Subaru Uncharted vs Smart 1

What's the difference?

The Uncharted follows the Subaru promise of offering compelling all-wheel drive and a capable driving experience at a reasonable price, but only if you compare it to its traditional rivals.

The trouble for Subaru is that this part of the market has moved on, and EV buyers now have a different set of expectations relative to its usual point-of-difference.

In that sense, this is a good electric Subaru - but is it objectively a good electric car? With the circa-$60K pricing, that’s a harder argument to make.

It’s easy to get lost in marketing hype, but — based on first impressions — the Smart #1 does what it says on the tin. This is a Chinese-built SUV that feels more premium than most, and one which is priced to tempt you from one of the German big three. The warranty isn’t good enough, though, and the multimedia screen can be infuriating, but it drives very nicely, especially on suburban roads.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The Uncharted continues to shift Subaru into new styling territory, sharing its panelled, grille-free face and two-line light signatures with the other two Subaru EVs, the Solterra and Trailseeker.

It is notable that Subaru has chosen a distinct design language for its electric cars, which is a change from the blocky and busy designs adorning its familiar combustion nameplates like Forester or Outback.

For what it’s worth, I think the Uncharted is a striking car with its wide stance, huge wheels and coupe-style tailgate. The burnt orange colour of our car also helps it to stand out from the crowd. Hard to do in a world of new wacky designs from rivals unafraid to push the envelope.

Inside will be familiar if you’ve been in any car on this e-TNGA platform which Subaru co-opts from Toyota.

There’s a squircle steering wheel, modern layered dash, screens which fill the space, and a lot of hardware which will feel familiar to Toyota owners, but not so much Subaru drivers.

This includes the rotary shifter in the centre console, indicator stalks and even the screens and software. It feels a bit less Subaru than some repeat buyers might expect, but I don’t think it’s foreign enough to scare people off.

There is an impossibility pretty model in Smart’s new line-up, but the #1 ain’t it. While the #3 — which has also just launched — is a sleek-looking, coupe-style SUV, the #1 is a top-heavy small SUV that doesn’t shine from every angle.

Front-on, or from a front three-quarter angle, the #1 definitely works, with the brand setting out to remove unnecessary fussiness from the design, leaving smooth and rounded bodywork in its place.

There are no body creases or weird angles here, instead it’s a smooth, fluid-like design that flows from the front LED lights bar to the smooth shoulder lines to the matching light treatment at the rear. 

But it’s at the rear where, for mine, the design begins to fall over. From that angle, the #1 looks skinny and top-heavy, especially when wearing the red hat of the Brabus model.

Still, eye of the beholder and all that.

Inside, though, the #1 kicks all sorts of goals, presenting as a properly premium-feeling EV space that’s swimming with technology and lovely cabin materials.

I particularly love the letterbox-style screen that replaces the traditional dashboard. It’s not distracting or overbearing like some twin-screen set-ups, but clearly shows you the key driving stuff you need when you’re on the road.

Side note, though, the massive central screen is super clear and lightning fast, but as usual you need to spend some (a lot) of time with it to figure out where all the functions are hiding, with most of the car’s key controls hidden within its labyrinth.

And side note two, the background graphics look like they were designed by a cordial-addled child, it is busy, cartoonish and out of keeping with the calm, grown-up nature of the #1’s cabin.

The Uncharted is a comfortable place to be, with nicely bolstered seats, and Subaru has nailed the basics of ergonomics with dials for the climate and volume controls, some shortcut buttons and consistent labelling for the array of steering wheel controls.

The digital instrument cluster, perched atop the dash, might not be to everyone’s taste. It leads to a slightly odd situation where if you’re a certain height, the top of the steering wheel might obstruct your view. It was okay for me, but felt a bit like the steering wheel was sitting in my lap.

The software, while functional, doesn’t offer the depth or innovation of many of this car’s rivals. Some of these things are gimmicks, others, like pet modes and deeper efficiency analysis screens are quite useful.

As it is, it offers an uninspired interface with built in navigation and some basic sub-menus. Hardly a stand-out in an era of fun, customisable software not just from Chinese rivals, but from others, too.

The trade-off is a modern-feeling interior which is also easy to use, surprisingly rare in this segment.

In terms of cabin space and storage, the front doors have two large bottle holders each, and there are two cupholders with spring-loaded ridges in the centre console.

The console features dual wireless chargers, although they could do with a more rubberised surface, as your phone may move in the corners, particularly if you have a hard-finish case. An annoying oversight.

Beneath the bridge-style console, there is a carpeted storage area which is also home to your power outlets, and the centre console, while not very deep, offers a trick lid which can tilt-open in both directions.

Visibility is good for the driver, too.

The back seat offers a good amount of space for adults in the outboard positions. I fit behind my own driving position at 182cm tall with a few inches of knee room, and a little bit of headroom, although there’s an intrusion into the space for the sunroof’s roller cover, so it’s worth considering if you need that as an option if you’re regularly going to have taller passengers.

While the synthetic leather-clad seat trim continues, the centre position feels less useful, because the distance between the end of the seat base and the centre console severely limits legroom.

On the amenity front, the stand-out is the rear heated seats. Other than that there’s the expected array of adjustable air vents, dual USB-C ports, pockets on the backs of the front seats, and large bottle holders in each door.

My main criticism of the Uncharted’s interior is that it doesn’t feel anywhere near as large on the inside as the car looks and feels from the outside. This is not helped by dark headliner, chunky door cards, and heavy window tinting in the rear.

The boot is also not enormous at 403 litres. With some trickery, I could fit the full three-piece CarsGuide luggage set, with the floor set to its lowest of two positions. Underneath there is a small additional storage space where you can fit some charging cables alongside the inflator kit.

There’s no spare wheel, which is a strike against this EV’s Subaru go-anywhere credentials, and there’s also no frunk with the under-bonnet space taken up by high-voltage and battery cooling hardware.

The Smart #1 measures just under 4.3m long, just over 1.8m in width and around 1.6m in height, and it rides on a 2.75m wheelbase. And the perk of the Smart’s EV powertrain, the brand says, is Mercedes-Benz E-Class levels of space in the back seat, despite the #1’s diminutive footprint.

It’s a big claim, and while I didn’t break out the tape measure I can say the backseat feels plenty generous, and because the rear pew slides forwards or backwards by 15cm, you can choose whether you want more legroom or more luggage space.

Speaking of which, pop the auto-opening boot (by hitting the ‘a’ in the ‘Smart’ lettering, which I couldn’t figure out without help) and you’ll find 323 litres of space with the back seat as far back as it goes, growing to 411 litres with it pushed all the way forward. There’s also a 15-litre frunk.

Smart says the #1 weighs 1800kg, adding it will tow 1600kg — but I’m sure you can imagine the impact a heavy load will have on your driving range.

The #1 is available in three trim levels — the Pro+, Premium and Brabus — and pricing (before on-road costs) climbs from $54,900 to $58,900 and $67,900. 

Brabus, by the way, was a lesser-known Mercedes-Benz tuning arm, a little like AMG, which should give you some idea of what to expect from the performance-badged models.

Anyway, that pricing is good enough to undercut key rivals, including the Volvo EX30 (from $59,990) and BMW iX1 ($78,900), and it’s drastically less than Mercedes-Benz's EQA 250 ($84,900), all before on-road costs.

Also firmly in the Smart’s favour is that there isn’t a cheap-feeling model among them, with even the Pro+ feeling properly well-equipped and premium.

Entry-level cars score 19-inch alloys, a panoramic roof, LED lighting, a powered tailgate and a 12.8-inch central screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a 9.2-inch digital dashboard. There’s wireless device charging and a decent stereo, too.

The Premium then adds matrix LED headlights, leather trim, a huge head-up display and a better Beats stereo, while the Brabus scores a unique interior and exterior treatment, better suspension and a launch control function.

Power output is impressive from this car’s dual-motor all-wheel drive system. The Uncharted is front-biased, featuring a 167kW/286Nm motor on the front axle, and an 88kW/169Nm motor on the rear axle. The two combine for a 252kW total output, which makes this one of the most powerful Subarus you can buy.

As a point of difference from its Toyota brethren, the Uncharted features a software-emulated version of Subaru’s signature X-Mode for a little bit of extra off-road ability. It also has slightly less ground clearance compared to the Crosstrek, at 211mm as opposed to 220mm.

There are two drivetrains on offer here - one shared across the Pro+ and Premium, and another delivering the prodigious power of the #1 Brabus.

The first shared option is a single rear motor that delivers 200kW and 343Nm, which is enough to knock off the sprint to 100km/h in 6.7 seconds. Top speed for all models is listed as 180km/h.

The Brabus, though, adds a motor at the front axle, giving it AWD, which ups the outputs to a punchy 315kW and 543Nm, dropping the sprint to 100km/h to a very fast-feeling 3.9 seconds.

It’s a single-speed EV transmission in each, which means smooth, constant power delivery with no traditional ‘steps’, and all get 'Eco', 'Normal' and 'Sport' drive modes, though the only thing they impact is the accelerator response.

You can add weight to the steering, but that’s a separate item accessed elsewhere in the screen’s sub-menus.

The Uncharted has a 74.7kWh battery pack which grants it a WLTP-certified 522km of driving range.

The car I sampled was predicting around 500km of range in the real world according to the trip computer, which is impressive for an EV with all-wheel drive and a battery capacity of less than 80kWh, speaking to solid energy efficiency.

Officially, this is 16kWh/100km, but my car, which was primarily driven around town with some small freeway stints, performed even better, showing 14.1kWh/100km on the dash.

Owing to its e-TNGA platform, the Uncharted doesn’t have the most impressive charging specs. On a fast DC charger it is limited to 150kW. This should deliver a 10-80 per cent charge in a little over half an hour, but it’s still a lot slower than some competitors, which slash that charge time, in some instances, in half.

The slower AC charging is impressive at 22kW although an AC charger with an output above 11kW is rare in Australia.

The Uncharted also features a vehicle-to-load system, allowing you to use its large battery to power household appliances.

All Smart #1 models share the same 66kWh battery, but how far you can travel between charges comes down to the trim you choose, with the WLTP driving range either 400km, 420km or 440km. The Brabus, of course, covers the least ground between charges, owing to its dual-motor set-up and amped up power outputs. 

When it comes time to plug in, all models are equipped with 150kW DC fast-charging capability, and when plugged into said charger, you can expect to go from zero to 80 per cent charged in less than 30 minutes. 

There’s also 22kW AC charging on board in the Premium and Brabus models, which means you can use three-phase power, but plugged into a regular 7.4kWh home wallbox should see you go from zero to 80 per cent charged in 7.5 hours, which means overnight charging should work a treat.

To drive, the Uncharted proves where Japanese automakers still maintain an advantage over many of their rivals.

The overwhelming feeling in this car is one of balance. Weight is managed very nicely by the suspension, which isn’t too soft like a lot of Chinese cars, and not too hard like some Korean cars or the Tesla Model Y.

The steering feels organic and direct, as opposed to overly software-assisted, and feedback from the pedals and road feels more like a traditional combustion car than a new-age EV.

There’s also a focus on the touchpoints being familiar, leading to a car which won’t be too much of a leap into the future for many.

It comes with some drawbacks. There’s no true single pedal driving mode despite several levels of regenerative braking. If you’ve driven an EV with single pedal mode this might be disappointing as it is quite easy to get used to.

The giant 20-inch wheels also feel a bit at odds with this EV’s supposed go-anywhere attitude. It feels like any rutted tracks are best avoided, limiting your off-road ambitions to just gravel trails and the sheer size of them is perhaps the only blemish on ride quality.

In addition, the slim rubber has an effect on cabin ambiance. This isn’t the quietest EV I’ve driven when it comes to road noise.

All that said, once you get the uncharted on some twisty roads it leaps out and shines. It’s alarmingly rapid when you stomp on the accelerator, making its power outputs feel the part, and its capable Dunlop tyre package and well-calibrated all-wheel drive system give the power-down a civilised silence as opposed to some of the wheelspin wackiness of some of this car’s Chinese rivals.

It is deeply capable in the corners, attacking them with poise and grip, with the traction system also keeping the power at sane levels.

It’s not quite as athletic or quick as its premium cousin, the Lexus RZ which I also drove recently, but still one of the more impressive EVs in this small SUV segment as an overall package.

The #1 and its sister car, the #3, might share powertrains and batteries, but they are designed to drive very differently. The #3 is the sporty one (always code for a firmer ride), while the #1 is supposed to be softer, more comfortable and more city-friendly.

That’s the theory, at least. In practice, I have no idea. My time behind the wheel of the #1 was limited to its most fire-breathing model — the Brabus, which also scores its own suspension components — and soft is not a word that comes to mind once you’re strapped in behind its bright red seatbelt.

It begins with those bonkers power outputs, 315kW and 543Nm, which deliver genuine push-you-back-in-your-seat acceleration every time you stand on the go pedal.

Better still (well, I think so, at least), is that activating its sportiest 'Brabus' mode also unlocks a deep Abarth-style burbling soundtrack that rises and falls with your inputs.

But like most performance EVs, you can also dial the drive experience right back. In its softer drive modes the #1 Brabus feels calm and comfortable and not overly reactive, which makes sense, given the only thing the Brabus mode changes is accelerator sensitivity.

The result, though, is a car that you can tootle around in silently when you want to but hides a nuclear weapon under your right foot when you want to unleash that part of its personality. 

Downsides? It’s got plenty of point-and-shoot power, but in the few corners we managed to find in it, it didn’t quite live up to the all-out-performance badge. There’s a bit too much movement in the body — a symptom of its near-2.0-tonne weight — and it doesn’t feel entirely engaging.

A couple of important caveats, though. We didn’t get long behind the wheel of the #1, and the dull-as-dishwater prescribed drive program revealed little about its true performance potential. So, we’ll have to wait until the model is properly through the CarsGuide garage to give you a deeper dive on this one.

Full credit to Smart on this one, because the #1 comes with a pretty stacked active (crash avoidance) safety tech list, and though our test drive was far from exhaustive, only the speed limit warning (which you can switch off) felt overly intrusive, with the rest just sort of humming away in the background.

The full package includes things like adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, traffic-sign recognition and the aforementioned speed limit warning. There’s also AEB, along with seven airbags, all of which has earned the #1 a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating.

Subaru covers the Uncharted with the usual, but now behind-the-pace five year and unlimited kilometre warranty. The high-voltage battery is covered by a separate eight-year and 160,000km promise.

Servicing is required once a year or 15,000km which is annoyingly frequent for an EV, but it is relatively cheap, especially for a Subaru, averaging just $196.84 for the first five visits, covering the life of the warranty.

Subaru has around 140 dealers across Australia, covering every state and territory including capital cities as well as key regional and rural centres.

Warranty is a definite soft spot, with LSH Auto offering five years or 150,000km, whichever comes first. For reference, other Chinese newcomers include Chery (seven years) BYD (six years) and GWM (seven years), while MG has just shifted to a 10-year warranty.

Still, service intervals are 12 months/20,000km, and you should be able to take your Smart to any LSH Auto Mercedes dealership (in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney) or either of the Smart dealerships in Sydney or Brisbane.

Service cost for the first four years averages $611 per workshop visit for the Pro+ and Premium (worth noting the fourth service is a big one) and $780 for the Brabus. Not particularly small numbers.