Pieter says
As you pull away, you can feel all the power, but it’s as if the CVT gearbox keeps control and doesn’t give it all at once. It pulls off well, but it’s definitely not that pressed-back-intothe-seat feeling.
Even though the gearbox works sparingly with the power, it’s still alert and reacts immediately as you step on the accelerator. The gear change is just as smooth as the double-clutch gearboxes you get in a Volkswagen, for example. On the contrary, it feels more awake and I suspect smart software plays a major role behind the scenes. Even if the CVT gearbox is in its automatic mode, you can still control the gears. If you leave it for a while, it switches back to automatic mode. When you switch to manual mode, you can, of course, choose the gears yourself, but the computer won’t allow you to use too high a gear if you’re driving too slowly.
The engine is more than strong enough to tow even the biggest caravan on our roads, and this correlates with its ample 1 700 kg tare weight. You don’t even feel the Surfer caravan behind you.
The six-cylinder is silent, and in a way Subaru is in a class of its own. See, for example, all the information you see on the instrument panel. On the navigation screen, you can even see, with the aid of a graph, how far down you press the accelerator. It reads in percentage intervals and it’s the first time I see such a reading in a vehicle. Between the two analogue meters right in front
of you on the instrument panel, is an electronic screen where you can also choose to view the digital speed reading. What makes it even more practical is that the speed limit of whichever road you’re driving on shows up next to it.
I must admit the digital clock sits in a strange place. It is in the middle of the middle panel and looks as if it is part of the airconditioning system.
The handbrake is the electric type, but it doesn’t automatically give way when you want to pull off, at least not until you have secured your seatbelt. This is a first for me and a smart security feature.
The Outback has a long body, and as the caravan’s nose presses down on the tow bar, you can feel it. That, in turn, makes the ride bumpier.
The Outback is the perfect towing vehicle, especially with this lovely gearbox. The longer I sit behind the wheel, the more I fall in love...”
display an image on the infotainment screen of what’s happening behind the vehicle. Other than helping to not bump anything that’s lower than the body, it’s even more helpful when you want to hook up a caravan. You can see exactly where the ball of the tow bar and the coupling of the caravan are, and you can hook it up without any help.
Although the Outback’s computer doesn’t register the caravan when you hitch as you slot the light plug into the harness, the parking sensors don’t kick up a fuss while you’re reversing. As you turn the steering wheel, index lines appear on the screen in the direction you’re reversing, and the curvature of the lines adjust further as you keep turning.
You don’t have to rely on the one lens that sees behind you. The Outback also has a lens in the front grille, so you don’t misjudge your angles when trying to get out of a parallelparking bay. But wait, there’s more. The third lens is hidden underneath the left mirror to keep an eye on the pavement so you can avoid curbing a rim.