Compare the2023 Subaru Solterra VS 2023 Volvo C40 Recharge

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 C40 Recharge 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 C40 Recharge doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Both the Solterra and the C40 Recharge have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, 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, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Solterra its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The C40 Recharge has not been fully tested, yet.

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the Solterra 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volvo covers the C40 Recharge. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the C40 Recharge ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 2 times as many Subaru dealers as there are Volvo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Solterra’s warranty.

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 Volvo vehicles. With 65 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Subaru higher than Volvo.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Volvo With 30 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Volvo.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Volvo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 7 places higher in reliability than Volvo.

On the EPA test cycle the Solterra gets better mileage than the C40 Recharge:

			MPGe
Solterra
		Premium Electric Motors	114 city/94 hwy
		Limited/Touring Electric Motors	111 city/93 hwy
C40 Recharge
		Electric Motors	94 city/80 hwy

The Solterra Premium can travel longer on a full charge than the C40 Recharge (228 miles vs. 226 miles).

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Solterra’s wheelbase is 5.8 inches longer than on the C40 Recharge (112.2 inches vs. 106.4 inches).

For better maneuverability, the Solterra’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the C40 Recharge’s (36.7 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

The Subaru Solterra may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 400 pounds less than the Volvo C40 Recharge.

The Solterra has 1.2 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room and 1.3 inches more rear headroom than the C40 Recharge.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Solterra’s rear seats recline. The C40 Recharge’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Solterra has a much larger cargo volume than the C40 Recharge with its rear seat up (29 vs. 17.3 cubic feet).

The Solterra’s cargo area is larger than the C40 Recharge’s in almost every dimension:

	Solterra	C40 Recharge
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	38.3”/73”	35.3”/66.3”
Max Width	50.4”	n/a
Min Width	38.1”	41.7”
Height	29.3”	n/a

The Solterra has a higher standard payload capacity than the C40 Recharge (1045 vs. 960 lbs.).

The Solterra Limited/Touring’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The C40 Recharge doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

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 C40 Recharge doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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 C40 Recharge doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Solterra Limited/Touring’s Advanced Park can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The C40 Recharge doesn’t offer an automated parking system.