Subaru Uncharted vs Mazda Cx-6E

What's the difference?

Subaru is entering uncharted territory.

The Uncharted is the brand’s first electric small SUV and a bold new direction, as the Japanese maker enters one of the most hotly-contested and now sought-after new segments in the Australian car market.

There is no shortage of new options calling out to Australian buyers and with a broad range of price-tags, designs and on-board tech it’s never been a more difficult time to enter this space.

So what does the Subaru Uncharted do differently, and is it worthy of your consideration? We took one for a week to find out.

We know the story of Mazda’s sudden EV push already, but I’ll recap it quickly.

On one side, soaring fuel prices and helpful incentives combined to lure Aussie buyers into EVs in record numbers. But Mazda doesn’t really have any to sell. On the other side, tightening NVES (New Vehicle Efficiency Standard) regulations punish brands that aren’t using EVs to lower their fleet emissions. But Mazda doesn’t really have any to sell.

The answer lay not in Japan, but in China, where Mazda has been able to capitalise on its relationship with Changan to get new EVs on the road quickly. The first was the 6e sedan, and this is the second arrival, the CX-6e.

And yes, that means that under the skin of this undeniably sexy electric SUV it’s very similar to something from Deepal, but the brand insists it’s still very much a Mazda everywhere else. 

And so with this, Mazda rides into the electric SUV fray. But how does it stack up?