2008 Subaru Outback Review

Specifications

Subaru likes to call their Outback the original crossover, and I can’t necessarilyprovide any hard evidence to the contrary since I can clearly remember it as one of the first vehicles in the nineties that started a trend mixing the attributes of an SUV with those of a car (hmmm… I think AMC’s late-’70s early-’80s 4×4-capable Eagle wagon beat it to the punch - Ed.). However, nowadays even the crossover segment seems to have spawned various different categories, with sport-oriented ‘utes, glorified minivans with SUV styling and compact city ‘utes with little claim to off-roading prowess. The Outback, as it always has been, is a wagon with a touch of extra off-road ability thanks to a jacked up ride height, AWD, a bit of extra body cladding and rugged earth-tone color combos.

Compared to some of the latest CUVs, the Outback is a lot less crossover and a lot more wagon, but it still offers a large dose of utility to keep pace with many in the segment. Subaru hasn’t tried to chase down any of the upstarts from Mazda, Toyota, Acura, Ford or GM, which try to bombard you with fashion and overdress the simple functionality that Subaru delivers. Subaru seems to know what works, and they’re sticking with it. Granted, they’ve expanded their product range with the Tribeca, but that is for an even bigger family, or perhaps simply a wider family that also wants to towsomething moderately heavy. The Outback sticks with the 5-seat wagon configuration, but its hardy full-time AWD system and ground clearance mean it can go many places the AWD Legacy can’t, and generally it looks the part a bit better (especially since the Legacy Wagon has now been discontinued).

Speaking of looks, both the Legacy and Outback received an update for 2008 (come to think of it, so did the Tribeca), including a brand new corporate grille that incorporates Subaru’s own aviation heritage in a less cumbersome manner than the B9 Tribeca experiment. The front grille gets a span of chrome spreading out from the center-mounted logo to imply the leading edge of a wing (rather than trying to mimic the head-on shape of a fuselage and wings, as the ‘07 Impreza and Tribeca dabbled with). The grille is also taller and a little more dominant, but you won’t soon mistake it for a Dodge Magnum. The surrounding trim has also been reworked, with anew hood that flows naturally into the headlights and bumpers, plus a trimmed and tucked rear bumper with slightly rearranged details. It’s no drastic departure from Outbacks past, and it’s still no Aston Martin, but its earthy palette and rugged trim fit the genre to a tee and will surely please potential owners more interested in an adventurous lifestyle than design critiques.

Despite the promise to get its owners to most adventure destinations, the Outback is also very well mannered about town. While engine choices range from a naturally aspirated 2.5L four to a 2.5L turbocharged four and then the crowning 3.0L H6, I drove the latter and was much impressed with its absolute ease and refined power delivery. The new 3.0R engine has a couple of new tricks thrown in its bag, including Active Valve Control System variable valve timing and Active Valve Lift System variable valve lift technology. Hold on, that just gave me a headache - okay, much better now that I’veAdvilled.

What all the corporate verbiage means is that the 3.0R’s electronic brain will adjust the camshaft timing and positioning to hold intake valves open longer and lift them higher in order to find the ideal overlap between intake and exhaust valves during the combustion cycle. If that’s still confusing for you, then you’re not alone. Functionally, it delivers greater power and efficiency at low engine speeds, and greater power and efficiency at high engine speeds as well as minimizing emissions across the board.

With all the latest technologies in place, the 3.0R’s naturally aspirated horizontally opposed six cylinder produces 245 horsepower and 215 lb-ft of torque, a smooth well of power that gets distributed to all four wheels, enabling complete composure starting up and all the way to highway speeds. Lesser models equipped with the naturally aspirated 2.5i make do with170 hp and 170 lb-ft of torque with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 4-speed automatic. The turbocharged 2.5XT is good for 243 hp and 241 lb-ft of torque, besting the 3.0R significantly; 2.5XT models can also be had with the 5-speed manual or a 5-speed automatic with Sportshift manual mode and blipping control. No really, it has blipping control - what you’ve always dreamt of in your Outback - being able to match the F430 next to you at the stoplight with its F1 transmission. Of course, being the top Outback, the 3.0R, which is only available with the auto-five, also gets blipping control and both the 2.5XT and 3.0R share Subaru’s triple threat SI-Drive.

SI-Drive offers the Outback’s driver a choice of three engine modes: Intelligent, Sport and Sport Sharp, which remap the engine and transmission and throttle response for a progressively sportier dynamic. In the 2.5XT, Intelligent mode limits torque to 228 lb-ft, helping you make the tough decision to cut back and cruise. In Sport mode, the engine will respond more quickly to throttle inputs, hold gears longer around corners and up steep grades, and be quicker to downshift out on the highway. Sport Sharp magnifies everything in Sport, responding unblinkingly to throttle inputs, holding gears like a maniac, especially through turns and, as promised, the automatic transmission blips the throttle on hard downshifts.
While Sport Sharp (or Sport#) would normally be my default mode, I felt so coddled by the Outback’s smooth demeanor and compliant ride (the raised ride height means more suspension travel and smoother ride over rough roads) that I dialed everything back to Sunday driving speed, leaving SI-Drive in Intelligent and coasting along. Every once in a while, of course, some dingbat would get my blood pressure up, and the steering wheel buttonfor Sport# was right at hand, inviting me to recalibrate that punk in the ‘96 Corolla. Idiot. Him, not me. Okay, me too, but not as much as him. Really.

A big contributor to SI-Drive’s effectiveness in the 3.0R (and I imagine in the 2.5XT as well) is the new 5-speed automatic transmission, which uses a lateral-g sensor and ‘cornering logic’ to stick with one gear through turns, especially in hard cornering. For a vehicle so comfortable, with its elevated seating position and ride height, it was always a surprise to find how flat it cornered, and the transmission sticking to the gear through the bends meant less jerkiness in the drivetrain and great balance through every point in the radius. Granted, I wasn’t exactly taking it around Road Atlanta or even going on any canyon carving trips, but within its comfort zone it will make even the most even-keeled SUVs and other crossovers feel cumbersome.

Braking is similarly sure, the ventilated 11.5-inch discs in front and 10.6-inch solid discs in the rear bringing the relatively light and superbly balanced Outback down from speed without excessive nosedive or skittishness. The all-season rubber on 17-inch alloys is biased more toward comfort than cornering grip, which suits this luxurious transport just fine.

When pushed beyond the limits of adhesion, Subaru’s Vehicle Dynamics control kicked in, using the ABS and traction control systems to correct any slips, but between the Variable Torque Distribution (VTD) all-wheel drive system (which will shift torque between the front and rear axle as necessary) and the limited-slip rear differential, I never really did find those limits.

Some might think that for the sake of journalistic integrity I should do everything within my means to find and describe those limits, but I don’t think that powersliding a Subaru Outback around a deserted parking lot would prove much of anything - unless I had several competitors with which to compare it, in which case there would have been an all-or-nothing parking-lot traction throwdown in less time than it takes the neighbors to call the police and report some lunatics doing donuts in the train station parking lot at 3:46 am. But really, it was enough for me that the Outback stuck to the road like molasses to the webbing between my fingers pretty much every time I touch that drippy molasses carton.

Where was I? The pantry? Oh yeah, I wanted to finish by telling you thatthe pantry was fully stocked. The model I drove was packed to the roof rack with pretty much every feature in the Subaru catalog, including the requisite high-end stereo, navigation, leather upholstery, secret cargo compartment under the cargo floor, power everything, automatic nose picker … you name it, it got it. Of course, your 2.5i Outback doesn’t come quite so generously endowed, but at the very least every Outback comes with at least some type of boxer engine, symmetrical all-wheel drive (VTD is only featured on upgraded models), 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS and Electronic Brake-force Distribution, front, side and curtain airbags, passive safety front headrests (and Subaru’s amazing safety record), 16-inch alloy wheels, power adjustable mirrors, roof rails, air conditioning with air filtration, tilt and telescopic adjustable steering wheel (the telescope function is new for ‘08) with integrated cruise control and 60/40 split-folding rear seats. The base stereo starts as a one-disc wonder capable of playing MP3s or WMAs over 6 speakers, includes an auxiliary audio jack, and it is also compatible with satellite radio if you plan on subscribing to XM or Sirius, which have now theoretically merged but still have different stations. Whatever, Sirius sucks, XM rocks, that’s all I have to say.

All this for $21,995, which is plenty of money, but great value taking into account Subaru’s reputation for longevity and toughness, not to mention the Best safety record in the business. While that feature list doesn’t exactly scare anyone at Bentley (or even Volkswagen), most common luxury features are available through the various levels of Outbackclub membership, and the price can quickly climb into entry luxury territory, culminating in the 3.0 R L.L.Bean Edition that I drove, which stickers for $31,495, not including the optional $2,000 Navigation Package. But if it’s just a feature list and cheap ticket you’re interested in, I’m guessing Kia or Hyundai is more likely your kind of brand. Subaru is a rare breed that offers an engaging and reassuring drive in a package whose functionality usually exceeds its actual size by a couple of segments. The Outback may have to crane its headlamps up to the Tribeca, but compared to that one it’s a trim and tidy package that fits the city to country or valley to peak lifestyle without a hitch (literally).

Anyhow, everything about the Outback 3.0 R, from the smooth-shifting automatictransmission to the mellow, naturally aspirated big boxer, and from the stable, unrelenting grip of Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel drive to the comfortable, supportive front seats (encased in a soft, cream-colored leather, no less) helped me take a deep breath and collect myself so that I could act like an adult on the road. In so many ways, this is a car I would pick if I were a grown-up, which I plan to become one day, but not yet (he’s only 30 after all - Ed.). At the moment, I’m itching to get into Subaru’s new Impreza WRX and wreak some havoc.

The Outback, for all its calming and soothing influence, is just a tad boring, but when I plan my camping trip in a couple weeks, Marie at Subaru is the first person I’ll call, because I plan a long distance trip to a remote, but not too off-the-beaten-path camp site. It’s a perfect fit for the canoe-on-the-roof-rack crowd (or kayak, skis, snowboards and the like), with ample room for gear and rugged enough to get you to base camp or the foot of the trail. I’m hoping the camouflage green Outback at my campsite will invite the wildlife to come and visit. Just hopefully not bears. Meanwhile, I know the trip itself will be a comfortable and safe; after all, the adventure should start at the end of the drive.