Subaru’s Uncharted Could Point to the Future of Enthusiast Hatchbacks

A few months ago, something strange and completely unexpected happened. During the media’s first drive event for Subaru’s two newest electric vehicles (EVs) – the Outback-sized Trailseeker and Crosstrek-sized Uncharted – I became very smitten with the company’s smallest and cheapest EV.

It turned out that I wasn’t alone in finding the Uncharted more endearing than expected. Like me, several of my automotive media peers also anticipated an appliance-like, electric commuter, but came away grinning after time behind the wheel. You see, the zappy Subie is very quick (which isn’t atypical of electric cars), but it’s also surprisingly nimble and proved remarkably engaging to hustle around Southern California’s winding mountain roads, using its sure-footed all-wheel-drive grip to rocket confidently out of corners.

In the months since, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the unexpectedly likeable Uncharted may point to the future of affordable enthusiast cars, and I’ve even contemplated replacing my beloved Subaru WRX sport sedan with one as fuel prices climbed to record highs.

The Benchmark Hot Hatchback

The Subaru Uncharted is a small electric crossover, not a compact hatchback, let alone a spicy performance model like the Honda Civic Type R, Toyota GR Corolla, or Volkswagen Golf R. Enthusiasts are fans of these cars since they offer decent value and daily usability with sports car-like performance. Our experts have repeatedly favoured the Volkswagen in comparison tests, and when used as a benchmark here, some eyebrow-raising objective comparisons can be made with the Subaru.

For one, they both start around the $50,000 mark, although our Golf R tester also had the Black Edition package and a very costly Akropovic exhaust, and the Subaru in Sport trim is eligible for a $5,000 federal incentive, creating a bit of a pricing chasm.

Dimensionally, despite the optical illusion created by its rakish roof line, the electric crossover is about 16 cm taller than the boxy Golf R. It’s also about 20 cm longer and 8 cm wider, too. Predictably, the Subaru’s front seat and cargo hold are larger, but the Volkswagen’s backseat is more spacious.

The more interesting numbers are those that quicken an enthusiast’s pulse. The Golf R’s turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine whips up 328 hp and a generous 295 lb-ft of torque from just 2,000 rpm. It’s a large part of what makes this car so endearing, with a very flexible power delivery that packs a bigger punch than most might expect from a four-cylinder engine.

The Subaru’s dual electric motors (one up front, one at the rear) combine to offer 338 hp and 323 lb-ft of torque. In fairness, those additional ponies need to haul around a lot more mass in the Subaru – 480 kg (over 1,000 lbs), which should dismiss any notion that the Uncharted is worthy of any performance comparison with the Golf R (and reasonable grounds to have yours truly locked up for lunacy).

The Numbers Don’t Lie

There’s no disputing that weight is the enemy of performance, and yet the measured testing of Car and Driver shows some compelling results. The feisty Golf R rips from zero to 96 km/h in 4.1 seconds; only two-tenths of a second quicker than the portly Subaru at 4.3 seconds. That’s literally the blink of an eye. By the quarter-mile (402 m), only 0.3 seconds separates the two.

What makes the Uncharted feel more exciting is the way the electric propulsion delivers its power. Car and Driver also measures both 30 to 50 and 50 to 70 mph times (48 to 80 km/h and 80 to 113 km/h), which gives a sense of how quickly a vehicle can execute a typical overtaking manoeuvre. For the Subaru, there’s no building revs, no spooling a turbo, nor any need to drop a gear or two before any appreciable acceleration happens, as is the case with the Volkswagen. As a result, the Uncharted completely leaves the Golf R in its dust, being nearly a full second quicker in both measures.

What about Stopping and Turning?

Of course, straight-line performance alone isn’t everything. Admittedly, the VW will continue accelerating to a top speed that’s more than 77 km/h faster than the Subaru, it’ll come to a stop from 113 km/h four metres sooner, and will stick to the pavement around a skidpad at 0.95 g versus the Subaru giving up its grip at 0.84 g. Those are a lot of numbers that will only matter to gearheads arguing on the internet.

Driving the two machines back-to-back, the Golf R is unquestionably the more legitimate sporting machine. Its handling is nimbler, its reaction to steering and braking inputs is far more precise, and frankly, more fun to toss around. The electric crossover’s steering has less life than a cemetery, and its taller profile and considerable weight make it feel ponderous compared to the Volkswagen.

The Golf R is fun and capable on a race track where the Uncharted really has no business being. Of course, the Uncharted also has more than eight inches of ground clearance and could take a shortcut across a race track’s infield.

To the Point

Aside from the Uncharted’s surprising quickness, it really isn’t a reasonable electrified substitute to the Golf R, nor should anyone expect it to be. What should be fascinating to driving enthusiasts, however, is that despite performance driving surely being nowhere in Subaru’s mandate for the Uncharted, the net result is a surprisingly fun and capable car.

The Golf R has been engineered over generations as the flagship performance model from Volkswagen – a company also responsible for the likes of Porsche and Lamborghini in its greater brand portfolio. It has been dialled in with a sophisticated adaptive suspension, high-performance brakes, and sticky summer tires. The Uncharted rides smoothly and rolls along on all-season tires designed to maximize efficiency beyond all else, and yet it’s still fun to drive.

The point is, if a car that has no business at all being considered a sporty hot hatch is this good, what could be the result of Subaru’s performance STI division rolling up their sleeves and creating an electric hatchback for enthusiasts? Hyundai has already started down the path with its Ioniq 5 N, but it’s very costly. Imagine taking the Uncharted as it is, stripping out some features (and thus, mass), lowering and stiffening it up, and fitting some high-performance brakes and tires. No silly fake engine sounds or simulated gear shifts needed – just applying the old hot-rodder’s technique of simplifying and creating a more focused performance car. It’s just the sort of thing that the import-tuning crowd has been doing for decades.

Other cars are starting to make the case for affordable and fun EVs, like the Tesla Model 3 and Volvo’s EX30 with even more straight-line performance than either the Golf R or Uncharted, and surprising handling prowess, too.

Final Thoughts

There remains a large and vocal contingent of driving enthusiasts who don’t and won’t accept an electric car as a valid performance machine. EVs appear to be here to stay, and when factoring in maintenance and fuel-versus-recharging costs, the Uncharted would offer notably lower ownership costs over the long run. Despite some similarities as compact, all-wheel-drive hatchbacks, these two are designed for completely different buyers. But just as a Golf R buyer might appreciate a fun performance car that enables daily usability, the Uncharted could appeal to those looking for a similarly broad use case of a vehicle that’s sometimes fun and sometimes practical. The Subaru Uncharted could theoretically be made more sporting with some modest modifications, while the Golf R will never be more efficient or allowed to cruise the carpool lane.