Subaru used to have its market niche mostly to itself — because (for many years) almost no other car manufacturer made cars (sedans and wagons) with all-wheel drive and enough ground clearance to go where you generally needed a 4x4 SUV to go.
Now almost no one makes cars, and every brand sells crossovers with (or that at least offer) AWD and enough ground clearance to go places you used to need a 4x4 SUV — or a Subaru — to get to.
So where does that leave the Subaru Outback?
What It Is
The Outback is a midsize wagon with standard AWD and a standard boxer (or flat four) engine, as opposed to the usual in-line (and upright) four-cylinder engines that come standard in most crossovers.
Prices start at $28,995 for the base trim, which has a 2.5-liter boxer engine paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission. A more powerful (but slightly smaller) 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer engine is standard in XT and Wilderness trims; the latter also comes standard with almost 10 inches of ground clearance, a modified version of the AWD system with a low-ratio feature similar in function to the low-range gearing of a four-wheel-drive system's two-speed transfer case, skid plates and 17-inch wheels with all-terrain tires. It stickers for $39,960.
A top-of-the-line Touring XT with the turbocharged engine, heated leather seats (and steering wheel) as well as a 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system and a sunroof stickers for $42,795.
What's New
Other than a few minor trim tweaks and shuffling of standard/optional equipment, the Outback carries over into 2024 mostly unchanged.
What's Good
Wagons aren't what everyone else is driving.
Wagons have lower rooflines (making it easier to load things on the roof).
Boxer engines have their own unique personality.
What's Not So Good
Automatic (CVT) only.
Turbocharged engine only available in the more expensive XT and Wilderness trims, which all start about $9,000-$10,000 higher than base and next-up Premium trims.
Badgering "driver assistance" systems.
Under The Hood
Every Outback comes standard with something you can't get in any other make/model vehicle that isn't a Porsche:
A boxer — or horizontally opposed — engine.
This type of engine is also known as a flat engine because its cylinders lay flat rather than in a line (or a "v"). Subaru's boxer engines are flat fours (Porsche's are flat sixes), meaning that there are two cylinders on one side and two on the other side. These box each other across the centerline of the engine's crankshaft.
The Outback is available with either of two four-cylinder boxer engines. The standard 2.5-liter engine makes 182 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 176 foot-pounds of torque at 4,400 rpm. It is paired with a CVT automatic transmission and Subaru's "symmetric" AWD system, which can route engine power side to side as well as front to back.
The optional engine is a smaller (2.4-liter) boxer four that's turbocharged; this one makes 260 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 277 foot-pounds of torque at 2,000 rpm. It's also paired with the CVT automatic and AWD.
On The Road
To have fun in this Outback (on the road, that is), you'll probably want one with the optional turbo'd 2.4-liter engine, which makes up for the boring-as-wallboard CVT with the horsepower that's lacking in Outbacks with the 2.5-liter engine.
It's not just the horsepower difference that makes the difference. Note how much sooner (in the powerband) the 2.4-liter engine makes its peak horsepower — and torque. This is an engine that doesn't need to rev to be fun, and that's why driving an Outback so equipped isn't as boring as looking at wallboard.
Even if you don't get the 2.4 engine, you will get the excellent AWD system that endows this Soobie with impressive sideways tenacity.
Wilderness models of this Soobie have 9.5 inches of ground clearance, but even the base Outback still has 8.7 inches, and that (along with the AWD) will make you feel confident because it can carry you over the snow and through mud/standing water that would not be fun to try to wade through in a lesser vehicle.
At The Curb
The Outback is a midsize wagon now (rather than the compact-size wagon based on the Impreza sedan that it was). The current model is a sibling of the Legacy sedan and shares a common underlying platform and drivetrains. But it has what the Legacy doesn't: room for several times more than what will fit in the Legacy's 15.1-cubic-foot trunk. The Outback's wagon layout offers an SUV-like 75.6 cubic feet of cargo-carrying capacity with its back seats down — and even with them up, you still have 32.5 cubic feet behind the back seats, or more than twice as much space for stuff as in the Legacy's trunk.
The Outback also comes standard with Hill Descent Control and fog lights, as well as 8.7 inches of ground clearance. (The Legacy has 5.9 inches and so sits several inches closer to the ground.)
You can get additional driver-selectable off-road modes by opting for the Onyx Edition, which also comes with water-repelling seat covers and larger (18-inch wheels). The Wilderness trim gets an upgraded roof rack rated to handle up to 700 pounds, as well as the mechanical/functional upgrades mentioned earlier, which includes a low-ratio (similar to 4WD low range) for the CVT automatic that increases leverage for slogging through deep, unplowed slow and mud, and more.
The Rest
Premium, Limited, Touring and Wilderness trims get a larger (11.6-inch) LCD touch screen that's easier to use while driving because it has larger icons that are easier to accurately tap while driving. There are also (thankfully) still rotary knobs on either side to make volume/channel adjustments.
The Bottom Line
The Outback would be more fun if you could still get it with a manual — and without the Eyesight nanny. But it does still offer things you can't get in other wagons — and that's probably enough to keep the wheels turning.
Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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