Subaru Outback

[eyesore]

going shopping for a new car tomorrow, she wants to look at the Outback... any opinions ? Thanks .

[source3]

My wife loves hers. No issues since 2012. Snow. Heat. Deer running into it with little damage on her way to work. Just keeps on going. Deer was tasty as Colorado allows to take roadkill.

[Acousticado]

Originally Posted by source3

My wife loves hers. No issues since 2012. Snow. Heat. Dear running into it with little damage on her way to work. Just keeps on going. Dear was tasty as Colorado allows to take roadkill.

”Dear.” I think you might want to correct that spelling.

[islandguitar]

We have two Outbacks...one is old, but the other is a 2019.....all good, all the time!!

[Steve DeRosa]

Love ours (2018), only has 22K miles but might trade toward a new XT for the additional horsepower...

[guitar12]

Not an Outback but I have a Crosstrek and I can vouch for the Subaru family, they're great cars. Not the fanciest manufacturer but probably the safest and definitely reliable.

Rob

[Mbroady]

2011 outback and a 2001 Forester. They just keep going and going and going.........

[Doons]

We have a pair of 2020 Outback’s. I have the Premium model, wife has the Touring. Both cars have been trouble free and we are both happy with them.

[Ryan51]

I got my first Subaru in 1987 which was a hatchback. That was the only small car with selectable four-wheel drive available. It was very cheap and had some problems but it did perform well in four-wheel drive for getting through heavy snow. In the 1990s Subaru improved their product line and today make some of the best cars available. We have had Outbacks and Foresters over the last 20 years and have been happy with them. Safety rating is among the highest as is resale value. Subaru all-wheel drive outperforms nearly every other maker and can out-maneuver similar models from other manufacturers in track tests. The Forester does gets better gas mileage than the Outback if that is a concern but the Outback has a larger gas tank. Toyota has a small stake in Subaru and they have partnered on shared models. Subaru has built Toyota and Honda models at their Indiana plant.

[srick]

My wife has had two Outbacks - a 1999, which never had any major problems, and a 2013, which was the first year of the new design. The 2013, which she adores and uses every day, had a couple of problems that were covered under warranty: the CVT transmission had to be replaced, and the windshield cracked.

The explanation behind the cvt issue was that it was a new design, and was not thoroughly debugged. The explanation given about the windshield was that the heaters on the windshield were set at too high a level. Other than those two bugs, it has been an extremely reliable car. It also feels very safe and stable.

Folks with later model years have not mentioned any CVT or windshield issues. So I truly do suspect this was because of the redesign. And if you listen to my wife (which I advise you to do ), go for it.

PS - I am still driving my 2006 Honda Accord EX with five speed manual with sports package and leather seats. 115k miles. This thing is a wolf in sheep's clothing. The secret to the Honda engine is knowing where the power band is. The car easily goes 45 or 50 in second gear. This has been my favorite car ever, but it’s getting a bit long in the tooth and needed some major repairs over the last two years. OEM Parts are getting harder to find. And if anything happens to my right knee, forget about the standard tranny. I would have no qualms buying another Honda.

Rick

[dnf777]

For the money, best cars on the road. Ive had two. Wife, daughter, and son drive Subies. I love my truck (2500HD) and Wrangler, but even they arent as good in snow as the Outback. You point the nose where you want to go, and it goes there. Best AWD system ever.

Also, back in the 80s, my uncle had a subie (pre-outback days) for work. Had over 300k on it. Drove to construction sites with 3 buddies. One day nearing home he was t-boned and flipped on the roof. They crawled out, flipped it back on its wheels and drove home. (It was eventually totalled, but it preserved their space in the roll-over and limped back home. I was sold!

[Murphy Slaw]

Originally Posted by dnf777

Best AWD system ever.

They also tend to have better ground clearance. Our Forester "Wilderness Edition" has even more. We own some property with a hunting cabin and a bad road and this thing will go anywhere. It's a better system than my 4x4 truck.

[KenL]

I live in central Colorado, up in the mountains. The number of Outbacks that I see on the road is ridiculous. Easily the #1 seller up here.

Subaru people are extremely brand-loyal. In 2019 I had to sell my mom's 2012 Outback with 12,000 miles on it. I had Subaru fans lined up to buy it. If I had had 10 of them I could have sold them all on that Saturday.

[rsay777]

I suppose one consideration on picking an Outback might on where you live. Snowy Winters are surely easier with Subarus all-wheel drive.

[Jamolay]

I have had two Subarus. Both the smaller Impreza outback with standard transmissions. Great cars. But really got rough after breaking the 100k mile mark for me.

I planned to buy one again, though. The price to value ratio is very good for a car, however I could not tolerate the CVT. Felt like driving a car powered by a twisted rubber band.

Ended up with a BMW diesel wagon. Very happy with it, super gas mileage, fun to drive and I love wagons. They no longer sell it in the US after the diesel debacle of VW.

Biggest downside is that I could have bought two Impreza Outbacks for what I paid for it.