Subaru Trailseeker vs BMW X2

What's the difference?

Many Japanese carmakers were criticised for their delayed rollout of electric vehicles (EVs), however Subaru is finally catching onto the trend.

The Trailseeker is the brand’s newest EV in Australia. Awkward name aside, it’s essentially a larger and boxier version of the Solterra that has a touch of Outback about its looks.

It also brings Subaru’s local EV line-up to three if you include the smaller Uncharted that’s launching in Australia soon.

This is the first time we’ve had the chance to drive the Trailseeker on local soil and there’s immense competition from a number of heavy-hitters, so read on to see how it stacks up.

BMW’s original X2 crossover from 2018 was not a massive sales success in Australia. The related X1, however, was and continues to be a very popular pick in the ultra competitive premium small SUV class. 

BMW has flipped the script for the second-generation X2, giving it a dramatic makeover that ushers in a bold design that’s now in keeping with its SUV strategy. That is to offer a ‘conventional’ SUV - X1, X3 and X5 - and then a coupe-style sibling - the X2, X4 and X6 - to sit alongside it.

Beyond the new look there are significant changes throughout the car, including the introduction of an all electric version - the iX2.

We drove the two flagship grades at the international launch in Lisbon, Portugal - the petrol-powered M35i xDrive, and the iX2 xDrive30. They might look the same, but they maintain their own distinct characters. Let’s dive in…