Subaru Uncharted Real-World Test: The Efficiency Made Me Double-Check the Dashboard

No, you won't hear the famous boxer rumble. The Subaru Uncharted is the brand's first all-electric compact SUV, developed on a platform shared with Toyota, and this summer I had one for a few days to test it on the roads of eastern Romania. I picked the front-wheel-drive version with the big battery and drove it on two-lane highways, down a gravel detour and through city traffic, then charged it at both a DC fast charger and an AC station. Every figure below is something I read off the dashboard or the charger screen, on camera, for my Mașina Timpului YouTube channel.

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The car: Uncharted FWD with the 77 kWh battery

My test car was the single-motor, front-wheel-drive long-range version (sold as 2E-XCITE+ in Romania). According to the official brochure from "Subaru Austria", this configuration has a 77.0 kWh gross lithium-ion battery (104 cells), 165 kW (224 PS) of system output, 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 7.3 seconds and a 160 km/h (99 mph) top speed. Its WLTP range is 592 km (368 miles), with a rated combined consumption of 13.8 kWh/100 km (about 4.5 miles per kWh). It DC fast-charges at up to 150 kW, and a 22 kW onboard AC charger comes standard. The combined CCS2/Type 2 port sits on the front left. Ground clearance is 211 mm (8.3 inches), the trunk holds 403 liters and curb weight is 1,991 kg (about 4,390 lb). For European pricing and the other three versions, see our Subaru Uncharted lineup article.

First drive: a proper Subaru ride

The very evening I picked it up, I headed out to Vaslui. A connecting road was closed, so I also had to cross a stretch of gravel. The suspension soaked it all up beautifully. The cabin is quiet, the Bridgestone 235/60 R18 tires are barely audible, and the central screen is neatly integrated into a classic dashboard with physical buttons. It doesn't feel like a "tablet on wheels" at all. It drives like a normal car, and I mean that as a compliment.

The steering-wheel paddles adjust the level of regenerative braking and respond instantly, with no lag. On gentle downhill stretches I let the car coast almost freely, and it showed in the numbers: by the end the dashboard read 11.7 kWh/100 km (about 5.3 mi/kWh), and over the last 140 km (87 miles) the average was 11.5 kWh/100 km. For an SUV this roomy, I thought that was an excellent result.

DC fast charging: above 100 kW for much of the session

The next day I stopped at a 120 kW fast charger with 33% battery and 202 km (126 miles) of estimated range. The battery hadn't been preconditioned, but it was around 20°C (68°F) outside. The dashboard immediately showed about 119 kW, practically the charger's maximum, with an estimated 15 minutes to the charge limit I had set.

The charging curve tapered gently: 120 kW at 42%, roughly 105 kW near 50%, 97 kW at 58%, 92 kW at 61%, 84 kW at 67% and 80 kW at 69%. It stopped by itself at 70%, the limit I had chosen. The result: 26.3 kWh added in about 16 minutes, from 33 to 70%. At 70%, the trip computer estimated 417 km (259 miles) with the climate control off and 388 km (241 miles) with it on.

One detail I liked: the charging menu lets you cap the maximum DC power at 50, 75, 100 or 125 kW, or leave it at max. That's handy if you'd rather go easy on the battery when you're not in a hurry.

A walk around the car

While it charged, I took a closer look. The aero wheel covers give it a clean, simple look. It has disc brakes front and rear, cameras up front, in the mirrors and at the back, plus a subwoofer in the trunk and storage bins under the floor. Underneath, the floor is completely flat. Under the hood everything looks as simple as on a regular car, and the VIN starts with a J, which means this one was built in Japan.

The efficiency test: city and suburban roads

I reset the trip meter and the trip computer at 70% and set off with the climate control on auto, in Normal mode rather than Eco. Besides Eco, there's a Snow mode and a button to switch off traction control. The lane-keeping assist isn't intrusive at all: it keeps the car centered but lets me nudge the wheel without fighting me. The rear-view mirror can switch to a camera feed, and the picture is so sharp you almost forget you're looking at a screen.

Here's how the dashboard numbers developed:

• in the morning, after 32 km (20 miles) with a little city traffic: 12.7 kWh/100 km;
• on the suburban stretch (43 of 53 km): 11.5 kWh/100 km;
• 57.6 km (36 miles) after the reset, mixing city and suburban roads at a 28 km/h (17 mph) average speed: 9.6 kWh/100 km (about 6.5 mi/kWh), with the battery going from 70 to 62%;
• toward the end, at 69 km (43 miles) on the trip meter: an average of 11.2 kWh/100 km, and on the final stretch after leaving the city, just 8.2 kWh/100 km.

I also cross-checked it: 8% of a usable battery of roughly 72 kWh is just under 6 kWh for 57 km, so the dashboard figure is believable. For me, it's the most efficient car I've driven this year.

I tried AC charging too: on a 22 kW station the car pulled 21.75 kW, essentially the maximum. That means a lunch stop at a restaurant or a supermarket with 22 kW chargers adds a lot of energy, without having to hunt for a DC fast charger.

What it means for drivers

The front-wheel-drive Subaru Uncharted doesn't win you over with horsepower. It wins you over with efficiency and with how normal it feels to drive. On two-lane roads and in town, in summer, I consistently saw between 9.6 and 12.7 kWh/100 km, below its 13.8 kWh/100 km WLTP rating. On the highway and in winter, consumption will be higher, as with any EV, but the starting point is very good. DC charging above 100 kW for much of the curve keeps stops short, and the standard 22 kW AC charger is a real advantage at destination chargers. If you want a roomy, comfortable electric SUV with physical buttons and no surprises behind the wheel, the Uncharted deserves a test drive.