Subaru Outback 2016 Review

Subaru Outback Premium 2.0D
Road Test

Added safety technology reaching further into the model range makes Subaru’s Outback a powerful presence in the SUV segment with its combination of off-road adventurousness and on-road ease. And it’s affordable, with a pre on-road costs price range spanning from $35,490 to $48,490.

To be realistic, it’s difficult to find a direct competitor for the Subaru Outback.

Sure, there’s Volvo’s XC70 D5 and Skoda’s (petrol-only) Superb but, as a wagon-turned-SUV the Outback’s only real equivalent is Volkswagen’s Passat Alltrack. And, as you’d imagine, there’s little to compare when it comes to market impact: Year to date sales for June 2016 show Subaru sold 5956 Outbacks where VW shifted just 350 Alltracks.

And the Volkswagen is not only a bit more expensive – it’s also been judged by motoring.com.au as not quite as good all-round deal as the Subaru.

So what is it about this Liberty-based SUV that makes it such a good thing?

Certainly Subaru customers give it the thumbs-up by relegating it just behind the company’s best-selling Forester on the sales charts, ahead of potential challengers such as the Honda CR-V and Holden Captiva.

We reckon it’s maybe to do with the Outback’s ability to slickly transition from being a town-friendly wagon to a capable medium-duty SUV. In the ‘burbs it’s hardly distinguishable from a regular mid-size wagon as it fits neatly into the traffic flow, while off the beaten track it’s game to have a bit of a go. In fact it was the Outback’s abilities in the latter discipline that tipped the scales in its favour during our two-vehicle comparison between the Subaru and Volkswagen’s Alltrack earlier this year.

When Subaru announced the revised version of the fifth-generation Outback in February the same year it stressed the fact that all Lineartronic CVT transmission models now come with the third-generation EyeSight driver-assist autonomous-braking system – which means the auto 2.0D is added to the 2.5i and 3.6R models already featuring the pre-emptive accident avoidance system.

Subaru Outback Premium 2.5i, Premium 2.0D – as tested here – and 3.6R models also pick up a standard Vision Assist safety package that includes not just the camera-based EyeSight autonomous emergency braking (with pre-collision steering assist), but also blind-spot monitoring, lane-change assist, rear cross-traffic alert, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, automatic high-beam function and Subaru’s adaptive cruise control. Auto hazard lights which flash under hard brake application, electric folding door mirrors and daytime running lights are now standard on all Outbacks.

The Premium-level Outback gets standard leather seats – with eight-way power adjustment on the driver's side – a power sunroof, dual-zone climate-control, satellite navigation and a reversing camera.

So if the fifth-generation Outback was already a pretty refined mid-size crossover, the 2016 update makes it even moreso.

As with our last test of a Premium-spec Outback 2.0D, we were impressed with its innate sense of refinement, its functionality and its abilities on and off road. The load area borders on cavernous, with as much as 1690 litres available in a deep, wide space into which it’s possible to slide a fully-intact full-size mountain bike – or two – without qualms (the roof rails with integrated cross bars enable you to carry even more when necessary). And even with all seats in place there’s still a decent 490 litres that can be put to use.

We continue to be impressed with the amount of passenger space available front and rear, the cosy leather-clad seats, the liberal use of soft-touch materials and the neat way everything fits together. The Outback might not quite have the Germanic finesse of Volkswagen’s Passat Alltrack, but there’s really little to criticise other than the distractive nature of the touchscreen controls and the quantity and complexity of the controls located on the steering wheel.

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.

The CVT transmission apes, in a way, a conventional automatic gearbox by introducing faux shift points as it progresses through its constantly-variable ratios, thus avoiding – most of the time – the steady, familiar roar as the engine finds its power-delivery sweet spot and holds more-or-less fixed rpm.

With 110kW at 3600rpm and 350Nm of torque between 1600-2800rpm the square-configuration engine is respectable enough, but with 1602kg to haul around is no tyre-shredding tearaway. In fact the Outback diesel is a little tardy off the mark as the CVT takes a few moments to get into stride. Subaru is obviously leaving the performance side of things to the normally-aspirated 191kW/350Nm six-cylinder petrol variant.

But even if it lacks the dynamic on-road qualities of its Volkswagen equivalent, the Outback’s all-wheel-drive handling-roadholding remains safe and secure, with well-weighted, relatively quick steering playing a role in the imbuing of a nicely reactive and driver-friendly nature. 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.

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.

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.

2016 Subaru Outback 2.0D Premium pricing and specifications:
Price: $44,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 110kW/350Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable
Fuel: 6.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 165g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

Also consider:
>> Volkswagen Passat Alltrack (from $49,290 plus ORCs)
>> Volvo XC70 (from $65,290 plus ORCs)
>> Skoda Superb 206 TSI (from $50,990 plus ORCs)