Subaru Outback - new salon, old traditions

Only 2,5 years after the appearance overseas, the Subaru Outback station wagon finally appeared on the Russian market - in the summer of 2021. The Japanese presented the updated car back in 2019 at the New York Auto Show, a little over two months after the premiere of the no less new Legacy sedan. Both models share both interior and technical equipment. But today we will pay attention to the station wagon. What to expect from him and how much you have to pay for it?

Exterior

Even from afar, when looking at the updated station wagon, it becomes clear that this is all that good old Subaru Outback. First of all, because the design of the car remained almost the same as the previous version. In terms of overall dimensions, the novelty has increased barely perceptibly - in length by 50 mm and in width by 35 mm. As a result, these parameters for the new machine are 4879 and 1875 mm, respectively. Body height generally remained the same and is still equal to 1675 mm.



Note that upon closer examination of the machine, the changes are still noticeable. For example, all body panels are fundamentally new. The cut of the headlights has changed, the fog lights have become noticeably smaller. The rear lights have received a sharper shape, due to which the rear of the car looks more expressive and stylish. The Japanese clearly followed the principle "the best is the enemy of the good." There are design changes, but the previously found successful image has been fully preserved.

Salon

It is worth climbing into the salon, and immediately a modern multimedia system with a very large tablet catches your eye - a diagonal of as much as 11,6 ". Against the backdrop of such an innovation for Subaru, the arrow dashboard still looks somehow inorganic. Even in the top configuration of the Outback model, the tidy remains analog. For some, this is a plus and it’s more pleasant to look at the arrows, but still, many brands are massively switching to digitalization, and Subaru is lagging behind in this.



Let's get back to the tablet - it's in perfect order with the quality. The picture is clear, the graphics are nice, the screen is responsive. The Japanese did a particularly good job drawing maps of the standard navigation system. The system is truly multimedia: on the tablet, you can set up not only music, but also the operation of climate control. The inconvenient thing is that for this you need to press the touch buttons, without looking it will not work even with proper dexterity. For some, this may seem like a minus, but the manufacturer still left a few mechanical buttons. Among them is the button for adjusting the intensity of the airflow, heating the exterior mirrors with the windshield. Little, but better than nothing.

What really pleases is the updated interior materials. One more was added to the previous two options, and in the top-end configuration, the entire interior is trimmed with pleasant nappa leather. Among other trifles: an electric handbrake, which is already in the basic specification, a rear-view camera washer, an additional third intensity mode for heating all seats. Another interesting improvement is the electric tailgate with a sensor under the rear bumper.

Platform

The most interesting and fundamental changes cannot be seen with the naked eye, but they play a key role. First of all, we are talking about the new modular SGP platform. It has already been successfully tested and proven both on the Subaru Forester SUV and on the XV crossover. Such a change does not mean anything to an inexperienced reader, so let's move on to the language of numbers: the new body is 70% more rigid than the previous version, it absorbs 40% more kinetic energy in a collision - getting into an accident is not so scary.



The Japanese were not too lazy, they rebuilt the suspension from the updated Subaru Outback. The unsprung masses have become lighter by replacing heavy metal with aluminum. The springs received non-linear stiffness, the shock absorbers are calibrated using new technology. The manufacturer confidently declares that the new car overcomes road irregularities better, without creating discomfort for either the driver or passengers. Like it or not, everyone will have to check on their own experience.

Features

Not all the technical parameters of the new Subaru Outback are strikingly different from the previous version, but it’s still worth repeating the already “passed” material:

• ? wheelbase: 2745 mm;
  
• ? trunk volume: up to 2143 liters;
  
• ? ground clearance: 220 mm.
  

In comparison with its predecessor, the new Outback received a slightly higher ground clearance and trunk volume. For a station wagon, these are very important changes, here the Japanese definitely did not fail.

Engines

Immediately, we note an unpleasant fact: in Russia, as in other European countries, the Subaru Outback is available with only one engine option, namely, a 2,5-liter gasoline aspirated engine with a capacity of 188 horsepower. The turbocharged engine is installed only on cars for the USA. The consolation is that the Russian version of the gasoline engine is somewhat better than the European one. For Europe, engines with a capacity of only 169 horses are supplied, but their torque is 7 units higher - 252 Nm versus 245 Nm for the version for Russia. In practice, the difference is almost imperceptible.



Compared to the European version, not only the engine is better, but also the dynamics. "Our" Subaru accelerates to hundreds in 9,5 seconds at a top speed of 207 km / h. The option for Europe is gaining the same maximum speed for longer: 10,2 seconds and is capable of accelerating to only 193 km / h.

The engine is complemented by a Lineartronic V-chain continuously variable transmission (CVT) with an updated hydraulic system and a wider ratio range. Even in the basic version, the Outback has all-wheel drive with a rear axle connected via a clutch.

Packages

In the Russian market, the Subaru Outback crossover is available in three trim levels: Elegance ES, Field ES and Premium ES in order of increasing “steepness”. In the basic version, you will have to pay no less than 3 rubles for a car; for a maximum, dealers ask for at least 869 rubles.

The initial version of the Elegance ES is equipped with eight airbags, LED adaptive lights, dual-zone climate control, a standard navigation system and an 11,6 ”screen for the multimedia system. For comfort in the cabin, leather covering, heated steering wheel and all seats, electric drive of the front seats are responsible. There are three outer chambers and R18 wheels.
Buyers of a Field ES-spec vehicle will also receive additional bumper pads, a sunroof and an advanced Harman Kardon audio system in addition to all of the above.

Despite the fact that the top version of the Premium ES does not visually differ from the base one, it includes a top-end version of the audio system, a sunroof, folding crossbars in the roof rails.

Let's make a conclusion

Subaru Outback is a bright representative of generation of cross wagons. This has both a plus and a minus. On the one hand, anything universal is a priori worse than a specialized one, so the new Subaru is noticeably inferior to “clean” SUVs. However, it remains a good compromise between a station wagon and an off-road car - from the first, the novelty takes excellent capacity, from the second, a fairly high cross-country ability even off-road. But to buy or not - the personal choice of each. We invite you to share your opinion in the comments.