SUBARUS ARE WELL KNOWN ALL OVER THE WORLD…but they’ve not really caught on here in Nepal. The cars from the Japanese brand are some of the best sellers in countries like the USA, Canada, and Australia. The brand is well known for its Boxer engine which Subaru has been committed to for over 50 years.

It is also well known that Subaru buyers are a slightly different breed, true to the brand with a near-unwavering loyalty. People are loyal to other people, people are loyal to their career, but being a car reviewer who has driven more cars than I can accurately recount, the idea of people being loyal to cars is something I don’t have the concept of.

So, to see what the big deal was, I got the keys to the all-new Subaru Outback, which is one of the best-selling Subarus globally every year. Let’s see what this is really about shall we?

IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN AN OUTBACK BEFORE, YOU’D BE, TAKEN “ABACK” … SEE WHAT I DID THERE?

While the company’s Forester comes with the traditional SUV silhouette, the Outback leans more towards the shape of the carmaker’s XV model. It bears a large hatchback shape with equally roomy proportions.

Right upfront you get a decently sized grille made up of twin chrome strips with a large Subaru badge set in the middle. The lightings on the Outback are all LEDs, you get projectors, DRLs, and fog lamps. Under the grill is an air dam, under which the Outback gets its black skid plate that looks rugged. Over on the back, you get swept back tail lamps which are also LED. You get a hefty roof spoiler with brake lamps integrated on the top and on the bottom you get a thick rear bumper with silver-finished skid plates.

Move over to the side and what you’ll first notice is a shape that is probably unique only to the Outback among the cars in this country. The Outback bears the shape of a station wagon, a humble family mover. But once you notice the elements around it like, the thick meaty black claddings all across the side skirts, the wheel arches, the front, and the back. And also a set of roof rails that has got to be one of the best looking and functional. Add a set of grippy rubber with alloys finished in gunmetal grey, the Outback looks like a doomsday prepared rugged jacked-up station wagon, and I quite like it.

It looks nothing like what the competition is offering and that exclusivity is what hooks you the moment you lay your eyes on it.

THE OUTBACK BRINGS THE RUGGED THEME…

from the exterior but turns it down to a murmur. The all-black finished interior is pleasing to look at. Let me start by talking about the touchpoints: the dash, the door pads, the armrest, and the edge of the console where your left knee will rest  while you drive are all padded with light cushioning.

While you won’t appreciate it on a short test drive, you’d be absolutely delighted to have your knees and elbows resting on pillows during long journeys. The steering wheel is finished in leather and has a premium sporty feel to it. The dials are analog thank goodness; because A, it looks cool and B it doesn’t become impossible to see when sunlight bounces off of it. The trend of sticking screens everywhere is getting out of hand and it is quite refreshing to see some old-school analog here and there. That doesn’t mean the Outback is dated.

You get not one, but two screens to fill your thirst for technology. You get a dual-pane touch screen that is plenty responsive. The upper screen handles your entertainment and the lower screen handles your climate and vehicle settings. The screens are separated by a panel of physical buttons, but I’d have loved to see similar physical knobs for climate control as well.

Let’s talk about the seats. They are a mix of leather and fabric which I think strikes a good balance between being premium and also low maintenance. Both the front seats come with electronic adjustment with the driver seat also getting electronic lumbar support. Pair that with a steering wheel that is adjustable both for reach and rake and finding the perfect driving spot becomes dead easy.

The rear bench comes with seating for three, and while the cushioning is on point, the rear seat is ideal for two passengers, thanks to the large transmission tunnel that runs through the middle. As far as storage is concerned, you get bottle and file holders on all doors. The front console gets a storage box under the armrest and you also get two cup holders and a slot for your mobile phone.

You get a decent-sized glovebox over on the passenger side, above which you get a slit where the passenger can store their phones and other smaller knick-knacks. Concluding the storage talks is the boot, which is massive. You get 522 liters of easy storage, fold the 60:40 rear seats and that extends up to a voluminous 1267 liters. Getting your luggage in and out is also easy thanks to the lack of a boot lip.

The Outback can easily handle a week’s worth of camping luggage for you and your family. Now, let me talk about the smaller things that the Outback variant we drove shouldn’t have missed when you put its price into the equation. And no, the sunroof isn’t one of them.

While the sunroof does have its cosmetic purposes in a vehicle, it is something that most people can live without. Furthermore, it is expensive to repair should you damage it, it lessens the interior headroom, it adds extra weight thanks to other extra operational mechanisms which are again expensive to repair. It compromises your safety in the event of a rollover accident because glass is glass and glass will break.

You can argue about its usefulness in sightseeing and taking in the sun. But for cars that focus as much on driving dynamics and experience as the Subarus, it is not a huge miss. However, there are other things in this day and age that I think the Outback shouldn’t have missed out on. Things like wireless charging, heated/cooled seats, autodimming internal rear-view mirror, and a better rear view camera: it’s like looking through a potato. Things I and everyone else can easily live without, but would totally love to have. Apart from that, the Outback is an amazing package.

I’LL GET TO NUMBERS LATER, BUT I WILL SAY THIS…

When you first take the Subaru Outback for a drive there is one thing that becomes immediately apparent. This car is silent. The only sound you get is the hum of the engine when you push the start button, and the top end growl when you are flooring the pedal.

Apart from that, the NVH levels on the Outback is darn near electric, with only a slight buzz from the tire making contact on the tarmac letting you know that the car isn’t an EV. This outstanding isolation works best when you are off-roading. Wind down the windows while you’re on a challenging trail and instead of hearing the noisy blare from the engine that disturbs the entire area, the Outback becomes as silent as a gasoline car can be. Letting you hear birds tweeting about the forest news, monkeys gossiping about the latest rumour in their neighbourhood, and all sorts of things.

Speaking of trails, that is what the Outback is purposefully built for. This car absolutely loves going off-road, it even encourages you to take the more difficult path. And the best part is, it makes it so easy. Just press the X-Mode on the screen and you’re all set. The Subaru Outback comes with a Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system that sends power to all four wheels. When the X-Mode is turned on the car brilliantly distributes power to all four wheels for better traction on less than ideal roads. The Outback feels more confident off-road compared to the tarmac.

Paired with the X-MODE is Hill Descent Control which helps you get down a hill safe and sound. The Subaru Outback is impressive on-road but it truly comes to life when there are no roads.Okay, let’s bring the Outback… back to the asphalt. Under the bonnet, the 2.5-litre naturally aspirated ‘boxer’ four-cylinder is 90 percent new, according to Subaru, with slightly more power and torque over the outgoing power plant.

The Boxer engine is basically an engine configuration in which the pistons move toward each other in a horizontal direction, similar to Porsches. Just the placement of the Boxer engine regardless of its output figures gives the car increased side-to-side stability due to its low center of gravity and flat design, the engine’s flat design is inherently rigid and self balancing, generating less vibration than other engine types.

The Outback sends 188 horses and 245 Nm of torque to all four wheels through an 8-speed CVT transmission. It does a decent job of mimicking a more conventional automatic transmission, offering smooth and predictable shifts. Around town, the Outback goes about its work with minimal fuss. You don’t get the kick of a turbo but the Outback accelerates with enough urgency off the line to never leave you wanting more from your large SUV. Navigating such a chunky car around town is easy thanks to a high seating position, large windows, and quarter glass beside the A-pillar that does an excellent spot to put the blindside in check.

The suspension tune on the Outback is on the side of soft and comfortable. It’s adept at swallowing up all the little nasties that can grace our fine roads without impinging on occupant comfort. Cruising at highway speeds is equally effortless and fuss-free. The Outback does 0 to 100 km/h in just under 10 seconds and will do 206 km/h flat out, which should be more than enough for your highway performance requirements. Stopping duties on the Outback are taken care of by ventilated disc brakes at all four wheels.

The Outback also takes safety rather seriously. The car comes loaded to the brim with active and passive safety features like Cabin Protecting Layout, Reverse Auto-tilt Door Mirror, Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB), Hazard Avoidance, Rear Vehicle Detection (SRVD), Active Torque Vectoring, Reverse Automatic Braking (RAB), Steering Responsive Headlights (SRH), SRS Airbags, Auto Vehicle Hold, Vehicle Dynamics Control System, and many more.

I TOOK THE KEYS TO THE OUTBACK WONDERING… 

why people are so loyal to the brand? what is it that makes people stick to their Subarus for years, and commit to the brand for decades?

When I came back to the Subaru dealership after our test drive. I handed back the keys to the Outback and got into my car. As I was driving away from the dealership, I looked back at the Outback I drove and thought to myself, “that… is an excellent car”. And as I drove away I too found myself leaning ever closer to the brand.

I guess that’s what it is. The Outback just works; it comes with everything you need. Yes, there are things I mentioned earlier which if added would just be that coveted cherry on top. But, as is, the Outback is a complete package. Whatever it comes with works so exceptionally well together that you don’t really find yourself wishing for anything more.

It makes you feel content, it makes you feel satisfied. And that makes the Outback totally worth its asking price. I will say this, the Subaru Outback is one of those cars that can take you and your family almost anywhere and do almost anything.