It took Subaru a few minutes and partnership with Toyota to accomplish it, but the adventure-ready automaker known best for tackling snowy mountains and dusty trails has a range of EVs that includes the compact Uncharted Sport that loves city dwelling and occasional hike. Sharing essentially everything with the Toyota C-HR, is it what Subaru really needs to satisfy fans and intenders alike?
It’s hard not to see a C-HR with Subaru badges, but the tall hatchback styling is quite handsome outfitted in Sport trim with black badging and 18-inch alloy wheels with black plastic covers. An illuminated front logo, black plastic cladding and roof rails identify as Subaru even if the roof spoiler and body sculpting recall Toyota. Maintaining the allure of capability, the Uncharted has 8.2-inches of ground clearance, putting it at the more capable end of EVs.
Almost all of the interior is shared with its Toyota siblings. There’s a wide 14-inch infotainment screen, 7-inch flatscreen gauges set forward on the dash and twin wireless phone chargers in the console. Our Sport came with vegan leather “StarTex” upholstery – heated in front. Steering wheel too. I wish it had a sunroof, but a panoramic roof is optional on higher grades. Premium audio would also be appreciated. Phones connect wirelessly through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Space is a might tight under the sloping power hatch, but there’s plenty for a bicycle, stroller or IKEA haul with the split/fold seats deployed. Rear legroom is also dear, but adequate for kids and adults on short hops. Up front, the fly-bridge console provides convenient space for billfolds, baby wipes and gate cards.
For safety, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise and blind spot warning with intervention are included – as are rear cross traffic alert and safe exit assist to keep tots from stepping into traffic. I only wish it had hands-off cruising on the highway.
No drama so far, but here’s where the faithful will wince. To maximize range and minimize price, Subaru offers a front-drive Uncharted boasting 221 horsepower and 300 miles range. It wouldn’t be my choice for bounding down trails, but it’s more than capable of tackling long highways, snowy roads and urban side streets. And if you insist on AWD, Subaru obliges with just a 13-mile penalty.
When the larger Subaru Solterra debuted four years ago, it was criticized for short range and long recharge times. The Toyota and Subaru partners quickly fixed both, resulting in our Uncharted’s 287 miles range and ability to fast charge 10-80% in 28 minutes. Expect a full recharge in about 9 hours on a 240v home charger. It’s pretty peppy too given 338 horsepower and 323 lb.-ft of torque with dual-motor AWD to romp 0-60 mph in under 5 seconds.
Moving off-road, you might expect an EV that’s all saddle and no skedaddle. Even with all-season tires, the traction system grabs hill and dale by the scruff, fortified by Subaru’s Dual-Mode X-Mode to manage traction in varying conditions including deep snow and mud. Hill descent control is like downhill cruise control that manages braking and power. It’s no Wilderness edition but is far more capable than necessary.
Back on-road, the little crossover is fun to drive. It’s smoothly quiet in operation, rumbles over rough city pavement, and with weight low in the chassis, makes good use of Active Cornering Assist to carve up backroads.
The 2026 Subaru Uncharted packs range and style whether tackling trails or taking fido to the dog park. A base price of $35,995, or $41,720 as-tested, puts it against the Chevrolet Bolt, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai IONIQ 5, Kia EV6, Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model Y.
Storm Forward!
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