Subaru Trailseeker vs Volkswagen Arteon

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.

Some VW models, like the Golf, are household names. No doubt about it. But this? Well, it's probably not one of them. Or not yet.

This is the Arteon, the German's brand's flagship passenger vehicle. Put it this way, if VW's tag line is premium for the people, then this is the most premium. And the people? Well, they're the ones who might normally be shopping for a BMW, Mercedes or Audi.

The name, by the way, comes from the the Latin word for art, and it's a nod to the design focus that's been employed here. It comes in a shooting brake, or wagon, body shape, as well as this, the Liftback. And a quick spoiler alert, it looks pretty good, right?

But we'll get to all that. As well as the big question - can it mix it with the premium-brand big boys?