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Subaru Outback Reviews

You'll find all our Subaru Outback reviews right here. Subaru Outback prices range from $43,690 for the Outback Awd to $57,490 for the Outback Awd Sport Touring Xt.

Our reviews offer detailed analysis of the 's features, design, practicality, fuel consumption, engine and transmission, safety, ownership and what it's like to drive.

The most recent reviews sit up the top of the page, but if you're looking for an older model year or shopping for a used car, scroll down to find Subaru dating back as far as 1996.

Or, if you just want to read the latest news about the Subaru Outback, you'll find it all here.

Subaru Outback 2025 review: Sport Touring XT
By Emily Agar · 15 Dec 2024
The Subaru Outback has long been a fan favourite and now it welcomes a special-edition AWD Sport Touring XT model grade to its line-up but is this new model necessary?
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Subaru Outback 2024 review: Sport XT long-term | Part 3
By Andrew Chesterton · 30 Sep 2023
The Subaru Outback Sport XT has been a welcome member of the Chesto family for the past three months, but it's come time to say farewell, and to answer the biggest question - is the extra $5K or so required for the turbocharged engine worth it?
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Subaru Outback 2023 review: Sport XT long-term | Part 2
By Andrew Chesterton · 15 Sep 2023
It is month two with my trusty Outback XT Sport, and I find myself in a position to report on something I didn’t see coming.And I mean that literally — I really didn’t see the elderly gentlemen who crashed into the back of my Subaru while I was stopped at a crossing coming, but I certainly felt his arrival.Car accidents always suck (although slightly less so when you’re blameless, I must admit), and no matter how small the impact, they cause instant doomsday-ing, your mind going straight to worst-case damage scenarios. But, I’ve got another unexpected tick to put in the Outback’s plus column this month. His car, an older sedan, was not looking so good, with a crack in its bumper and much paint missing.But the Outback? Barely a scratch, and certainly no dents, with the worst of the damage being some of the other driver’s blue paint that was pretty easily wiped off.The other driver simply hit the wrong pedal, by the way. A small-scale disaster in a car, but something far more serious had I been sitting on a motorbike...It’s a perk I hope you never have to experience for yourself, but I can report the Outback holds up better than its competition in small impacts.Of course, it’s an advantage you will only get to experience should you be able to get your hands on an XT Outback (XT meaning the turbocharged engine variant, which is absolutely the one you want) with wait times now stretching four months, following a record year for Subaru sales across its most popular variants.Subaru says supply is now improving, and in even better news, is suggesting the turbocharged engine could also appear on the entry-level Outback, lowering the cost of entry, but the brand isn’t giving any concrete timeframes.For now, the best engine is only available on our XT Sport, and the top-shelf XT Touring, and I must admit I’m enjoying my time with the former immensely.There have been a couple of quirks, though. The first is that I’ve never encountered a more finicky wireless Apple CarPlay system in my life.Sometimes it works, often it doesn’t, and I’ve had to delete my device and reconnect probably half a dozen times to try and spark a connection.Doubling my frustration is the fact that, for some reason, my iPhone cable won’t create a wired connection, either, but that’s possibly my fault for using an el-cheapo cable. I will source a real one this month and report back.Quirk two isn’t unique to Subaru, but it annoys me. When you’re on the move, much of the multimedia and communication options are locked away behind a safety nanny, meaning you need to come to a complete stop to access any of CarPlay’s more complicated functions, like picking a phone number out of your address book.You can overcome it by using Siri, but I find Apple’s helper a little hit and miss, too, so I usually find myself pulling over when I want to do something the Subaru won’t let me do while on the move.Quirks aside, though, the Outback is a super-solid offering in this segment, and one that I reckon is probably every bit as suited to DINK couples (like my wife and I) as it is to families.The boot space is tremendous, the space in the cabin ample, and while I haven’t really put it to the rough-road test, yes, I appreciate the AWD powertrain, decent ride height and 'X-Mode' off-road settings.I said this last month (and my view hasn’t changed) but I could very much see this XT Sport Outback finding a home at Casa Chesto.In fact, in a weird coincidence, it kind of already has. Just eight weeks ago my sister bought an Outback Sport, finished in an identical 'Autumn Green'.She’s married with three kids, and after testing a heap of three-row SUVs, she settled on the Outback without any help or influence from me – though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thrilled to learn that at lease on family in Australia will be keeping the wagon dream alive, rather than resorting to an SUV.And the very best part, at least as far as our sibling rivalry goes? She bought the non-turbo engine, which makes my near-identical Outback XT just that little bit better. At least when I have mine back…Acquired: July, 2023Distance travelled this month: 1151kmOdometer: 4535kmAverage energy consumption this month: 11.8L/100km
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Subaru Outback 2024 review: Sport XT long-term | Part 1
By Andrew Chesterton · 30 Aug 2023
Long-standing family favourite, the Subaru Outback, now has the option of punchy turbocharged power in its upper trim levels, addressing one of the key - and few - complaints levelled at the model. We put the 2023 Subaru Outback Sport XT to the long-term test to find out if the extra power is worth your extra investment.
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Subaru Outback 2023 review: Sport XT
By Emily Agar · 26 Mar 2023
Subaru has finally released a turbo-petrol engine for two of its Outback models and the Sport XT sits second from the top in the line-up. Are the new engine specs enough to satisfy those wanting the grunt or will the thirst be its downfall in a market that is slowly being dominated by more fuel-efficient options?
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Subaru Outback Touring XT 2023 review: snapshot
By Laura Berry · 22 Feb 2023
The Touring is the top grade in the Outback line-up and has a list price of $55,990.
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Subaru Outback Touring 2023 review: snapshot
By Laura Berry · 18 Feb 2023
The Touring is the top grade in the Outback line-up and has a list price of $50,990.This isn’t the most expensive Outback in the range, however. The Touring XT is more expensive because it’s the turbocharged version of the Touring.The Touring has a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine making 138kW and 245Nm, with a continuously variable auto transmission. Like all Outbacks the Touring is all-wheel drive, too.Subaru says that after a combination of open and urban roads the 2.5-litre engine should use 7.3L/100km.Coming standard on the Touring are LED headlights, LED fog lights and LED running lights, roof rails, privacy glass and 18-inch alloy wheels. Inside there’s an 11.6-inch central touchscreen with sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control, power front seats, a proximity key, push-button start, 'X-Mode' drive modes, paddle shifters, power tailgate, heated front seats and sports pedals.The Touring grades also has nine-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, a heated steering wheel and Nappa leather seats. The Touring also comes with a CD player… yes, really.All Outbacks come standard with an excellent array of advanced safety tech including Subaru’s 'Eyesight' system which uses two cameras to scan the road ahead. There’s AEB, autonomous emergency steering, lane keeping assistance, rear cross-traffic alert with reverse auto braking and blind-spot warning. 
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Subaru Outback Sport XT 2023 review: snapshot
By Laura Berry · 18 Feb 2023
The Sport XT is the turbocharged version of the Sport grade and lists for $52,190.The Sport XT has a 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine making 183kW and 350Nm, with a continuously variable auto transmission. Like all Outbacks the Sport is all-wheel drive, too.Subaru says that after a combination of open and urban roads the 2.4-litre turbo engine should use 9.0L/100km.Coming standard on the Sport are LED headlights, LED fog lights and LED running lights, roof rails, privacy glass and 18-inch alloy wheels. Inside there’s an 11.6-inch central touchscreen with sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control, power front seats, a proximity key, push button start, 'X-Mode' drive modes, paddle shifters, a power tailgate, heated front seats and sports pedals.A cool feature of the Sport grade is its water repellent seats. All Outbacks come standard with an excellent array of advanced safety tech including Subaru’s 'Eyesight' system which uses two cameras to scan the road ahead. 
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Subaru Outback Sport 2023 review: snapshot
By Laura Berry · 16 Feb 2023
The Sport grade sits above in the entry model Outback in the range with its list price of $47,190.Don’t confuse the Sport with the Sport XT. While both have the same standard features, the XT is the turbocharged version and costs more.The Sport has a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine making 138kW and 245Nm, with a continuously variable auto transmission. Like all Outbacks the Sport is all-wheel drive, too.Subaru says that after a combination of open and urban roads the 2.5-litre engine should use 7.3L/100km.Coming standard on the Sport are LED headlights, LED fog lights and LED running lights, roof rails, privacy glass and 18-inch alloy wheels. Inside there’s an 11.6-inch central touchscreen with sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control, power front seats, a proximity key, push-button start, 'X-Mode' drive modes, paddle shifters, a power tailgate, heated front seats and sports pedals.A cool feature in the Sport grade is water-repellent seats. All Outbacks come standard with an excellent array of advanced safety tech including Subaru’s 'Eyesight' system which uses two cameras to scan the road ahead. There’s AEB, autonomous emergency steering, lane keeping assistance, rear cross-traffic alert with reverse auto braking and blind-spot warning. 
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Subaru Outback 2023 review
By Laura Berry · 14 Feb 2023
The Subaru Outback has been loved by those looking for a bit of adventure and now the new updated range has added a turbo engine which offers better towing capability and faster acceleration.
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