Subaru Outback (2004 - 2009) Reviews, Pricing & Specs

I have had the car since late 2006, now have 71K miles (of that, some long-haul trips: Washington, DC area to Maine & back; SC and back; to California). I am now experiencing some slippage or sluggishness when kicking down a gear (NOT fun when getting onto the freeway!); will have that looked at during the next service. Other than that, the car handles very well, and is a pleasure to drive on long-haul trips. Ah, one last comment: I heartily recommend the heated seats! NB: I rated "Back Seats" and "Family Car" but don't have a family and use the back seats for groceries. I guess it'd be OK, though.May 04, 2014

I love an All-Wheel-Drive. The Subaru has symetrical AWD, equal drive to all wheels. There's nothing like getting into a slide on a loose or muddy road and having the confidence to drive through the situation without losing control. With the high safety rating that Subaru have earned, I feel confident to put my family in this car and know they will be as safe as they can be. Pros: AWD, love it. Subaru reliability. Resale value. Three mode auto trans, Auto - Sport Auto - Sport Manual . 8.6L/100Km ave. The 2.5L boxer 4cyl motor can be very spritley when you give it the ask and use the auto to full capability. Very comfortable seats. Ergonomics are excellent. everything is at your fingertips. Looks great (well, we think so!). Reasonable load space for a car of this size. Cons: Not that good for towing (surprisingly). No low range with the auto. Has had a small rattle in the drivers door and a squeek in the drivers seat since we bought it. Cruise control could be more precise. The 2.5L boxer engine is tuned for long life, not performance; With the auto, it can be a slug at times. Overall: It's a nice drive. Nothing too outrageous or to boring. It's a car that is built for a purpose and it fulfills it's purpose perfectly.Sep 03, 2010

Utility - Back seats lay flat so moving IKEA book shelves was a nice experience. Got a couch and a dining table on roof seperately with no problem. AWD - Have alot more confidence in rain and snow. MPG - Decent but could be better. Use regular gas which is a plus. Apperance - Pretty good for a wagon. If you are not sure, just check out Honda and Toyota wagon effort in those years. Cost of Ownership - Pretty cheap with insurance but this car could depreciate quite a bit, especially if you get the more expensive trim. Build Quality - Pretty good for it's class and price. Fun Factor - It's fun to take the car out and not worry about not being able to bring some stuff you just bought home. Just have to worry not to spend too much in Home Depot or Walmart. Took it to camping twice and it has room for gears for 4. Apr 20, 2010

Purchased a 2009 Subaru Outback 2.5XT in Diamond Grey w/Quartz Silver with slightly off Black Interior. In general this is the perfect vehicle to buy, especially in this trim if you want a sporty SUV alternative. It sits up like a small SUV, handles like sports sedan, accelerates like a small turbo coupe, and brakes like a champion. I'm still in the break in period but I have a feeling once this time passes this car will truly shine. Car rides very smooth and balanced, and when bumps are transferred to the cabin they are controlled. Interior is pretty quiet with windows up and wind is buffeting noticeable with windows down. Engine is powerful in all ranges especially with boost up. Favorite Features For me first is the engine. But I also love the huge sunroof, navigation which isn't bad, leather seats, stereo, fit and finish, sporty dials and red lighting, SI-Drive, and much more. SI Drive really changes personalities more than I thought it would. I also love that the 2.5XT w/NAV is rare. Suggested Improvements I would suggest more passenger space. A little more would be nice. The Navigation could have a higher Resolution Screen and be Hard Drive based, Memory Seats, Homelink and Bluetooth as Standard Features, Autolocking Doors after 15mph, Full Size Spare, and Shift Paddles of the Legacy 3.0R, since the XT is a sport model and above the Outback 3.0R.Sep 28, 2009

The best car for off-road & snow country. Great suspension and comfortable handling. Subaru has packed this outback with loads of power for off-road conditions. No repairs required. Great looking car. Awesome. Cost of ownership- of course fuel economy will be compromised by the 4WD but it's a trade off. No complaints. Fun to drive. Fun to stretch, fun to play.Jul 11, 2008

Bought used with 40K miles. Pros: Stupid fast for a station wagon. Looks sharp, zero problems with it. Hauls gear... and ass. Nice, upscale interior. Storage is adequate, but not great. Off-road chuckability is actually pretty good (but how often does that happen?). Cons: Turbo is thirsty for 91 octane (21 mpg combined), nautical handling (the standard Legacy wagon is far superior), clutch is grabby and temperamental, gearbox feels like a stick in a bucket of rocks. Could use more legroom. Needs a telescoping steering column (and it got one in the '08 model year). Meh: Stereo is only OK - sad excuse for a subwoofer (resides under the driver's seat - and only succeeds in tickling your butt; providing audible bass is a secondary concern). A bit thin on creature comforts - has heated power front seats, heated mirrors and windshield wipers... and that's about it. Oh yeah, and giant moonroof, which they forgot to tint so you absolutely bake in the sun when the shade is open. The remote key fob triggers way too easily, you can't lock/unlock all the doors using just the key, and the controls are straight-up basic (not a bad thing, but lacks gadgetry for the gadget geek). Overall: The OBXT is a hoot to drive because of the thrusty turbo alone. The handling leaves lots to be desired, and the ride is only adequate. If fuel economy is important and you don't need gobs of power, a standard 2.5i model would be the wiser choice... better yet, a Legacy - but they quit making the wagon version in '08 (boo!). It fits my needs for now, and the fuel economy isn't oppressive (yet), but there's more versatile options out there. If you must have AWD, the Audi A4 2.0T is a much better driver and gets better mileage to boot, but sacrifices some interior space and has had lousy reliability. Reliability: Excellent, except for the wheel bearings - which Subaru has owned up to and extended the warranty, so it hasn't cost me a dime. Subaru also found that turbos were getting toasted without severe-duty oil change intervals, so in addition to running premium, I get to change Mobil 1 synthetic every 3750 miles too.Jun 27, 2008