Outback delivers what you need without frills
COMMON sense does not have to be expensively extravagant; nor does it have to be so inexpensively cheap that it excludes the real question of value.
It simply has to be well done, reliable, “enough”.
Being “enough” in the minds of many argues against any statement of luxury, which embraces exclusion and excess, but often leaves common sense wanting.
It is the old timepiece argument. If all I wanted was something to help me tell the time accurately and reliably, I’d buy a basic Timex wristwatch. There’d be no pressing need to buy a more expensive Rolex.
My “cheap Warren” gene always would lead me to first consider the Timex if I were buying it. But I’d opt for the Rolex if someone were giving it to me.
Why? As a Timex buyer, I’d demand the same accuracy and reliability of a Rolex. As a Rolex recipient, I’d expect it to have at least the same accuracy and reliability of a Timex – plus much more in terms of fanciness and prestige.
The same can be said of most automobiles. Once marketing and psychological anxieties about “prestige” are removed, we are left with the same automobile questions: Does the car work reliably? Is it safe? Does it have an engineering signature that makes it desirable among competitive models?
The 2017 Subaru Outback 2.5i Touring wagon – it looks and feels like a station wagon despite Subaru’s insistence on calling it an SUV – gets a strong “yes” to all of those above car questions. It is reliable. Its symmetrical all-wheel drive system is one of the best in the business in weather fair or foul. For what it offers in standard equipment, including advanced electronic safety items, it is one of the most competitively priced midsize vehicles on the market, starting at $35,995.
You can get confused. The Outback comes in six trim levels, seemingly one to please every taste and pocketbook. There is the simply base 2.5i, the added features of 2.5i Limit- ed and Premium, upgraded 2.5i Touring, bigger 3.6R Limited and 3.6R Touring.
The now popular 2.5i Touring was pitched in for model year 2017 to please those people who wanted more for less money. Thus, it is best to have functional needs/options in mind when approaching the Outback line. Otherwise, you could get tripped up.
I drove the 2.5i Touring for this column. It had everything, including decent fuel economy at a real-world 32 miles per gallon (13.6 kilometres per litre) combined city-highway; an excellent symmetrical all-wheeldrive system; an advanced electric security system, including blind-side monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert; and a certain cabin pleasantness reminiscent of good cars sold 40 years ago.
It was neither snazzy nor boring. It simply was enough. Were it a car covered by my own bank account, I easily, happily could live with it. Impressing neighbours, once a treasured old value, no longer impresses me. I just want a car that works well all the time. The 2017 Subaru Outback 2.5i Touring does.