Customers might write off the Subaru Trailseeker as just a Toyota BZ Woodland ripoff. And in many ways, they’re right. It is almost identical to the Woodland in almost every way. However, in this new video from The Car Care Nut Reviews, a mechanic walks you through the Subie’s mechanical bits and finds that it’s a well-made car with a few reasons to buy it over the Toyota.
On paper, the two cars are basically identical. They have the same dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain, making 375 horsepower combined. Their batteries are the same 67 kWh packs, too, with around 280 miles of max range. While each brand gave their version some unique styling elements, they’re both mechanically identical and built on the same lines. But being based on a Toyota is a good thing, as it means the Trailseeker is built sensibly.
It also means that it’s just a car. The Trailseeker might be electric but it has a normal keyfob, a normal starter button, and all normal controls. So when you use it and live with it everyday, it requires no learning curve like cars from Tesla, Rivian, or Lucid. There’s no keycard to unlock the doors or steering wheel-mounted mirror controls. Almost everything works the same way it does in a gas car. One of the two cooling systems even uses the same coolant Toyota puts in its gas and hybrid cars.
However, the biggest improvement I see in the Trailseeker over the BZ Woodland is the steering wheel. My biggest problem with the Woodland was not being able to see the damn gauge cluster. The top of the steering wheel rim completely blocks it. The only way to see it was to move the steering wheel so far down that it touched my thighs, so I just guessed my speed. The Trailseeker has no such problem, though, as Subaru made the top of the wheel flat so it sits just underneath the gauges. Smart.
Photo by: Subaru
The Subie is cheaper, too. Starting at $41,445, the Trailseeker undercuts the BZ Woodland’s $46,895 starting price by almost $5,500. While the Subaru doesn’t come with as many standard features, it still comes with almost everything you’ll need right out of the box, in addition to the superior steering wheel. The latter of which I think makes it worth buying over the Toyota alone.
