Subaru Outback Review

The Subaru Outback was the original crossover vehicle, based on the Subaru Legacy wagon but with added ground clearance, lower body cladding and a more rugged attitude. The Outback became so popular since its introduction in 1994 that Subaru stopped selling the regular Legacy wagon. This 2018 Subaru Outback is a 5-passenger alternative to buying a mid-sized SUV. It has the car like handling with AWD and two available engines. Sold with a base 2.5L 4-cylinder or a 3.6L 6-cylinder. The main reasons people are attracted to the Outback are AWD and the EyeSight advanced safety system that Subaru is making available in all its products. Another major selling feature is the very strong resale value that this brand enjoys. The Subaru Outback crossover comes with a standard 6.5-inch stereo head unit or an optional 8-inch unit and both come standard with Apple Car play and Android Auto. The Outback starts at $29,000 in the Canadian market and top out at roughly $42,000 for the top Limited with 6-cylinder.

Zack Spencer
Zach Spencer
Canadian Car Review
Motormouth Canada

[stevegrooms]

I bought my Outback fifteen years ago. I still have not had to fix or replace anything except tires and the battery. The car is pleasant to drive and utterly reliable. Still looks good, too.

[marsgal]

I drove a '97 Outback for a few years and adored it. It had issues, including an iffy centre differential, but it was comfortable and would go anywhere.

[AKaid]

I bought a Subaru Outback 3.6r Touring (US) and its an amazing vehicle, good power and smooth ride. I just love the versatility of this car and the Eyesight system.

[gratefultube]

Your enthusiasm is much appreciated. We thoroughly appreciate our 2018 Limited.

[kappakumplete]

A Subaru will be my next vehicle. I can't wait. Both the Outback and Forester look great.

[egorlike]

Stumbled on you videos couple of times. Just had to subscribe. One of the better car review channels out there. And out of Canada too

[nabatron]

There's a trim above that one your just reviewed. It's called the primeir which has brown leather interior, different wheels, no roof racks, Chrome door handle accent, chrome side door accents. The wife and I picked up one when our 2016 3.6r got written off. Between the 2016 to 2018 models they are literally night and day. The ride and quietness on the 2018 is quite nice because they added thicker glass and better insulation.

[Chuckish]

Of all the vehicles I've tried over the years, with my Arthritis and Tendinitis, plus with my Diabetes and now my Heart Surgery, I find the Subaru are the easiest to get in and out of.

[alanbrooke]

Man, now I REALLY want a review of the AMC 4WD Eagle wagon!

[MSA-hjpu]

The 3.6R is truly the best I overlooked the 2.5i on purpose and it drives awesome in snow.

[kellingtonlink]

Thanks for the video. It was really well done. I worked for in North Van as a service car wash guy for one of the last Jeep/Eagle/Renault dealerships. Fun years.

[MrNemo]

They really really need to put the ascent's 2.4 Turbo in this instead of the 3.6R ASAP and give us an Outback XT and they'll take all my money.

[davidjym]

My Subaru dealership won't trade in my 2005 Subaru Impreza due to a few insurance claimed, but it still drives and handles much better than most vehicles I've rented over the years. I sure will pick the Subaru Crosstrek when the time comes just because the Outback is a bit large in footprint for my liking.

[alfredktn]

Great review 👍. I hope Subaru brings back the Legacy wagon.

[bcbgaming]

I am American, and I love your reviews.

[freed]

Paul Hogan remembers the 1990s outback!

[frankpavan]

Sorry Zack but image that u put up of the original outback at 35 seconds was that of the second generation outback. The first generation outback had more horizontal looking head lights.

[kasjun]

We bought a 2016 Outback and were very happy as we drove off the lot with it but as the months went by we slowly lost the smile on our faces. First problem was an alignment problem. We first noticed this at about 7000 miles and reported it at the dealership. We were told that Subaru would not honor the warranty after 2500 miles. Don't know what a 3 year 36000 mile bumper to bumper warranty means to Subaru but I'm guessing the warranty is good only if you don't have a problem. The next problem we had was an electrical problem that left my wife stranded in a neighboring town. Towed it to the dealership and they found nothing. It did this one other time but we just jump started it and kept driving it . It was a rough riding car but it got pretty good gas mileage. We traded it @ 46000 miles as we were no longer happy with it or "feeling the love".

[patrickv]

I am surprised you did not mention the direct competition, usually you do... The VW Golf Alltrack. These two vehicles are very very evenly matched ( yes diehard Subaru fans, for reliability too, the Forester is incredibly reliable, the Outback average) so well worth test driving both and researching both to see which you prefer.

[YasumotoUS]

With a driver and maybe a passenger, the 4 cylinder at 175hp is a very good power plant and is surprisingly fast / agile. I've taken a '17 and an '18 out on very tight and twisty roads and the thing would not shake loose with moderate speed. I am really surprised at the performance characteristics of such a large and tall vehicle (as compared to a much smaller and typically more agile compact sedan). The CVT is as good as any automatic transmission that I've driven, historically; no issues with it over highway or the twisties.

I'm not convinced that carplay / android auto are the ultimate standards by which head units should be judged, especially since -- at least car play -- many third party apps are not supported and thus you are stuck with a handful of navigation and audio content apps. Give me Waze support and I'll sing a different tune. The previous (15 - 17) head unit did just fine with BT pairing and phone calls, in my experience.