Front crossing warning:
  • When I turn this feature off, leave it off! This warning system is a good tool, but when you CAN see traffic in front of you, I don’t need extra warnings. Maybe for first-time drivers it’s fine, but for experienced drivers it’s a nag that does not need to be around. When this system is on, and you can already see, an extra alert makes you second guess what you are already doing.

Mobile App

In 2025 we saw a much-needed upgrade to the mobile app, now featuring actual Soltera-focused items. The one downside even in 2026 is the limitation of the 20-minute run cycle. The message should be, should you decide to attempt to run a second go of the automated start. You get a notification that the engine has already run and is not allowed to exceed 20 minutes.