Subaru basically invented the off-roading wagon. Back in the mid-90's, short on cash to develop an SUV from scratch, they took a Legacy wagon, jacked up the ride height, slapped on some black plastic cladding, and called it the Outback. It was unique. Cool. Practical.

Except the latest Outback is glaringly not a wagon anymore. It's only 10 mm off the height of a  Ford Everest. Which basically makes it a Forester now.

So it seems it's now up to Toyota to carry the wagon-SUV torch, and Subaru's job is simply to take their effort and stick a blue star-studded badge on top. That's essentially what the new electric Subaru Trailseeker is. Just like their first EV attempt, the Sultana. Or Solterra (I get mixed up).

And yet, this whole arrangement might actually be a very clever play by Subaru.

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What is it?

Ignore the badges. This is a Toyota bZ4X Touring.

This means it's basically longer, more wagon-y version of the fully electric bZ4X. And it looks great. In fact, I wish Subaru had taken this exact body, thrown in their 2.4-litre turbo petrol engine and mechanical AWD, and called it the new Outback instead of the monstrosity we actually got. (In Europe, this EV is literally called the e-Outback.)

It's cheaper than the Toyota though - after a recent price cut, the Trailseeker range kicks off at $63,990 before on-roads for the entry AWD, stretching to $69,990 for the top Touring model. The Toyota starts at $69,990.

Subaru has reinvented the wheel with the Trailseeker. Photo: James Coleman.

What's it like to live with?

It's a remarkably smooth and comfortable EV. In the Touring I've borrowed from Subaru Australia, there's heaps of cabin space, a stylish interior full of interesting shapes and textures, a huge boot, heated seats as standard, and a claimed range of 488 km.

It also happens to pack 280 kW of power, and a 0-100 km/h time of 4.5 seconds, which technically makes this the fastest production car Subaru has ever sold in Australia - comfortably out-pacing the current turbo Outback and even the WRX STi.

Inspiring around corners? There's some clever braking of different wheels at different times to keep you flat, but not particularly. But it's an extraordinarily pleasant place to sit and munch kilometres. I spent most of my week in Eco mode, which feels like boasting about snacking on raw broccoli - a weird thing to take pride in.

Really the only awkward design quirk is the tiny, squircle-shaped steering wheel. Still, it's better than Toyota's version, which features the standard-sized wheel but ends up blocking the instrument cluster with it. Why neither brand simply redesigned the screen instead remains a mystery wrapped in an enigma.

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Normally, I wouldn't dream of taking a heavy EV off-road, but there is some competence implied by the Subaru badge - let alone "Trailseeker" (which sounds like Subaru spent all of a 4:55 pm Friday meeting selecting as a name). It also sits higher off the ground than the Toyota, and on different suspension.

So I have it a crack. And the results were surprisingly impressive.

It isn't just prettier than the Outback; both Trailseeker models come equipped with the dual-mode version of Subaru's X-Mode, which adds tailored "Snow/Dirt" and "Deep Snow/Mud" settings, on top of the standard hill-descent control. 

Whatever black magic this involves, the Trailseeker tackled the soft, sandy includes around the Cotter with far less wheelspin than the Outback - and boasting only slightly less ground clearance (211 mm vs 220 mm). Unless, of course, I've just become a better off-road driver overnight.

Yep, it made it through the creek. Photo: James Coleman.

The verdict

So you get more for your money than the Toyota, wrapped inside a better-looking package than the petrol Outback.

Maybe making the new Outback so bulky - and arguably ugly - was all part of the plan. Subaru was one of 19 brands to exceed its CO2 targets for 2025 under Albanese's new NVES rules, and so needs to increase its EV credits. Putting off Outback buyers while also providing a handsome electric alternative looks like a sure-fire way to do that.

And you still end up with a genuinely capable, comfortably and wierdly fast Subaru.

Sorry ... I mean Toyota.