If there is a vehicle brand seemingly designed with Colorado in mind, Subaru has long made a pretty convincing case.
Read more FBI no longer treating an applicant’s experience with prostitution as automatic bar against hiring
So when the keys arrived for the all-new, all-electric 2026 Subaru Trailseeker Touring, there seemed only one proper direction to point it: toward the mountains.
I headed North/Northwest to Boulder, Lyons, Estes Park and the Rocky Mountain National Park, a place very comfortable for most any Subaru, especially one that is fully electric. That enabled stopover landings at the historic Stanley Hotel.
And the Trailseeker proved to be a very Colorado kind of EV.
More Subaru than spaceship
The Trailseeker expands Subaru’s rapidly growing electric lineup and, importantly, looks and feels more like the outdoors-oriented Subaru many buyers know.
Underneath, there is considerable Toyota DNA. Subaru and Toyota have collaborated extensively on their EV programs, and the Trailseeker is closely related to Toyota’s bZ Woodland, much as the Subaru Solterra shares its foundations with Toyota’s bZ.
But the Trailseeker wears the Subaru personality convincingly.
Electric motors deliver their power immediately, and the Trailseeker lunges forward with an enthusiasm that may surprise anyone expecting the traditional mild-mannered Subaru experience. Mountain grades and passing maneuvers on the way toward Estes Park presented little drama.
Built to venture beyond the pavement
More important in Colorado is what happens when the pavement becomes less cooperative.
Every Trailseeker gets Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, along with 8.5 inches of ground clearance and dual-function X-MODE for Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud conditions. Downhill Assist Control and Grip Control add another layer of capability. Importantly for road-trip practicality, the Trailseeker uses a standard NACS charging port, opening access to the expanding network of compatible fast chargers.
A Subaru cabin with an EV-sized screen
Inside, the centerpiece is a huge 14-inch multimedia touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Touring equipment includes a panoramic glass roof with power sunshade, 20-inch wheels, a Harman Kardon premium audio system, 360-degree Panoramic View Monitor, ventilated front seats, heated rear outboard seats, heated steering wheel and even radiant leg warmers for the driver and front passenger.
Subaru also loads the Trailseeker with its EyeSight driver-assistance technologies, including dynamic radar cruise control, lane-tracing assistance, front cross-traffic alert, rear cross-traffic alert, intersection collision avoidance support, parking support braking and nine airbags.
Read more Wyoming governor requests investigation into activity of Justice Department monitors during primary
The result is an EV that feels technologically advanced without requiring its driver to learn an entirely new automotive language.
From one transportation revolution to another
The most appropriate photo stop may have been the Stanley Hotel.
F.O. Stanley came to Estes Park in 1903 while suffering from tuberculosis. The mountain climate helped restore his health, and he and his wife, Flora, eventually created the magnificent Stanley Hotel, which opened in 1909.
Stanley was also an automotive pioneer. He and his twin brother, Francis, created the famous Stanley steam-powered automobiles at the dawn of the American automobile industry.
More than a century later, I arrived at his hotel in an automobile powered not by steam or gasoline, but battery electric.
There’s a certain symmetry in that.
The Stanley Hotel later achieved another kind of fame after inspiring Stephen King’s The Shining. Contrary to popular belief, Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 movie was not filmed there, although the hotel and the story have become inseparable parts of Estes Park lore.
A natural fit for Colorado
Subaru has always punched well above its national weight in Colorado. The reasons aren’t difficult to understand. All-wheel drive, outdoor-oriented utility and a reputation for handling snow and mountain roads line up neatly with how many Coloradans use their vehicles.
The Trailseeker takes that familiar formula and plugs it in.
It is quick, comfortable, roomy and genuinely useful, with enough ground clearance and traction technology to preserve much of the go-anywhere character people expect when they see six stars on the grille.
And after two drives from Denver toward Boulder, Lyons and finally Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, perhaps the most important observation was also the simplest:
The Trailseeker didn’t feel like Subaru trying to build an electric car.
It felt like Subaru figuring out how to make an EV into a Subaru.
Saturday Drive Specs
Vehicle: 2026 Subaru Trailseeker Touring
Powertrain: Dual-motor battery-electric
Drivetrain: Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive
Horsepower: 375
Battery: 74.7-kWh lithium-ion
EPA range: 274 miles
DC fast charging: Up to 150kW
10-80% DC charging: About 28 minutes under optimal conditions
0-60: Approximately 4 seconds
Ground clearance: 8.5 inches
Towing Capacity: 3,500 pounds
Wheelbase: 112.2 inches
Length: 190.8 inches
Curb weight: 4,510 pounds
Seating: 5
MSRP as tested: $48,305
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 303-667-3995
The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had no role in this post’s preparation.
Read more Former Colorado doctor charged with attempted murder after shootout with marshals in Florida
