Written by: Jen Dunnaway, Automotive Enthusiast
What's New: For 2018, the Outback gets some interior and exterior styling refinements, passenger compartment noise reduction, and tweaks to the suspension and steering for better ride quality and responsiveness. It also gets the luxurious Touring trim added to the line, and adaptive headlights as an available option at higher trims. Android Auto and Apple Car Play become standard.
What's Hot:
- Capable, go-anywhere AWD, augmented by traction-enhancing X-Mode and a burly 8.7” of ground clearance.
- Spacious, airy cabin with ample cargo capacity and great outward visibility.
- A responsive throttle well-behaved CVT that makes the most of the 2.5’s relatively scant power.
What's Not:
- Optional lane-keep assist is a bit grabby, particularly at highway speeds.
- Real-world fuel mileage less than the advertised 28 mpg combined.
- With the 2.5L, significantly less power than other AWD wagons, and no turbo option.
There’s all kinds of reasons why the Outback is the default Subaru in the minds of most consumers. Taking up the torch from the daintier and only optionally-AWD Legacy back in the 90s, the Outback became the off-road wagon that started it all. It kicked off Subaru’s now-standard brand promise of all-wheel everything, and brought car-based 4x4s permanently into the mainstream in a way that earlier pioneers like the AMC Eagle were never quite able to accomplish. The basic Outback formula has remained remarkably consistent: high-sprung stance, boxer engine, full-time AWD. Nonetheless, Subaru has managed to keep the Outback fresh. Iterating on a successful formula to bring you a comfy, capable, multipurpose wagon that’s as relevant in 2018 as it’s ever been, today’s Outback offers an appealing alternative to the blimpy crossovers and SUVs currently saturating the family-hauler market. To experience the full scope of its abilities, there was only one right thing for me to do: take it up the mountain to play in the snow.
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