Subaru knows it's going to start an argument when it professes to have “arguably started the crossover segment” with the introduction of the Outback version of the Legacy wagon back in 1995.
The AMC Eagle had beaten it to market by 15 years with a raised, outdoorsy, wagon-bodied machine that put power to all four wheels, all the time, a formula the new-generation 2010 Outback follows to this day. But where Subaru's argument really falls off the rails is that they themselves did not call the Outback a crossover until well after the crossover craze began to take off early this millennium.
Subaru had previously called it a sport-utility wagon, wanting to hitch its marketing buzz on to the hot SUV trend of the 1990s. Since the term “wagon” has unfortunately become the marketing leper of the automotive dictionary, Subaru's claims to creating the “crossover” class now ring hollow.
“The Outback mindset is very SUV-related,” said Anton Pawcuk, Subaru of Canada product planning manager. “The needle has moved to the SUV side of the spectrum on a wagon-to-SUV scale.”
No kidding. The latest Outback is considerably taller and more angular than the Legacy, more so than ever before, although they still share headlight treatments that speak to their close relations.
Although the Outback's design is smoothly rugged as per modern crossover fashion, you can almost see Subaru's desire to make the Outback more mainstream, which results in a visual ambiguity played out in its amorphous lines that are neither wagon nor SUV.
Regardless what you call it, the Outback is a popular vehicle for Subaru, traditionally accounting for one-third of Subaru's sales in Canada. It greatly outsells the Legacy sedan, with which the Outback shares body architectures, engines and transmissions.
And that's despite the Outback's higher starting price, which is now at $28,995, down $2,000 from last year's model, plus as much as $3,400 for fully loaded versions. Good news, right? It is, right up until you notice that the U.S.-built Outback starts at $22,995 (U.S.) just over the border, which translates to just under 25-large Canadian ($24,785).
Sure, this isn't the egregious 10 grand or so MSRP difference you'd see on some Subarus last year, when the dollar was close to par. But it does show that Subaru still has a ways to go to match the much closer price differentials on the Toyota Venza and the Ford Edge, which Subaru sees as close rivals.
Then again, Subaru also sees the Volkswagen Passat, Mitsubishi Outlander and Volvo V50 wagon as competitors, figuring that the Outback will draw interest from those considering mid-size sedans, compact SUVs/crossovers, compact sedans and higher end wagons like the Volvo V50 and pricier Volvo XC70.
So the Outback competes with almost anything with four doors between 20 and 50 grand. That's a wide net to cast for any one vehicle. Perhaps the only vehicle the Outback doesn't compete against is a Legacy wagon, since Subaru has dropped that body style for 2010.
The Outback's slightly boxier lines compared with the Legacy do help in some practical areas, however. The extra seven cm of ground clearance and taller body mean that the Outback is easier to enter and exit, while providing that higher down-the-road view that so many buyers appreciate.
Cargo room is a generous 972 litres, about double what your average mid-size sedan offers, which expands to a massive 2,019 litres with the rear seats folded. Plus if you need to attach something bulky to the roof, the Outback provides ingenious roof rails that have simple lift-and-fold-out cross members that stay out of the wind until you need them.
Under the hood, the Outback again offers four- and six-cylinder horizontally opposed (boxer) engines, while maintaining full-time all-wheel drive as standard equipment.
The base Outback PZEV offers a 2.5-litre four that produces 170 hp and 170 lb-ft of torque, and is rated as a partial zero emission vehicle, thanks to a special charcoal canister in the air intake, and various engine and ECM tweaks that reduce evaporative and exhaust emissions.
Unlike hybrid versions of regular cars, the cleanest PZEV model of the Outback is the least expensive version, which comes with fewer features inside. Even though the PZEV's exhaust is cleaner, it still emits the same amount of carbon dioxide, judging from the identical mileage it achieves with the 2.5i Sport that shares the base Outback's drive train, but not its PZEV upgrades.
At an impressive average of 9.5 litres/100 km city and 6.9 highway, the Outback is considerably less thirsty than the same-displacement engine in the Subaru Forrester, and even better overall than a front-wheel-drive Venza.
This improved fuel economy comes down mainly to the optional new continuously variable transmission, while the manual six-speed versions deliver decidedly thirstier numbers, 10.6 city/7.4 highway. True, the CVT occasionally revs higher than one expects, especially in hilly areas such as we encountered often zipping up and down Newfoundland's eastern and southern coasts.
Like the five-speed automatic available with the 3.6-litre engine in the 3.6R, the CVT also comes with shift paddles, where six preprogrammed ratios allow a little more driver control over engine speed. That six-cylinder/five-speed combo is the best matchup, with tangibly smoother idle, hill-climbing and highway cruising manners.
Its 265 hp not only made short highway on-ramps much less dramatic, its 247 lb-ft of torque gave it gobs more oomph down low to help motivate the Outback. The downside is the higher three grand or so price, plus the thirstier 11.8 city/8.2 highway fuel economy numbers.
The Japanese company has also managed to forge itself a shelf heavy with safety accolades recently, and although government and insurance safety ratings haven't yet been released, standard safety equipment in the Outback includes side and side curtain airbags, whiplash-reducing front seats and head restraints, and electronic stability and traction control. Plus the additional active safety benefits of full-time all-wheel-drive in every model, which will help you get going in snow, or up a muddy, slippery slope, as it did on a short, off-road obstacle course we tackled.
The 2010 Outback provides a practical and planet-conscious way to get your crossover fix, even if it still occasionally struggles with its multiple personalities.
2010 SUBARU OUTBACK 2.5i LIMITED
Base price: $28,995; as tested $38,095
Engine: 2.5-litre, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, SOHC
Horsepower/torque: 170 hp/ 170 lb-ft
Transmission: CVT
Drive: All-wheel-drive
Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 9.5 city/6.9 highway; regular gas
Alternatives: Dodge Journey, BMW 328i xDrive Touring, Ford Edge, Toyota Venza, Volkswagen Jetta Wagon, Volvo V50/XC70
Type: Mid-size five-seat crossover
Like
- Higher ride height makes entry easier, adds seven cm of ground clearance
- Larger and more practical than similarly priced compact rivals
- Its six-cylinder engine provides prompt yet refined near-luxury-like response
Don't like
- Seats are a little short on thigh support, ending far from one's knees
- Fully loaded models venture into near-luxury pricing
- Legacy wagon no longer available as an Outback alternative
- Even with lower MSRP this year, still a major disparity with U.S. pricing
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