Going Outback
A sophisticated ride.
This is arguably one of the best urban SUVS ever.
It is without doubt, the best Outback of all time, being smooth, quick, possessed of a visual road presence not found in other urban SUVS.
Capable on gravel, tarmac, and icy ski-field access roads, with enough ground clearance to engage in some ‘soft’ off-roading, it is endowed with a fair amount of torque and able to tow almost 2.5 tonnes.
If a traditional body-on-chassis 4WD is a ‘proper’ four-wheel-drive in real terms, then Subaru’s take on all-wheel-drive sedans and wagons with capability and practicality might be the purest definition of a sports utility vehicle.
In XT guise, the Outback’s 2.4-litre turbocharged Boxer engine takes 95 octane fuel and shares a wedge of DNA with the WRX, though its character is more ‘plush,’ as befitting a sporty family allwheel-drive wagon par excellence.
The engine runs through an ‘eight speed’ CVT transmission, one of the better CVTS we’ve tried which doesn’t offer up any of the shrieking nastiness of earlier CVTS. Let the transmission do its work, or use ‘M’ and the paddle shifters.
A walk-around the exterior reveals the sculpted lines and family look, but endow Outback with its own unmistakeable identity, pretty much unchanged from 2022.
To be clear, this is a crossover with substantial ground clearance (213mm) and dual-function X-mode transmission system, which includes deep snow and mud settings.
X-mode’s Deep Snow/mud escape setting deactivates traction control and uses torquevectoring-by-brake to routinely pulsate each wheel so the car can identify which corners have grip and direct effort to them.
It really is an ‘idiot-proof’ system, enabling hill descent control, and comprising a no-slip general Snow/dirt mode as well as a Deep Snow/mud setting for more extreme obstacles.
Controlled bursts of wheel slip can also aid escape and recovery from deep slush, snow, and mud – where there’s often a hard-packed layer beneath the surface.
Whether on the road or off it, the XT impresses with the Outback’s traditional strengths of deft body control and a wellconsidered ride.
A little body roll is brought about by the higher centre of gravity, but the overall Outback driving experience feels much more ‘car-like’ than that of an SUV.
Brakes, like almost all proper SUVS, are discs front and rear. Subaru goes a step further with all four-disc rotors being ventilated.
Safety is – as always, these days – paramount. It’s nice to see manufacturers working toward driver assistance packages that work less intrusively than older “hand of God” steering-nudgers.
Outback has the Eyesight dual-camera system and a Driver Monitoring System (DMS) that includes facial recognition.
The latest iteration of Subaru’s vaunted Eyesight system includes adaptive cruise control, emergency lane-keep assist, lane centring function, lane departure prevention, lane departure warning, lane sway warning, lead vehicle start alert, pre-collision brake assist, pre-collision throttle management, autonomous emergency steering, brake light recognition, intelligent speed limiter and speed sign recognition.
The DMS can automatically adjust the driving position and settings for up to five people. It is also always watching and warns the driver if it assesses that attention is not being paid to the road ahead.
Inside, the build quality and materials are impressive, the fit and feel of the two-tone leather-clad seats is superb and the large
11.6in portrait infotainment screen combines a multitude of functions with ergonomic good sense. One surprising omission is an inductive charge pad for phones.
Outback today is a truly premium SUV, 4870mm long, with loads of space for five
(no third-row option though) and 522 litres of boot space. Fold the rear seats down and that number goes up to 1783 litres to the ceiling.
We like a five seat SUV that is uncompromisingly urban focused with the ability to tackle ice, mud and sand with aplomb and can see why this Outback is beloved of the ski set.
We understand why it’s not even mild hybrid, since the flat four engine is so good and delivers seamless performance.
This really is the best Outback ever. So far.