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Hello all, well i've ordered a new Outback after a test drive which really impressed me. For sure a little more under the bonnet would be nice but all round it was great, so comfortable( i had it for the day) and the tech all worked nicely. Unfortunately no delivery until November which will surely hamper sales a little. Has anyone else tried one/ordered one. It would be nice if they could sell a few more but if you don't want an SUV but are an active family, its perfect i'd say. 

 

Anyone else with any thoughts on the new model?

J

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I've recently acquired a new Gen 5 (many are at discount now), and I guess you were test driving the new Gen6?  I've read a lot of reviews about the Gen 6, a car that's been on sale in the US/Canada and Australia for a while now and they all look positive.  Glad to see they're now on sell in the UK, albeit later, but with the added bonus any early issues iron out (such as being able to readily cancel the 'auto stop/start' without going into a labyrinth of on screen menus) .

What I like about the new Gen 6 is the extra ground clearance over the Gen 5 - that's 200mm vs 213mm.  Still not as good as the Forester or XV at 220mm but an improvement.  Also, with the new Gen 6 you get as standard many of the accessories you have to buy for the Gen 5, such as boot trays, mudguards, wheel arch protectors, rear seat backcover mats, etc.  The addition/option of a heated steering wheel and rear/front audible parking sensory is also a huge plus.  Shame Subaru UK have dropped the 5 yr 100,000 mile warranty in favour of just 3 yrs, but I believe you can buy an extended warranty too, at purchase, of a new vehicle.  In the US they also have the "Wilderness" version of the OB, but I don't suppose that'll be coming over here - shame.  I'm also glad it's not a hybrid, and if they could also offer the 2.5T, now that would bring a smile. 

Good luck with the new OB.  Let us know how you get on.

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Cheers Justin, i'll circle back here once delivered, which is currently November! I had seen thousands of these cars in the US, very popular as we know. Really enjoyed driving it and all the tech and features were very good. For what you get and the safety package, i think these cars are great value but i guess it has the wrong 'badge' for us sophisticated brits. I do wish it had a slightly punchier engine but it'll suffice for 95% of my driving. 

Also, the tilting passenger wing mirror when reversing is great, how can one live without it once tried!?

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just had a look at the specs - 182bhp fopr a 2.5l I assume at that its a non turbo lump. The RX I had was 150bhp on a 2.0 lump, I felt there could have been more from it but at quite a bit of expense.

dependant on how long you keep it you could drop in a WRX lump, bump it up to a reliable 250 bhp 😁

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  • 2 weeks later...
1 hour ago, New subie owner said:

Indeed, not the most impressive but like i say it'll do most of the time. Living the SE of England its never a speedy trip out anywhere! I'd like the turbo version but even if it arrives here, it'll be some time. 

I guessed Subaru UK would not sell the Wilderness version of the OB over here, which is also a turbo, or the Touring turbo version.  We're such a small market for Subaru, with very low sales columns I assume they calculated it was too expensive.  Shame, I'd have really fancied a Wilderness version.  

There's no turbo for the new 2022 BRZ either - it looks a load-a-fun.  This bloke has a theory as to why it's not needed - look away with you dislike Maths! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mcp76132_SY

There's also the extra cost too.  Not just of the turbo itself, but all the other mods the car requires due to the extra turbo power (gearbox, brakes, etc.), further limiting the market share due to the expenditure.

I'm actually finding the power output of the OB fine for my needs.  It's clearly way too heavy to be a sports model anyway. I rarely use the 'Sport' option, but I guess we all have different driving needs. 

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On 6/29/2021 at 1:30 AM, New subie owner said:

Hello all, well i've ordered a new Outback after a test drive which really impressed me. For sure a little more under the bonnet would be nice but all round it was great, so comfortable( i had it for the day) and the tech all worked nicely. Unfortunately no delivery until November which will surely hamper sales a little. Has anyone else tried one/ordered one. It would be nice if they could sell a few more but if you don't want an SUV but are an active family, its perfect i'd say. 

 

Anyone else with any thoughts on the new model?

J

I have one here in Australia (I'm pom who grew up on hot hatches and all things European). its a Sport model and I love it. Takes the whole family on 500-600km trips, swallows all the gear with ease. Smooth, quiet, refined and well built.

It could do with a bit more power but in reality it's more than adequate, CVT works well, fuel economy isn't that great.

I hope you enjoy the new one when it arrives - cant find any UK or Irish reviews as yet though.

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Looking forward to hearing your experiences at the end of the year which I think will be very good.  I also got into Subaru living in North America.  There were Foresters and Outbacks everywhere in Ontario, a snowy province winter time.  We have found our new Outback (updated gen 5, 2.5i Premium) to be excellent in the UK.  Enough power, smooth, CVT and suspension good, steering sharp, up-market interior (better than last gen Forester), and looks refined and modern enough (I'm not a fan of the current RAV4).  I like the physical dash buttons of gen 5.  Planning on upgrading the 6 speakers myself with a speaker swap.  Road noise is noticeable on the motorway, but good at lower speeds, and may be improved in the gen 6.

Bw

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Hi All,

I'm still straggling with my decision ... finally we can buy NEW outback in Europe but now we have a 3years not 5years warranty, model is more expensive and economically not so great also accelerating is more from 1990's then 2020's !

however ... Outback is a great build car, 4/4 drive very comfy with a lot of tec on a board ....

 

Do I missed anything ? what is your thoughts 

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13 minutes ago, Draco said:

Hi All,

I'm still straggling with my decision ... finally we can buy NEW outback in Europe but now we have a 3years not 5years warranty, model is more expensive and economically not so great also accelerating is more from 1990's then 2020's !

however ... Outback is a great build car, 4/4 drive very comfy with a lot of tec on a board ....

 

Do I missed anything ? what is your thoughts 

Re Warranty - it's worth enquiring if you can buy an extended warranty from Subaru UK (many manufacturers offer this at purchase, from new).  The old 5 year warranty was made up of 3 yrs Subaru (Global) , bumper to bumper, plus a 2 year Subaru (UK) add-on covering engine and transmission (only).

The new OB (depending on the version) comes with extra kit that the Gen5 only had available as accessories.  The Gen6 also has an extra 13mm of ground clearance compared to the Gen5 - that's a big plus for some.  Mind you, there are some good Gen5 discounts to be had currently if you check autotrader. 

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  • 5 months later...

Hi, this is 'New Subaru Owner' - I originally started this thread..I can't seem to log in via FB any more but 'tis me for sure! Well i received the Car in December, a full six month wait but to be expected at present it seems. Obviously I have not done too many miles yet and am still running it in relatively gently but first impressions: It feels very well built, its a proper, solid car and I would say equivalent robust feeling of a good Volvo. I'm very happy with this aspect of it (this is my first Subaru). Despite it being a traditional estate/wagon footprint it certainly feels chunky and fills up a parking space! Not always great around town then but the rear/side/front cameras all help, along with the tilting wing mirror. That said, at low speeds around town it is a super smooth transmission and rides over town potholes well. The only odd thing is the rev flare when pulling away due to the CVT, especially if you are on an incline. I guess this is just a feature of CVT and it might take a little getting used to. 

Out on the open road it is also great, again very smooth and the safety tech all works well. Steering weight has a very balanced feel to it, not too light or heavy in my opinion. The 'blind spot' monitoring system is excellent and warns you by calculating how fast a car is approaching your blind spot- it's very clever.  Some of the warning beeps/chimes/buzzes/flashes are a little annoying but you can mostly turn them off if they really bug you. The only thing i cant seem to sort out is a warning chime that alerts me to speed cameras. I find the warning useful but it is too loud for my liking (on min volume setting) and of course i don't really need it on in my local area as i know where the cameras are!

You don't need to have read many forums/reviews of the car to know that the engine is adequate at best. I've seen it said that it's ok for 90% of peoples driving and that is probably correct. If you are the type of driver that pulls onto the Motorway and heads straight for the third lane then:  a) this is not the car for you and B) you are probably on a BMW forum and not reading this.  😉 However, i haven't really put my foot down yet as i'm still under 1000 miles but i'm sure it will be ok, its just not the most responsive experience i've had from an engine. But again, its a family car designed to get me places safely and it will do that. 

The interior is very nice, to be honest i'm not sure I would have bought the car unless Subaru had upped its game in this regard. I expect to keep the car for 10yrs+ so it needs to start off with a good quality interior and it delivers on that. The integrated main screen is lovely. I am not a fan of all these interiors which look like someone has stuck their Ipad on as an afterthought. This is all a seemless part of the Dash (again think Volvo) and it works well. It could probably use a slightly more modern/sleek user interface but i guess (?) that could be addressed via a software update in the future. The large screen for the Map is very useful and Apple Car play works well if you prefer you own Map. No complaints about the interior quality or tech at all from me. The Eyesight driver monitoring system is a very neat tool, it recognizes me from my wife for example when i get in and adjusts the mirrors/ seat accordingly. We are quite different shapes so this is a real treat not having to manually alter the whole set up each time. 

I'll probably post again in a few months once i have a few more miles under my belt. There are very few reviews of this car from the UL so hopefully it will be helpful for people here to know that the car works just as well in the UK as it does elsewhere!

Any questions, fire away...

 

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10 hours ago, New subie owner 2 said:

Hi, this is 'New Subaru Owner' - I originally started this thread..I can't seem to log in via FB any more but 'tis me for sure! Well i received the Car in December, a full six month wait but to be expected at present it seems. Obviously I have not done too many miles yet and am still running it in relatively gently but first impressions: It feels very well built, its a proper, solid car and I would say equivalent robust feeling of a good Volvo. I'm very happy with this aspect of it (this is my first Subaru). Despite it being a traditional estate/wagon footprint it certainly feels chunky and fills up a parking space! Not always great around town then but the rear/side/front cameras all help, along with the tilting wing mirror. That said, at low speeds around town it is a super smooth transmission and rides over town potholes well. The only odd thing is the rev flare when pulling away due to the CVT, especially if you are on an incline. I guess this is just a feature of CVT and it might take a little getting used to. 

Out on the open road it is also great, again very smooth and the safety tech all works well. Steering weight has a very balanced feel to it, not too light or heavy in my opinion. The 'blind spot' monitoring system is excellent and warns you by calculating how fast a car is approaching your blind spot- it's very clever.  Some of the warning beeps/chimes/buzzes/flashes are a little annoying but you can mostly turn them off if they really bug you. The only thing i cant seem to sort out is a warning chime that alerts me to speed cameras. I find the warning useful but it is too loud for my liking (on min volume setting) and of course i don't really need it on in my local area as i know where the cameras are!

You don't need to have read many forums/reviews of the car to know that the engine is adequate at best. I've seen it said that it's ok for 90% of peoples driving and that is probably correct. If you are the type of driver that pulls onto the Motorway and heads straight for the third lane then:  a) this is not the car for you and B) you are probably on a BMW forum and not reading this.  😉 However, i haven't really put my foot down yet as i'm still under 1000 miles but i'm sure it will be ok, its just not the most responsive experience i've had from an engine. But again, its a family car designed to get me places safely and it will do that. 

The interior is very nice, to be honest i'm not sure I would have bought the car unless Subaru had upped its game in this regard. I expect to keep the car for 10yrs+ so it needs to start off with a good quality interior and it delivers on that. The integrated main screen is lovely. I am not a fan of all these interiors which look like someone has stuck their Ipad on as an afterthought. This is all a seemless part of the Dash (again think Volvo) and it works well. It could probably use a slightly more modern/sleek user interface but i guess (?) that could be addressed via a software update in the future. The large screen for the Map is very useful and apple Car play works well if you prefer you own Map. No complaints about the interior quality or tech at all from me. The Eyesight driver monitoring system is a very neat tool, it recognizes me from my wife for example when i get in and adjusts the mirrors/ seat accordingly. We are quite different shapes so this is a real treat not having to manually alter the whole set up each time. 

I'll probably post again in a few months once i have a few more miles under my belt. There are very few reviews of this car from the UL so hopefully it will be helpful for people here to know that the car works just as well in the UK as it does elsewhere!

Any questions, fire away...

 

Thanks for the really comprehensive review.  Much appreciate you taking the time to share your experience and opinion.  I look forward to hearing how your journey with the car progresses.

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On 1/21/2022 at 12:43 PM, New subie owner 2 said:

Hi, this is 'New Subaru Owner' - I originally started this thread..I can't seem to log in via FB any more but 'tis me for sure! Well i received the Car in December, a full six month wait but to be expected at present it seems. Obviously I have not done too many miles yet and am still running it in relatively gently but first impressions: It feels very well built, its a proper, solid car and I would say equivalent robust feeling of a good Volvo. I'm very happy with this aspect of it (this is my first Subaru). Despite it being a traditional estate/wagon footprint it certainly feels chunky and fills up a parking space! Not always great around town then but the rear/side/front cameras all help, along with the tilting wing mirror. That said, at low speeds around town it is a super smooth transmission and rides over town potholes well. The only odd thing is the rev flare when pulling away due to the CVT, especially if you are on an incline. I guess this is just a feature of CVT and it might take a little getting used to. 

Out on the open road it is also great, again very smooth and the safety tech all works well. Steering weight has a very balanced feel to it, not too light or heavy in my opinion. The 'blind spot' monitoring system is excellent and warns you by calculating how fast a car is approaching your blind spot- it's very clever.  Some of the warning beeps/chimes/buzzes/flashes are a little annoying but you can mostly turn them off if they really bug you. The only thing i cant seem to sort out is a warning chime that alerts me to speed cameras. I find the warning useful but it is too loud for my liking (on min volume setting) and of course i don't really need it on in my local area as i know where the cameras are!

You don't need to have read many forums/reviews of the car to know that the engine is adequate at best. I've seen it said that it's ok for 90% of peoples driving and that is probably correct. If you are the type of driver that pulls onto the Motorway and heads straight for the third lane then:  a) this is not the car for you and B) you are probably on a BMW forum and not reading this.  😉 However, i haven't really put my foot down yet as i'm still under 1000 miles but i'm sure it will be ok, its just not the most responsive experience i've had from an engine. But again, its a family car designed to get me places safely and it will do that. 

The interior is very nice, to be honest i'm not sure I would have bought the car unless Subaru had upped its game in this regard. I expect to keep the car for 10yrs+ so it needs to start off with a good quality interior and it delivers on that. The integrated main screen is lovely. I am not a fan of all these interiors which look like someone has stuck their Ipad on as an afterthought. This is all a seemless part of the Dash (again think Volvo) and it works well. It could probably use a slightly more modern/sleek user interface but i guess (?) that could be addressed via a software update in the future. The large screen for the Map is very useful and apple Car play works well if you prefer you own Map. No complaints about the interior quality or tech at all from me. The Eyesight driver monitoring system is a very neat tool, it recognizes me from my wife for example when i get in and adjusts the mirrors/ seat accordingly. We are quite different shapes so this is a real treat not having to manually alter the whole set up each time. 

I'll probably post again in a few months once i have a few more miles under my belt. There are very few reviews of this car from the UL so hopefully it will be helpful for people here to know that the car works just as well in the UK as it does elsewhere!

Any questions, fire away...

 

Hi and thanks for a very interesting read.

I ordered my Outback Touring mid Dec 21 with an estimated delivery date of late Apr 22 but have just been informed that this has been brought forward to early Mar.

Would be interested to know if you were able to track the progress of your deliver as it would appear our American cousins can.

Have you investigated spare wheel options or are you going with the 'gloop' can? I ask as my car will be used for towing a caravan and I would prefer the security of a spare wheel.

Thanks in advance for any thought/advice you may be able to offer.

 

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Hi Dave, i think my dealer was able to check the progress - they knew it was on the ship at least - but it arrived at the showroom a week or so earlier than they anticipated. re the spare tyre I have not looked into a spare- no towing likely for me...i might consider it at some point. 

 

enjoy the car when it arrives and any questions (which will probably involve the Infotainment system) just leave a message here and i'll see if my experience of the car can help..

 

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Thanks for this, couple more questions if you don't mind.

I have managed to find the handbooks for the 2022 car, five in total but I am unsure if they are just for the American car ie LHD illustrations.

One is for the StarLink system which appears to connect the car to a mobile phone app, is this system implemented on the UK models?

Thanks again

Dave

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Starlink is the name of the Infotainment system and yes it is in the car. The separate App that can be downloaded is MySubaru but i'm not sure that really does much. Starlink itself allows connection to smartphones via Apple Carplay for example if that's what you mean? if so then yes, all working well too. 

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On 1/26/2022 at 2:10 AM, Dave47 said:

Have you investigated spare wheel options or are you going with the 'gloop' can? I ask as my car will be used for towing a caravan and I would prefer the security of a spare wheel.

 

 

I believe the spare wheel option is the same as for the Gen5 in that, yes, a full size alloy or steel wheel will fit under the boot floor.  I bought an alloy one for mine soon after I acquired the car.  In April 2021 the price for the kit (not including the tyre or valve) was:

28111AL160 – 18” Wheel            £365.59
91144AL020 - Tool Holder           £32.71
901720004 – Holder Bolt             £8.57
97047FG000 – Washer                £2.45

Obviously you'd also need a valve.  I've fitted a standard none TPMS value, but if needed the tpms valve you can be bought for around £40 or less from the likes of Autel (much cheaper than the Subaru valves at over £100 each).  I understand that on the Gen6 (not the Gen5), the car can also be set up to monitor, that is register, x5 valves, while the Gen5 only has the capacity for x4 valves at any one time.

As an alternative, a 17" steel Subaru wheel could be used (with s 65 profile tyre rather than the current 60) and I was quoted ..."17” steel wheels are £102.32 each".  I considered buying steelies for my winter wheels.

Like you, I needed a full size spare because of the cars use and off-road visits. Hope that helps.

 

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Hi & thanks for this info.

I am not bothered about the spare matching the original wheels so a 17" steel with appropriate tyre would be fine,

I assume that the numbers are Subaru part numbers, is the tool holder an insert that hold the jack and tools.

Is the jack Subaru specific?

Many thanks again.

Dave

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Yes, the parts numbers are Subaru's. 

The car (and I think this may be the case for most recent OB models), came with an electric tyre inflation pump and  a bottle of sealant 'gunk', and also much to my surprise it came with a Subaru jack and wheel brace that fitted into the space under the boot floor, in a large polystyrene type moulding, together with a few other parts described below. Unlike other makes of vehicle I've owned in the past, when I also had to separately buy the spare and jack, etc, to supplement the useless tyre inflation kit, the subaru jack and other parts needed for raising the car came with the OB. 

If you buy a Subaru spare wheel you can also purchase a new 'tool holder' moulding that fits neatly inside the spare wheel, although it's not essential as you could devise your own way of stow the jack parts (a scissor jack with an actuation arm, wheel brace, scew driver, plus also a wire clip for removing the tow hook covers in the bumpers, and a heavy duty screw-in tow hook). The holder bolt and washer are necessary to secure safely the spare wheel.

 

Might be worth having a read through the OB owner's manual.  OB owner's manual for a heads-up before your car's delivered. Although I appreciate these can be dire to read, especially when you don't have the car in front of you 🙂

All the best.

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2 hours ago, New subie owner 2 said:

I can confirm the above, new OB has jack, pump, sealant and some tools. Oh, and space for a spare tyre. 

Is that full size or space saver?

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  • 1 month later...

Hi all and thanks for all the help and advice re the spare wheel.

The car is at the dealers, collection next Monday.

I have a 17" steel spare which is going for 65 profile tyre tomorrow.

Rim, bolt and washer cost me £111 and an Avon ZX7 tyre was £95.

Will just need to get 1000 miles on the clock and then I can start towing!

Roll on Monday

Dave

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