By Ian Strachan.
The Subaru Outback all-wheel drive estate has been around for some years now, and it’s a car which is all too often overlooked when it comes to choice lists.
Which is a shame, because if you’re looking for a roomy, practical estate which is comfortable, performs well on and off-road, has all the power you need and is bristling with technology and safety features, you don’t need to look much further. The Outback is car that has improved with every iteration and the latest version is one of my favourite estates on the market.
This is a high performing, capable all-wheel drive estate car with all the extras you’d expect and more. This Subaru looks good, with a crisp, solid but sleek profile, smart, chunky roof rails, attractive 18-inch alloys and a high, purposeful road stance. The overall impression is of a car that means business..
And it performs well. I test drove the petrol-powered 2.5i version in Touring spec, powered by Subaru’s tried and tested 169 PS Boxer engine which is smooth, quiet and potent. Even though it’s a big estate car it will propel you from 0-60 in around 10 seconds. The engine is linked to a smooth CVT automatic gearbox. Expect to get around 32.8 miles per gallon in mixed driving.
The Outback has all-wheel drive so it holds the road exceptionally well. In fact the overall ride and handling of this vehicle is very impressive indeed, despite it being a big beast. I drove it through some wet and muddy Herefordshire lanes with more than their fair share of potholes and it soaked the uneven surface up effortlessly.
You get plenty of extras on the Outback in Touring spec. This includes front LED fog lights, automatic LED headlights with pop-up washers and automatic levelling, adaptive cruise control, hill-descent control, keyless entry and stop/start, powered tailgate with hands-free function, front and rear parking sensors with reversing camera and powered windows.
The interior is of a high quality and very welcoming, with comfortable seats and plenty of leg and head room. Interior spec includes dual-zone automatic air conditioning, heated front and rear seats, heated leather steering wheel, powered driver’s seat, satellite navigation and a nice six-speaker sound system with Apple CarPlay, voice recognition and Bluetooth. These are controlled via a 11.6 inch touchscreen
Safety features include a novel EyeSight system which tells you if you take your eyes off the road, plus lane keeping assist, traffic sign recognition, blind spot monitoring, pre-collision braking, rear cross traffic alert and all-round airbags.
The whole car has a solid, quality feel with high body rigidity and good use of materials. Handling is crisp and certain.
I’m impressed with the Subaru Outback and was sorry to see it go. My test car has an on-the-road price of £42,490, which may sound expensive but you get a lot of car for your money. It’s a versatile, high specification alternative to more traditional brands. This is a car that deserves give some more mainstream executive estate cars a run for their money.
