Subaru has finally built a car that looks up to date, and with an interior that’s as upmarket as the stunning engineering deserves. The fourth generation Outback, based as before on the Legacy touring wagon platform, is stylish and elegant both inside and out. There are four models available in South Africa – five-speed manual and four speed automatic versions powered by the lively 121 kW / 226Nm 2,5 litre flat four engine, and two five-speed auto three litre models using a 180 kW quad-cam flat-six 24 valve engine.
Spec levels across the board are generous, with all models offering climate control, cruise control, electric windows and mirrors, a height adjustable driver’s seat and a CD / radio. The six cylinder 3.0R versions add 17″ wheels with 215/55 rubber, self-levelling rear suspension, a six CD shuttle, a Momo steering wheel with satellite controls for the sound system and wood-grain trim. The flagship Premium Class three litre adds electric adjustments for the driver’s seat, a massive sun roof, full leather upholstery, side and curtain airbags and a sophisticated traction control system. While the manual versions come with a low range transmission, effectively making them 10 speeders, the automatics don’t.
Despite being larger than its predecessor the new Outback is lighter and stiffer, thanks to the use of aluminium in key areas of the bodywork and suspension. Its roof-height is also 40mm lower than that of the previous Outback but the new model still boasts a healthy 202mm of ground clearance. The Subaru isn’t by any means a serious off-roader, but for occasional forays into moderately rough stuff it’s more than capable, and on gravel roads it’s superb.
On road performance leaves nothing to be desired. The factory claims top speeds of 198 and 197 km/hr for the 2,5 litre manual and auto respectively, with the 0-100 km/hr dash taking 9,8 and 10,9 seconds. The three litre six cylinder models are claimed to reach 100 km/hr in 8,5 seconds, and have a top speed of 210 km/hr.
At the launch we drove the flagship three litre Premium Class Outback on a 400 km loop from Durban through the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. The perfectly chosen route enabled us to grab the car by the scruff of its neck and hustle it through corners at speeds that would be unnerving in lesser vehicles. A brisk 40-odd kilometre detour along winding gravel roads near Howick proved just as entertaining in the all-wheel-drive wagon, and once we reached the tar again a longish straight saw the speedometer needle nudging the 220 km/hr mark. The horizontally opposed six cylinder mill packed so tidily under the aluminium bonnet delivers lashings of grunt from low-down, with the torque being split between front and rear axles on a near equitable basis until there’s a shortage of traction at one end or the other. Then the viscous-coupled centre differential automatically readjusts the load to keep the vehicle moving. I enjoyed the ride so much that after 300 km I took a detour that added about 40 km to the trip, under the pretence that I was trying to miss the traffic.
Subaru will never be a volume seller in South Africa, but those who buy them are fiercely loyal in a way that owners of most other brands wouldn’t understand. Sales in this country have grown steadily from 314 units in 1998 to 754 last year, and I suspect that if the cars with their distinctive boxer engines and all-wheel-drive became too commonplace the existing owners would be disappointed. It’s sometimes nice to be a maverick.
Prices of the Subaru Outback range between R279 000 for the 2.5i manual to R384 000 for the 3.0R Premium Class. All models come with a 3 year/100 000km warranty and a 3 year/63 000 km maintenance plan.