Subaru Outback 2006 Review

Surely this is more suitable out the back of the shopping centre than out the back of the Aussie bush.

Even the reasonably rugged "armadillo" exterior of the old 1990s wagon is now more genteel, while the interior is urban chic with its soft beige leather upholstery and carpets — at least in the Outback 3.0 Premium I drove recently.

The Outback's city credentials are assured and you see them being used around the suburbs for picking up the kids from school and the shopping.

After a short drive to the shops, my wife confirmed that it was perfect for the job, with lightweight steering, a tight turning circle and plenty of vision. It's a breeze to park in the tightest underground car park.

Her only complaint was that she "feels a bit dorky" in a station wagon.

I must admit it does look dorky and I don't feel particularly macho driving around in the suburban-oriented wagon. But at least it has all the luxury appointments — and then some.

The 3.0R Premium even included optional satellite navigation with a handy touch-screen facility. Very easy to use as you simply point at what you want and away it goes.

There is also a facility for quickly finding the nearest point of interest, such as a church or restaurant, accommodation or other city utilities and services. However, how would it go in the real Outback? Would the maps simply disappear into a blank screen? Would I be able to find a place of interest in the bush?

And now the Outback 3.0R comes with Subaru's tricky new Intelligent Drive or "SI-Drive" on all turbocharged and three-litre models.

Back to the wife: she reckons it feels docile and gutless. This coming from a woman who has never had a speeding ticket in 25 years of driving and thinks that green lights mean you should prepare to crawl.

"You're in intelligent drive," I explain, and she says, "Why, thank you!"

"That's not a compliment. You have the car in Intelligent Drive mode, which gives about 10 per cent better fuel economy but makes it feel very lethargic," I explain further.

"If you really want to give it the berries and shunt a Ford driver off the track, flick the dial in the centre console left or right for sport modes."

The two-phase sport modes (Sport and Sport #) boost engine revolutions, regulate the engine and transmission control units and sharpen up electronic throttle response.

There is also a flap on the steering wheel to toggle through the three Sport modes. Great for racetracks, but what do these sport modes do for the wagon's outback credentials?

With all these unanswered questions the only thing to do was to put it to the test on a dirty weekend. No, that has nothing to do with my wife; it is the title of a book by 4WD expert Brad McCarthy that guides you along 4WD tracks.

Dirty Weekends — get it?

I chose to do Queensland's Mount Mee Forest track, except stretches of which I was warned I would need low range.

So, how did it go?

Well, the first thing I noticed was that even before I left town, the roads disappeared off the sat nav.

However, with a couple of quick finger points to the touch screen, I opened the longitude and latitude co-ordinates which I could check against the guide in Dirty Weekends In South East Queensland, now in its fourth edition.

These were spot on. By marking junctions and turns, I could return and follow the same route without the book.

Into the forest, the road quickly disintegrates with corrugations, ruts and slippery gravel on some very steep ascents and descents.

In Intelligent mode, the Geolander tyres struggle to gain grip and momentum on the slippery surface.

I was a little worried about the Sport and Sport Sharp modes providing too much power in such conditions but they work just fine.

The steep slopes are quickly dispatched with smooth power on tap.

It understeers a little into corners, then quickly flicks into controllable oversteer if you lift off the throttle.

While there is no hill descent, on the downhill gravel sections the ABS provides some help.

Best of all, the ride and handling, which is a little roly-poly on the tar, feels quite comfortable and sure-footed in the dirt.

Perhaps the grip levels of tar expose the body roll, whereas the slip and uneven surface of a gravel road allows the suspension to do its job and keep the wheels on the ground while providing decent handling and ride comfort.

Even quick corrugations are dispatched without anything more than rattling door trims.

Despite some reasonable ruts, the 200mm clearance is not an issue on these tracks.

It is almost as high as softroaders such as Hyundai Santa Fe or BMW X5 but nowhere near as high as a Jeep Cherokee (239mm). Clearance would only be an issue in rutted deep, soft sand or mud.

Most hard gravel tracks should be navigable. Just be careful of loose rocks which could rupture some of the precious organs underneath.

The Outback's towing capacity has increased from 1200kg in 1990 up to 1800kg in the current model.

However, towing will lower that clearance further.

You can buy towing packs that maintain the 200mm clearance but they can cost more than $1000.

Over the standard 2.5i, the 3.0R adds mudflaps, headlight washers, headlight adjusters, climate control, door-mounted courtesy lights, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, 300kg more towing capacity and sequential transmission.

The Premium adds optional sat nav and McIntosh premium six-CD sound system ($4490), driver's seat with memory, leather, sunroof and paddle shifters for the sequential transmission.

Primary and secondary safety is a strong suit for all Subarus and this is no exception with top crash ratings.

All Outbacks have four front airbags and the Premium adds front and rear curtain airbags.

It may not be a true outback machine, but out back of the city, the Outback works just fine.