SAFE WORKING LOAD
Added driver assistance tech and style tweaks keep the Outback competitive
The road ahead looks a little rocky for Subaru’s Outback. After more than two decades comfortably enjoying its own niche, the stalwart off-road wagon is facing renewed competition. Volkswagen has its Alltrack versions of the Golf and Passat, Skoda has chimed in with its Octavia Scout and Holden will soon join the fray with the Commodore Tourer.
The formula is a simple one — a high-riding version of the station wagon your parents owned, with tougher tyres and some extra cladding to make it look a bit like an SUV.
It’s worked a treat for Subaru, the Outback outselling the Liberty it’s based on by five-toone last year. The Liberty and Outback are getting a little long in the tooth, though, and are unlikely to be updated to Subaru’s excellent new global platform for a year or two.
That has prompted Subaru to wave the styling wand over both cars and cram in some extra gear to keep them current.
The Outback gets a new nose, more safety tech, better infotainment, a tart-up in the cabin and some minor tweaks to the engine, transmission and suspension.
The new look includes a new grille and bumper design and wing mirrors designed to improve aerodynamics and reduce wind noise. Two new colours, a deep red and a green, have been added to the palette and the wheels have been changed across the range.
More expensive models get adaptive headlights that peer around corners and dim the high-beam to save oncoming traffic from glare.
Inside, Subaru has remodelled the centre touchscreen to look like a tablet, which complements the addition of Apple CarPlay/ Android Auto smartphone mirroring. In another nod to the smartphone generation, two USB ports have been added for rear passengers. The infotainment will also hook up to Spotify, iHeartRadio and TuneIn.
The main focus of the update is safety. Images from new front-view and side-view monitors are displayed on the centre screen, improving vision at intersections and when parking.
Subaru has also improved the effectiveness of its driver assistance technology, adding lane keep assist with steering inputs and enhancing the existing pedestrian avoidance, adaptive cruise control and automated emergency braking.
The changes to the driving experience are minimal. The shock absorbers have been recalibrated for a smoother ride, while the steering has been tweaked for better feel when changing direction at higher speeds.
Engine and transmission changes are limited to the 2.5-litre engine and continuously variable transmission. Subaru says the changes make the CVT more responsive and the engine quieter yet more snappy.
Shifting via the paddles is claimed to be sharper and quicker and there’s an extra preset ratio. The 3.6-litre six-cylinder boxer engine is unchanged. ON THE ROAD The driving experience isn’t greatly changed from the previous model, although the new infotainment is easy to navigate and intuitive and the larger centre screen has an upmarket look. We drove the 3.6R Premium version, trimmed in cream leather and fitted with all the new safety gear.
For the price, the Outback’s ample driver assistance tech puts a lot of luxury cars to shame.
We’re still not convinced about the lanekeep assist, which steers you back into your lane if you drift on the highway. It operates only intermittently, which has the potential to lull you into a false sense of security.
The engine is no firecracker but does the job quietly and effectively, while the CVT is one of the better ones we’ve experienced. Fuel consumption isn’t great, though — we returned 13L/100km after a mix of city driving and secondary rural roads.
Despite the changes to the suspension, the Outback still tends to skip over corrugations and isn’t as effective as some in ironing out the wrinkles on rougher roads. Dare we say it, the new Impreza has a smoother ride.