Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Our 3rd Subaru - LOVE LOVE LOVE! - 2017 Subaru Outback
  By Scott B. - November 22 - 2:09 am

  This is our 3rd Subie. We have had two WRXs (still have one now, the other was destroyed by a bad driver that ran over our car). I have a free company vehicle that is just a year old with free gas and I choose to drive my Outback EVERY chance I get. I just love everything about it. The vision outward is phenomenal, the interior layout has everything placed just where it should be. Today I drove in the snow for the first time with it and I have never felt so safe in my truck or another vehicle. Its hard to put into words just how great this car is. Subaru is a great company and builds a fantastic car. For the money one spends on a Subaru, you get the quality engineering and craftsmanship that Other company would charge nearly twice as much for. One test drive and youll see why this is a wonderful vehicle.

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  2017 outback - 2017 Subaru Outback
  By Karen sims - August 1 - 1:38 pm

  Two things I wish Subaru did are to allow the radio to stay on when car is off and the window mechanism is tricky to just go down/up part way.

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  Subaru Outback could use better navigation - 2017 Subaru Outback
  By Ron Beck - July 3 - 8:25 am

  The car is used most often by my wife. I am used to a six cylinder and the four cylinder Outback is a little underwhelming. I know its a sign of the times to get more fuel efficient an I can appreciate that. Overall I enjoy driving the car. It still has temporary plates on it (still brand new), and heard so many good things about its performance in the snow. The one thing I do not like about it is the navigation system. It is a real pain. Even typing a destination onto the screen is an effort. We may go back to the dealership or I have to study the manual. But it is certainly not intuitive. I like the warning system for moving outside of the lane. Havent tried the cruise control yet where the speed adjusts to the car in front. However I did try and love the high beam safety feature. I live in a more rural area. I left the high beam on the other night. As a car approached ahead, the beam automatically went to low beam and back up to high beam after the car passed. Terrific feature!

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  Not Lovin It - 2017 Outback 2.5i Limited - 2017 Subaru Outback
  By Lee H. - June 24 - 2:40 pm

  Ive owned this car now for four months and have about 2300 miles on it. Ive read the reviews on here and this is my take on the 2017 2.5i Limited with EyeSight: 2.5i engine is severely lacking . This engine only has 175hp, and for such a heavy car acceleration is terrible. Forget any kind of "fun" driving experience because you go from zero to sixty in over ten seconds - painfully slow if you are trying to do any kind of quick maneuver (which you must not do in this car lest you cause an accident). Honestly Subaru should not sell this configuration and should only do the 3.6R (which really isnt all that much better). The CVT transmission for the most part is sufficient, but again paired with this 2.5i engine, it is not a great transmission choice for a car lacking in horsepower. The "sport" shift paddles in the limited are a joke. Except for down shifting, there is no reason for them because they do not enhance performance in any manner. In fact if you use them, you cant really go faster than 65 - it is limited to about that speed, but if you go back into auto mode you can go faster. Makes no sense! I also am not getting the mileage promised on the sticker. It says 25 city but I am getting about 19 - not a great fuel savings for having to put up with a lackluster engine. For a Japanese car, the feature set is perplexing. The Starlink system is confusing with similar features offered in multiple apps, and some of the subjects offered like sports and stock info is redundant because if you have a smartphone you already have this. There is menu upon menu and honestly it is very convoluted. I have an iPhone and youd think in 2017 they would use Car Play and the voice activation assist Subaru provides is useless as well. You can do it faster manually than asking the car to do it. Also Perplexing is that there is no auto start available even as an option. In 2017 a $16k Chevy has auto start. You can however buy a dealer installed device, but thats another $600 or more and it is a bit confusing as there are two types offered. One that uses the existing remote (with extremely limited range) and one that is a separate remote (with a long distance range). If you opt for it the car promptly shuts off when you open the door which is very odd considering other manufacturers do not do this. Also some of these message boards indicate that you get the auto start with 2017 Limiteds. This is not true. The dealer has to "turn it on" and it costs you whatever they decide. One of the features that is supposedly superior is the symmetrical all wheel drive system. Ive owned Volvos, Fords and GM vehicles with AWD systems and have used them in heavy snow. I see no difference in Subarus system compared to other manufacturers and honestly before other manufacturers started offering it, that was Subarus niche, but now just about all car companies have AWD models and they all perform just as well as the Subaru. Also as reported the door locks are not programmable. All you can do program them to unlock all doors or just the driver when you grab the door handle. Otherwise the doors do not lock or unlock when placed in gear or when driving away. Also when the car is in reverse, the rear windows will not go down and you cant adjust radio volume. Again really stupid features! The radar cruise control feature is okay and works just as well as other cars Ive had - nothing special but the lane assist feature is annoying. The car over compensates and is very clunky. I never turn it on because of this. The lane departure warnings are extremely annoying and if you drive curvy roads it just adds to the annoyance factor. Same with the auto bright lights. If you use it, it constantly turns the brights on automatically and usually blinds oncoming cars because it cannot compensate for curves. Again I have to keep this off. Overall there is nothing special for this vehicle. If I had known all of this before I bought I would not have gotten this brand - there are a lot more negatives than positives and having had other vehicles with the same feature set as this Outback I can honestly say there is no compelling reason to pay the large sum of money I paid, and I feel a bit betrayed as this car has not turned out to be what it was promised. I will more than likely turn it in for something else once I have equity. Oh also the other real big detraction for me is that this car is extremely pedestrian and common. I chose the white and in my city there are THOUSANDS of Outbacks in white and other colors. I am not kidding when I say Ive gone up to the wrong car in a parking lot on more than one occasion!

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  most versatile economical car on road today! - 2017 Subaru Outback
  By lks - April 24 - 4:27 pm

  I wanted a vehicle where I could actually see out of the windows, had some off road capabilities, comfortable on the highway, got great gas milage, high safety ratings, great resale value, low maintenance costs. I live in the west (as do most Subaru vehicles), and I have not found any problem driving up steep passes and passing cars. I have the 2.5i prez engine, which some have complained has lackluster performance. No mistake, it is not a Ferrari or anything close. But I have found the engine to do everything I want it to with great fuel economy in a high altitude environment. The all wheel drive system works very well. I highly recommend this vehicle. If you want something that is very fast it isnt for you. But if overall value and safety are your game, this car nails it.

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  Good off-road vehicle - 2017 Subaru Outback
  By San Diego customer - April 18 - 9:09 am

  Interested in Premium w.5i 4-cyl cloth seat covers. Would have liked the 18" wheel for off-road versus 17" and more power/ torque which comes in the higher trim with leather. For long road trips, the seats would be a bit confining and tight. I am a small frame but on long drives I like to have room to move around unhindered. The. Takes are squishy; takes several more seconds to stop. I like the second row seating and the size able cargo area. The car needs to fit your needs. Drove it twice. Did not purchase.

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  Yahoo Subie-Roo - 2017 Subaru Outback
  By Mike Federer - April 14 - 10:43 am

  This a great car and a wonderful alternative to a see-everywhere SUV. It is solid as a rock and definitely feels like a step up from the 2012 Subaru Forester I traded in for it! There are no blind spots and the backup camera shows a very wide field of view...very helpful when backing into my garage. The radio is good but not spectacular, I can live with it. The front seats are very comfortable and are not tiring after driving for several hours. I had my doubts about the CVT transmission, but I am very pleased with it. It shifts like a 6-speed transmission and the gas mileage is spectacular. Acceleration from a standing start is very good with no hesitation. I was concerned about the possibility for "droning" sounds at some speeds, but have not experienced any of that. All in all, I am very pleased with the wagon Subaru has built and cant wait for our first long get-a-way trip into New England at the end of September! Have taken two trips, one to New York and one to Florida. Over 3300 miles on the Fla. trip; car was comfortable, roomy and avg. 28 mpg! Very pleased!

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  Glad I upgraded! - 2017 Subaru Outback
  By Danielle Mayer - April 8 - 10:27 pm

  I had been looking at older models, then the new base model, but decided on Premium with Eyesight at the last minute. Glad I did. It is a great safety feature. It reacts a moment before I do, and I have quick reflexes. The back up camera is really sensitive, as it sees cars coming behind in parking lots before I can. Lane departure keeps you on your toes, and adaptive cruise control lets you relax while traffic comes and goes from your lane. Bought it for Subaru safety rating and all wheel drive. Took it off roading already and made it up a washed out road with no problems. Combined MPG is coming in at about 26, highway is 31-36, so both better than expected.

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  No USB port for rear passengers - 2017 Subaru Outback
  By Ganesan Doraisami - February 17 - 9:45 am

  The vehicle is great for my kids but in 2017, Subaru should have made at minimum a 12V adapter or two USB ports available so rear seat passengers can charging their smart devices. Running a 6 feet USB cable from front or from the cargo area does not make sense for this.

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  Starlink needs improving - 2017 Subaru Outback
  By 47states - January 22 - 5:30 pm

  This is our first Outback (Limited 2.5i). We really do like the car but Subaru needs to work out a few bugs first. We would buy again if we could have the black interior and Starlink is improved. We wanted the Lapis Blue Pearl color with the Slate Black Leather Interior. Not an option. The Lapis Blue Pearl is only available with the Warm Ivory Leather interior which shows dirt and scuffs. We only have about 4900 miles on the car and the interior is showing wear. I did purchase the protection package but still not happy. The interior of the car is very roomy and the backseat legroom is comfortable. There is a fold down armrest in the back with two cup holders. Each door has a water bottle holder compartment. The glove compartment is small and barely holds all of the manuals for the car. The manuals are informative and important to read for several of the features. The storage compartment between the driver and front passenger is okay in size but was larger in my Vibe. There is also a compartment in the overhead for sunglasses but it is much too small for mine. Almost kid sized. The display panel is well designed and you can change viewing options with a tap on a steering wheel lever. Seats have great adjustment and you can easily store settings for 2 drivers. The steering wheel is also adjustable. A great feature for our northern climate is heated front AND rear seats. Very nice and warm. Dual Zone temperature control allows the driver and passenger to obtain their comfort level. The rear seats split 60/40 and fold flat easily (no removing a headrest). You can even pull levers in the trunk to fold them flat while loading cargo. One of the features I wanted, the 120 Volt Power Outlet (standard plug in) is not available with Eyesight. It has 2 USB ports but charging a cell phone takes forever (8% an hour). I purchased a power adapter and that speeds up the charging process but it is bulky to store in the vehicle. Transmission Paddle Shifters on the steering column allow you to manually shift the car. I really miss a manual transmission but all this does is allows you to manually control the process if you need it, i.e. in the mountains. Wish it would allow you to shift from the console. Gas mileage has been less than listed. We are averaging 23.5 for a 50/50 mix of city and highway. We live in a rural area so even our city driving should boost the mileage but it hasn’t done so. Our best mileage has been 25.5 but that was only once. Acceleration is sluggish and for this price range it should be faster and smoother. My Vibe GT was much better at acceleration and was only 180hp compared to the Outback 175hp. The upgraded stereo system is great and I like the option to store channels seamlessly in one list from FM/AM radio, Pandora, Sirius XM, etc…. My biggest complaint is the mapping system is very obsolete. Restaurants appear that have been closed for over 2 years, streets that were built over 5 years ago don’t show up, etc… Subaru has an update available now BUT you need to have a code if you want the free update. Then you have to take out the micro SD card and place it into a computer to update the data and then replace it in the car. There are no instructions for this and it took a lot of research to get that far. I had to purchase a SD card sleeve to accommodate the micro SD so that it would fit in my computer. I was assured by Subaru that I would have the code a month ago but I am still waiting despite repeated requests. In the Starlink system you also have access to vehicle settings and you can change some vehicle responses, i.e. when you push the trunk button in the rear it can unlock all of the doors for you or just the driver’s door. Most vehicles lock the car doors when you either start the engine or shift the car into drive, but the Outback doesn’t have this option. Starlink also will read text messages from Android and Apple phones. If someone sends a series of text messages it may only read the last text. And there is no way to voice reply. You can use a pre-canned text message but I haven’t figured out if you can change them. You can make a call by pushing a button on the steering column and then requesting to “call Sue Peterson.” But you cannot ask to call the nearest Home Depot. If a number is not stored in your cell phone contacts, you cannot voice dial it. It really needs to be able to look up numbers for nearby businesses and dial them. Our vehicle insurance cost was less than insuring the old Vibe. The safety features (see below) are wonderful. 175 HP 18.5 gallon fuel tank capacity (87 octane) Keyless Entry System High Beam Assist HID Headlights Blind Spot Detection with Lane Change Assist and Rear Cross Traffic Alert: Using radar sensors, the Blind-Spot Detection system warns you with a visual indicator in each side mirror if it senses a vehicle in your blind spots. Rear Cross-Traffic Alert can help warn you of traffic approaching from the side