Tesla Model Y vs Subaru Uncharted

What's the difference?

If you like the five-seat Model Y, then you'll like the six-seat L version even more. I think this the best example of Tesla's electric SUV to date, and the cabin layout just makes a lot of sense, and would suit plenty of families who don't need to squeeze someone into a compromised middle seat.

Note: The author, Andrew Chesterton, is a co-owner of Smart As Media, a content agency and media distribution service with a number of automotive brands among its clients. When producing content for CarsGuide, he does so in accordance with the CarsGuide Editorial Guidelines and Code of Ethics, and the views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.

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.

Spoiler alert - it looks a lot like a five-seat Model Y, doesn’t it, albeit a slightly bigger one. And you’d have to be a bigger Tesla head than me to immediately spot the differences at a glance.

The wheelbase is longer, the rear doors are bigger as are the rear 3/4 panels and the roof line is higher, helping with headroom in the third row.

Still, safe to say if you like the look of the five-seat Model Y, you’ll like this one. And if you hate it, well, good luck.

The alloys are 19-inch and shaded by the aerodynamic caps and there are light bars front and rear which debuted on the updated five-seat Model Y when it arrived mid-last year.

The bigger changes are inside, of course. I promise we’ll get to the second and third rows in the Practicality section, but let’s talk about the look and feel first.

There’s a love/hate relationship with Tesla’s stripped-back aesthetics, and I’m probably somewhere in the middle. I like the airiness of the space in the cabin, and I think it feels nicely put together, and I really dig the contrasting fabric used on the doors and dash which add a little visual interest to the cabin.

But I hate using the central screen to select a gear and I hate not being able to see how fast I’m going without turning my head. A head-up display would work wonders in the Model Y L cabin.

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.

Captain’s chairs are simply a more luxurious version of second-row seating. With that there is no argument and the heated and cooled chairs that occupy the second row of the Model Y L are pretty good examples of them.

Space, both knee and headroom, is ample, and you can adjust each seat individually if you want to grant a bit more space to any third row occupants. Armrests deploy at the push of a button — as do the two hidden cupholders — and it really is easy to settle in and get comfy.

The third row is a bit more hit and miss. I’m 175cm and found I had enough legroom and headroom, but the big plastic mouldings that emerge from each side of the Model Y (which house a cupholder) are a miss. They end up pushing you into the seat next to you, and I can foresee a lot of arm rubbing with anything like two adults back there.

Also confusing is how to actually get out of it. You can fold the seat in front of you flat, but then you have to climb over it. I found it easier to just walk out between the seats.

There are another two USB-C ports in the rear row and you get air vents but no temperature controls. 

The Model Y L stretches 4969mm in length, 1668mm in height and 2129mm in width, which is roughly 18cm longer and 4.5cm taller than the five-seat model. The extra space doesn’t sound like that much, but start dropping rows and you find a heap of storage space.

Both the second and third row stow electronically from the boot, but with them in place you’ll find 420 litres of storage in the double-layer boot. Drop the third row, and that number grows to 1076 litres. With the third row folded there is a massive 2423 litres of space. The frunk serves up another 116 litres.

There’s also room (and the ISOFIX attachment points) for four child seats.

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.

Like any car entering such a tightly contested segment, the Uncharted needs to impress on price. This is something Japanese brands have struggled to do in the face of an array of more affordable rivals, particularly from China.

The Uncharted comes in one highly-specified variant, which starts from $59,990, before on-road costs.

It sounds expensive and compared to some potential rivals, like the BYD Atto 3, Jaecoo J5 and Leapmotor B10 it is. If you just want an electric car, you can certainly have one up to $15,000 cheaper.

Dig into the details, though, and Subaru has played strategy with the pricing. It makes the Uncharted one of the most cleverly priced Japanese electric cars yet.

You see, not only does this car offer all-wheel drive, as per the Subaru brand promise, it also offers over 500km of driving range, which is a rare combination.

This makes it a more affordable way into all-wheel drive when you compare it to the Kia EV3 GT-Line, but it also offers more driving range than contemporaries from Europe, like the Volvo EX30.

The problem for Subaru is that it has ignored the wider market, hoping buyers will only be cross-shopping the most established nameplates.

For around this sixty-grand mark, you can get into some notable players like the strong-selling BYD Sealion 7, new MG S6 and smash-hit Zeekr 7X, all of which are a size up.

At least the single trim level on offer is pretty impressive, with spec highlights including LED light signatures, big 20-inch alloy wheels and full synthetic leather interior trim.

It even gets electrically-adjustable front seats with heating, a heated steering wheel and heated outboard rear seats.

The multimedia suite includes a 14-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, matching dual wireless phone chargers (very trendy) and a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster.

The only option, for now, is the panoramic sunroof with electrically closing cover, which comes in at an additional $1200.

The Model Y L gets Tesla’s dual-motor AWD powertrain, with two electric motors producing a total 378kW and 590Nm. That’s enough, Tesla says, to knock off the sprint to 100km/h in five seconds flat.

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.

Tesla is always a little vague when it comes to the size of its batteries, but reports point to the Model Y L carrying a 84Wh (useable) NMC battery.

Whatever the specifics, the range is strong, with Tesla promising a 681km driving range on the WLTP combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle.

It’s also set up for 250kW DC fast charging, which should see you take on 288km in 15 minutes, according to Tesla.

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.

Honestly, it feels like the Tesla Model Y has grown up. I didn’t love earlier iterations of this car and I found the Performance to be fast but lacking any emotional fizz.

This one, though, feels solid and composed, and the power on tap (of which there is ample) is more about effortless progress than it is attempting to offer sports car excitement.

The steering is now nicely weighted and feels direct enough without being too sharp, and the cabin is well insulated, with often the slightly off-putting sort of rubbing noise the steering wheel makes when you turn it the only intrusive sound.

One drawback is a ride that definitely errs on the side of firm. This Model Y L gets electronic damping designed to iron out some of the more jagged stuff, but it still feels brittle in places, and you can definitely feel some sharpness in the cabin. Now, to be fair, it’s not too firm for me, but it might be for you.

Another is a bizarre turning circle which constantly reminds you you’re driving a big bus, especially when you try to complete a tight three-point turn.

But despite its stretched dimensions, I found the Model Y L easy to drive and park in the city, and once you're up to speed with Tesla's operating system (there's no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto), then the screen is pretty easy to use, too.

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 other impressive thing about the drive experience is how well calibrated the safety systems are, yet another advantage of buying Japanese.

Despite the Uncharted having the full array of active safety kit (albeit, with Toyota software as opposed to Subaru’s usual EyeSight system) including high-speed auto braking, lane keep assist, blind-spot monitoring and even extras like traffic sign recognition, none of it interferes with the rather good driving experience.

Even routine offenders in rivals, like lane keep and driver monitoring are well-tuned.

The Uncharted wears a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating to the 2025 standards. It has eight airbags including a knee and front cabin centre airbag.

Tesla warranty is a these-days-underwhelming five years and unlimited kilometres, while the high-voltage battery is covered for eight years or (a wildly specific) 192,000km.

There’s also five years' of roadside assistance, including puncture repair (a good thing, given the lack of a spare wheel). I also couldn’t find a puncture repair kit and later research suggests Tesla sells them, rather than provides them as standard.

Tesla servicing is condition-based, so there’s no fixed schedule, with a summary on the car’s touchscreen providing a record of when vehicle maintenance was last carried out and prompts for when they should be performed next.

In the absence of a combustion powertrain the emphasis is on things like wheel rotation, balancing and alignment, brake fluid testing, air-con servicing, camera precision, radiator cleaning and high-voltage battery maintenance.

Expecty a ‘Vehicle Health Check’ to come in under $300 with ‘General Diagnosis’ at around $270 per hour.

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.