2023 Subaru Outback Review and Test Drive
One of the original crossover SUVs is still making tracks.
Christian Wardlaw
American Motors Corporation (AMC) may have created the first crossover SUV with its 1980 Eagle, but Subaru perfected the lifted station wagon 15 years later with the Legacy Outback.
In 1996, Subaru took an all-wheel-drive Legacy wagon, raised the suspension, added big fog lights and white-lettered tires, slapped on some gray bumper cladding and decals, and put a purposeful rack on the roof. It went on sale at about the same time as the first Toyota RAV4, and the rest is history.
More than 25 years later, the Subaru Outback remains one of the most popular vehicles in the United States. In 2022, it ranked 22 in sales out of 292 models available in the U.S. market, with 147,262 examples finding homes after leaving Subaru's Lafayette, Indiana, factory. That sales success isn't surprising. The 2023 Subaru Outback still embodies the best traits of a crossover SUV and has remained remarkably faithful to the original recipe.
The 2023 Outback offers plenty of room for a family of four, lots of ground clearance for moderate off-roading and tackling heavy snow, a good amount of cargo space, and impressive safety ratings, all at a price starting around $30,000. It remains based on the Legacy platform, so it drives like a car while looking and performing like an SUV.
Christian Wardlaw
Speaking of looks, Subaru has refreshed the 2023 Outback's styling, adding a new front bumper and wheel arch trim that appears to take inspiration from the over-cladded Wilderness model. However, the changes are hard to see with dark exterior paint or on the blacked-out Onyx Edition model.
Speaking of the Onyx Edition, it now comes with the base engine in addition to the turbocharged engine. Subaru also reports that the 2023 Outback has a next-generation version of the company's EyeSight driver assistance and collision-avoidance technology, and the Touring trim comes with an additional EyeSight camera for improved detection of pedestrians and cyclists at intersections. The automaker has also improved the on-screen controls for the touchscreen infotainment systems, and most Outback models also get new wireless compatibility with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The 2023 Subaru Outback comes in 2.5i and XT model series, the XT versions equipped with a turbocharged powertrain that I recommend. The Outback 2.5i comes in Base, Premium, Onyx Edition, Limited, and Touring trim levels, with base prices ranging from just under $30,000 to the low-$40,000s, including the destination charge. The Outback XT comes in Onyx Edition, Wilderness, Limited, and Touring trim and costs from around $40,000 to $44,000 including destination fees.
For this Outback review, I test-drove the 2.5i Touring in Southern California. It had no options or dealer-installed accessories, so the manufacturer's suggested retail price was $41,070, including the $1,225 destination charge. Subaru provided the vehicle for this Outback review.
Christian Wardlaw
2023 Subaru Outback: The Design
Open one of the Outback Touring's doors, and you'll find an interior with exclusive features. They include soft nappa leather upholstery with contrast stitching, a heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, a digital rearview mirror with an auto-dimming function, and — believe it or not — a CD player. This version of the Outback is about as luxurious as this crossover gets.
The test vehicle had Java-colored leather, contrasting with the otherwise black cabin. Subaru applies the caramel coffee color to the dashboard, door panel armrests, center armrest, and floor mat borders, creating a rich overall appearance. Gloss-black trim and metallic accents complete the Touring trim's upscale ambiance, and though Subaru uses plenty of hard plastic within the Outback, it doesn't look or feel inexpensive.
Subaru organizes the primary controls logically, and the Touring trim pairs analog gauges with an 11.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system mounted in portrait orientation. Previously, I've found this infotainment system's onscreen controls confusing, but Subaru's subtle changes for 2023 make it easier to find what you're seeking and to use it.
Christian Wardlaw
Thanks to its high-riding stance, getting into and out of a Subaru Outback is effortless. The Touring trim includes a 12-way power-adjustable driver's seat with manually adjustable thigh support, while the front passenger's seat offers an eight-way power adjustment. The rear bench seat is equally easy to board and disembark and sits high to provide good leg support.
My family took a day trip from Ventura County to San Diego during the evaluation period. Heavy holiday traffic meant we spent more time on the road than expected, but the Outback Touring proved satisfying for two adults and two teenagers. Nobody complained of fatigue or discomfort, and everyone had access to a USB port or wireless charging pad to keep their devices powered up.
The Outback could use more interior storage space. Switching to a landscape-oriented touchscreen mounted higher on the dashboard could free up lots of real estate, and so could changing to an electronic transmission shifter. In other ways, the Outback provides plenty of utility. The raised roof rails are more useful than flush-mounted versions, and Subaru installs flat, textured plastic on the doorsills, turning them into steps for when you're strapping things to the roof rack.
Around the back, the cargo area offers 32.6 cu-ft of space, and a dual-level cargo cover allows you to pack a little more into the Outback than you could in other SUVs. Maximum cargo space with the back seat folded down measures 75.6 cu-ft. These figures are on par with the larger members of the compact SUV segment and the smaller members of the midsize SUV segment.
Christian Wardlaw
2023 Subaru Outback: The Technology
Get a base Subaru Outback, and it will have two 7.0-inch touchscreens on the dashboard. The upper one controls the infotainment system, while the lower one provides access to the climate control system. Other Outbacks get an 11.6-inch touchscreen that combines all functions into a single display, and Subaru says it has improved the larger screen's user interface for 2023.
Standard features for both systems include Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and SiriusXM satellite radio. Only the 11.6-inch system offers Starlink connected services, including access to a Wi-Fi hotspot. Depending on the trim level, additional upgrades include wireless smartphone charging, a navigation system, and a Harman Kardon sound system. The test vehicle had all of these features.
I found the latest version of the Starlink infotainment system easier to use. Subaru's changes are subtle enough that it's hard to pinpoint what's different without performing a back-to-back analysis. Still, I experienced far less aggravation while using this iteration of Starlink than in previous Subarus.
While I'm not a fan of the onscreen font style or graphics Subaru uses, I certainly appreciate the physical controls on either side of the display screen. They include volume and tuning knobs, buttons for the front and rear window defrosters, and buttons to adjust the cabin temperature.
Unfortunately, the native voice recognition system is terrible. Following my opening volley of "Find the nearest Starbucks," which it successfully did, the voice recognition system could not understand or respond to any of my other prompts. Needless to say, I'm grateful for the wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You can bypass this aggravation by using Siri or Google Assistant to get directions to where you're going.
The test car also had a digital rearview mirror. It shows a comprehensive, unobstructed view of what's behind the Outback, which is always helpful, especially when you have the crossover's cargo hold packed to the roof. In addition, a 180-degree forward-view camera proved useful for off-roading and parking and complemented the standard reversing camera. However, if you want a surround-view camera with a top-down view of the Outback, you're out of luck as Subaru doesn't offer one.
Christian Wardlaw
Safety features on the 2023 Outback include a new version of Subaru's EyeSight system. Two new cameras power the latest version of EyeSight, and the Touring trim adds a third wide-angle camera that Subaru claims can better identify pedestrians and cyclists at intersections. In addition, a new electronic brake booster should help EyeSight engage the brake more smoothly.
EyeSight is standard on all Outbacks. The base trim, however, does not include a blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert system, which are necessary to support the crossover's new Automatic Emergency Steering (AES) system. The AES springs into action when the Outback encounters an obstacle on the road ahead. It uses the blind-spot monitoring system to determine if other vehicles are traveling near the Outback, and if the coast is clear, AES will steer the Subaru to try to avoid the obstacle.
During the evaluation, EyeSight proved accurate and effective. While we didn't encounter a situation where AES activated, we did experience a forward-collision warning and automatic emergency braking situation in dense Los Angeles traffic. Several vehicles ahead, a motorist stopped abruptly to make an illegal left turn, causing everyone behind them to brake suddenly. At that moment, I was looking at the right-side mirror to see if I could change lanes, but EyeSight reacted and brought the Outback to a safe stop.
On the highway, the Outback's adaptive cruise control and lane-centering systems combine to provide semiautonomous driving-assist technology. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy using it. The steering takes on a distinctly artificial feel when the tech is active. It feels numb, and when you want to make steering inputs different from what the system is doing, you must muscle the steering too much to override the lane-centering assist. Collectively, these traits draw constant attention to the steering, and using the feature becomes a source of irritation. Subaru needs to make this technology behave in a smoother, more natural, and largely transparent fashion if it wants people to use it.
If the Subaru EyeSight system doesn't prevent an accident, know that the Outback is a safe vehicle according to crash-test ratings. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives the crossover an
Christian Wardlaw
2023 Subaru Outback: The Drive
If you're unconcerned about acceleration and passing power, go ahead and save yourself some money by choosing the Outback 2.5i. However, if you want to accelerate effortlessly and pass slower vehicles with ease and you don't mind getting slightly lower fuel economy, I recommend the turbocharged Outback XT. Besides, the turbo engine performs better at elevation, and many people use Outbacks to head into the mountains.
My Outback 2.5i test vehicle had the standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine in Subaru's classic horizontally opposed design. (These engines are also known as flat or boxer engines.) It generates 182 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 176 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm, which is adequate for a vehicle weighing nearly 3,800 pounds.
The Outback 2.5i's EPA fuel economy rating is 28 mpg, but since you need to flog it to extract something resembling forward progress, that's an optimistic estimate. I got 25.6 mpg on the evaluation loop and for more than 600 miles of city and highway driving.
Subaru's continuously variable transmission (CVT) has eight programmed ratios that make it sound and feel more like a traditional automatic transmission. As a result, it successfully makes the most of the engine's power when driving in urban and suburban environments. Still, when accelerating up to freeway speed or trying to pass slower vehicles, its simulated shifts don't result in much driver satisfaction.
The CVT delivers the power to a standard Active Torque Split all-wheel-drive system. Under typical driving conditions, it primarily powers the Outback's front wheels. Depending on the situation, it can automatically send most of the power to the rear wheels to ensure maximum traction. In addition, the Outback has an X-Mode traction system that adjusts depending on the terrain, a hill-descent-control system that controls the crossover's speed on steep hills, and 8.7 inches of ground clearance (9.5 inches with the Outback Wilderness).
I took the Outback off-road, tackling trails and ruts still wet with mud from a winter storm, and it performed admirably. The ground clearance helps the Outback go places some crossover SUVs can't, and previous experience driving the 2022 Outback Wilderness in central Oregon revealed that model to be even more capable. Still, the crossover's jutting front bumper seems susceptible to damage, so take things slow.
As far as the Outback's ride and handling, this Subaru almost glides down paved roads, soaking up surface irregularities. Speed bumps and humps don't faze this crossover, and on West L.A.'s notoriously bouncy 405 freeway, it cruised securely and serenely. On a longer highway trip, the only downside, besides the weak engine, is the amount of wind noise entering the cabin.
I also subjected the Outback to the mountain roads just north of Malibu, where the 2.5i Touring test vehicle handled better than an Outback Wilderness, which rides on smaller 17-inch wheels with all-terrain tires. Hustling the crossover across the Santa Monica Mountains, the Outback instilled more confidence than I expected. Still, this isn't a sport wagon, so you'll need to cap your enthusiasm.
Chevrolet
Is the 2023 Subaru Outback a Good Car?
There are many reasons to consider and buy a 2023 Subaru Outback, one of the original crossover SUVs. It is safe, comfortable, practical, and affordable. Plus, the Outback is ready for nearly any weather, and it can tackle many of the off-road trails most might try without inviting a professional guide along.
However, you will want to strongly consider the Outback XT for its turbocharged engine because the Outback 2.5i model's base engine is gutless. It will likely feel more so when you're driving this Subaru in the thinner atmosphere found at elevation.
Written by humans.
Edited by humans.
Christian WardlawMy first word was “car.” That’s what I’m told, anyway. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with them. The design. The engineering. The performance. And the purpose. I’m a car enthusiast who loves to drive, but I’m also most interested in the cars, trucks, and SUVs that people actually buy. Anybody can tell you that a sports car is fast. What you need to know is whether or not you should buy that new SUV, and why. My life purpose is to help you make that decision.
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