Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

• 

  A 98 out of 100 - 2016 Subaru Outback
  By Edward - February 11 - 11:53 am

  This is my first Subaru. I traded in a 2012 Genesis in for the Outback. The Genesis was great but living in the northeast, the rear wheel drive was a problem on snowy days. I could have gotten an all wheel drive Genesis but I couldnt justify the 54k it would have cost. (I prefer my vehicles loaded). So after doing much research I decided on that the Outback a closer look. And when I saw it at the auto show in NY, I was surprised by the interior quality. I have only put a little over 1100 miles on it so far and find only a few things that I believe should see improvement. While driving I rest my left knee against the door. It needs more padding. The next item is the gas fill door release.. I challenge the engineers to find it at night when you pull into a gas station. It is on the floor between the seat and the door rim. Invest a couple engineering dollars and either move it to an easily found point within the drivers reach. ERGONOMICS PLEASE. (Have the switch illuminated). The last thing I will knitpick about is the rear door button that you must engage to close the hatch. That should also be illuminated. My 3.6 is loaded. It was almost impossible to find a 6 to test drive, and I was happy that I finally found a dealer that had one I could road test. The 4 would be ok if you did mostly stop and go city driving, but if you have 3 adults in it and you are merging with traffic on the highway you may want to open the windows and start beating your wings. The engine needs a lot of help. The 6 is just great. The ride quality is almost as nice as my Genesis, and I believe it takes the bumps better. The interior is top notch. Very little wind noise. And I am happy to say that I am getting better MPG than are advertised. All in all I believe you would be hard pressed to find a better car for the money. BTW, I ordered the car on Sep. 2 and had to wait 14 weeks to receive it. I hope your wait is less. I made them kick in extras for the inconvenience.

• 

  Check of the Roof Rails on Outback Subarus!!! - 2016 Subaru Outback
  By Molly - February 10 - 10:31 am

  I purchased my 2016 Outback in March. I notice the roof rails on the car when I purchased. They didnt sit flush to the car. Showed the service department. Subaru technical support was called in to check roof rails. New set was ordered, put on car, worse than one that came on car, took back to dealership and said I wasnt satisfied. They called Subaru again, they said send to body shop, that was done, still not fixed. Was given 800 number for Subaru and told to get work order number. My car has been in shop 3 times and not fixed. The dealership has offered to give me a trade in value, less that purchase price. I do like my Outback, but Im wondering if they know what to do to get this problem fixed. If you have a 2016 or 2017 Outback, or looking to purchase, please check out the roof rack. Was told Subaru is aware of this problem, please notify your deal ship and Subaru. This is a Subaru problem, not deal ship, let Subaru know you know this

• 

  First one, not the last one - 2016 Subaru Outback
  By Wendell eisels - December 28 - 12:19 am

• 

  2016 Outback 3.6 Limited w/MRP/KAS/NAV/ES-CVT - 2016 Subaru Outback
  By Ron Tamulonis - December 12 - 12:30 pm

  Im in my 70s and we hold onto our cars for 15+ years. I did a years research from talking to Subaru owners in my neighborhood and Mall parking lots plus reviewing owners comments for vehicles 2014 on that I could find on the internet. If folks had a complaint I looked to see if that complaint carried through on the latest dated reviews or did it disappear. I wanted the latest safety equipment that I could afford like: Adaptive Cruise Control; Eye Sight: Blind Spot Detection; Rear Cross Traffic Alert and found this vehicle had these plus additional safety features. We drove to Florida and loved the Adaptive Cruise Control that maintained a selected safe distance between us and the car in front from out 75 set speed to 45 mph slow downs and back to 75 without having to reset the cruise control speed. I loved the "Multi Information Display" in front of the steering wheel which I set to show the next route change without having to look at the large Navigation screen. I was disappointed in the navigation system in that it kept trying to take us off route 95 in what was completed Florida construction areas also it couldnt find the Motel address in Miami that the motel gave to us. However when we did a Custom search in the Accommodations category we found our Motel listed and hit Go and it took us directly to it. Both my wife and I have back problems and we didnt experience any pain or discomfort spending over 8 plus driving hours per day (an unexpected benefit). We didnt have any hesitation going from Reverse to Drive with the 3.6R engine that often found with the 4 cylinder engine. We didnt have slippage (wheel spinning) going on to a major highway from a side road in the rain. With the keyless ignition, I did find out how to listen to the radio picking up the grandsons with the engine off. My wife and I love the car and would highly recommend the 3.6 Limited 2016 Subaru Outback.

• 

  Disappointment - 2016 Subaru Outback
  By Tom - October 21 - 2:03 pm

  I have had this car for 14 months and it has been in the shop more times than I can remember. A basic list of features that dont work: Navigation interface, starlink interface, USB functionality, to finish off the tech cateagory the touch screen is very slow and glitchy. Eyesight system dumps a sever amount of braking power way too fast while on cruise control, which shifts down completely if the cameras dont work. The liftgate will jam and refuse to open even with no cargo making contact. I could go on an on about what all is wrong with this vehicle mechanically. Hose lines are getting wrapped around small motors around the car, the AC has was completely rebuilt week 3 and now requires full replacement and recharge. I have chewed through 3 batteries and Subaru cant find a power drain. I am getting rid of this vehicle asap before i am injured in operation. The recalls have been extensive and at no end, received another yesterday.

• 

  Tahoe travels - 2016 Subaru Outback
  By Debbie Marquez - October 15 - 3:32 am

  Just got back from Tahoe and the safety features are great . The lane assit helps on the curvy mountain roads. If you want more power up mountain roads get the 3.6 engine . Rides smoothly 👍🏽

• 

  No complaints. Whaaaat? - 2016 Subaru Outback
  By Rusty Castleman - October 3 - 5:53 am

  As an engineer, I expect a lot from a vehicle and am hard to please. We traded a Volvo XC-90 which I never liked because so much about it "doesnt make sense." So far, Ive not uttered that phrase a single time about our Outback. Engine is very smooth and quiet, ride is great, very quiet inside and well appointed. The Eyesight system is phenomenal! The adaptive cruise control is amazing; works so well that in stop-and-go traffic the car will drive itself almost - you only need to lightly touch the accelerator to make it move once it stops. Fuel mileage is great at 33 mpg on the highway. With the 4 cyl engine and CVT transmission, it is a little sluggish at slow speeds, but (thoughtfully) you need only to shift down with the paddle shifter for the extra power you need - as soon as you let off the gas, it shifts right back into Drive. Of course you can move the shifter to M to shift manually. The only thing I find lacking is the navigation system, which like every one Ive ever seen is hopelessly outdated from day one. (Why dont they just link to Google Maps and be done with it?) Other than that, its everything we hoped for.

• 

  Great Car But Beware of Starlink - 2016 Subaru Outback
  By Chas Topkis - August 24 - 3:13 am

  First, the overall performance of the 2016 Outback. The car is great except for two items. Acceleration is not smooth. It seems to jump off the line. Not as smooth as I would expected. Next, the braking is not as good as expected. The car seems to not stop as I would like. Consider I am 67 years old and do not drag race! Otherwise this car, its design, most features, gas mileage, and comfort are everything I had hoped it would be. Truly great. Now the downside. One minor point -- The climate control does not appear to be very responsive. It does not quickly respond whenever we adjust the temperature. Its ok but other cars I have owned have been better. Now most importantly -- Be sure you know whether your cell phone is compatible with the Outback Starlink Infotainment System. No Subaru sales associate ever mentioned this. We were led to believe our phones would be fully functional with the car. Subaru happens to have a place on their website to check your phones compatibility with your carrier, make, and model of phone. For those listed the site shows whether it has been tested or not. If tested, the site shows exactly which features work with Starlink. If not tested or not listed, beware. When we encountered our first problem, the service department pointed out this site where it shows our phones were Not Tested. According to the service department, anything can happen and as we found, it does. For example, we could receive incoming calls and sometime make outgoing calls. When wanting to make an outgoing call, Starlink would dial a random number from our contact list when pressing the phone icon. We would not have the opportunity to choose the contact. Also, for some reason I can not explain, the Starlink Infotainment system will lock up totally. None of the controls of the Infotainment system would work. Could not change the radio station. No icons would work. Could not even turn Starlink off. There was only on way to fix this; pull off the road, turn off the car, and restart;very annoying especially if on an interstate highway. This has happened many times since we purchased the car in February. Unfortunately the service department said because the phone was listed as not tested, there is nothing they could (would). So, please check the compatibility of your phone with the Subaru website before you are disappointed. Our solution; we bought new cell phones that were on the approved phone list.

• 

  The best value in a 4WD SUV - 2016 Subaru Outback
  By Tim - August 4 - 10:34 pm

  After hearing friends rave about their Subarus we decided to replace our aging 4Runner(over 340k miles) with a 2016 Outback Premium 4 cylinder. Initial impressions are: great build quality, plenty of room & storage, entry/exit very easy, great sight lines, wonderful mileage, great handling and traction, * Steering feels well centered, tracks great and provides just enough feedback to make long drives comfortable. * Ride is well controlled and handles the pot holed northern Ohio roads with grace. * Very quiet interior at speed. * CVT transition also feels like it’s not a CVT, provides the common shift breaks and always seems in tune with what’s needed. * Acceleration of the boxer 4 cylinder is what you should expect, I never feel under powered and unable to pass or keep up with traffic. But never feel like there is a big reserve to pull from when needed. * Gas mileage is fantastic for an 4WD SUV with this much room, this is where the boxer 4 come in. * An intangible as it may sounds - it feels like a well-engineered vehicle. From the packaging of the engine and 4WD drive system, to the details that include underside paneling, engine bay access for maintenance, cross bar and roof latches, ties downs in the rear for cargo, triple door seals, safety systems that include a hefty rear door impact beam, etc. We shopped around and even considered an Acura RDX, we own several other Acura’s and also considered Mazda(CX6 and CX9) and Ford(Escape and Edge) entries. While the Acura was a much better vehicle in every category(expect MPG) it was also another $11k. I love the look of the Mazda’s but they felt cheap with lots of wind and engine noise, poor CVT shifting and a tin feel to everything about them. The Fords were the biggest disappointment, horrible shifting, poor ergonomics and over-priced. Both felt cheap in comparison. I don’t understand how Subaru is able to build this car for this price when I compared it to similar entries from Mazda and Ford. The Outback was leaps and bounds a better car and value.

• 

  Great Safety Features - 2016 Subaru Outback
  By David - August 4 - 2:01 pm

  Purchased the 2016 Outback Premium 4-cyl in Jan. Very impressed with the safety features (have Eyesight). Talked with about 5 Subaru owners before purchase...all were very pleased. The vehicle is great in almost every way . Had difficulty with drivers seat for a while.... Found the drivers seat more comfortable when moved my shoulders as far back as possible. Had a 1550 mile round trip and did ok. Believe the Outback is a very good value for the $$$.