‘ the Outback is an excellent option as a family vehicle’ cont...
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The Subaru Outback is one of the best vehicles I have ever driven. With reasonable power( 2.0 ltr diesel), nice ride and for a SUV handles very much like a car.
The ergonomics are high class and it offers many features to aid with drive comfort and safety.
Having to wear glasses for driving, I found some of the buttons and switches difficult to read but vital instruments were larger and easily identified. In fairness though; if I were to purchase this vehicle, in time I would know where all of the controls are situated.
There are engine options and all models come with continuously variable transmission with a seven ration manual override available through steering wheel mounted paddle shifters.
Outback does not have extra height of the normal SUV, but even with the sunroof the interior is spacious, with room for 6 adults. Seats are large and have front seat power adjustment. Driver compartment is excellent.
Maximum cargo area is excellent and increases by an extra 1300 litres with the rear seats folded down. All models have automatic boot release buttons on the key. Across the range all have a 5 star ANCP rating. Many features include collision avoidance system, ABS brakes, electronic stability control, traction control, halogen daytime running lights, hill hold, electronic parking brake.
Other features include blind spot monitoring lane change assist, high beam assist, rear cross traffic alert that sounds when another vehicle is approaching; the side mirrors are much larger than average, seven airbags and whiplash reduction seats. The Premium-level Outback gets standard leather seats – with eight-way power adjustment on the driver’ s side – a power sunroof, dual-zone climatecontrol, satellite navigation and a reversing camera.
‘ the Outback is an excellent option as a family vehicle’ cont...
Certainly Subaru customers give it the thumbs-up by relegating it just behind the company’ s best-selling Forester on the sales charts. Fuel economy is pretty good for a mid-size luxury-spec SUV: Subaru’ s claim is 6.3L / 100km for the Premium 2.0D, although we were some way off that in our comparison with the Passat Alltrack where we averaged 7.8L / 100km. This suggests a cruising range of not much more than 700km would be a reasonable expectation.
Road grip is helped by the Outback’ s use of 18-inch alloy wheels with 225 / 60-series tyres( the spare too) and off-road capabilities are assisted by a handy 213mm of ground clearance – although not by the Outback’ s jutting front and rear overhangs. If you are after an AWD that offers most of the versatility of a regular SUV but drives like, and looks like, a regular station wagon, the Outback is about as good a choice as you will find.
Priced at $ 34717 including on road costs, the Subaru Outback is a good choice for normal every day driving to off road adventures.
Towing Capacity is between 1500kg to 1800 kg. On the road the Outback, with its MacPherson strut front suspension and multi-link rear end, offers a controlled, compliant ride and quiet cruising at highway speeds. The turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine, tucked low in the engine bay, is smoother and quieter than most, even if it’ s not the quickest.
With the Australian family car production coming to an end- the Outback is an excellent option as a family vehicle. Although being an All Wheel Drive, it offers the same driver comfort and ergonomics as a standard sedan.
Review by Dean Heffernan, Touring Australia’ s resident expert on all things‘ touring’ on land or water. With over 50 years of experience exploring our great land.
8 touring australia magazine • summer 2017