Regular Car Reviews: 1997 Subaru Outback Sport

This is a car from the 90's. In the 90's station wagons were allowed to be called station wagons. In 2015 station wagons are called "crossovers" because manufacturers are fearful men won't buy their cars if they are less than 100% manly.

I used to work in a camera shop and all the Dads bought Canon point-and-shoot cameras because they were called "Powershots." The Dads didn't want Nikons because they were called "Coolpix." Coolpix sounds like a girl's first perfume.

In an age when men are injecting Synthol into their muscles, "station wagon" means "pussy-whipped."

The bros loose because the Outbacks were some of the greatest cars ever made.

[MattMaranMotoring]

The 97 Outback Sport was my first car. It was this color too. This brought back all the feels. I'm so disappointed in myself for getting rid of it back in 2007. Just ran the carfax on it yesterday and it went through 5 owners in the past 8 years and was just given a salvage and junk title 2 months ago. I failed it. Tell the owner never to sell his. He'd regret it the rest of his life.

[yungcaraccident]

In 2016, if you can put Tetris on a TI-84 graphing calculator, you're still the god of algebra 2

[bakerniner]

Where's the "Coexist" bumper sticker?

[anonharingenamn]

I had no idea 97 was THAT big of a year for video games. Impressive year.

[nutnfan]

Fuel economy has nothing to do with the boxer engine. The boxer engine is fine at fuel economy. It is the AWD system that chokes the fuel economy entirely.

[clover]

6:47 "Little weird on the mileage, but it shines everywhere else"

That sums up 85% of every good automobile ever made.

[Flyingpapaya]

I have a 2000 Impreza Outback Sport with a 5 speed.

One time I got 23 MPG.

[supraevo]

Seriously though, 1998 was better than 1997. A list of things we got in 98':

- Metal Gear Solid
- Half Life 
- Resident Evil 2
- Gran Turismo
- Rainbow Six
- Ocarina of Time
- Introduction of the Skyline R34 ( But just the GT and the GTT, the GTR came one year later)
- And many more things that I don't remember

[anatolyFct]

Outbacks of today are huge because they're Legacy Outbacks and this is an Impreza Outback

[BudleyBailey]

Lol i remember that ad made me think subarus where australian when i was a kid. I thought the stars on the badge where supposed to be our flag derp

[xcobra]

Brave new world, loved that book in high school

[DriftDweller]

This review right here is why I purchased and own a 1998 Impreza Outback Sport in Brilliant Red today.

[nickbelanger]

"Nostalgia for the recent past."
That phrase goes through my head a lot. Maybe every day

[zk]

I have a 2000 Impreza Outback and I love it to death.

[CozmoFajita]

If you weren't already my favorite person on YouTube, the Huxley reference right out the gate made it so. Thank you.

[samoksner]

I own one of these and you've described it so well! They punch way above their weight in practicality and everyday use.

The 4speed auto is a workhorse if not a little clunky between shifts and needs another gear and closer ratios, but you can put it in 3, which tells the center diff to leave power at 50/50 F/R and it's pretty good.

I recently got to drive a same generation Legacy Outback with the 2.5L and the interior of that car actually makes it feel like a much nicer place compared to the Impreza but doesn't shift it's weight in the corners nearly as nice.

[snnyburnett]

Never thought I'd get to see this. Now I want to keep my 98 even more.
It's a great quirky car from when Subaru was cresting during the WRC. Now Subaru has peaked and most of the models have gone vanilla to push volume rather than innovate in a time when every car company offers AWD crossovers. I hope Subaru can find that quirky unique aspect of their vehicles again or else they'll soon end up like Honda and Nissan, just shadows of their formers selves selling unremarkable vehicles.
Sadly rust will kill the suspension, the 2.2 is fine below 40mph but gutless above that and sometimes I find it difficult to merge getting on the highway. Still a beast in the snow and fun at lower speeds.

[noseknowsall]

Congrats on your third subaru outback review! It's so regular MY MOM HAS ACCEPTED MY LESBIAN LIFESTYLE /mr.regularvoice

[thetopestofneps]

I have a 97 Impreza Outback Sport with a five speed MT and lemme tell you. It's so much fun driving around! But the fuel economy is true... if you get over 20mpg you're golden. I absolutely love this car and I wouldn't want to replace it ever.

[seththomas]

We Americans need to get back on the manual transmission movement.