Subaru's fifth AWD wagon refocuses on refinement
What is it?
It's the fifth major overhaul for a vehicle that started the so-called crossover craze in the mid-1990s. The 2015 Outback is essentially all-new, and we can forgive Subaru for taking a conservative approach. This car has been a marketplace home run by just about anyone's standard. It remains one of the brand's stalwarts and nothing about Gen V is radically different. The new 2015 Subaru Outback is all about refining, reproportioning and chasing elusive miles per gallon.
No exterior dimension increases more than a fraction of an inch, save one: Roof height rises 2.2 inches. There's an infusion of new-age, high-strength steel throughout the unibody, helping increase torsional rigidity 59 percent and bending resistance 39 percent, according to Subaru engineers. New NVH mitigating features include more insulation, liquid-filled motor mounts and a windshield fashioned from acoustic glass. An aluminum hood helps even out weight distribution, though minimum curb weight increases 170 pounds.
Styling is evolutionary. It's an Outback -- and still slightly frumpy -- for sure. Subaru's designers have backed away from the rugged SUV look some, generally reducing the swathes of black vinyl cladding all around. Active grille shutters contribute to an increase in aero efficiency, and a corresponding contribution to fuel mileage, despite the taller roof. The bottom of the A pillars are pulled a couple inches forward, giving the windshield a faster rake.
All the massaging pays big dividends inside, with 2 inches more cabin width front and rear. Hip points rise for something more like an SUV view out without a headroom decrease. Maximum cargo capacity increases 2 cubic feet to 73.3, 35.5 behind the rear seat. Cargo lift-over height drops 6 inches and the load floor is 7 inches longer.
By the most obvious indications, the engines haven't changed much. In the standard 2.5-liter boxer four peak horsepower increases two to 175, with 174 lb-ft of torque. Numbers for the upgrade 3.6-liter six are identical to its predecessor: 256 hp, 247 lb-ft. Subaru engineers nonetheless insist the engines are “80 percent new,” with new cylinder heads and internals -- reworked to reduce weight, friction and operational noise and to improve fuel efficiency. In any case, the Outback engines remain port injected, and specific output is not a strength.
SubaruThe Subaru Outback comes with a CVT as the only transmission option for 2015.
The manual transmission option is history, as is the conventional automatic in the six-cylinder Outback. All 2015s come with a continuously variable automatic, programmed with six steps or “gears” for manual operation. The CVT is the single biggest contributor to improved EPA ratings: up 10 percent freeway and 8 percent combined for the four-cylinder, to 25/33/28, and 10 percent combined with the six, to 20/27/22
The single transmission also means one all-wheel-drive system, rather than three slightly different arrangements in the previous Outback. A continuously variable hydraulic clutch varies power front to rear, with new electronic management accounting for more parameters than before. Subaru's Xmode -- an off-road control program introduced in the current Forester -- comes standard. It optimizes throttle progression, torque split and transmission operation for off-pavement operation, and adds hill-descent control. Active torque vectoring brakes the inside front wheel on pavement to help manage understeer.
A new rack-mounted steering-boost motor increases mileage 2 percent, according to Subaru. The ratio also drops from 16.5 to 14.0:1. Suspension geometry is revised throughout, and the standard wheels increase 1 inch in diameter to 17. The Outback 2.5i gets larger brakes previously reserved for the six-cylinder, and all models now have vented rather than solid rear discs.
Safety is one of Subaru's "things," and the new Outback offers as many safety-themed features as any car south of a full-luxury brand. A rearview camera and eight airbags come standard, including two in the front-seat bottoms that inflate to prevent submarining under the belt.
Gen II of Subaru's EyeSight optical accident-avoidance system is optional on all but the base Outback. It has 40-percent better range than the first EyeSight system and stops the Outback from 30 mph without driver intervention. Its cameras are located at the front edge of the headliner on either side of the rearview mirror, with a third washer nozzle to keep them clean. A radar package adds blind spot warning, lane keeping, rear cross traffic alert and adaptive cruise control. There are no visible sensors, and the radars are packaged well above the bumper line to avoid a minor ding taking them out.
At $23,795 plus $850 destination, the base Outback 2.5i comes well equipped, with HD radio, RDS, Bluetooth and a high-res touchscreen with Aha, Pandora and several apps. The 2.5i Premium opens Outback to most of the trick options and the leather-lined Limited adds high-watt Harman Kardon audio. The Outback 3.6i is offered only in Limited trim.
The original Outback was a Legacy wagon trim package. It helped Subaru re-establish equilibrium as a brand and it's been on a steady climb since. The company has managed six straight record sales years in the United States -- right through the Great Recession. The fourth-gen Outback (2010-14) sold 2.5 times more than the first (1995-1999). Sales are up again so far this calendar year, even as the 2014 Outback trundles toward history.
Nothing about the new one suggests it will impede Subaru's ascent.
SubaruThe 2015 Outback is more refined and well sorted than previous generations.
How's it drive?
Like an Outback, only quieter -- well sorted and appropriately tuned for its job; in other words, it does just about anything anyone might demand of an automobile except maybe logging track time. The 2015 Outback isn't fun, exactly, but it's never onerous or tedious, either, even with the CVT. It's always pleasant and can be satisfying in a purpose-driven way. It's generally more refined than before.
Better noise, vibration and harshness control might be its standout improvement. It's smooth and impressively quiet in all circumstances -- almost serene, except when the CVT drones along with the radio turned down.
The transmission works well in most circumstances, thanks partly to the built-in steps. Manual operation allows compression braking from the engine on downhill stretches -- a good thing for a vehicle with the Outback's aspirations. All that said (and whatever the mileage advantage), we still have not encountered the CVT that's as aurally or operationally satisfying in the subjective sense as any good conventional automatic.
Maybe more significantly, this Outback seems a wee bit more top heavy than its predecessors, though still not as much as a truck-based SUV or taller crossovers. You'll feel it if you carry a good head of steam through a sweeper. The car's upper half wants to shift toward the outside first even as the bottom stays unflinchingly planted. We're not sure how to explain it, except perhaps for the higher roof, and we're less sure how many Outback owners will notice.
That's because as road-going conveyance, the Outback remains one of the more planted, drivable CUV/SUVs on the market -- car-like, to use the cliché. The steering is quick enough, nicely weighted and quite precise. Overall ride quality is excellent as these vehicles go: never floaty, but comfortable and well-damped and never clunky, either.
Engines? The base 2.5 isn't buzzy and delivers adequate thrust for typical driving on relatively flat roads. It's close to underpowered on inclines and at altitude at the edge of Oregon's Cascade range -- and if we accept Subaru's pitch, such locales are exactly where many Outback owners drive their vehicles. The four-cylinder can actually add an element of engagement, as you might be motivated to use the steps in the CVT to squeeze out some scoot.
The 3.6 isn't a screamer, but is much better across the board, with a deeper well of torque at any speed. There's just more margin to play with. It also delivers a bit more towing capacity, though max ratings are up with both engines: 2,700 pounds for the 2.5; 3,000 for the 3.6.
The Outback's cabin feels as spacious as something ostensibly larger, like a Highlander or Grand Cherokee. The seams are perfect and the finish is richer than ever, with comfortably plush fabric even on the cheap seats. There's nothing seriously off-putting in the switch layout or touch interface and there are well-placed hard knobs -- usually large -- for the important stuff.
Then there are a bunch of standard convenience items -- handy touches making life easier. These include, but aren't limited to: a removable, WeatherTech-style rear cargo liner; a cargo shade that stores in its own slot under the load floor; a roof rack with retractable, self-storing crossbars to reduce drag, and wide steps on the rear door sills to comfortably reach the rack. Outbacks equipped with a proximity key feature a programmable pin-code button on the hatch, allowing the operator to lock the key inside.
SubaruThe Outback's interior is spacious and refined.
Subaru claims as a brand it trails only Jeep and Ram in how much time owners spend driving off pavement. The Outback as a model trails only the Jeep Wrangler. Good, then, that the new Outback is better for off-road purposes than its predecessor.
The improvement comes mostly in the stiffness built into the unibody. Drop opposite corners back and forth through some moguls and there's virtually no twist in the body. It's impressively tight. The Xmode electronics make routine to mildly challenging off-road-ascents and descents a no-brainer. You just work the gas and go.
This car's charm is not hard to pinpoint. The Outback oozes appeal in the pragmatic transportation sense, if not the car-folk sense. With palpable refinements throughout, the 2015 makes a solid case as the ultimate automotive appliance.
Do I want it?
If you've been waiting to trade your 2002 Outback, absolutely. The new one does everything a little better, a little more comfortably and a little more efficiently.
If you are looking for do-it-all transportation that's reasonably economical to operate the 2015 Outback is absolutely worth a look. Unless you hate CVTs.
2015 Subaru Outback price and specifications
On Sale: July-August
Base Price: $25,645
Drivetrain: 2.5-liter, 175-hp, 174 lb-ft horizontally opposed four; continuously variable automatic transmission
Curb Weight: 3,593 lb
0-60 MPH: 9.4 sec (est)
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