Subaru Trailseeker vs Deepal E07

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.

Deepal is a recent arrival in Australia but its parent company Changan Automotive is one of China’s largest state-owned automotive manufacturers which was established in the 1950s.

Deepal Automobile Technology (to use its full name) is one of several brands under the Changan corporate umbrella targeting different market segments across passenger and commercial vehicle lines.

Deepal’s focus is on full-electric vehicles with an expanding Australian line-up comprising a compact SUV (S05), mid-sized SUV (S07) and a groundbreaking large SUV (E07) it calls the Multitruck.

We recently spent a week in the E07 to find out if it’s not only practical for family duties but also if its unique design offers genuine workhorse ability to validate its ‘truck’ credentials.