Sales of the new Outback have been white hot, Oct. sales up 175% from last year. Apparently this reviewer’s taste do not reflect those of the typical Subaru buyer. If you are thinking of buying one I suggest that you ignore this reviewer and go test drive one yourself.

I suspect a lot of folks bash Subaru because it’s no longer building quirky racing rally cars that built the foundation for decent reliability and a certain market presence. However, these folks weren’t buying two examples of quirkyness; Forester or Outback XT’s (the turbo ones) with Manuals, so it’s no surprise Subaru dropped the models.

If TTAC wants to bash Subaru for what it’s not these days, that’s its choice. Meanwhile, Honda’s making ACURA RDX’s with turbo rush, race car ride and handling. Why not review the 2010 RDX and see if they’ve kept the Enthusiast magic?

The same thing happened on I think it was the 2006 Impreza 2.5i. This occurred after Subaru went to a more equal-length exhaust manifold design. A lot of the talk on the forums was that the unequal manifold length/offset is what caused the burble sound, with the air flow patterns. So, the loss of the sound is actually an improvement in efficiency and performance (if very minimal).

Though yes, it’s a bit of a bummer to lose the noise. :) Or at least some of it; I think the horizonally-opposed engine will always have that lower tone to it, no matter what tinkering is done to the exhaust. Just to a lesser degree, with the newer cars, just as with equal-length aftermarket headers which some people buy.

My $0.02.

I’m no huge fan of the exterior styling, to say the least. The 2005-2009 Legacy/Outback was largely loved when it came out, but not without exception. Every new Legacy that comes out, is said to “look like a Camry!!” just as much as the Imprezas mimicked Corollas. Well, this is by design – we ARE, after all, talking about mass-market vehicles, which therefore have to have some mass-market appeal. Just with a little twist of uniqueness.

The horrid Chrysler grille (similar to the 2008+ Tribeca’s, if you ask me) and bad body cladding aside… I don’t really side with all the extreme hate over the ‘10 Outback. Yes, it’s bigger. Yes, it looks like some other SAVs/CUVs/crossovers/whatevers from certain angles. But here’s the thing: AWD *is* a “so-what?” asset these days, as stated above. Subaru lost that particular niche. So, they’ve not much choice but to try to blend in.

The numbers clearly show that they can’t support themselves solely on WRX and STi sales. They sell well, but perhaps never again as well as the 2002 WRX sold, when it first came Stateside. They can’t stay afloat as a manufacturer, with that being their only trump card. Believe me, I want an STi Legacy in THE WORST WAY…. but it ain’t gonna happen. Not in the US at least, until certain people start snatching up sport sedans again. Maybe we’ll get a little closer, with larger SUVs finally dying off, but I think the North American car-buying mentality is too far off the curve, from what’s sold in Japan that all we sport-sedan nuts salivate over.

So, we’re left with a predicament. The Outback needs to undergo a redesign, and it’s got to compete with one of the largest markets out there: the crossovers. Yeah I’m a little sad that it’s so much taller than the 2009 (though not that much longer, really – most people don’t realize that). I’m bummed that the XT is now defunct (though, again as stated above, the numbers don’t lie – it just didn’t sell well enough).
A little side of me said “Holy Aztek!” when I first saw the ‘10–possibly the worst automotive insult there is–but I always give new cars a chance. Particularly ones which are sold by brands I love.

We liked how it drove. A lot, actually. The new 3.6R has a few more horsies than the outgoing one, plus the benefit of the extra 0.6 liters of displacement. Great acceleration, and the gen.2 5-speed automatic is pretty nice, as far as “regular” automatics go. It’s no Porsche PDK or Audi DSG, but we’re also talking about a $27-32K car (depending on your salesman).

Every car has its share of good and bad experiences. I’ve had Subaru heartaches too, but the brand as a whole (and that’s what is important) is extremely reliable. Few groups of owners are as fiercely loyal. I’m not 100% hung on the brand, I mean if there’s an Accord wagon with SH-AWD and good power and a stick shift, you can bet I’ll consider it (I owned and loved two Hondas).

This was a good review, even if I obviously didn’t agree with much of it. I just wonder why people sometimes discard everything but kneejerk reaction, and never give a new car a shot. Besides – there’s always a mid-cycle refreshening. I foresee a (hopefully) prettier face, and maybe a little less body cladding, by the time model year 2011 rolls around.

Let’s just hope that the market, some time soon, justifies the return of the Legacy wagon, if not (unfortunately) a true STi division in each dealership, with leather lounge chairs and a kiosk where you can custom order your twin-turbo, 400hp spec.B. Subaru claims to be moving upmarket – who knows, maybe we’ll see something to truly fight the M3/M5s, AMGs and S4/S6s, some day….

Subaru did extensive surveys with their customers, carefully tabulated the requests, and for the most part implemented them for ‘09 Forester and ‘10 Legacy/Outback. Those changes generally made the vehicles better at hauling people around (btw, while not great, toe space in the ‘10 Outback rear seats is way better than the ‘09!).

Granted, some aspects of new Subaru interiors feel rather cheap now (the painted finishes scratch easily, and some metal trim feels tacked on). ‘Bu’s also have too many rattles for their price points. But they will haul families and their stuff around with reasonable dependability, comfort, and expense.

Meanwhile, the turbos for ‘10 Outback, like manual Trans for ‘09/’10 Forester XT, went away because Subaru could not sell enough of them. And to be honest, why would those be big sellers when, for same or little more money, an enthusiast can buy a RWD turbo V6 or V8
vehicle offering far more fun than a lesser powered AWD-er?

We got a 2010 Outback as a loaner and were horrified with the “improvement”. I don’t see any reason to own or purchase a new Subaru.

I’ve driven all flavors of the Outback. The 6-cylinder / 5-spd auto is very strong if a little thirsty. The 4-cyl / CVT combo was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

The 4-cyl / 6-spd manual is the way to go though. It has a nice gearbox and the mileage is phenomenal, especially considering that this is a large 4WD vehicle. Good luck finding a manual, or even a review of one.

All the snobbery in the review about–gasp–PLASTIC! I guess the older Outbacks had entire dashboards made of carbon fiber, or brushed titanium, or maybe constructed entirely of wood from the same tree, so the grain matched perfectly? I must have missed that:) Come on, what other freakin car for $25k doesn’t have plastic in the interior?

And–oh the “calamity” of the exterior appearance… I think it looks great, and I think the older Outbacks are some of the more ugly cars out there… personal preference, but you gotta expect car designs to change–it happens. They’re gonna make and design what sells the best, and if you don’t like the way it drives or looks, you have to accept that maybe you’re in the minority–no matter how loyal a customer you may be. I think the new WRX is butt ugly, but I don’t go into fits of melodramatic rage over it…I just hope they make it cooler looking before it’s time for me to buy another one:)

Ended up eventually at a Subaru dealer and tried their wares. Forester was decent, but the 2.5 std motor was slow. The Forester XT was much better. And the plastic hooks for tiedown points on the interior would likely not last long combined with a filled cooler and decent curve.

Then tried the 2010 Outback variants. 2.5 with CVT was better than the std automatic,,, but only slightly. Was certainly not inspirational either way. CVT might have great mileage and be greener, but I’d be kicking myself everytime I would drive it up a hill.

Finally drove the Outback 3.6R,,,, and I was sold. Stiff structure with no rattles or shakes on speed bumps (one of my test procedures). Great torque and horespower compared to the others I’d tried. Decent driving visibility. Could wish for folding mirrors, a temp gauge instead of the dumb MPG gauge, and a straigher/squarer roofline (better visibility/space/utility).

For the 3.6R base’s $27Kish, AWD, good power at reasonable mpg, solid tie down points, and decent leg and head room (I’m 6′1″),,,, it was easily the best value. Put down my deposit and ordered one. Will have the things I want, at a relative bargain price. Added benefit is that it is still at least somewhat different than the crossovers and SUVs the image seeking folks drive around my area. Subaru unfortunately went in a “Me Too” direction in the redesign, but it is still a bit different and a value for what it offers.

Honda Element? Give me a break. I dumped my EX AWD 2006 after 7K miles of torture. What a gas eating,worthless AWD, turd……..Rude, harsh,gas hog, bad brakes, noisy- yeah. But its a Honda and we should all love them- yeah right.

I drove a 2010 Legacy sedan 4cyl CVT a couple weeks ago, and it is by far the worst Subaru I have ever driven.

The CVT is garbage; the revs slowly climb instead of going straight to the powerband when you put your foot down. If you shift it manually, it shifts like a manual with a worn clutch, slipping profusely into the next gear.

The engine sounds terrible. I like Subarus to make some noise, but not that horrendous grating this new engine makes (I’m guessing the new intake manifold is to blame).

The MPG gauge is by far the dumbest thing I have ever seen. It constantly goes up and down of course, which is very annoying. But it couldn’t be more vague: it’s either + or -. Seriously?

And the electric parking brake is just screaming how bad Subaru wants to be like BMW.

As I said in my first comment, Subaru is as good as dead to me. They’ve moved on, and so have I.

The question is, will this one handle thick sand and moderate climbing with the CVT that gets the good MPG, as opposed to the manual tranny with the center differential? Everything else about this OB, including the more room but shorter length, the usable back seat, the wagon rear and wagon roof for racks, the reliability rep, and yes the ugly, fall right in line.

The CVT is different but it moved a family of 5 plenty well enough and we rode the same test circuit with our more powerful minivan and 4Runner.

We also tested it against cars costing much more. I’ll test a 6cyl before I buy but right now it seems like it’s an improvement for anybody who will use the back seat often.

I now own a ‘99 Legacy L 30th Anniversary Edition Wagon, and I find its styling clean and attractive. The body’s ground clearance is 2′ lower than the ‘97 Outback’s, and I replaced its stabilizer bars with larger-diameter units and replaced its rear coil springs with stiffer Legacy GT units. The revised suspension coupled with the strong, smooth, fuel-efficient, bulletproof 2.2 liter Phase II engine and redesigned-that-year 5-speed manual transmission make this vehicle perform like a dream. It has also traversed the worst roads and plowed through the deepest snows without hesitation.

I happen to like the looks of the ‘05-’07 Legacy Wagon, thinking it a logical, refined design extension of the ‘95-’99 generation (the ‘00-’04 generation was mechanically problematic and its styling forgettable). However, Subaru axed the manual transmission in non-turbo, with-sunroof Legacy Wagons after ‘06, axed the Legacy Wagon itself after ‘07, and, therefore, axed me as a potential new-car customer.

The Outback has seemed bloated and pretentious in comparison to my ‘99 and the ‘05-’07 Legacy Wagons, and the ‘10 model (it looks like the geezerly, bulbous Buick Enclave) only exacerbates the problem. Mr. Gregory’s pull-no-punches review of it only further disappoints me with Subaru’s recent direction.

As the owner of a BMW 335i I understand how the “faithful” just hate change of any kind, even when the vehicle performance is clearly superior. All those “BMW faithful” nearly died when the best turbo powered powerplant ont he planet was put in the 3 series engine bay, LOL! You see they wanted to see the back end of the infinity G, performance enthusiasts that they are.

Of course, we could buy legacy wagons until just this year so maybe we’ll loose our manual transmissions for 2011…

I liked the car well enough, I went with the Ford becasue it had more room and I believed offered a better value. Having said that, the Outback was not a bad car at all.

I too bemoan the change in the current Legacy/Outback.

I can only hope that – for their sake – Subaru are heading towards broader appeal and even greater sales volumes.

I note that the July numbers are out and that Subaru had the largest increase of all the manufacturers – passing VW in total US sales. The Forester is driving that result and I am sure there was some bargain hunting for the (now last generation) Outback. We’ll see what transpires as the new OB comes into the mix…

I have to say – and I surely am hexing myself here – that my 1996 Legacy GT was more dependable than my two 1992 SVXs (brilliant cars they were), my 2001 OB VDC was better than my 1996 Legacy GT and my 2006 Spec. B is the best one I have had yet.