2020 Subaru Outback review (rental)

[92saturnsl2]

I have to agree about the gloss black. In the sunshine all the smudges, dust, scratches etc are magnified and there's a good amount of glare that comes off the whole display. I just can't stand how it takes up the whole center stack and leaves you with only six physical buttons. I had to stop and pull off the road to figure out how to turn the climate control off-- all the climate stuff is buried at the very bottom of the screen where it's difficult to see for the driver.. Then you have to stare at it while you manipulate the touchscreen with your finger and try not to accidentally hit the wrong one if you happen to hit a bump.

 

[Miller88]

That's a fact. Well, at least, it was on my 2016 WRX. You called for 20% throttle opening and the engine room gave you 90%, it seemed. Along with the artificial rev hang that was programmed in ( I detested that and it was one of the reasons I sold the car), it made it a challenge to shift smoothly.

That's not really their fault. Throttle snap shut is terrible for emissions. Pretty much any newer manual does it. Going from my 2011 Focus to m 2018 Forester is a world of difference, the Forester doesn't do it near as bad as my Focus did

 

[john_pifer]

That's not really their fault. Throttle snap shut is terrible for emissions. Pretty much any newer manual does it. Going from my 2011 Focus to m 2018 Forester is a world of difference, the Forester doesn't do it near as bad as my Focus did

I’m well aware of the supposed reason for it. Even so, IMHO, there’s no excuse for it, especially in a performance car.

They should have found a better way to reduce NOx emissions.

I have heard that the situation is improved with the 2020 model.

Also heard that it is possible to largely fix the problem with an aftermarket tuning device such as the Cobb Accessport.

My wife’s 2018 Civic Hatchback 1.5T is even worse.

 

[Rand]

I had my throttle remapped with a tune.

they need to make it less linear and more of a curve.
but hey it makes the car feel strong and peppy.(blah)

 

[SeaJay]

One thing I didn’t highlight is just how comfortable the car is. I’m 6’2 and I fit in it like a glove. The seating positions seem endless, I can move it back so far I can’t reach the pedals. It’s just super comfortable driving it with a really good ride. Besides my complaints regarding the touchscreen, everything is laid out logically and easy to get to.

Subaru was not on my radar in late 2013. At 6-6, I was trying to figure out what smaller vehicle to replace my roomy minivan with. My wife did a search and discovered that at that time, the Subaru outback had the longest legroom in its class. The 2.5 base model has served me well with some rather hard use over the first 80K miles. The back seats have surprising legroom also.

The performance is fine as you state with the car kicking in at 3K on the CVT. Its not for those that require a car to accelerate in a blink from 20 to 60MPH with only a twitch on the accelerator while keeping the RPMs well below the max. But it gives you what you need 99% of the time if you are not afraid to push the accelerator to the floor and hear the engine spool up to the max. For that 1% of the time I wait on speedy G and let him pass.

 

[CKN]

OP-I hate Subarus-since they burned me. However, your review was very well written.

Thank you!

 

[JTK]

They've upped their game with seating comfort and I'd imagine a new OB would be top of the mark.

I was never comfortable in my 2012 Legacy 2.5i premium. Seating was way too low and I couldn't raise it w/out hitting the headliner. I could never get the bolstering and lumbar adjusted to my liking either.

My 2014 XV Crosstrek had some type of crossbar in the seat pans that you could feel through the cushion. Terrible.

My 2016 Forester was very good in terms of seat and overall comfort and this was in base model flavor.

 

[simple_gifts]

like the olive drab; seems subaru is making a lot of unique colors not often seen on other cars. the blue-grey one is good too.

 

[john_pifer]

Subaru was not on my radar in late 2013. At 6-6, I was trying to figure out what smaller vehicle to replace my roomy minivan with. My wife did a search and discovered that at that time, the Subaru outback had the longest legroom in its class. The 2.5 base model has served me well with some rather hard use over the first 80K miles. The back seats have surprising legroom also.

The performance is fine as you state with the car kicking in at 3K on the CVT. Its not for those that require a car to accelerate in a blink from 20 to 60MPH with only a twitch on the accelerator while keeping the RPMs well below the max. But it gives you what you need 99% of the time if you are not afraid to push the accelerator to the floor and hear the engine spool up to the max. For that 1% of the time I wait on speedy G and let him pass.

I'm 6'2", and also found the legroom to be very good in my WRX. In most vehicles, I have the seat adjusted all the way back to the stop. The WRX was one that I didn't even need to go all the way back to be comfortable.

Incidentally, the BMW 3-Series I've been in also seemed designed to accomodate tall people very well.

 

[CKN]

They've upped their game with seating comfort and I'd imagine a new OB would be top of the mark.

I was never comfortable in my 2012 Legacy 2.5i premium. Seating was way too low and I couldn't raise it w/out hitting the headliner. I could never get the bolstering and lumbar adjusted to my liking either.

My 2014 XV Crosstrek had some type of crossbar in the seat pans that you could feel through the cushion. Terrible.

My 2016 Forester was very good in terms of seat and overall comfort and this was in base model flavor.

I traded in a 2012 Legacy Limited because I couldn't keep the paint finish from chipping off the car. It only had 57,000 miles on it. I asked Subaru to repaint the hood and roof and they told me to pound sand. So never again for Subarus.....they lost a customer for life over$1,200.

 

[wdn]

Nobody guarantees a car’s paint for 57,000 miles especially in a state known for sand and sun. If it were peeling during the first month you owned it or after the first car wash that would be different.

 

[CKN]

Nobody guarantees a car’s paint for 57,000 miles especially in a state known for sand and sun. If it were peeling during the first month you owned it or after the first car wash that would be different.

The paint on my wife's 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe XL-is flawless. Which I may add has much better adhesion than on my MSRP $54,000.00 Silverado. Which-is going to the dealer for a hood repaint request-not that's the only place that's chipping........stay posted.

Again-THEY LOST A CUSTOMER. Had they repainted the car-I can tell you without question there would be a Ascent sitting in my garage right about NOW. Because cars are replaced in my household at right about 100,000 miles.

I got a story for you about how Honda partially paid for a "well out of warranty" Air bag module-because I called them (Honda Corporate) up and asked them real nice.

I spent my career in sales. It's a well known statistic in the business world-that once you lose a customer-the costs to try to get another customer are staggering-if you are lucky enough to replace them at all.

 

[IndyIan]

I'm 6'2", and also found the legroom to be very good in my WRX. In most vehicles, I have the seat adjusted all the way back to the stop. The WRX was one that I didn't even need to go all the way back to be comfortable.

Incidentally, the BMW 3-Series I've been in also seemed designed to accomodate tall people very well.

In the Outback they leave lots of space for tall rear passengers as well. Right now its wasted with my kids but in 4-5-6 years they'll probably need it.

 

[bluesubie]

Nice review @92saturnsl2 . The touch screen definitely takes some getting used to. When using CarPlay or AA, depending on the infotainment software version you have, the screen can be very buggy with intermittent connectivity issues (randomly disconnects while using). At the end of June, they came out with an update and that was a major improvement.

The fan controls are a big complaint. They were supposed to increase the size of the controls in the June update but I don't think it was included since they were trying to push the update out quickly because of connectivity issues. The voice commands actually work very well for the infotainment and HVAC systems. They're not as good for navigation or calls unless you say it in a specific way.

I lost interest in the Outback when they killed the XT version that had a turbocharged engine and optional manual transmission.

I became interested in the Outback after they dropped the turbo in the Forester and put one in the Outback. I think 10 of us bought manual FXT's. The Forester also got too tall for me.

After 23 years of driving manual Subaru's, I'm finally getting used to the CVT (had the car since October). I found a throttle reset procedure on the Outback forum, and it really transformed the way the car behaves. Some reported that it doesn't work for them or it doesn't keep the newly learned mode in the computer very long. My wife is going to drive the car to work this week and I know it will behave differently after she drives it.

Cobb's AP is due out this fall. I don't think it will match my Stage I 04 FXT in the fun department, but it should be a nice improvement.