Literally back in the winter, I had a very interesting Subaru Outback on the test. It was interesting primarily with the engine, 3.6 liters and 260 horses at 350 N • m. This station wagon could be naughty … But everything has changed, in the sixth version, only an atmospheric boxer of 2.5 liters and 188 horses is available to the buyer.
I will not hide, it made me a little alarmed (will it have enough power?) And I was wondering what it has to offer Subaru Outback sixth generation. Let’s figure it out.
Specifications
- Engine: boxer internal combustion engine, 4 cylinders, 2.5 liters, 95th gasoline.
- Power: 188 hp s., 245 Nm.
- CVT (Linetronic).
- Symmetrical four-wheel drive.
- Average fuel consumption during the test drive is 9.6 liters per 100 km.
- I drove 1302 km.
First meeting
All the fun in …
Yes, there are really many interesting things inside. For starters, the Outback has a very pleasant interior. Nappa leather in black and beige combination is my favorite. Adjusts to a calm and relaxed mood. Driver’s seats with all kinds of adjustments (unless there is no massage). The front passenger is also not deprived of seat settings. I think you don’t have to stutter about heated seats.
A little about the memory of the chair settings. There are already familiar buttons for position profiles, but much more interesting is the fact that the car is now able to recognize the driver. So when, for example, a member of your family gets behind the wheel, the car will recognize him (or her) and adjust the position of the seat, side mirrors and climate settings to match the driver’s settings. Bliss. For everything to work, you need to add a user in the settings (up to five persons).
The driver is recognized by a small block above the screen. The driver monitoring system is equipped with a special camera and software package. It also keeps track of where you are looking and reminds you to follow the road and not hang around your smartphone. Someone may not like this function, you can turn it off. But to observe with the included monitoring, how often we are distracted from the road, is at least curious. She also monitors sleepiness.
And here you want to be distracted, no matter how strange it may sound. First, there is traditionally excellent visibility to the sides. I can only complain about a tiny hatch for such a large car. Subaru, it’s time to make a decent panoramic sunroof! Secondly, adaptive cruise control. It works without any complaints, accelerates smoothly (there are already 4 options for setting acceleration), it can keep the lane (yes, the car drives itself, but it asks to keep your hands on the steering wheel) and generally makes life easier, especially on the track.
I continue. Steering wheel! The Outback has a perfectly tuned electric power steering, it’s hard to find fault with the steering itself. If you have lane monitoring turned on, then it will vibrate when leaving the lane without a turn signal. Most importantly, it is still one of the best steering wheels on the market right now. Grip, ergonomics and overall thoughtfulness. Wah! There is one peculiarity: the turn signal is not fixed in extreme positions and always immediately returns to the center position. It definitely takes some getting used to.
What are other news? Screen! It is huge, almost 12 inches. True, it does not have such a large resolution and is framed with glossy plastic … but it is convenient to use it. Here, in general, everything is familiar to a modern Subaru: navigation, car settings (here we have to give the Japanese their due, there are really a lot of settings) and other multimedia. The upper part of the screen is occupied by the functionality that used to be on a small display in the center of the dashboard. The lower one is the climate settings. Fortunately, the temperature can be changed with physical keys, but the seat heating, alas, is now hidden in the screen menu.
In general, there is a feeling of a certain incompleteness of the logic of the menus themselves. Native navigation, for example, fits perfectly into the vertical screen. But the display of cameras looks a little scanty and the picture is hard to see, while part of the screen is empty. The same goes for Android Auto, it only takes up part of the huge screen and leaves a lot of free space. But CarPlay, like stock navigation, takes up most of the screen. Whose flaw is this? It remains to be wondered. It would be cool to fix it all with “patches” so that the car has an update function.
What’s new in the salon? To the not-so-large glove box (it hides the only cigarette lighter socket in the cabin!), A small niche has been added above it. Also, the front passenger has a pocket to the left of the display. A 1.5 liter bottle fits into the door cards. Interesting changes to the armrest. Now he has two unlock keys (they are under the visor). One will let “into the bowels”, the other into a small shelf, where it is convenient to hide a wallet or cable. By the way, there is a CD-player hidden in the armrest, so you can definitely add it to the list of options.
By the way, about the cable and connectors. There are two classic USBs in front, and if you take at least one, it will not be very convenient to put devices in a niche for a smartphone. There are two more classic USB connectors on the back.
Since we are talking about the convenience of the second row, a few words about it. The main thing is that there is a lot of space. The car is almost 5 meters long, and this spaciousness is felt. The chairs have adjustable backrest tilt, a folding table with cup holders in the middle and heated chairs. In general, it is a sin to complain, except perhaps about the hatch that does not reach the second row …
There is a strange moment with the cup holders: the passengers in the back have them with rubber clips for containers, but the front row has just two large holes, and the average glass of coffee (with medium coffee from a gas station) hangs in them.
A few words about the trunk. 522 liters is an excellent indicator, and there is a lot of space here. Also available are hooks for fastening your goods and the ability to fold the second row without getting into the salon. There is a column on the left. In the underground, there is a dock, and also a curtain that can be held in different positions. An interesting point: the Outback has a luggage compartment light, which is convenient, in the center, but if the curtain is not removed, it shines into it. And I didn’t think that I would write this, but the large trunk has a minus – without dividers or special pencil cases, things in it just fly back and forth.
What is the bottom line? I definitely like it. Calm, comfortable and generally thoughtful, although not without flaws. And most importantly, all the functionality works. In fact, there are no really big flaws here. You just demand more from such a machine.
Another thought about the interior and interfaces: all Subaru have very large physical keys and fonts in the menu. All this is convenient when using on the move, you do not need to peer or grope. And I found an analogy: imagine the font of the text (like this one) and usually in cars everything is like this, it seems convenient, but you want a little larger. And in Subaru, all the elements of the interior seem to have been made in bold type, and it has become more convenient.
Finally, about the tidy, and let’s go already. It is as classic as possible here: physical dials and a screen in the middle. Everything is perfectly readable and looks nice. But I got the idea that someone might want a fully digital version.
Let’s hit the road
It is more pleasant to ride on it calmly
Here I start again by bringing back memories of the previous powerful version. But I want to note that with this calm engine the car has become exactly that of a family and harmonious. Since it is not difficult to fill it with things and people, and it is downright inviting to go on a journey, so I decided to do it.
Four are free to sit in the cabin, enjoy the decoration, spaciousness and ease of boarding, a la business class on the plane. Luggage in the trunk, there are no difficulties either. You can go. On the road, you begin to understand how all modern assistants make life easier. Especially in traffic jams and on the highway. I switched on the “cruise” with lane control, and you drive yourself calmly at a given speed. The beauty. If you are carried away by conversation or looking at the views outside the window, the car reminds you that it is better to look ahead.
On small roads when overtaking trucks, it turns out that 188 horses with passengers (even with one), it is still not enough. To accelerate, you need to guess the moment, or even better, switch SI-Drive to sport mode. Well, this car really loves a relaxed and calm ride, not a rush and nervous rebuilding. And no, this is not a minus. You just need to take this into account.
And if at speed you need to prepare for a maneuver, then from the start it pulls very well. Yes, there is no turbine pickup, but even without it, the engine and gearbox are perfectly tuned and ready to quickly catch up with the flow rate. What else I want to note is the pleasant roar of the boxer engine! If you are not indifferent to the good old sound of the internal combustion engine, it will definitely please you, but it will not bother you either.
Suspension? The balance between comfort and information content. More to the second. And also a ground clearance of 22 centimeters. In general, it matches the car, I would say “in good shape.” By the way, the second row is even softer than the front. On the killed asphalt, it does not reach breakdowns, speed bumps are swallowed well, but, of course, it is better to spare the suspension. And the rolls are not so strong here, which was especially appreciated by the passengers in the second row.
It seems to me that an excellent characteristic of comfort will be the fact that I drove a little more than 600 kilometers in a day and was not tired. There was a road in the early morning on the highway, and broken asphalt and a little dirt. And back: drizzling rain and darkness with oncoming headlights. It was cozy, with a good sound of music and conversations with friends, who, at the same time, were well heard.
A few words about off-road. The car, surrounded by plastic and with decent ground clearance, pulls off the asphalt. And here Outback will clearly not mind. Two off-road modes (for mud and very deep mud) reconfigure the operation of the gearbox and gas pedal. Yes, it is not worth doing stupid things, but with a soggy primer after the rain in the field, she coped perfectly well. And this is on summer city tires. But you need to keep in mind that the front and rear bumpers are very protruding.
The bottom line? Ditch your athletic habits, grab a friend or family, and go on a journey. There is more than enough space for people and things. Ride in comfort and enjoy driving while driving. You will also drive off the asphalt very confidently.
Review
Calm, only calm
This is exactly the feeling when you are in the new Outback. And, believe me, this calmness is achieved here by many things: ergonomics in the cabin, understandable multimedia, driver assistance assistants on the way, measured dynamics and comfort of landing.
Yes, there are some strange moments here, like the same cup holders without locks in the front, inconvenient display of cameras and a lamp in the trunk that shines into the blind. But at the same time, the car is perceived as whole and assembled!
For me, according to the results of the test, the main indicator was that I managed to get in touch with the Subaru Outback and didn’t really want to say goodbye. Is this not an excellent indicator?
In conclusion, I will complain. Subaru, where is the whole assortment of models that is in other countries? I’d like to get acquainted with the Wilderness models.
Pros:
- comfort in many ways;
- excellent driver assistants;
- interior space and trunk volume;
- all in all a comfortable multimedia.
Minuses:
- there are minor miscalculations on the little things;
- no armrest adjustment;
- part of the climate had to be left physically controlled.
May not like:
- small hatch;
- consumption;
- lack of electronic devices, even as an option.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
