Compare the2023 Subaru SolterraVS 2022 Volkswagen ID.4

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Solterra are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The ID.4 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Subaru Solterra has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The ID.4 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the Solterra. But it costs extra on the ID.4.

The Solterra Limited/Touring has a standard 360-degree Surround-View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The ID.4 only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Solterra and the ID.4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Solterra’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the ID.4’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 39 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Subaru higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 16 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The Solterra’s electric motors produces 14 more horsepower (215 vs. 201) and 20 lbs.-ft. more torque (249 vs. 229) than the ID.4’s standard electric motor.

On the EPA test cycle the Solterra gets better mileage than the ID.4:

The Subaru Solterra has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Only rear drums come on the ID.4. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Solterra’s wheelbase is 3.5 inches longer than on the ID.4 (112.2 inches vs. 108.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Solterra is .6 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the ID.4.

For greater off-road capability the Solterra has a 1.5 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the ID.4 (8.3 vs. 6.8 inches), allowing the Solterra to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Subaru Solterra may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 400 pounds less than the Volkswagen ID.4.

The front grille of the Solterra uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The ID.4 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Solterra has 1 inch more front legroom, .3 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom and .1 inches more rear shoulder room than the ID.4.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Solterra’s rear seats recline. The ID.4’s rear seats don’t recline.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Solterra has standard extendable sun visors. The ID.4 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Both the Solterra and the ID.4 have standard heated front seats. The Solterra Limited/Touring also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the ID.4.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Solterra Touring keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The ID.4 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Solterra Limited/Touring’s Advanced Park can parallel park by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The ID.4 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.