Impressions of 2005 Outback?

When most of the '04's are sold. I finally saw one on the road here yesterdya. Looked a bit too modern and they shrunk the fog lights. If subaru tries to go too upscale they will crash

My $.02's worth...new 05 Outback review

Bigger, plusher, more leg room, and more slylish than previous Subarus. Re-styled (esp. the back end, which is less gaudy and more car-like) and a bigger, more plush cabin. Quiet, smooth ride. 8.4? ground clearance.

Base model loaded with goodies: heated front seats/windshield/mirrors (who cares? I live in the desert :-), power driver's seat, 6-speaker stereo w/CD, cruise, 4 side curtain airbags, titanium/wood trim, plush upholstery/mats, trip computer, rear spoiler, etc.

I've test driven everything recently (Toyotas, Hondas, Saturns, etc., all sizes/shapes), did my homework, used a spreadsheet, and still each came up short on something. Spotted an 05 Outback (literally just off the truck). The test drive blew me away...this is NOT my father's Buick!

Good points: New styling, especially the back end, and the interior is much more luxurious and sleek than in the past (classy wood-grain trim, sleek titanium console, very nice/comfy upholstery). Lots of standard items that used to be optional (aka, costly) equipment . The price is a steal for all the amenities.

Suggested improvements: The 2.5L base engine is peppy, but could stand a few extra hp's. The plasticky gray body cladding is sporty, but seems a bit fragile (lots of rocks on the freeways out here in "contruction land")...time will tell.

I took the plunge and bought a two-tone champagne/gray base model -- gorgeous! Got mine at INVOICE! Plus, great $$ for my 99 Forester trade-in.

If you are in the Phoenix area, don't waste your time shopping the three different dealers. Go to 21 Bell Subaru, 2121 E. Bell Road.

Too plain very toyota-esque

and a stereo you cant easily swap out to get good tunes

let it break in for 15k miles use syb oil and get a K&N filter. Equal to most sixes on the road

I second that. And don't be afraid to make it work. If you rev it up a little it will do anything you need. People are dropping this engine in homebuilt airplanes and running it continuously at 5000 rpm.

Subaru seems to have offer good trade in values. I saw my first '05 today, pretty girl driving--with cell phone attachment to her head; kinda spoiled the picture. I'll take the girl and the Subaru, you can have the cell phone. ;-) Username munged by FixNews

Picked up our new 2005 Atlantic Blue OBW this past weekend. It is better in every way. Quite an improvement.

Ron

Agreed.

I drove a 2005 Limited OBW Sunday, and wound up ordering the LL Bean version in Champagne.

I found the seats quite comfortable -- in contrast to my Forester. No problems with headroom, at all. I am 6' 2", and I still had a couple inches to spare. Subaru really outdid themselves on the interior, for a change. It reminded me of something designed in Italy, made in Germany, and costing a lot more.

I thought the base engine lacked punch though, so I ordered the H6. Not as much torque as the turbcharged-4, but hopefully it will be smoother.

Griff Jones

I find the comment about the base engines "lack of punch" to be interesting. Many pro reviewers now seem say this about all vehicals that have less than 200hp. Is gas fairly cheap now? That said, the reviews of the Prius make no real mention of power as it's marketed for fuel economy. I drove an OBW 2.5i and found it fine especially with the select shift feature of the automatic. On the other hand the turbo had "punch" but looking at the price of the required premium grade fuel, I decided the "punch" wasn't worth it. I also tried the H6 and yes it has punch but so does the price tag and the increased fuel consumption. So I agree the 2.5i lacks the same punch but has much better milage.

-- Bill

Looks like the fuel economy penalty is about 4 mpg, comparing the base engine with the H6. Not enough for me to opt for the 4. The price difference beween the 2 vehicles gives pause, though ...

Griff Jones

I ordered an 2005 OBW Ltd with 2.5i auto. I also drove both LL Bean and Turbo 4 sedan manual. I liked them both and would probably go with a Legacy wagon GT manual for myself (the OBW is for my wife). That should save some $$. I thought the 4cyl was adequate, although I believe most other 4 cyl engines in a car this heavy would be dogs. The all wheel drive flat 4 must make some difference. Saw an article on station wagons today as alternatives to SUVs; didn't even mention Subaru. I guess they may be an underdog.

Gregg

I saw a OBW XT yesterday in Nashville; nice! It may depend on dealer pull, ie sales, as to when they get one. The dealer I saw it at was Jim Reed. They have been selling Subarus for over 20 years. You can check dealer inventory by going on Subaru's website and click on dealer link.

Gregg

As someone looking to buy as well (and I'm shall we say... thrifty) I did some hypothetical math. Using the the same (perfect) numbers for MPG and my states average gas prices, a hypothetical long trip would break down like this:

Calif Reg @ $2.30 gal Prem @ $2.50 gal

OBW 2.5i @ 28mpg X 16.9 gal cap = 473 miles - cost $38.00

OBW 2.5xt @ 24mpg X 16.9 gal cap = only 405 miles (+ added 2.8 gals needed to be equal trip length) - cost $42.00 + $7.0 (2.8 gals) = $49.00 to do the same trip.

OBW 3.0 same as XT but reg gas = $45.00 for the trip. Given the huge price diff of the 3.0 over the XT, it would never pay for itself in the REG vs Prem area in the vehicles life.

Bottom line - the XT using Premium price fuel is about the equivelent of a 21mpg car. This puts is in the same arena as the Toyota 4runnner and other larger SUV's.

-- Bill

Except that the H3 uses premium.

Hmmm, I thought it was only the turbo that required premium. Ouch! I think the plain Jane 2.5i will be just fine then.

-- Bill

Up until recently you'd barely find them in collective reviews of similar vehicles, except in magazines such as Car and Driver. Most articles in less technical magazines simply ignored them. My favorite is when they are left out of collective reviews of so-called "crossover" vehicles, a niche that Subaru created (or recreated, if you count AMC) with the Outback about 10 years ago. So yes, they are somewhat of an auto industry underdog, although reviews aren't nearly as scarce as they were 5 years ago.

You're right about the weight though, what makes them sluggish is not so much a lack of power, but such heavy weight. Talk to anyone who has swapped a Subaru engine into a featherweight dune buggy and you'll see what I mean. ;) Then again, the weight is probably part of the reason that Subarus traditionally do quite well in crash tests.

As for the power, the base boxer engines have a lot of that considering their displacement. Torque is usually higher compared to similar size engines from other automakers, although sometimes the horsepower is lower. I remember reading somewhere about a new GM 4 cylinder and noticed that was either the same size or larger than the old Subaru EJ22 engine (which powers my Subie), yet was less powerful. I know this is sort of like comparing apples to oranges, but considering that the EJ22 was designed in the late

-Matt

Check out my review links I have found all over the Web. This puppy is making a big splash in the car market!

-Karen-

When I bought my 2.5i wagon a month ago, regular unleaded was $2.20 out here in Arizona, and premium was $2.40. Prices have dropped off about $.30 since then, but I am glad for the extra MPGs...and it's plenty peppy for me (mostly city and local driving).

-Karen-