Subaru Outback vs Volvo XC90

What's the difference?

The Subaru Outback Sport Touring XT is what you get when you want a beefed-up station wagon masquerading as an SUV that can handle adventuring and haul the family around in comfort. The limited edition has all of the great features you'd expect from a top model and a reasonable price tag but its fuel thirst will turn some people off.

The XC90 Recharge makes a lot of sense for a family with a couple of kids, who live and spend most of their time in the city and surrounding suburbs.

You’ll need access to a power point for charging and you’ll have to do it regularly to get the best out of this SUV, but in return you’ll get effortless and efficient driving, along with the practicality and prestige which comes with any XC90. 

The Sport Touring XT model is only available in the exclusive Geyser Blue paintwork (you'll either love it or hate it), has green accents scattered across the body and sports sharply styled and dark 18-inch alloy wheels.

The rear gets black badging and a spoiler but the black plastic moulding that Subaru is well known for is well and truly present.

There are some small design differences between the limited edition and it's siblings but at the end of the day it looks like an Outback.

Head inside and you'll find a solid and well-built cabin. The dashboard features a flashy 11.6-inch tech screen but the instrument cluster is still mostly analogue with a small 4.2-inch screen.

There are heaps of buttons and dials to play with and you also get a proper gear-shifter. The design will make this a winner for folks who want a car to look like a car, with its controls where they expect them to be.

Overall, the cabin feels premium but isn't fussy.

Cars are like dogs in that a year for them ages them more than one for us. So, this current-generation XC90 which came out in 2015 is getting on in age. Still, the XC90 is a design lesson in how to defy the aging process because the styling even now it appears modern and beautiful. It’s also big, tough, and prestigious looking which is how the flagship SUV in a premium brand should be.

The Thunder Grey paint my test car wore (see the images) is an optional hue, and it suited the battleship size and personality of the XC90. The enormous 22-inch five -spoke Black Diamond Cut alloy wheels were standard and filled up those giant arches nicely.

Maybe it’s the minimalist styling which has kept the XC90 looking cutting edge, because even the interior looks like the inside of a very expensive psychiatrist’s office with those leather seats and the brushed aluminium trim.

The vertical display is still impressive even in 2021, and while fully digital instrument clusters are in everything these days the XC90’s has a prestigious look and matches the rest of the cabin in its colours and fonts.

As for the XC90’s dimensions, it’s 4953mm long, 2008mm wide with the mirrors folded and 1776mm tall to the top of its shark fin antenna.

The cabin of the Outback has always been practical but the premium features this grade comes with ensures proper comfort for all occupants.

Seat comfort is high with the powered front seats that have heat and ventilation functions but the driver benefits the most with the extendable lumbar- and under-thigh supports.

The rear row is almost as comfortable as the front where passengers feel secured by the padded side bolsters, while taller occupants will love the head and legroom on offer. The heat function for the outboards is appreciated and the directional air vents are easy to position.

The 213mm ground clearance means it's easy getting in and out of the model but access to the back row is a little annoying. The footwell lip sits high and catches unsuspecting feet but it's the doors that made my eight-year-old grumble this week because they're heavy to operate.

Storage up front isn't class-leading but you get a glovebox that fits a manual, a dual-opening middle console, two cupholders and drink bottle holders, as well as a sunglasses holder and small cubby in front of the gear-shifter (which is annoying to access).

Storage is much better in the rear with four map pockets, storage bins in each door, two cupholders and two drink bottle holders to choose from.

The boot has 522 litres of capacity available, which is plenty of room for a road trip or a big grocery haul and the level loading space makes it easy to slide things in and out. You get a proper full-size spare tyre, which is rare nowadays and the powered tailgate is always a handy feature.

Technology feels well rounded and the touchscreen multimedia system is responsive and easy to use. However, the portrait position makes the icons and text on the wireless Apple CarPlay look small and I may have made a few accidental calls this week because of it.

The satellite navigation is easy to use and there's also wireless Android Auto. Charging options are decent with each row getting a single USB-A and C port but the front misses out on a wireless charging pad.

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Clever interior packaging means the XC90 Recharge is more practical than many large SUVs. There are flashes of utilitarian brilliance everywhere from the children’s booster seat which pops out of the centre of the second row (see the images) to the way the XC90 can crouch down like an elephant to make it easier to load stuff into the boot.

The XC90 Recharge is a seven-seater, and like all SUVs with third rows those seats in the very back only offer enough room for kids. The second row is spacious even for me at 191cm tall with plenty of leg- and headroom. Up front as you’d expect has good head-, elbow- and shoulder room.

Cabin storage is good with two cup holders in each row (the third also has containers under the armrests) and there are large door pockets, a decent sized centre console box and a net pocket in the front passenger footwell.

The cargo capacity with all seats being used is 291 litres and with the third row folded flat you’ll have 651 litres of boot space.

Storage for the charging cable could be better. The cable comes in a stylish canvas bag that sits in the boot, but other plug-in hybrids I’ve driven do a better job of providing a storage box for the cable that’s out of the way of your regular cargo.  

The gesture control tailgate works with a foot swish under the rear of the car and the proximity key means you can lock and unlock the vehicle by touching the door handle.

The cargo area is filled with hooks for bags and a lift-up divider to hold items in place.

Four-zone climate control, four USB ports (two in the front and two in the second row) dark tinted rear windows and sun blinds top off what is a very practical, family SUV.

My family is small – there’s just three of us – and so the XC90 was more than what we needed. That said, we found a way to fill it with holiday gear, shopping, even a mini trampoline.

The XC90 Recharge lists for $114,990 making it the most expensive grade in the XC90 range.

Still, the value is excellent considering the number of features which come standard.

The 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster standard, so is the nine-inch vertical centre display for media and climate control, there’s also sat nav, a Bowers and Wilkins 19-speaker stereo, wireless phone-charging, four-zone climate control, power-adjustable front seats, proximity key with auto tailgate and LED headlights.

My test car was fitted with options such as the Nappa Leather perforated and ventilated seats in Charcoal ($2950), the Climate pack which adds heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel ($600), power folding headrests in the rear ($275) and Thunder Grey metallic paint ($1900).

Even at a grand total (before on-road costs) of $120,715 I think this is still good value.

The Sport Touring XT gets a 2.4L four-cylinder turbo-petrol boxer engine that produces a hefty 183kW of power and 350Nm of torque.

The re-tuned continuously variable transmission (CVT) system feels like it is changing gears but it's smooth and punctual, no matter the speed.

The XC90 Recharge (Volvo calls it this, so for simplicity let's do it, too) is an all-wheel drive SUV with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder supercharged and turbo-charged engine, producing 246kW and 440Nm, plus an electric motor which adds 65kW and 240Nm.

Shifting gears is an eight-speed automatic and acceleration is rapid at 5.5 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint.

All XC90s have a 2400kg braked towing capacity.

The 11.6kWh lithium ion battery is located under the floor in a tunnel which runs down the centre of the car covered by the centre console and hump in the footwell of the second row.

If you didn’t realise, this is the type of hybrid you need to plug into a power source to charge the batteries. A power point is fine but a wall unit is faster.  If you don’t plug in, the battery will only get tiny whiff of charge from the regenerative braking and that won’t be enough to put a tiny dent in your fuel consumption.

Unfortunately, the turbo-petrol engine is thirsty and the official combined fuel cycle figure is 9.0L/100km.

With its 63L fuel tank, you have a theoretical driving range of up to 700km, which is best-case scenario but expect less range if you’re a city dweller.

After doing a mix of open road and city driving this week, my real-world usage came out at 9.3L, which is better than I expected.

Volvo says that after a combination of urban and open roads the XC 90 Recharge should use 2.1L/100km. That’s incredible - we’re talking about a five-metre long, 2.2-tonne, seven-seat SUV here.

In my testing the fuel economy varied greatly depending on how and where I drove the XC90.

There was a week where I only drove up to 15km a day doing the day care drop-offs, the shopping, popping into work in the CBD, but all within 10km of my home. With 35km of electric range I found that I only had to charge the XC90 every second day to keep it topped up to full and, according to the trip computer, after 55km of travel I was using 1.9L/100km.

I recharged using the outdoor power point in my driveway and using this method would take just less than five hours to fully charge the battery from empty. A wall unit or fast charger will top the battery up much quicker.

The charging cable is long at more than 3m, and the flap on the XC90 is located on the front left wheel guard.

If you don’t have a way of charging the XC90 regularly then fuel consumption will go up, obviously.

This happened when our family took a break down the coast and the holiday house we stayed at didn’t have a power point within reach. So, while we had been charging the car regularly in the week beforehand with a few long trips thrown in on motorways, for the four days we were away I didn’t plug it in at all.

After 598.4km I filled it back to full at the petrol pump with 46.13 litres of premium unleaded. That comes to 7.7L/100km, which is still great fuel economy given that the last 200km would have been without charging.

The lesson is the XC90 Recharge is most fuel efficient on short suburban and city trips with daily or every second-day charging.  

A larger capacity battery would add more range and make this plug-in hybrid SUV better suited to people who live further out of the city and do more motorway miles.

The Sport Touring XT model is nice to drive. The best word to describe the on-road experience is ‘smooth’.

Power delivery is prompt and getting up to speed feels effortless. It's a great open roader but also feels spritely in the city.

The ride comfort is excellent and it’s only when you hit the highway that the wind noise starts to creep up, otherwise, the cabin is quiet and you can chat with back passengers without raising your voice.

The higher ride doesn’t translate to a bumpy suspension and while you’re aware of the road, you’re never bothered by it.

The steering is on the right side of firm for it to feel agile and competent no matter what you’re throwing at it. Visibility is also pretty good but the headrests in the back seat, when up, can hinder your rear-view vision.

The Outback sits at 4870mm long and 1875mm wide, so it fills out a car space but the higher ground clearance means you’re not worried about scraping on ramps and it’s relatively easy to park.

However, it feels cheeky to not have a 360-degree view camera system at this grade level. The reversing camera it comes with is sufficient, but you miss out on front parking sensors.

We put more than 700km on the clock of the XC90 Recharge during the three weeks it stayed with my family, covering a lot of motorway miles, country roads and a stack of urban usage, too.

Now without sounding like one of the haters who hated on me the last time I test-drove a Volvo hybrid, you will need to charge the XC90 Recharge all the time if you want to get not only the best fuel economy, but also the best performance from the SUV, too.

There’s the extra oomph from the motor, when you have enough charge in the ‘tank’ but also the serene and smooth pleasure of driving in electric mode on city and urban trips.

That tranquil electric driving experience feels kind of at odds with a large SUV at first, but having now tested a few big family plug-in hybrids and EVs I can tell you it’s a more enjoyable one.

Movement is not only smooth, but the electric grunt provides a feeling of control with an instant response which I found reassuring in traffic and at intersections.

The transition from electric motor to petrol engine is almost seamless. Volvo and Toyota are only a couple of the few brands which seemed to have achieved this.

The XC90 is large and that presented a challenge when trying to pilot it into my narrow driveaway and in car parks, but light, accurate steering and excellent visibility with large windows and cameras galore helped there.

The auto parking feature works well even on the higgledy-piggledy streets in my neighbourhood.

Topping off an effortless driving experience is air suspension which provides a cushioned and composed ride, with great body control all while wearing those 22-inch wheels and low-profile rubber.

Volvo has for decades been a pioneer of safety systems to such an extreme that people used to make fun of the brand for being overly cautious. Well, take it from this helicopter parent: there’s no such thing as being overly cautious! Besides, these days all car brands are striving to offer advanced safety systems which the XC90 has had for years. Yep, safety is cool now. Which makes Volvo the Kanye of car brands.

Coming standard on the XC90 Recharge is AEB which works at city speeds to brake for pedestrians, cyclists, vehicles and even large animals.

There’s also lane keeping assistance, blind spot warning, cross traffic alert with braking (front and rear).

Steering support provides assistance during at evasive manoeuvre at speeds between 50 and 100km/h.

Curtain airbags cover all three rows and for child seats there are two ISOFIX mounts and three top tether anchor points in the second row. Note, there are no mounts or points for child seats in the third row.

A space-saver spare is under the boot floor.

The XC90 was given the maximum five-star ANCAP rating when it tested in 2015.  

Subaru offers the Sport Touring XT model with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty but it’s becoming more common to see longer warranty periods being offered now.

You can pre-purchase a three- or five-year servicing program and the three-year program costs $1406.57 (average of $469).

The five-year option costs $2646.17 (average $529 per service) which is reasonable for the class.

Servicing intervals are good at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.

The XC90 is covered by a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty. Two service plans are offered: three years for $1500 and five years for $2500.