Subaru Outback for Towing?
- Thread starter MI-Roger
- Start date
The Subaru CVT excels at being garbage when mounted behind their gutless four cylinders much less the 3.6. It should be at the bottom of your list for towing, honestly. If you're willing to shop older the 3.6R that used the five speed automatic transmission would probably (?) be more reliable but I'd honestly never tell someone to buy a Subaru and I'm on my second one.
Towed a formula Vee years ago with an asthmatic Volvo and it worked ok.
I can tell from your long list of cvt equipped Subarus you have direct personal experience. /sarcasm
to OP: why no suv? or you mean full size suv?
you are looking used? there is no 3.6R in a new outback?
Also what is your budget. 35-40k?
The outback is basically a CUV/wagon not much size difference other than it is longer than most CUV.
Jeep Cherokee is rated to 4500 depending on tow package and engine choice
even the most basic is 2000#
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wow you mean like your post?
The CVT issues are more internet echo chamber overblown than the previous every 2.5(EJ) blows headgaskets that floated around for 15 years
pretty sure you caught me between edits.
ls1mike
$50 Site Donor 2024
Your car and trailer weigh 1700lbs? It that is really the scaled weight a lot of stuff will move that just fine. Do you have trailer brakes?
My brother tows cross country with an outback, with a manual transmission and 2.5L. He has an aluminum trailer and usually has either a motorcycle or river running gear (multi-day raft and supporting gear), and sometimes both I think. His outback has well over 250k on it. total weight is likely in the vicinity. The engine runs like a Swiss watch and trans is strong. His is an older model.... 2005 ish? I don’t think the HGs ever failed on his.
i would not want to tow with a CVT.
i would not want to tow with a CVT.
Maybe. If it is just you in the car and towing the trailer on flat terrain it will be fine. Start adding passengers/cargo and you will find the limits of the factory cooling system, especially if trying to maintain interstate speeds.
Good point. The vehicle should have a gross vehicle rating. See where you would stand on that.
we tow a 12,000 lb fifth wheel in the Canadian Rockies year-round with my wife’s 2.5 cvt outback, it is a 2014. 187k miles, original tires and brakes. great car!
The 2.5 Outback has an extra trans cooler over the Forester so it gets the 2700lb tow rating. Some years of the 3.6 CVT had 3300lbs and then I think in 2018 they dropped the 3.6 down to 2700lbs so maybe the 3.6CVT wasn't up to handling the extra power? The most weight I've towed with ours is about 12-1400lbs of firewood and trailer with zero aero drag and you might forget the trailer is there on a smooth road. The rear shocks on ours are pretty soft and I always make sure I've got lots of tongue weight so the back can bob a bit but its only a problem at night with the headlights. The earlier Outbacks actually had alot stiffer rear suspension but I think 18-19 they went for ride smoothness.
Here's ours in Family truckster camping mode and the aero drag and weight results in 1-200 rpm higher on level road and maybe 1000 rpm up a decent grade. The CVT just raises the rpms until you've got enough torque at the wheels to go up the hills with no real drama. We had a 06 CRV with the 5spd auto and it was hopeless in comparison with same camping setup, it couldn't quite hold 5th on the slightest grade and you couldn't select 4th only so it was all over the place on some hills, 5 to 3 to 4 to 5 to 3, etc and lots of 4k+ rpms and shifts.
If you're not crossing mountain passes every trip I would think even the 2.5 would hold 65mph pretty easily with a small formula car on a flat trailer. I don't think the drivetrain really cares that it would run at 22-2300 rpm instead of 1900rpm for a couple hours? A tall enclosed trailer would be a bad idea I think though as its still only got 175hp. It needs 17" rims to clear the brakes so I think they are pretty good and there is a manual mode to control the trans for long up or down grades if you want.
A volvo wagon is the other obvious choice, A v6 manual Accord/Camry/Maxima would do it too for sure. My BIL in NZ tows a 90's Civic track car behind their japanese import 200hp 4cyl Accord Type R without a problem and if the Civc has an issue during a lapping day, they just run the Accord! Also almost everywhere in N.A it is legal to tow up to 3000lbs unbraked with any car or truck, so maybe what you've got already will do the job, especially if you get a trailer with brakes.
If you're not crossing mountain passes every trip I would think even the 2.5 would hold 65mph pretty easily with a small formula car on a flat trailer. I don't think the drivetrain really cares that it would run at 22-2300 rpm instead of 1900rpm for a couple hours? A tall enclosed trailer would be a bad idea I think though as its still only got 175hp. It needs 17" rims to clear the brakes so I think they are pretty good and there is a manual mode to control the trans for long up or down grades if you want.
A volvo wagon is the other obvious choice, A v6 manual Accord/Camry/Maxima would do it too for sure. My BIL in NZ tows a 90's Civic track car behind their japanese import 200hp 4cyl Accord Type R without a problem and if the Civc has an issue during a lapping day, they just run the Accord! Also almost everywhere in N.A it is legal to tow up to 3000lbs unbraked with any car or truck, so maybe what you've got already will do the job, especially if you get a trailer with brakes.
I'd be very nervous about the CVT.
They did have manual 2.5 Outback's up to 2017 as well. For a setup like this I wouldn't hesitate towing with my car in my area, we don't have big enough hills or elevation to worry about it.
I've pushed my 2014 model. 4 cylinder CVT subaru outback a lot harder than most, a half dozen long trips loaded inside to the max with a basket carrier of bulk junk far heavier than the manual says is allowed loaded on the roof. Took it on 1,400 mile trips cruising at 75-80 the whole trip (NY to FL). Gas mileage on these trips was down in the dumps from the weight, wind resistance of the bulk junk on the roof and pushing the engine at those speeds. Probably not quite the stress that towing a 1,700 pound trailer would cause., but I have no doubt that it would work.
Is it the best and most able vehicle to tow a 1,700 pound trailer, no. But it should work, especially with the 3.6 motor.
Didn't miss a beat, wouldn't hesitate to take another of these trips (or three) if the need were to arise.
Is it the best and most able vehicle to tow a 1,700 pound trailer, no. But it should work, especially with the 3.6 motor.
Didn't miss a beat, wouldn't hesitate to take another of these trips (or three) if the need were to arise.
