In our 2015 SUV of the Year competition, we said, “The Outback remains the easy-to-recommend, highly capable vehicle that won in 2010.” Not to spoil the surprise, but that’s what we found in our year with a 2016 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited. This verdict will be a revelation only to folks who despise practical, family-friendly SUVs in favor of those vehicles with extreme off-road capability.
Our AWD wagon, equipped with Subaru’s latest tech, proved to be a dependable companion on rough streets of Los Angeles, in the mountains and desert, and on at least one long trip to Portland.
At a base price of $31,545, our top-of-the-line Limited came with a leather-trimmed interior, dual-zone AC, heated front/rear seats, keyless entry, and a sometimes-cantankerous power hatch. For $3,090, we added a power moonroof, navigation, and the EyeSight driver-assist system, which we came to love despite a few shortcomings. A price of $354 covered all-weather floormats ($81), a rear bumper cover ($105), a cargo net ($78), and a rear seatback protector ($90), bringing the bottom line up to $34,989.
If you are upgrading from a compact car, the size of the Outback will be easy to get used to, with excellent outward visibility. Sure, seat-height fetishists would be happier with a Mazda CX-5, a Honda CR-V, or a Toyota RAV4, but the Outback is still slightly higher than most sedans.
Handling is completely predictable. The Subaru tracks well, and the steering weight feels good (but could be a tad heavier). If you charge too quickly around a corner, it will quickly understeer. Just remember, this is a family wagon, not a WRX.
The only part of the driving experience people consistently notice is the overly aggressive throttle tip-in—which is perhaps programmed to give the illusion of prompt acceleration. It’s a jerky experience in an otherwise smooth rider. But the Outback is by no means quick: It hits 60 mph in 9.5 seconds. That’s an eternity on an on-ramp.
Some crossovers, particularly smaller ones that don’t directly compete against the Outback (let’s face it, few things compete directly with the Subie), are too much like cars, with carlike ground clearance. One of my favorite features of the Subaru was its whopping 8.7 inches of clearances. It feared no oversized parking curbstone, ditch-like intersection rain gutter (which can tear the lower valance off of cars in L.A.), or moderate pothole.
The all-wheel-drive system—what most consumers would say differentiates the Outback—acquitted itself well in L.A.’s surprisingly wet rainy season, during some light use on snowy mountains, and in the desert. No, we wouldn’t take the Subaru to Moab, but it never got stuck in some truly questionable traction situations—particularly off the beaten path in the desert sand near Palm Springs.
Subaru’s EyeSight system, which uses cameras mounted in front of the rearview mirror as the primary detection mechanism, is among the best in the business. Its smart cruise control, which will control your distance to cars ahead smoothly and predictably, even slows to a stop then reaccelerates when traffic gets moving again. We had only a few problems with the system being slow to react (and speed up) in response to a change into a faster lane of traffic. In fact, the only time EyeSight really had a big-time issue was during two of our rare Los Angeles downpours, when the system shut down temporarily. When the rain let up slightly, it came back within five seconds.
The Outback Limited was a great place to spend time even during my commute— where I spend about 66 percent of my time in slow L.A. traffic. It’s easy to find a good driving position with the power seat and the adjustable steering wheel. You’re not sitting as tall as a CR-V driver, but you have a slightly more commanding view than standard sedans. And although the Forester is the king of the Subarus for outward visibility, the Outback doesn’t have any problems there.
Maintenance was not an issue for us—our Subaru came with a prepaid maintenance plan. According to our partners at Intellichoice, the five-year operating cost for the Outback was better than average against the vehicles people will generally cross-shop. The Outback’s five-year cost of ownership was $28,499, slightly less than a Honda CR-V EX AWD at $29,015. A Santa Fe Sport AWD ($32,026) and a Ford Escape SE AWD ($32,908) were considerably more.
The Outback also has excellent five-year depreciation of 37.1 percent from sticker price. The Santa Fe Sport and CR-V were at 39.2 percent, and the Escape jumped to 42.2 percent. Fuel economy was also pretty impressive for an AWD vehicle of this size, coming in at 26.8 mpg overall in our Real MPG testing. The CR-V came in at 25.2 mpg overall by comparison.
The Outback was refreshed for the 2018 model year — read about the 2018 Subaru Outback HERE.
Speaking of maintenance, the only problem there is a good one (for Subaru). With their ever-increasing sales, the service departments at existing dealerships face enormous traffic. An appointment frequently needs to be made a week or more in advance (at wider dealer networks such as Honda, you can usually get an appointment in a couple days at most), and most of the waiting areas were designed for fewer customers. But Subaru is addressing that shortcoming and in April announced another addition to its dealer expansion program that incentivizes dealers to expand their service facilities.
Multiple drivers of the Outback were frustrated by problems with the auto-opening hatch, which would sometimes get stuck, confused, or otherwise not do what you wanted it to and required Schwarzeneggerian force to manipulate when it stopped obeying electronic orders.
The at-the-time newish, functional, but slightly-slow-responding infotainment system is already being updated in the new model year with screens that interface with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A few drivers complained about the smaller-than-average volume and tuning knobs.
In a few years, we’ll see a brand-new Outback based on the Subaru Global Platform that will underpin all its vehicles. It resulted in fabulous improvements in driving dynamics for the Outback’s smaller sibling, the Impreza, which typically has lagged behind other Subarus. If it made the Impreza better, we can’t wait to see what it does for the Outback—which is already a very good vehicle most crossover hunters should absolutely consider.
More on our long-term Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited here:
| Our Car |
| SERVICE LIFE |
15 mo / 26,365 mi |
| BASE PRICE |
$31,545 |
| OPTIONS |
Option package 23 ($3,090: Moonroof, auto-dimming rearview mirror, navigation system, EyeSight driver-assist system, keyless entry and starting); Rear bumper cover ($105); Rear seatback protector ($90); All-weather floormats ($81); Rear cargo net ($78) |
| PRICE AS TESTED |
$34,989 |
| AVG ECON/CO2 |
23.4 mpg / 0.83 lb/mi |
| PROBLEM AREAS |
None |
| MAINTENANCE COST |
$0 |
| NORMAL-WEAR COST |
$0 |
| 3-YEAR RESIDUAL VALUE* |
$21,900 |
| RECALLS |
None |
| *Automotive Lease Guide data |
| 2016 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited |
| POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS |
| DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT |
Front-engine, AWD |
| ENGINE TYPE |
Flat-4, alum block/heads |
| VALVETRAIN |
DOHC, 4 valves/cyl |
| DISPLACEMENT |
152.0 cu in/2,498cc |
| COMPRESSION RATIO |
10.3:1 |
| POWER (SAE NET) |
175 hp @ 5,800 rpm |
| TORQUE (SAE NET) |
174 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm |
| REDLINE |
6,000 rpm |
| WEIGHT TO POWER |
21.2 lb/hp |
| TRANSMISSION |
cont variable auto |
| AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO |
4.11:1/2.34:1 |
| SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR |
Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar |
| STEERING RATIO |
14.0:1 |
| TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK |
2.8 |
| BRAKES, F; R |
12.4-in vented disc; 11.8-in vented, ABS |
| WHEELS, F; R |
7.0 x 18 in, cast aluminum |
| TIRES, F; R |
225/60R18 100H M+S Bridgestone Dueler H/P Sport AS |
| DIMENSIONS |
| WHEELBASE |
108.1 in |
| TRACK, F/R |
61.8/62.2 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT |
189.6 x 72.4 x 66.1 in |
| GROUND CLEARANCE |
8.7 in |
| APPRCH/DEPART ANGLE |
19.3/22.7 deg |
| TURNING CIRCLE |
36.1 ft |
| CURB WEIGHT |
3,702 lb |
| WEIGHT DIST, F/R |
56/44% |
| TOWING CAPACITY |
2,700 lb |
| SEATING CAPACITY |
5 |
| HEADROOM, F/R |
38.3/38.9 in |
| LEGROOM, F/R |
42.9/38.1 in |
| SHOULDER ROOM, F/R |
58.1/57.3 in |
| CARGO VOLUME BEH, F/R |
73.3/35.5 cu ft |
| MAX CARGO FLOOR LENGTH |
77.7 in |
| CARGO LIFT-OVER HEIGHT |
27.9 in |
| TEST DATA |
| ACCELERATION TO MPH |
| 0-30 |
3.7 sec |
| 0-40 |
5.3 |
| 0-50 |
7.2 |
| 0-60 |
9.5 |
| 0-70 |
12.5 |
| 0-80 |
16.5 |
| PASSING, 45-65 MPH |
4.7 |
| QUARTER MILE |
17.4 sec @ 82.1 mph |
| BRAKING, 60-0 MPH |
126 ft |
| LATERAL ACCELERATION |
0.80 g (avg) |
| MT FIGURE EIGHT |
28.4 sec @ 0.57 g (avg) |
| TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH |
1,700 rpm |
| CONSUMER INFO |
| BASE PRICE |
$31,545 |
| PRICE AS TESTED |
$34,989 |
| STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL |
Yes/Yes |
| AIRBAGS |
Dual front, front side, f/r curtain |
| BASIC WARRANTY |
3 yrs/36,000 miles |
| POWERTRAIN WARRANTY |
5 yrs/60,000 miles |
| ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE |
3 yrs/36,000 miles |
| FUEL CAPACITY |
18.5 gal |
| EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON |
25/33/28 mpg |
| ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY |
135/102 kW-hrs/100 miles |
| CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB |
0.69 lb/mile |
| RECOMMENDED FUEL |
Unleaded regular |
The post 2016 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited Long-Term Verdict appeared first on Motor Trend.
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