Subaru Trailseeker EV Shines Off-Road, But Ground Clearance Holds It Back

Subaru has built a reputation on rugged family wagons, and its newest electric crossover, the Trailseeker, aims to carry that legacy into the battery era. Sized closely to the Outback, the Trailseeker pairs a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system with Subaru’s X-Mode traction management, which uses brake-based torque distribution to shift power between wheels. In testing conducted on a dedicated off-road course, the vehicle demonstrated that this hardware delivers real capability rather than just marketing claims.

One notable change during the evaluation: the test vehicle swapped its factory 20-inch wheels and all-season rubber for 18-inch wheels wrapped in Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 all-terrain tires. With that setup, the Trailseeker handled technical terrain with surprising composure. The X-Mode system responded quickly when a wheel lost contact with the ground, reallocating torque to the tires with grip and allowing the crossover to climb without drama. For a vehicle weighing around 4,500 pounds, its ability to maintain momentum on low-traction surfaces drew genuine praise.

The most significant limitation isn’t power, however. The Trailseeker offers 375 horsepower and 74.7 kWh of usable battery capacity, delivering up to 274 miles of range in upper trims. Its shortcomings lie in geometry. With 8.5 inches of ground clearance — one inch less than the Outback Wilderness — and a wheelbase stretched 4.1 inches longer for added passenger legroom, the EV is more vulnerable on deeply rutted trails. Underbody protection is also mixed: a stout metal plate shields the high-voltage battery, but the front and rear sections rely on plastic covers. A tire repair kit replaces a spare, a potential concern for remote travel.

Subaru’s engineers wouldn’t need to overhaul the formula to make the Trailseeker a far more capable off-roader. A modest one-inch suspension lift and improved approach angles would address most of its weaknesses, and an eventual Wilderness-trim variant could package those upgrades from the factory. Until then, the Trailseeker stands as an impressively traction-capable electric crossover that simply asks drivers to pick their terrain a little more carefully.