Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Fall/Winter 2019 | Page 18

TECHNICAL BRIEF
The All-New Sixth-Generation Subaru Outback
T
he original Subaru Outback—or, rather, the vehicle that
would go on to become known as the Subaru Outback,
the Subaru Legacy Grand Wagon—debuted in 1994. Based
on the second-generation version of the Subaru Legacy
Wagon, this spin-off featured a more rugged front fascia,
large fog lamps with protective stone guards, aggressive
body-side cladding and an eye-catching, two-tone paint
scheme. The Outback also had some serious ground
clearance, so it literally dared drivers to explore more.
The first Outback was a success right from the words
“go off-road” and an inspired decision, given the car
market in the mid-1990s. At the time, consumers in certain
markets couldn’t shake their love affair with the station
wagon. But the sport utility vehicle (SUV) and crossover
utility vehicle (CUV) were starting to gain in popularity.
From the start, the Outback has been considered one
of the very few vehicles to successfully blend the driving
dynamics of a sport wagon with the all-road/all-weather
capability of an authentic SUV.
More than 25 years later, the same holds true and
the Subaru Outback is, year over year, one of the most
popular models in the Subaru fleet around the world.
Now, with the introduction of the all-new 2020 Subaru
Outback, these qualities are taken to never-before-seen
levels. Here are the details.
Despite the fact that the Outback has been an IIHS
Top Safety Pick or better for 11 consecutive years now,
the engineers in charge of safety are clearly uninterested
in resting on their collective laurels. As with the Subaru
Ascent—as well as the latest examples of the Impreza,
Crosstrek, Forester and Legacy—the sixth-generation
Outback now rides on the Subaru Global Platform.
This is an important point for a few reasons. First of all,
the new platform is stronger, so it’s better able to protect
all occupants in the event of a collision; tests have shown
that the new Outback absorbs 40 per cent more crash
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energy in front/side impacts than the previous model.
Second: a stronger platform allows for big gains in the
steering, handling and ride comfort departments. Drivers
of the new Outback should expect a more dynamic and
responsive experience overall.
Back on the topic of safety, the 2020 Subaru Outback is
not only stronger than ever, it’s also more technologically
advanced. All versions of this popular SUV alternative
now come equipped with LED headlights and the
latest version of the award-winning Subaru EyeSight®
Driver-Assist Technology. This enhanced safety system
now features a new lane-centring function that helps
drivers keep the vehicle centred in the lane while driving.
Also noteworthy: The award-winning DriverFocus
Distraction Mitigation System is available on the Outback
for the first time. Working in conjunction with EyeSight, this
segment-exclusive technology utilizes a camera mounted
on top of the dashboard and facial recognition software
to identify signs of driver fatigue or driver distraction.
With all of these developments, it’s no wonder that the
2020 Subaru Outback is expected to extend the record of
Top Safety Picks to an even dozen.
Of course, the all-new Outback has the pursuit of
adventure angle covered with class-leading levels of
capability. As ever, the redoubtable Subaru Symmetrical
Full-Time AWD system is standard on all versions of the
new model, as is Active Torque Vectoring, 220 mm of
ground clearance, and X-MODE with Hill Descent Control.
These features give the Outback the ability to explore the
road less travelled, even when that road is covered in
gravel, dirt, snow, ice or some combination thereof.
The ability to make a molehill out of the nearest
mountain also comes from the robust power of the
SUBARU BOXER engine or, in this case, the choice of two
all-new SUBARU BOXER engines. The direct-injection
2.5L 4-cylinder, which features some placeholder