2023 Subaru Outback turbo (inc. 0-100km/h & autonomous modes) review

Subaru actually listened! They have added a turbocharger to the Outback, which was the only issue we had with it. Paul Maric tests out the 2023 Subaru Outback Touring XT to see if it's any better now that it's turbocharged.

Skip Ahead:
Intro: 00:00
Exterior 01:10
Interior 03:22
Infotainment 04:39
Safety Tech 06:11
Practicality 07:08
On the Road 10:36
Driver aids 16:21
Performance 18:41
Verdict 20:37

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CarExpert:

Paul Maric:

#subaru #outback #review #turbo

[_dreko]

Picked mine up last Friday, obviously I love it! ❤❤❤❤

Edit:
Bit of extra info, I commute 56km a day each way every day, 21km of that is off road. Handles the corrugated dirt road as if it was tarmac, super comfortable. I get 10.1L/¹⁰⁰k combo, and 7.0 for highway driving.
The semi autonomous driving is bliss for the long commute, and the cabin noise is eerily quite.
I really can't over state how comfortable and quite the ride is, it's worth mentioning twice!
The smart system is also really handy with the driver recognition, when I sit in the driver seat, the car will set the seat and side mirrors from my wife's settings to mine, and connect to my phone as well. It can store up to 5 different drivers with their own settings.
So much to say really but no one will read this anyway and I could harp on about it all day. Great car!

[rubeusvombatus]

As someone who loves wagons and off-roaders this is just the perfect middle ground

[MaxFromSydney]

Thanks alot, Paul.

I test drove this car twice. I cross-shopped this with SUVs like the CX-5 Turbo, Forester S and VW Tiguan All-Track Adventure. But the Outback impressed me with it’s quieter cabin on coarse chip sections of motorway, amazing lounge-like comfort in the driver’s seat including the extendable thigh cushion and ventilated seats, really good all-round visibility, cushy ride for our poor city and country roads, and the peace of mind of the full-size spare wheel. Engine power allowed for relaxed acceleration and over-taking.

I ordered an Outback Touring XT at the beginning of March. I’ve been told it should be ready to take delivery some time in June.
I spoke very recently to another dealer, who said an order placed now would be delivered in July.
So there’s a bit of pent up demand there but without Toyota-like crazy lead times.

I’m not looking forward to paying a little extra for fuel consumption. But stiff cheese. IMO, there is no other car being sold in Australia with the above features for this money, and available in a reasonable time frame.

[lauriealmy]

Drove a Forester for 3 years, just got new 2-23 Outback XT 4 months ago. Everything about the Outback is so much more than the Forester including the punchy turbo which I love. I give my new Outback as many stars that I can.

[edwardlaw]

I am on my 9th in the States, you guys finally got the Turbo. Now you know. Compare that with everything else. I crossed shopped with XC90, Grand Cherokee, MDX, Q7... still got this.

[TimJackson-feug]

I've driven a 2005 Forester XT for 14 years and I've loved it. A brand new Outback XT is arriving for me in 3 week's time. I can't wait. I live in Underberg in the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa, so driving a comfortable, robust, reliable and powerful vehicle on our roads is a real treat. Thanks Paul for your excellent reviews.

[michaelferraris]

Pick up our Sport XT in two days. As a package the turbo Outback just ticks so many boxes. Although fuel economy seems all over the place with various reviews. We got 9.4 on a long test drive in a car with 30kms on it with a bit more acceleration that we'd normally do. Can see it would be easy to get into the mid teens though.

[RCooper]

Thank you Car Expert for providing a proper Driver Aid section-- and grading the lane centering systems! More car reviewers need to adopt this segment! Thanks!

[scottbrady]

Just got an XT, it's an incredible drive.

[kent]

When Subaru ditched the forester xt we bought a Tiguan 162tsi R line,
Now the outback has emerged with a turbocharged 2.4 full size spare and 18 inch wheels I think I know what our next car will be thank you for a great review👍🏼

[MrJBL]

Yes finally i’ve been waiting for this review for so long now it’s finally out thank you so much paul👍, now I’m definitely going to purchase a Subaru outback touring XT

[strider]

Had our Touring XT almost 2 weeks. Ordered late Feb, Great drive. Japanese build quality. Does what you need it to do effortlessly. Well thought out electronics and navigation and good high res camera. Front cooled seats great. Large touchscreen. You can turn off some of the annoying features. Also move the options buttons on the screen around.

We can fit our camping fridge, 2 x 115l bags, 2 backpacks, and a large food ox in the back without lowering rear seats.

Forrester was really great but smaller car, this is really good for touring on both highway, and Aussie dirt roads.

[mfromaustralia]

Best darn'd car reviews on the interweb ! As a farmer, the only comment request I have is that with Subaru especially, but maybe also other SUV's that claim to have off-road capability, it would be nice to hear the ground clearance and importantly their wading depth capability. These are key determinants in what we buy out here. For example my v6 amarok is 2 years old and only has 500mm wading capability. Whilst the new model amarok, which I don't like much, has one saving grace, that being 800mm wading depth. Anyway thank you muchly !

[brianrodgers]

I've had my now for a month and clocked 4, 700kms and its great. Regarding the myth about its fuel economy, On a non-stop drive from Sydney to Coffs Harbour with cruise control set at the speed limit it registered 7.2 l per 100km, and for the last 3, 562 km of highway and around Sydney driving it’s come in at 8.0l per 100km, every bit as good as the old 2.5 Forester I upgraded from. I can’t complain about that!

[subazealand]

One thing to mention about your performance test. You launched the Outback from 0 to 120, so the CVT doesn't "mimic" gears, but when you are driving normal and you want to overtake from 80, the CVT will mimic gears at that point and the numbers might be different at the end.
Awesome review as always Paul!

[markweaver]

Congratulations on finally getting the turbo in Australia. We've had ours here in the US for a bit over 3 years and love it. Just got back from towing a travel trailer across the country and back (for the second time). And while out in the U.S. southwest we got it out for some legit off-roading. We took it to a place called 'White Pocket' (ignoring warnings that you needed 4WD with low range not just AWD!) and also some of the easy-to-moderate off road routes in Moab, UT. Put on a skid plate, some off road tires and air 'em down, and you're good to go for some pretty real off-roading. The 'Wilderness' model, with the extra lift and lower gearing in the rear end would be even better, but we did fine with our 'Onyx XT'.

[hansjkruger]

After 9 months and 23000 km I'm still loving the XT! ❤️ We drive a lot of long distance highway, at speeds between 90 and 110 km/h. I commonly see fuel consumption (95 RON) between 7.5 and 9 l/100km on a tank when driving conservatively. This means Intelligent mode, moderate accelerations, and cruise control. This is much better than I had expected. Lowest consumption I've seen was 6.9 l/100km on a tank on a flat road, loaded during a road trip. Zero complaints here.

If you punch it, it **moves**, especially in Sport mode. I cannot imagine ever going back to a normally aspirated version.

I am however not a fan of the intrusive "driver assistance" features like lane keep assist, driver monitoring, and some other nanny alarms, and normally switch them off. 👎

[Roku-qpoc]

The best value wagon in Australia. So versatile and comfortable across many terrains. Considering most Australians drive 90% of our time on tar the Outback still manage masters luxury offroad when needed.

As for the turbo its glorious and provides the power you need to keep you going and get you out if trouble on roads at times.

The main negative everyone always brings up is fuel consumption compared to other brands however when filling the tank its such a minor difference. The extra cost is worth it.

Still made in Japan and still remains a high quality build.

[CampbellSimpson]

Good price for the spec! Turbo boxer, symmetrical AWD and a beefy CVT is honestly the ideal drivetrain for this segment. Oodles of room inside. Subaru should be selling these by the boatload.

[simonredman]

After watching this and considering on a Forester I placed an order on the OB limited 50th anniversary edition XT. Good power, massive boot for the dog and camping gear and the kids love the room outback 😉 plus have the sports exterior with touring stuff inside, best suv I think money can buy at 60k. Had a Mazda CX30 and a Jimny to replace and think this ticks both boxes very well, comfortable to drive and can get off the beaten track a bit without having to drive a huge dual cab. Super happy 😃