Page 35 - Motor Trend (January 2020)

SUVOTY I Finalists

PRO Modern interior • Luxury-like suspension • Great value CON Exterior unchanged • Unrefined turbo engine • Poor infotainment UX

2020 Subaru Outback

rom the outside, most folks powerful and fun sliding on the On the safety front, the
won’t know the 2020 Subaru sand. But the Outback’s base Subaru is well positioned. With
F Outback has been rede- 2.5-liter non-turbo engine is, its EyeSight safety technologies
signed. But beauty is on the inside simply put, gutless. Is it a deal suite, the Outback remained
of this rugged lifted wagon. breaker? Not really. centered on its lane and main-
The Outback is a favorite for Subaru knows its customers, tained a close distance to the
those who enjoy the outdoors. and the changes to the new vehicle in front to prevent those
Although it has never been distin- Outback play well with their annoying folks from cutting you
guished as a powerful model, shopping criteria. The roof rack off. The system was also pretty
those who want more power can carries over from the previous easy to use and clearly displays
get an optional turbo-four engine generation but this time has holes what it’s seeing on the infotain-
for the first time. The Outback in the front and back to tie down ment screen. Limited (2.5)
played well against our SUVOTY the straps; the crossbars can fold But some of us were bothered
criteria, showing good cards for away inside the rack itself, and by the driver attention technol- model, and you’ll need to look
value, safety, efficiency, and with rubber bottoms, they won’t ogies, particularly the frantic closely to spot the differences.
(perhaps most important) perfor- scratch the paint on the roof. alerts for seemingly random Another complaint: Despite
mance of intended function. The Onyx edition gets vegan occurrences of driver inatten- an 11.0-inch infotainment screen
The new chassis and suspen- water-repellent seats made tion, lane keeping, smart cruise, that rivals the size of Tesla’s, its
sion refinement stood out for from recycled materials. With a or emergency braking warning user interface is complicated
almost every judge. “I’m not blacked-out grille and black rims, systems. A couple times, the and unintuitive. The window for
exaggerating when I say that I the Onyx carries a more rugged smart cruise control system Apple CarPlay appears too small
literally didn’t feel the bumps on look and further serves those who simply checked out, not warning given the screen’s orientation,
broken pavement,” Seabaugh want something different. of stopped traffic ahead. and some of the soft buttons for
said. Naturally, the Outback also As a brand that focuses on Although the 2020 Outback the HVAC controls are miniature—
showed excellent skills in deep value, Subaru does not disap- hasn’t been tested by the IIHS some judges pressed the AC on/
sand and scrabbly dirt. With high point here. Whether you’re opting at the time of this writing, the off button when they were trying
ground clearance and standard for the naturally aspirated engine previous generation won the to increase the fan speed.
AWD, the Outback didn’t have or the turbo, the Outback delivers agency’s top award, setting a We’re sure Outback customers
any trouble on the articulation good bang for your buck. “This clear path for the new model. will enjoy this new generation,
tests or climbing up and over a is a fantastic deal at $37,750; One big drawback is the lack but we’re hoping the midcycle
steep dirt hill. nothing here comes close,” Loh of any sort of advancement in freshening in a couple years will
With its 2.4-liter turbo engine, said. Evans called it “the bargain design, Tom Gale noted. Park address some of its flaws.
the new Onyx edition felt more of the century.” a 2019 Outback next to a 2020 Miguel Cortina

SPECS 2020 Subaru Outback (2.5) 2020 Subaru Outback XT
Base Price/As Tested $27,655/$36,500 $35,905/$37,750
Power (SAE net) 182 hp @ 5,800 rpm 260 hp @ 5,600 rpm
Torque (SAE net) 176 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm 270 lb-ft @ 2,000 rpm
Accel, 0-60 mph 8.7 sec 6.1 sec
Quarter Mile 16.6 sec @ 86.1 mph 14.8 sec @ 95.0 mph
Braking, 60-0 mph 130 ft 132 ft
Lateral Acceleration 0.77 g (avg) 0.75 g (avg)
MT Figure Eight 28.4 sec @ 0.62 g (avg) 27.8 sec @ 0.65 g (avg)
EPA City/Hwy/Comb 26/33/29 mpg 23/30/26 mpg XT

Vehicle Layout Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV Engine/Transmission 2.5 2.5L DOHC 16-valve flat-4/Cont variable auto XT 2.4L turbo DOHC
16-valve flat-4/Cont variable auto Curb Weight (F/R Dist) 2.5 3,752 lb (56/44%) XT 3,902 lb (57/43%) Wheelbase 108.1 in Length x Width x Height 191.3 x
73.0 x 63.9 in Energy Consumption, City/Hwy 2.5 130/102 kW-hr/100 miles XT 147/112 kW-hr/100 miles CO2 Emissions, Comb 2.5 0.67 lb/mile XT 0.75 lb/mile

JANUARY 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 35