2015 Subaru Outback: Fearless and Comfortable

St. John’s, Newfoundland – Twenty years have gone by since the first Outback appeared. Back then, it was little more than a taller and slightly more butch version of the Legacy wagon with a pair of fog lights under the grille and more muscular rocker panels to give it a tougher look. It was designed to make suburbanites dream of adventure without giving up comfort and reliability—and to offer them a fuel consumption rate that was a tad more reasonable. Back then, owning an SUV often used to mean sacrificing these features.

The clumsy, heavy and gluttonous utility vehicles of the past have been gradually replaced by crossovers that are—surprise, surprise—more comfortable, more refined and more fuel efficient. But Subaru is having the last laugh: its Outback has progressed with each generation without ever straying from its original virtues.

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The right recipe

The immense success of the fourth-generation Outback, launched in 2010, is all the more ironic because it is taller, bigger and sturdier than the previous versions, much like the posers that it had long since left in the dust. The trick is that it was also more spacious, solid, dynamic and fuel efficient, especially with its new continuously variable transmission.

And successful it has been, as evidenced by the accolades that it has collected—Sport Utility of the Year by the North American jury, the AJAC and by The Car Guide, among others—and by the fact that sales doubled in only a year and continued to climb over the two years that followed.

Five years later, Subaru has done it again with an Outback that has surged forward. They have also done a complete makeover of the Legacy sedan with which the Outback still shares its architecture and many key components. The Legacy is in its sixth generation and is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary this year.

The goal wasn’t for the Outback to beef up this time, as the size of the previous version was nearly perfect. The back seats were finally comfortable and roomy, the trunk was already spacious. The key was progressing on all fronts: comfort, safety, finish, quality, quiet ride, technology, performance, frugality and handling, both on and off road. Did I mention style and elegance, both inside and out? How’s that for a tall order?

The designers even created a new monocoque that is 10 mm higher, 20 mm wider and 17 mm longer on a wheelbase extended by only 5 mm. The cab is also 46 mm wider, there’s 76 litres more volume in the back seats and 33 litres more in the trunk.

Turn on the charm

It has a great new look, especially from the side. The more sculpted sides stand out a lot more with their thinner rocker panels,  but the Outback name is established enough not to need to play the tough guy. The hexagonal grille is not so original, but the round fog lights in the lower shield save the day and confirm the vehicle’s identity.

The new Outback is more aerodynamic: its drag coefficient was reduced to 0.34 thanks to a more inclined windshield whose base begins 50 mm forward and a large spoiler perched at the summit of the rear tailgate, which now opens and closes at the touch of a button (but not on the base version). On the 2.5i versions the four-cylinder flat engine has undergone 80 modifications, including shutters that close to reduce drag even more. The 3.6i versions don’t have them because their six-cylinder engine produces too much heat, so it needs all the air it can get for cooling.

The front roof uprights are thin, the rearview mirrors are now mounted on the doors and there are small trapezoidal shaped windows as there are on the Impreza, WRX/STI and Legacy. All this creates exceptional forward visibility and interior visibility on corners, which in turn leads to increased confidence at the wheel and a safer drive.

Comfort, design and technology

Inside, the new dashboard is made of richer looking and feeling materials, such as a soft plastic that envelops the inner doors and central arm rest. The leather-covered steering wheel is carefully fashioned and the integrated controls are fine and precise.

The displays and gauges are clear and the controls are efficient overall, but the coloured maps of the optional navigation system are needed to breathe a little life into it. Subarus are known for having numerous storage compartments on board, and this vehicle is no different.

The rear back-up camera now comes factory standard on all Outbacks and offers a wider view. The optional Technology Package adds the third generation of the EyeSight safety system, which is equipped with more compact and higher quality colour cameras. With adaptive cruise control and the glut of braking and safety systems that are included, this bargain is less expensive than before and even adds keyless drive, directional fog lights and a larger screen.

The new sculpted seats have a longer base and height-adjustable head rests. The Limited versions, with their leather seats, are even better. The rear bench is wider as well and features seat warmers for the outer seats.

Both sections of the seatback can now be folded using only one hand thanks to new controls in the trunk or buttons at the top of the seatbacks. As for the hatch, it opens and closes by itself at the touch of a button, except on the least expensive 2.5i version.

And on the roof, the crossbars are still stored in the roof rails and their spacing can be adjusted to transport very long objects, such as kayaks. This is another simple yet brilliant idea, like the retractable and ultralight trunk screen that can be stored under the floor.

Ready for more

Despite the numerous new systems and accessories, not to mention the thicker body panels for better soundproofing and solidity, the new Outback has put on only 30 kilograms. This is thanks to the fact that the hood and several other elements are made of aluminum. The torsional and flexural rigidity are increased by 59% and 35% respectively thanks to an abundance of high tensile steel. The body is incredibly solid and totally noiseless, even on a precipitous stretch of road packed with rocks in an out of the way corner of Newfoundland.

The entirely updated suspension equipped with tougher shocks helps a lot, but the Outback’s astonishing off-road capabilities are also due to the X-mode system, which guarantees flawless actuation on any surface. And it proved it by climbing some big hills with dusty and slippery surfaces with hardly any wheel spin—even after coming to a complete stop half way up. Even though its ground clearance is at least 22 cm (8.7 inches), its off-roading capabilities are limited by the large overhangs and very long wheelbase.

The new Outback is stable on the road and very driveable in town, where its size is not a hindrance at all. The 2.5i versions and their lighter engine are more agile, while the 3.6i versions feature more dynamic acceleration and pick-up. You’ll need to be a tad more patient with the 2.5i engines, but they redeem themselves by being more fuel efficient.

Subaru would be wise to bring back the Outback XT as soon as possible, transplanting the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine that’s found in the Forester XT. With its 250 horsepower, 258 lbs.-ft. of torque at 2,000 rpm and its fuel consumption numbers that are barely higher than those of the naturally-aspirated 2.5-litre engine, its represents a quarter of this series’ sales.

This combo is a must and we’re betting that they’ll give it serious consideration. It’s already a good start that the importer is offering us the 2.5i with a six-speed manual gearbox, unlike our American neighbours. The line-up is most complete and people will buy it. In fact, they’re sure to have trouble meeting the demand at the plant in La Fayette, Indiana. Imagine if there was an XT, too!