Reliability

Overall, this vehicle has been extraordinarily reliable. We purchased the Outback new under a work lease arrangement, which required servicing at a Subaru dealership. Upon expiry of the lease, we liked the car so much we bought it outright. Not long after that we retired to the Riverina region of NSW.

Prior to the warranty expiry, the local Subaru dealer did get the chance to service the vehicle and rectify any issues (there were none). At my request, the dealer undertook a drain and refill of the CVT fluid, while citing the Subaru line of lifetime fluid and thus unnecessary.

The vehicle continues to provide comfortable, reliable transport and is serviced by our local, independent small business mechanic. It has only let us down when the battery has failed at home; but that is a characteristic of modern batteries, and not the fault of the vehicle. I consider three batteries in 11 years and 218,000-odd kilometres a good achievement.

How it drives

The 3.6-litre has more than enough power for highway cruising and overtaking of slower vehicles. The smooth linear power delivery easily gets you into licence-losing territory; not that I condone such behaviour. Fuel consumption is not the reason you buy a naturally-aspirated 3.6-litre SUV, although it is quite acceptable overall.

If the centre fuel consumption screen is to be believed, this Outback is returning high 7-litre/100km to low 8s with a mix of city and highway driving. We do tow a 7 x 4 foot trailer on occasion, and you hardly know the trailer is there, such is the performance of the engine. I can’t understand how anybody could tow a light van or boat, as the rear suspension appears too soft even for a lightly loaded box trailer.

With age you can expect a softening of the handling characteristics, and this Outback is no different; but it’s still surprisingly agile and quick to turn in. The CVT is left to its own devices in S mode, as L is too spongy and S# is very harsh to the point of being unpleasant.

Ownership experience

Our ownership experience has been one where we simply want to keep this car going for as long as we can. It is smooth and comfortable with plenty of space. We do look after it, and strangers have commented on how good it looks, often expressing surprise when they hear of its age.

While the infotainment system is outdated by modern standards, we get by with Bluetooth audio streaming and phone-based maps. The overall cost of ownership is surprisingly affordable, more so as the vehicle only requires ULP 91. OEM parts can be expensive, but our local mechanic uses quality aftermarket parts where he can, although that is not always feasible.

For example, the aftermarket fuel pump and filter kit from Repco was made of fly paper posing as plastic. Our mechanic returned that item and went OEM. The CVT fluid from Subaru should be liquid gold for the asking price, so a quality non-OEM high-torque CVT fluid is used instead. Interestingly, there have been no oil leaks or oil consumption issues with our Outback.

Features and practicality

For a couple in their 60s, entry and exit make life easier. Loading and unloading items from the cargo space is easy too, as the ride height is not that much greater than a Subaru Liberty wagon.

The Harmon Kardon entertainment system, while showing its age, still does what we need it to do, along with still sounding great. The built-in roof racks are a nice-to-have, but probably not practical due to the load limitations. We don’t use them as the rear cargo area is large enough to swallow an incredible amount of bulky goods once the rear seats are folded.

5-star safety rating at time of testing, power windows, symmetrical AWD, Subaru Eyesight safety system, ABS, EBD, reversing camera, power tailgate, full-size spare tyre, reclining rear seats and a CVT with X Mode.

There’s also a power driver’s seat with memory function, heated front seats, leather interior, dual-zone climate control, electric sunroof, privacy glass, infotainment system with navigation, 12-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system with sub.

Extras fitted include a Subaru towbar at the time of sale and a nudge bar with a light bar fitted later.

Anything else?

I know Adam did a report on a 2017 Outback in 2023, but I thought it worthwhile to look at a slightly older model with over 218,000 kilometres and on the original CVT.

MORE: Check out our other owner reviews here