Overview & Reviews

Subaru has expanded the availability of its new 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine to the Outback sedan. The result is two additional sedan trim levels: 3.0-H6 and 3.0-H6 VDC. Minor upgrades to all trim levels this year include a dome light off-delay, an ignition switch illumination ring and wood grain-patterned door switch trim. Cars with the Vehicle Dynamics Control system now have a button to turn the system off, and sedans receive an internal trunk release. The automatic climate control system is upgraded with an air filtration system.

• The security of all-wheel drive, comfortable on pavement, capable on dirt, well-appointed interior.

• Not as capable as an SUV in terms of pure off-road capability, upscale models are expensive.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 143.00

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  Look elsewhere - 2002 Subaru Outback
  By folledOnce - November 1 - 5:10 pm

  At first I thought that dealer(s) were the problem, but car proved me wrong. Everything was a problem. There is no dealer service in NJ and corporate culture is basic arrogance. The car proved to be completely unreliable. I changed oil myself and performed all recommended maintenance, but car started overheating after 38K miles (guess what the warranty period is?). The fact that it was engine overheating and it is theoretically has a warranty for 5 years or 60,000 did not change the fact that I paid for the changing of relays and electrical components on the engine ($400). Brakes: first time changed at 8,000 miles at the dealer. The second time I shelled $400 out of pocket.

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  $$$$ maintenance - 2002 Subaru Outback
  By hotwheels - June 25 - 4:36 pm

  No mechanical problems until dealer check at 114,000 miles. Cost $2100 to bring car up to speed, new water pump (even though I never had a water leak or change in antifreeze levels), was told oil valve leak on spark plug wires, needed $600 100,000 mile checkup with this bill and needed new rear brakes too. Wind noise is annoying. Bottom of driver door seal is loose and leaks. During freezing North Dakota winters the spring loaded gas cap freezes shut, cramped interior with just average gas mileage. Have been driving 41 years and never have had $2100 repair bill on any of my Hondas, Toyotas, or Nissans (some of them with 200,000+ miles). If I have one more problem, this car is going.

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  A bad car - 2002 Subaru Outback
  By Dakota_Joe - February 2 - 2:36 pm

  We bought our Outback in 2002. Just a couple of warnings to would-be buyers: A.) If you have long legs try sitting in the passenger seat before buying this car. You get to taste you knees. The passenger experience rivals that of a back seat passenger in a 1971 Mustang II. B) If you live in the country, on a gravel road DO NOT buy this car. Normal 25 MPH gravel road driving destroys the Outback’s front suspension. I guess that the Outback ain’t built for the outback. The editors must live in big cities. C) This is certainly the most unreliable and expensive-to-maintain vehicle I’ve ever owned. Every breakdown is expensive and ours breaks down often.

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  Never Again - 2002 Subaru Outback
  By Rachael - June 24 - 10:03 am

  I bought my Subaru with 40k miles on it 2 years ago, and this January it became a MONEY PIT...had a strong fuel smell and had dealer tighten plugs two times...the smell continued. I had my 60,000 tune up. Still smelled it. Found out my coolant was leaking, so I went in twice to have them put something in the car that would seal any leaks from the inside. Didnt work. Replaced my head gaskets, valve cover gaskets, the whole bit. NOW, Im burning 1 quart of oil every two weeks, and replaced 2 wheel bearings. Heated windshield broke windshield both winters. Seats uncomfortable for long trips. LOVE THE CARGO SPACE!

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  been burned - 2002 Subaru Outback
  By Tmad - October 27 - 11:10 pm

  Its good for hauling things when you put down the back seat. The front seats are not very comfortable on longer drives. If you are tall your head hits the sun roof in the back. Worst of all, I have only 76,000 mostly freeway miles on mine and the head gasket is leaking, causing over heating. I only hope that the head gaskets arent cracked or the block. This is apparently a very common problem on this car. There are three including mine at an authorized repair store where I had it towed. The cost is going to be $3,000 at least. The dealer requires it to be fixed there. Supposedly they are going to cover everything. Towing and rental car too Im bargaining for.

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  Head Gaskets, Catalytic Converters - 2002 Subaru Outback
  By a20366 - September 29 - 4:56 am

  This is the worst car that we have ever owned. We have replaced the head gaskets, catalytic converters and constantly have brake problems - primarily warped rotors. They say we need new valves now. We have taken care of this car and we have 130,000 on it. Subaru obviously has problems which they refuse to stand behind. We would never buy another one and just hope we can sell this one.

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  Will it run or stop - 2002 Subaru Outback
  By no longer subaru fan - July 4 - 10:00 am

  This is my second one, my 2001 I reurned after filing a lemon law complaint. The 2002 isnt much better. The reliability of the car starting is better than my 2001, but for a brand new car should be 100%, not 75%. Had to fight the dealership/Subaru just to get them to believe me that this was happening on the 2001, gave up trying for this one. Also find that the brakes on this are not impressive. For anti-lock brakes, stopping distances seem to be very long. This is even after having them inspected. I will never purchase a Subaru again.

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  Avoid this model - 2002 Subaru Outback
  By Ridergirl - January 29 - 5:00 pm

  My previous car was a Nissan Pathfinder which I finally retired at 308,000 miles. I bought this as a Subaru certified, used, at 60,000 miles, hoping I would get the same performance. Not so. The engine had to be replaced at 90,000, the clutch went at 110,000, as did the entire transmission. Check engine light comes on regularly just like an old friend. The fuel smell inside the car in the cold weather is awful. Wind noise is terrible, and the seats are uncomfortable for long drives, with limited leg room if you are taller than 57. Junky plastic parts. This car has cost me $11,000 over the purchase price so far. CS at corporate & dealer rude. Shame on Suby for this sub standard machine.

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  Very disappointing - 2002 Subaru Outback
  By New England Resident - February 15 - 8:34 am

  I purchased this car for my son in 2015. 110k miles, body rust like you wouldn’t believe. I voted no; son voted yes because he’s a millennial and believes everything that he reads on the web. In this case, social media shows that Subaru is a great car, incredibly reliable, etc etc. He showed me a quote/metric saying that 97% of Subaru’s built since 1997 are still on the road ... so they are bullet proof. And so safe (more on safety later)!! What the quote/metric didn’t say was that they leak oil from the head gasket like no other car, have electrical problems galore, exhaust issues, and many others. I honestly have no idea how these cars got such a reputation for being great cars. Do people who drive these rat traps know what a ‘great car’ is ?? I spent about $7000 on repairs over 18 months. What a PoS. Thankfully, my son totaled the car, hence I don’t have to suffer any more repair bills. BTW, it didn’t take much to total it. He hit a curb at about 20 mpg, which destroyed the front end. The insurance adjuster said that type of damage is very common with these cars, and that they aren’t nearly as safe as Subaru likes to say. Their only saving grace is the AWD system. It really is pretty good. Everything around that ... forget it. IMHO, if you ‘must’ have a Subaru, lease one. They are relatively cheap, and they are warrantied during the lease period. At the end of the lease period ... give it back. I

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  Not very reliable - 2002 Subaru Outback
  By Dakota Joe - February 13 - 6:13 am

  We purchased our vehicle new in the summer of 2002. Except for a lack of front-seat passenger leg room it is a fairly comfortable car. Performance is good and with good snow tires it is an amazingly good winter/snowy road vehicle. Furthermore, no trim pieces have fallen off or broken and the build quality seems pretty good. Our problem has been with vehicle reliability. We live in rural North Dakota and out here vehicle breakdowns can be downright life threatening. The Outback will leave you on the side of the road and it will leave you there often. During the 4.5 years we’ve had the Subaru it has broken and undriveable at least 10 times.