Subaru Outback thoughts Impressions?

[wcd]

Aside from a few negative connotations that seem to be associated with them, are they somewhat reliable, or a potential money pit?

 

[JCSR]

Solid reliable cars but you know ....................

Anyho if I was in the market I would buy one .

 

[jwamplerusa]

Watch out for the CVT transmissions.

 

[wcd]

Solid reliable cars but you know ....................

Anyho if I was in the market I would buy one .

Well friend of my wife’s is looking at one so there is that lol.

 

[JCSR]

Good info here

Subaru Outback Reliability: How Long Will It Last? - VehicleHistory

The Subaru Outback is synonymous with the term 'high-mileage car.' But maintenance concerns have to be addressed to ensure the crossover SUV makes it to its reported 200,000-plus miles of longevity.

www.vehiclehistory.com

 

[JCSR]

Watch out for the CVT transmissions.

I have heard this as well but it's hard to find many problems with them in recent years. Either they're not reported of hidden in some way.

 

[Bugzilla]

We are on our second Outback. No issues. Replaced our Ford Explorer. Better MPG, better ride, more features for comparable models. Our neighbor works at Subaru, commutes from DeMotte to Lafayette. She finally lost a front CV joint at 285,000 miles on her Outback. Replaced that and drove it a few more years before getting a new one.

 

[jwamplerusa]

I have heard this as well but it's hard to find many problems with them in recent years. Either they're not reported of hidden in some way.

Common Subaru CVT Issues To Look Out For

For those looking at new or used Subaru with a CVT, The Drive’s informational team put together a handy reliability guide for all the problems and issues you need to watch out for.

www.thedrive.com

Daughter was left stranded by one of these in Colorado.

 

[racegunz]

I know this much on the crosstrek, lots of road noise, great mileage, the awd/cvt is not bad but has some warts that can appear after 100k miles or so especially if you are not ocd about tire rotation. Wheel hubs/bearings are another item that sometimes fail sooner than you’d think. Great winter handling, drives well on snow or ice, better than anything else I’ve ever driven.
There’s good and bad and I think the good outweighs the bad, I’ll keep mine and pay the upkeep. Definitely would buy again.

 

[Twangbanger]

Subaru is a subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries, and are definitely not the top-tier of Japanese engineered vehicles. Outbacks are quirky; I don't think it's a "bad" vehicle, but saw some really outrageous late engineering changes made by Lafayette assembly staff prior to the launch of the 2020 vehicle, that left a bad impression overall. Their brief association with Toyota, building Camrys back in the early 2000s, seems to have left no lasting positive impressions, lessons learned, or permanent improvements whatsoever. Ota city apparently lets the American management there do what they want, and not in a good way.

As an aside, Japan is not much better. My wife's Japan-built Forester was a lemon. She liked the feature set, but we had a ton of things go wrong with it. Broken control arm, bad exhaust manifold after 3 years that leaked exhaust gas into the cabin and made her sick, the windshields broke really easy, I honestly forgot all the stuff we replaced on it. As I said, she liked the vehicle per se, but we both decided we'd never own another Subaru as a result of that ownership experience.

You can do better. The ground clearance is the only moderately appealing feature, for me.

 

[snorko]

I bought a 2013 Outback new and drove it for 6 years/92,000 miles. Zero repairs, zero problems or complaints. It was totaled in an accident in 2018 and I bought a 2019 Forester. Just rolled over 62,000 miles again zero repairs or problems with one exception. The driver's side window control panel buttons are getting a little wonky.

When I bought the Outback I had looked at both. The few negative things I didn't like then about the Forester were changed later. I really like it. The outback has a little bigger back seat but both are roomy. The cargo area is deeper in the Outback but taller with a wider door in the Forester.

 

[mmpsteve]

Been real happy with my 21 outback limited XT (turbo). Great ride, good power, good stereo, all the bells and whistles. It’s a company car and I haul a lot of heavy paper with it. It’s a lot easier to load and unload due to the deck height compared with a pick up truck.

My understanding is that the CVT is a heavier duty tranny compared with the non-turbo version. You can fit a lot of stuff in the back with the seats folded down, and I regularly haul 6 to 800 pounds of paper without too much strain.

I average 25 mpg instead of the 15 I used to average with my last pick up truck. The all wheel drive system is a pleasure to drive in the winter time. Have also owned a 2019 Forrester, and my wife drives a 2020 Forrester. We’ve not had the first problem with any of our Subarus. Will probably have a problem eventually, but I don’t know of any manufacturer that doesn’t.

.

 

[BJHay]

I've never owned one but I noticed a surprising number of them when I was in Alaska. My wife and I even made a joke or two about it. I think people go for what works in that part of the world.

 

[Route 45]

Back a few years ago when I was looking to buy, I saw a lot of complaints about beeping nanny systems that you either can't shut off or have to shut off every time you restart the car. Don't know if they are still like that or not, but something to consider. I already have an organic warning system in the passenger seat most of the time, I don't need the car annoying the **** out of me as well.

 

[Dean C.]

Underpowered lesbian station wagon whose head gaskets will go out on you for sure.

Edit I will add my source, my best friend and his father both worked Tool and Die for Subaru in Lafayette for 25+ combined years so their entire family had the cars due to the employee discount. The amount of weekends I spent helping rebuild those things was incredible. On models from 1994-2017 so I could never in good confidence reccomend them. Especially given the premiums they generally command, you would be much better served by a comparable Honda or Toyota

 

[two70]

My wife had a Forrester and a Tribeca and we'll never own another Subaru. She totaled the Forrester, thankfully before completing $1,500 worth of scheduled exhaust system repair. The Tribeca began burning oil, about a quart per fill up, at around the 150k mark after racking up a significant repair bill total for more minor issues.

I'd suggest looking at Toyota Venza for a similar style but in my opinion, better vehicle.

 

[Hawkj]

Underpowered lesbian station wagon whose head gaskets will go out on you for sure.

Not an Outback but my wife had a Legacy and the head gaskets blew on it around 75,000 miles or so. My brother is a mechanic and said he has replaced a bunch of head gaskets on Subarus in general. Then the motor went out around 230,000. It always used oil from day 1 and we bought it new. No more Subarus for us. We got another Tahoe.

 

[bobzilla]

I've seen so many busted and broken subaru's... I could never in good confidence suggest one for anyone.

 

[COOPADUP]

Bought an Outback in 2017. I wanted the 3.6 L 6 cylinder engine. They quit selling 6 bangers in 2018 I believe.
Been mechanically sound and had only a couple cosmetic issues (front lights fogging out and a recall fix on the roof rack seal). Both items fixed for free.
There basic warranty of 3/36 seems quite weak forcing buyers to the extended warranty. I went ahead on the 6/100,000.

 

[Pepi]

I've read where changing the spark plugs are real fun