Japanese vehicle maker Subaru has been at the forefront of all-wheel-drive vehicles for many decades. Indeed, it produced nothing other than all-wheel-drives for many years. The only Subaru that isn’t driven by all four wheels is the BRZ sportscar, which was a joint venture between Subaru and Toyota, with the latter being a called the Toyota 86.
Five variants are offered: Outback, Sport, Touring, Sport XT and Touring XT. The first three are powered by the traditional 2.5-litre engine, the XT models get a new 2.4-litre turbocharged unit.
Our test vehicle for the past week was the top-spec Subaru Outback XT Touring which is very much a ‘proper’ 4WD as, with a ground clearance of 213mm, it can be taken off road and handle some pretty tough terrain.
Towing capacity is 2400 kg, 2000 kg in the non-turbo models.
Unfortunately, time restraints meant that we were unable to test the Outback off-road, hopefully we can do that in a further test – stay tuned.
STYLING
Outback is a good-looking vehicle that’s definitely in the 4WD class in its appearance. It has a large front grille above the ‘bumper’ area and honeycomb shapes below it. The bonnet has a neat slope that blends nicely into the windscreen. The roof rises for the first part then takes a gentle shape that blends neatly into the rear window.
Its shape gained a nod of approval from all that viewed it during our test period. They commented that it looked like a 4WD that meant business.
INTERIOR
The interior is neatly styled. The Outback Sport and Outback Sport XT have synthetic leather upholstery that’s further protected by a water-repellent coating. Very handy if you’re going to be spending serious time in off-road driving – as well as when you carry grubby kids to and from school and/or sports events.
Boot capacity is a useful 522 litres with the rear seatbacks in place, expandable to 1267 litres when they are folded.
ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS
The 2023 Outback XT Sport and XT Touring have a 2.4-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine. It drives all four wheels through a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).
A less powerful 2.5-litre engine is fitted to lower cost models in the Outback range.
INFOTAINMENT
There is a portrait-shaped 11.6-inch infotainment touchscreen. It’s easy to reach with fast response. There’s wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity standard across the range.
The nine-speaker Harman Kardon audio system provided excellent sound reproduction that made life pleasant while we were listing to it. It’s standard in the two Touring variants, other variants have a six-speaker system.
The 4.2-inch Multi-Information Display unit (MID) in front of the driver has an LCD screen and displays all the usual monitoring information.
A new USB-C port joins the existing USB-A in the front console and there are also two USB-A charge ports in the rear.
SAFETY
Subaru’s EyeSight system includes adaptive cruise control, emergency lane-keep assist, lane centring function, lane departure prevention, lane departure warning, lane sway warning, pre-collision brake assist, pre-collision throttle management, autonomous emergency steering and brake light recognition.
Should you still have a crash it has no fewer than eight SRS airbags to cushion your body and head from all the hard stuff in the cabin.
DRIVING
The Subaru Outback XT is easy to drive and feels almost like a large car in the way that it handles twisting mountain roads.
It’s certainly not sporty, nor is it intended to be but those who do enjoy their driving will not feel it’s a pain to sit at the wheel.
Acceleration is reasonably responsive and it moves away from a standstill without too much hesitation.
Fuel consumption is officially listed as 9.0 litres per hundred kilometres. Around town we were using in the 10 to 11 litres per 100km. On the open road and motorways this dropped to seven to eight litres per hundred kilometres.
SUMMING UP
Subaru Outback XT is an attractive looking SUV that’s pleasant to live with thanks to decent performance good interior space. It has the no-nonsense attitude that has always characterised the Japanese marque and this will appeal to many. Would we buy one? Yes, if this was the market segment we were working in.
RATINGS
Looks: 8/10
Performance: 7/10
Safety: 8/10
Thirst: 7/10
Practicality: 8/10
Comfort: 8/10
Tech: 9/10
Value: 8/10
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
Outback 2.5: $42,690
Sport 2.5: $47,190
Touring 2.5: $50,990
Sport XT 2.4: $52,190
Touring XT 2.4: $55,990
SPECIFICATIONS (Subaru Outback XT Touring 2.4-litre turbo-petrol five-door wagon)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 2.387 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders horizontally opposed
Maximum Power: 183 kW @ 5200 rpm
Maximum Torque: 350 Nm @ 2000 rpm
Fuel Type: Premium unleaded
Combined Fuel Cycle (ADR 81/02): 9.0 L/100km
CO2 Emissions: 204 g/km
DRIVELINE:
Continually variable transmission. All-wheel drive.
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4870 mm
Wheelbase: 2745 mm
Width: 1875 mm
Height: 1670 mm
Turning Circle: 11.0 metres
Kerb Mass: kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: litres
BRAKES:
Front: Ventilated disc
Rear: Ventilated disc
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Five years / unlimited distance
