Justin Time

I've just changed from a 2020 Generation 5 Outback to a 2025 Generation 6, and I've noticed the very same thing, so it's not just your car. I'm going to have to see if I can get used to this in practice for a bit, but yes, I used to like the 'soft click', 3 or 4 indications, for lane changes which corrected itself off.

I think it was often DPF and EGR value issues, but that's true for a lot of diesels. Subaru were late to the diesel engine building, after much encouragement from customers - but you sense that their heart wasn't really into it. A quick look on autotrader will show quite a few diesels having clocked up 100,000 plus.

The above review gives some good advice. On my partner's new Skoda Karoq 4x4 we put these, last winter: https://www.pirelli.com/tyres/en-gb/car/catalogue/product/cinturato-all-season-sf-3 As the winter was mild, it wasn't really an opportunity to test them, but all seemed good anyway. On my Outback, I swop tyres: summer to full winter, about now, so we have one car at least at home which can get us in and out should things really get hairy and we need to venture out. We live in very rural north Pennines at just under 2000 feet altitude, up a steep narrow single track lane, so it can get interesting! Quite frankly, with milder winters and the vast improvement in all-season tyres, once my Michelin Alpin 5 SUV tyres are too worn, I'll probably buy some all seasons too.

A directional spare is probably better than none, biut with the strict limitations that it is used 'sparingly' (no pun intended, at slow speeds for a short distance. Better to have the rim shod without a directional tyre - maybe buy a cheaper tyre?

WITHOUT putting your foot on the break, press the start button and the dash lights up (like the first stage of turning on a key start), and this should work, allowing you to access the menus.

In my local Co-op carpark, if I pull into a bay on the perimeter, the cameras pick up the hedge and a warning is flashed up on my dash, even at slow rolling speeds. Find somewhere similar? If you have adaptive cruise control, you could try and find a stretch of road to see if, safely, the car's speed varies in traffic, accordingly.

Ouch!!! £££££ i've had similar problems and basically have now given up. I do find it useful occasionally, such as when in remote areas where there's no phone signal, but the GPS will function.

Much appreciate your opinion and insights Judd.

Thanks for that info Judd and I will check out the forums too. I've been looking at something a bit like this one https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202505052055417?sort=price-desc&searchId=3ad54a54-2151-4185-8be2-d501efa62a98&advertising-location=at_cars&fuel-type=Diesel&make=Toyota&maximum-mileage=60000&model=Land Cruiser&page=4&postcode=DL12 0QY&year-from=2020&year-to=2024&fromsra Is that the 150 or 200 series? I'd not go for that one (too many owners for the age and it's a private sale, etc.) , just using it as an example. The invincible models seems to attract a hefty mark up - worth it? (I hope you're going to say no :) ) More choice with the Active trim too. Hardly any Icons trims. I like the utility version, but I don't think I'd convince my partner, with just 2 seats, as she's super sociable !

I recently spoke to a member of the sales staff at a UK Subaru dealership who informed me that as of the end of this year there will be no more new Subaru Outbacks (petrol) sold in the UK. There will be an electric option (yeah, well yipppeeee :( ). Don't you just adore the Great Global Climate Catastrophe Hoax supporters and their desperate ideological attempts to completely donald duck the whole car industry and empty fun and choice out of everyone'a lives . Now I'm not sure if I should try and time it so I buy one of the last ones, or just buy a Toyota Land cruiser (not the recent model!). Can't seem to see much else on the market that has above average car ground clearance, and permanent 4x4 functionality.

Have you also considered all-season tyres, such as the Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 or Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 - SUV versions?

Glad you got it started eventually. I can't answer your final question but if you haven't already visited, this site below might be able to provide some advice: https://www.subaruxvforum.com/forums/ Best of luck

I have a 2020 Gen 5 since new. Aside from some issues with the near side front brakes discs (see loooong rant from me elsewhere on this site) all has been good. Re my rant, I've just started taking the car to an independent Subaru specialist who are great, and the brake issue has been sorted I found the main dealers dreadful and Subaru UK (i.e the IM Group are appalling). I've clocked up 40,000 miles now. I really like the car (apart fromthe brake issues. Did I mentioned those? :) ). It's not very frugal mpg wise, but I knew that before i bought it. I get 31 miles average out of it. I am driving lots of B roads, very hilly and winding, and the car is often loaded (full size spare wheel, saddles, other equestrian stuff; spare tools, pump, emergency camping kit (!), etc.). I don't find it under powered at all, but then I'm no racer and this car isn't built for that. It compares to all my other cars well in performance (2x yetis, skoda octavias, etc.). Remember, it's permanent 4x4 not the weaker, less capable, 'on-demand haldex like systems the VAG have. It's great in winter with winter tyres on (or all-season). It has a massive load space. I'm 6' tall and regular car-camp in it in lay-bys or mountain roads and I can easily sleep in it with all the camping, climbing gear and such. This is my first automatic. I'd heard lots of negative things about CVTs, re performance. Never bothered me - all seems fine. Not sure it's the best for towing though due to cvt - but I guess you'll check out reviews with the Caravan club, etc. 200mm ground clearance (more on the newer Gen6) is great. Plus it has a 540 mm wade depth (still water) if needed - but I wouldn't want to push it. Odd things? All my older cars going back 15 years plus had a automatic service indicator and countdown - not on this! You have to check the on board car data, or remember yourself! Radio is rubbish compared to other cars I've had, but Carplay is good. Having an onboard satnav is great. I usually use my phone, but if out in the wilds of Scotland and places with no mobile signal the GPS works fine - and is essential at times). I don't think I'd take it to a standard garage, as there are query things that Subarus need. Like most modern cars it has 'sealed for life' components, like the CVT. This is obviously rubbish - nothing lasts for 'life', but should be ok for 100,000 miles, although if you're towing lots then this could be an issue. Overall, I love th car, but it's sad that the Gen7 won't be coming ot the UK or Europe now and when they stop making the Gen6 there will be no more Outbacks here, and only hybrid and EVs to choose from (no thanks!). Hope that helps.

With the new Gen 7, 2026 OB being released in the US, it seems it's not coming to us here in the UK. From what I've gleaned this may be due to emissions standards and specifically the gasoline particulate filter (GPF) issue. So it's hard to countenance Subaru internationally continuing to produce the current Gen 6 OB. Instead they're touting the new model, the Trailseeker, as being imported here along with an updated Solterra - both full EVs. For those of us who eschew anything EV, even hybrids, that means the end of the road for our Subaru ownership. My challenge now will be, how late I can leave it to bag one of the final petrol Gen 6 OBs before they discontinue importing/manufacturing them. Hey ho (and part of me wonders whether Subaru will actually do a Mitsubishi and leave UK/Europe completely given the small market share already).

Sorry to hear you've had those issues with your OB. I too have a Gen5 OB from nearly new and can't say I've had those issues so I don't think they're model specific. Regarding the wind noise, a seal missing or damaged seems possible, or does the window on the driver side, while appearing fine, actually drop a few mm from being completely closed? Maybe it sticks or the actuating mechanism stops it just short and so needs to be reset? Re the glove box. If it is loose, this seems to be unusual and while not the source of the issue, I wonder if the loose fit means that a previous owner has removed it to do some work behind and it, or something behind, hasn't been refitted firmly? If the noise only occurs when the glove box is empty, maybe that 'emptiness' is acting as an amplifier for something loose and moving behind or under? Hope you get it sorted.

Like it or loathe it the newer version of the OB has just be revealed in the US. Basically it's boxier, looking to over shadow the Forester (?), but at least it's reverted to more buttons on the dash like the older Gen 5. We'll apparently never see it here in the UK given the car hating governments we've been saddled with recently. So is this the end of the OB in Europe? Guess so.

Try Vipa blades. When my OB was just a few months old, it coincided with Subaru UK offering a free winter- check up deal which included a free set of front wiper blades. I went along to the dealership, they did the check, but as my car was only a few months old they gave me the wiper blades packaged which I kept until they were needed, and fitted them then. They seem to be identical to the blades that came with the car, and they have been trouble free - very good quality. For my 2019 OB the serial number for the Vipa blades are: WT26U 26"/650MM HYBRID BLADE and WT17U 17"/430MM HYBRID BLADE Hope that helps. Also see link below https://www.vipacarparts.com/pages/find-wiper-blades

https://www.gilesgateautocare.co.uk I took my car here in for its annual service and MOT in early December. I'd been fed-up with the quality of work at 3 previous Subaru dealerships. So now we're 3 months down the road, literally, and all is well. Nice bunch of guys, and they even wiped off the water stains in the engine bay and gave the car a sprucing up. It's only a 10 min. stroll into the centre of lovely Hexham while you wait, so really convenient.

I was reading a thread on the US Subaru Outback site and I hadn't realised that with newer Subaru CVT systems, the temperature and the 'relearning' process for adding new CVT fluid is crucial, and requires the correct equipment as well as the skills and knowledge to do this. Seems a standard garage, or even an indy specialist (unless you checked them out thoroughly), may not be able to complete this process correctly. https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/dealer-says-i-must-leave-my-car-overnight-for-a-cvt-relearn.572558/?post_id=6532537#post-6532537 Glad yours has worked out well, and using a mainstream dealer with a longer history of working on Subarus was a good choice.

Ah well done. Glad you got it sorted. I've just returned from a 10 day trip away and the OB has been sitting on the drive all this time, so reading a few replies to this thread I was tentative about starting it up today! All well though, and I then took it for a 30 miles drive around the sunny north pennines, soaking up the bright, if icy cold, sunset.

See above for possible solutions. I've had mine for over 4 years on a 2019 (70 plate) OB, no problems (but now I've just tempted fate!). Hope you find a solution.

Any update on how things are going after the CVT fluid change Jake? I assume all is well as you've not posted to the contrary.

I'm not sure if this is new information, and if it's useful for you or not, but you can access the dealership mode and also the factory mode on your Outback. It's a little bit different to access on my Gen5, where I press and hold the home button while simultaneously pressing the tune button 6 times to get factory mode. You are then able to access a range of menus. I forget which one of the menus, but it's easy to find once you're in, that has a read out of the battery health in volts, when the car has either the engine running, or when not running but with the ignition on. I find this is an easy way to quickly monitor the health of my battery, both on start up and/or just after the car has been stationary for a few hours to see if there's any drain. It saves the hassle of getting a multimeter out, popping the bonnet and connecting the leads to the battery, etc. Here's a relevant thread from the US OB forum which describes the access to the dealership mode in a Gen6 OB. https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/how-to-access-service-menu-gen6-outback.548488/ Ah.... looks like I've posted this info before: https://uk.subaruownersclub.com/forums/topic/27361-secret-factorydealer-settings-access/

Battery drain issues on late model Subarus is a very common issue (see various threads on this site and many others internationally). A few key suggests for you: 1. Never leave the boot lid open for more than 10 mins. and if you do need to (say you're camping or loading lots of stuff etc.), then do the 'carabiner trick'. Works with mine and easy to fix. or do this: 2. Always drive with the sidelights on and NEVER in auto light setting, unless you do decent mileages and avoid lots of short journeys. The charging algorithm on modern Subarus is designed to flatter the mpg figures so doesn't engage the alternator to recharge the battery (thus less load on the engine so better mpg) unless it really needs to (which is never enough!). Driving with side lights on (or AC, etc.) over rides the algorithm and forces constant alternator charging. 3. Go through all the car settings and switch off auto downloads and wifi connection, etc. as the car will keep searching for updates even when switched 'off' and parked on your drive etc....draining the battery. 4. Lots of OB owners, like me, tape the boot roof light 'off' so it can't be accidentally knocked on. Hope you get it sorted.

That's interesting. Another bit of 'corrective' engineering which causes more problems and will probably need further designed 'corrective engineering' to fix the previous corrective device. Makes me think of the song, t;here was an old woman who swallowed a fly...'! This might be helpful , if you've not spotted it already: https://www.subaruxvforum.com/threads/petrol-particulate-filter-warning.182125/ Glad you got it sorted anyroad.