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Subaru just revealed its new Getaway EV, a 420hp three-row SUV. But we got a sneak preview last month in California for the inside scoop.
The New York Auto Show is kicking off this week, and Subaru announced a new 3-row electric SUV this morning.
But instead of heading over to see it in New York, we got to see it last month in the middle of a wintertime California heatwave (which was a result of climate change, caused by gas-powered vehicles).
Subaru invited us up to Malibu to have a look at the car ahead of its release, though we only got to look at it and sit in it, and not drive it around yet.
The Getaway is another result of the EV tie-up between Subaru and Toyota. In February, Toyota revealed its 3-row Highlander EV, and now we’re seeing the Subaru version of the same.
Much like the Subaru Uncharted, Solterra and Trailseeker, the two companies collaborated on the Getaway/Highlander EV. But all three of those previous cars are built in the companies’ factories in Japan, whereas the Getaway and Highlander will both be built in the US in Toyota’s factory in Kentucky.
Out of those four, the Getaway is the most powerful. When we wrote about the Trailseeker, we noted that it’s the most powerful Subaru ever made at 375hp, and the Getaway one-ups that a little more, with 420hp from its standard AWD system.
We didn’t get a chance to drive the Getaway yet, only to take a look at it. We’d imagine there will be a lot of similarities between it and Subaru’s other EVs – we drove the Uncharted and Trailseeker recently – but the Getaway is a much larger vehicle, which will likely be more cumbersome than its nimbler siblings.
At first, the Getaway will come standard with a chunky 95.8kWh (usable) battery and over 300 miles of range. It will charge at up to 150kW from its native NACS port, going from 10-80% in approximately 30 minutes – slightly slower than other Subaru EVs on account of the Getaway’s huge battery and lower driving efficiency. Subaru specifically called out that charging performance “doesn’t lag in cold weather,” at temps down to 14ºF (-10ºC).
Next year, the company will release a vehicle-to-load adapter, allowing you to take power out of the car through its NACS port. It’s also planning a vehicle-to-home solution to allow you to power your house with your car, but we have no timeline on that. Until then, there’s an included 1500W 120v outlet in the back.
Subaru plans to release a “standard range” version in the first half of next year, which will still have AWD. We imagine it will have the same 77kWh battery as the Toyota Highlander EV. We’ll learn more about that closer to launch.
It can tow up to 3,500lbs, and Subaru says it has best-in-class ground clearance. We don’t know anything yet about its off-road capabilities, but it does have Subaru’s X-MODE off-road assist system, and its other EVs fared well in an off-road test, so we imagine it will do alright.
The Getaway is similar in size to Subaru’s gas-powered Ascent 3-row SUV (a couple inches difference in each dimension), but due to it being electric, it has a larger wheelbase to make room for the battery, which leads to more interior space for passengers.
It has 6- and 7- seat options, with either captain’s chairs or a bench seat in the middle. 6-seat options have been popular on 3-row SUVs (because nobody ever uses the 7th seat anyway… nor really the 2nd-6th seats either, for that matter…)
Subaru was proud to note that three 6-foot-tall adults can sit comfortably behind one another in the three rows. As a 6-foot-tall adult myself, I tested this out and did find that I had enough leg/knee room, though I could have used a little more headroom in the third row.
The Getaway has 45.6 cu. ft. of cargo space with the third row folded down (more than the Kia EV9), though dedicating more space to passengers means rear cargo is 15.9 cu. ft. with the seats up, slightly smaller than the Subaru Ascent (but that doesn’t count the underfloor storage space, which could tip the balance back to the Getaway… even though underfloor storage is a little anemic compared to other EVs, and there’s no frunk).
Subaru’s storage solution for a car packed with 6 people going for a weekend getaway seems to be external, with the Getaway coming with roof rails on “most trim levels,” so you can attach a roof rack container if you so desire.
And the interior has ample cupholders for every seat, three-zone climate control with dedicated third row vents, ambient lighting, USB-C ports for every row, and electronic seat controls all around. On upgraded trim levels, you can get heating for every seat and the steering wheel, and ventilation for the first and second row seats.
One thing we noted in our drives of the Uncharted and Trailseeker was that while Subaru had the ability to find charge stations in its nav system, it wouldn’t route you through those stations, helping you plan out charging stops. While drivers can do a lot of this themselves, and plenty of planning apps exist, it just didn’t make sense for an EV with modern software not to have this capability.
We also noted in those reviews, just one month ago, that Subaru wasn’t yet promising over-the-air updates. The combination of these two factors led to much consternation among our commenters, and other reviewers.
Subaru seems to have gotten the message, though, as it is now promising charge routing on the Getaway, and saying that it will be available on release later this year.
We asked if the same feature would come to Subaru’s other EVs, and the company hadn’t yet announced a commitment to do that. But we get the feeling that Subaru’s swift response to this criticism means that those cars will see this feature sometime soon (this also highlights the importance of over-the-air software updates, and that EV customers and smartphone users have become accustomed to the idea of constantly-improving software)
The Subaru Getaway will be available around October, with pricing information available closer to launch. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a more right-sized Subaru EV that’s available right now, you can use our links to contact your local dealer about the 2026 Subaru Uncharted, 2026 Subaru Trailseeker, or 2026 Subaru Solterra.
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