Great Wagon

My 2005 Outback XT Ltd is my first new car; I probably broke the curve as far as ownership statistics go, being only 25 when I purchased it (August 2004, I have 30,000 miles on it now). I cross shopped with every car I considered competitive, but ended up with the Outback. The main things I was looking for in a car were power, handling, reliability, and space. A manual transmission and AWD were bonuses. The Outback has met all of my expectations.

The turbo 2.5 liter is rated at 250 hp / 250 lb-ft of torque, moves the car very well for its size (3500 pounds in my configuration). In comparison to my cousin's WRX, you can feel the broad torque curve, and the engine pulls strongly in fifth gear to well beyond license-revoking speeds (ahem, or so I've heard... ;) ). The fact that the AWD lets you get the power to the ground is also great; in the snow and on gravel or wet roads I rarely am able to spin a tire, even with the crappy Bridgestone RE92s that Subaru equips the car with. Compared to my last car- a snow tire equipped Nissan Sentra SE-R, with a whopping 140 hp (sarcasm) and an LSD- the ability to get the power to the ground is a relief. And the fact that the engine is essentially a detuned WRX STI motor (same part number for the shortblock; difference is in the turbo, intercooler, fuel injectors, etc...) there is a great deal of untapped performance potential. The only limit is the transmission, which would probably grenade if the engine were unleashed (come on Subaru, put the 6-speed in it like you do in Europe and Japan!).

As far as handling goes- I like it. It rides well for long distance driving, but handles decently on winding roads. The relatively long-travel suspension lets it soak up the bombed-out wreckage that passes for highways in Michigan, and handles gravel and secondary roads well. The first weekend I owned the car I drove it on the gravel roads near Atlanta, Michigan (site every January of the SCCA Pro-Rally Sno Drift) and was impressed by how well it handled everything I threw at it. Of course, it won't keep up with an STI or an Evo, but the consensus half way to Florida was that buying the Outback was the right choice.

I did have a hang up about the transmission. I wanted complete control over shifting; a system like Audi's DSG was the only alternative to a true manual that I considered. Auto-sticks and the like do not appeal to me, unless they truly hand control over to the driver. This, and the extra 1000 pounds of mass, is why I did not get a Magnum (also I knew I would end up punching every person who asked me "does that have a Hemi in it?"). I also optioned the short-shift kit; still not ridiculously short, but better than the base version. Overall, it shifts well; my only major concern is that the engine tends to hold rpms too long, making rapid shifting difficult; its easy to shift faster than the engine and trans will let you. I initially thought that this was due to a large amount of rotating mass, but apparently it is linked to emissions; when I reflash the ECU I will find out for sure.

If I had a dollar for every time I uttered the phrase "Boy I'm glad I bought a wagon" I could have paid the car off by now. No, its not an Excursion or a moving van, but it can transport 3 mountain bikes and 3 6 foot men with no problem (2 bikes on the roof, one in back with the larger side of the rear 60/40 seat folded down). I've slept in back while camping, and have hauled a lot of groceries and yard supplies (bags of topsoil and leaves etc.). Granted, rear leg room could be more generous, but its certainly tolerable; I am willing to sacrifice the leg room for the flat floor when the seats are folded down.

Reliability has been mixed. It has not left me stranded on the road a single time, and has laughed at the pounding I have administered to it, involving much higher rpms and aggressive driving on rough roads than most drivers will subject their car to. My complaints are minor; 2 burned out headlights, a bad fuel injector (not Subaru's fault exactly; the part is Nippon-Denso, like most Japanese cars), and fairly easily scratched plastics used as trim in the cockpit. The leather in the seats is tough (my 85 pound rottweiler mutt jumped in a couple times and never damaged them). One thing to be aware of; don't "whip doughnuts" in sand with the sunroof open! Makes a difficult to clean mess inside and caused the sunroof to make a horrible racket.

Looks- I like the way my Outback looks. Its conservative, not in-your-face like a Magnum, but not overly bland like a Volvo. As far as sex-appeal goes, well, unless the women you're after have at least 3 kids and take them to soccer practice regularly, they won't look twice. Get an STI or an Evo, or a BMW 3 series; Subaru is simply not a recognized marque (yet!) and the Outback is not a huge visual evolution from its predecessors. You really have to know what to look for to differentiate the generations of Legacy, and not many people will even realize it is a new car. The flip side of this obscurity is the stealth factor; the police are oblivious to the car's performance potential and do not seem to be inclined to harass me. Try to avoid their attention in an STI or SRT-4... To me the Outback is tastefully done; the hood scoop adds a lot of chacter to the front of the car, and the fender flares over the tires give it a more aggressive stance than the Legacy. The added height and tire size also help to set it apart. Its not for everyone- after all, it is a wagon- but it works for me. The paint, fit and finish are all top-notch (my very unprofessional opinion), I especially like the metallic accents in the Obsidian Black Pearl, although it does show dirt and scratches more than I would like.

My problems with the car- well, fuel economy. I confess to being a bit aggressive, and tend to push the speed limit. And it is a heavy, powerful car, so less than stellar mileage is no surprise. I averaged 22 mpg driving 80 mph to work (140 mile commute each day), and around 18 in town. Since the car burns premium, that was getting rather costly, so I bought a 99 Buick Century to use as a commuter car.

Wheels and tires- the wheels are too "trucky" looking for me, with 5 thick spokes. I like that they are 17", but they obscure the brakes (perhaps a good thing; the Legacy GT brakes are 0.8 inches larger front and rear, on the Outback XT the rotors look rather small in comparison). From a more practical perspective, mud, snow and ice have a tendency to get packed behind the spokes, making cleaning difficult. Twice I have had to remove the tires to thoroughly clean the wheels, and I have gotten wet and dirty multiple times using a manual car wash to blast out the deposits. I would have much preferred the GT's wheels. Tires are awful; the Bridgestone RE92s seem to be universally despised in performance circles. They last a long time- that is their only redeeming virtue. They are largely responsible for the Outbacks mediocre skidpad and braking numbers, are quite bad in snow, and are not aggressive enough for true off-road conditions. They are, quite simply, an unhappy compromise that makes no one happy. My advice is to get a set of summer performance tires and a set of winter tires; doing so probably would have prevented a minor accident I encountered during a blizzard.

Overall, I love my car. It does everything I had hoped, and more. I would not hesitate to buy it again, intend to drive it until it dies, and hope that Subaru keeps building them as well as they have been, and keeps improving the breed at their current pace.