Buying a used Subaru Outback (2009-2015)

By 2003, when the third-generation Subaru Outback was revealed at the Frankfurt motor show, the high-riding wagon had become the centrepiece of a diverse and sophisticated international range.

The US had always been an important market for Subaru and the significance of Europe was growing as well, so the Outback needed to offer more than rugged, stylish transport.

The 3.0-litre H6 engine had been optional since 2000 and played an important role in the Outback’s marketing. This was the engine that helped Outbacks tow their own weight across challenging terrain while using less fuel than more agricultural forms of 4WD.

From 2009, when the fourth-generation Subaru Outback appeared, the design moved further away from its structurally similar Liberty cousin, with packaging and body embellishments more extreme than its predecessors.

The basic engine was still a 2.5-litre flat-four, now supplemented by a 3.6-litre version of the flat-six and a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel.

The Gen 4 Outback put 70mm of extra metal between the axles, was stronger and weighed less. Front and rear overhangs which had impeded off-road progress in earlier versions were shortened and reshaped.

Buying Used: Subaru Outback (2009-15) – Quick Checklist
• Gen 4 Outbacks offer improved ground clearance but are still vulnerable and need to be checked for underbody damage.
• 2.5-litre Subaru engines are known to suffer head gasket failure, but by 2009 the problem was deemed cured. To be safe, check the engine oil and coolant for contamination.
• Diesels require correct oils and regimented maintenance to prevent problems, so finding a car with confirmed service history is critical.

The brawnier fourth-generation Subaru Outback came to Australia with three engines and two levels of trim, with a manual gearbox in some and a conventional five-speed automatic or continuously variable transmission (CVT) in others.

Along with the new look came price manipulations, with 2.5i manual versions up marginally at $37,990 plus on-road costs, but reductions of around $7000 on top-line versions as they strove to deliver a marketing advantage against the Ford Territory Ghia and the Toyota Kluger.

Even at its most basic, the Gen 4 Outback packed in plenty of equipment, including dual-zone air-conditioning, fog lights, a six-stack CD system and 17-inch alloy wheels.

The long-serving 2.5-litre engine was by 2010 delivering 123kW and sold here with six-speed manual or CVT transmission. The CVT was configured with six noticeable shift points intended to address the slurring that was typical of other CVTs. It also gave the driver some sense of control when slowing for a bend or on steep descents.

Spending an extra $3500 on a 2.5-litre Premium did nothing to improve performance but added substantially to occupants’ feelings of opulence. Seat trim went from cloth to leather and above was a twin-segment glass sunroof. Voice activation was available to activate various electronic functions, and if that didn’t work the array of buttons on the steering wheel almost certainly would.

Externally, the Premium wasn’t especially flash, with the same drab wheels as the basic model, a slatted grille and blacked-out body panels.

Turbo-diesel versions with 350Nm of torque and mandatory manual transmission did acquire an air scoop to feed the intercooler, but there the external differences ended.

Empty, a Gen 4 Outback diesel weighed 1572kg. It would tow a 1700kg (braked) trailer and carry another 513kg with the seats down and cargo area fully extended.

Topping the Gen 4 range and using an expanded version of Subaru’s flat-six engine was the 3.6R. It came only in Premium form but from 2010 cost just $48,990 plus ORCs. Putting that into context, the 3.0-litre Gen 3 version it replaced had been priced above $55,000.

Most obvious amongst the 3.6R’s benefits was 191kW against the 3.0-litre’s 180kW and retention of a conventional five-speed automatic transmission. It could be manually over-ridden using the shifter’s Sport slot or by column-mounted paddles. It also incorporated SI-Drive (Subaru Intelligent Drive) with its marvellous Sport# setting.

Available to 3.6R and Premium buyers from MY13 was Subaru’s diverse and complex driver assistance system known as EyeSight. It came at no extra cost and used two forward-facing cameras to monitor the Outback’s position relative to adjacent vehicles.

The system would issue collision alerts and even apply the brakes if a collision seemed imminent.

With a range of engine and transmission combinations, that question will take more space than we have available to answer. So, we picked just one variation: the one which people who intend using their Subaru Outback ambitiously will hopefully choose as well.

Subaru broke new ground by developing a diesel in the same horizontally-opposed format as its petrol engines and has done a terrific job. The 2.0-litre engine is a willing unit with minimal lag and certainly up to the task of carting the family to interesting places while towing a decent-sized boat or camper trailer.

Manual-only operation might be a chore to those who encounter stop-start weekday traffic, however the slow-revving diesel can trickle along at walking pace without any need to feather the clutch and has minimal clattering at idle speed.

Considering it’s being asked to move almost 1600kg, the little diesel gets cracking when required and will reach 100km/h from rest in under 10 seconds. At the same time, fuel consumption is good for a substantial vehicle: 6.8L/100km claimed as an urban/rural average by the manufacturer and 8.4L/100km when tested in the real world. Add a camper plus some extra passengers and that will increase, but probably not past the mid-11s.

The seats fitted to Outbacks have always provided more comfort than their featureless shape suggested, and in terms of accommodation the Gen 4 version doesn’t disappoint. They won’t grip like rally buckets but after 500km when alighting for a mid-journey pit stop you won’t be hobbling to the facilities with seized hips.

Even way back in 1996 when the model made its debut, the Outback dash was impressively logical and easy to use. In Gen 4 versions, things have been moved to accommodate the enlarged dash display but it all still works very well.

Safety has always been a feature of the Liberty and its derivative models, but the Gen 4 Outback lifts the bar past any level that might have been expected from a new vehicle starting from less than $50,000.

In addition to all the airbags, belt tensioners and resilient structure needed to achieve the maximum rating awarded by ANCAP, upper-spec versions (but not the big-selling 2.0D) get EyeSight as a no-cost inclusion.

Sadly, in a vehicle the size and cost of the Outback, Subaru did decide to pinch a few pennies though and only include a temporary spare. Try getting home from Kakadu on one of those…

People who have them confirm the Gen 4 Subaru Outback with its more elongated cabin is just perfect for families that include two medium-sized children and maybe a dog.

Those in the back seat sit high enough to see around them, and some attention has been paid to reshaping the Gen 3’s fairly flat cushion. Legroom increased along with the wheelbase and there remains plenty of space in the cargo area behind. Central vents allegedly work, but fan speed needs to be at maximum for much air to reach those in the rear.

There are luggage tie-down points in the cargo area; only marginally less fiddly to use than trying to wrestle the tether for a kids’ car seat into the roof-mounted attachment points.

Reversing isn’t a problem with big door mirrors and the hatch-mounted camera. The hatch has good loading height too, so only the very tall will need to mind their head.

• Check that underbody damage hasn’t exposed bare metal which is beginning to rust.
• Look for bubbling around the sunroof (where fitted).
• Check horizontal panels for areas where sun exposure has caused the clear coat to blister.
• Have the vendor run through major functions on the touch-screen, watching for failures to load and whether tabs need to be pushed with increasing force before the screen responds.
• 2.5-litre engines have a reputation for oil use and can consume a litre every 2000km without any fault being evident. The harm here can occur when owners don’t check and top-up lubricant between services. An engine that rattles at start up may have been run low on oil and is being sold before the engine fails.
• Be aware of delays when selecting reverse in CVT-equipped cars and shuddering under acceleration. The reverse shift normally takes 1-2 seconds but owners have reported 4sec or more. Subaru’s remedy was changing CVT fluid and rebooting the Transmission Control Module.
• If you can test drive an Outback at night, do it to ensure the headlight reflectors aren’t so dull that the light output has become dangerously poor.

Used vehicle grading for Subaru Outback (2009-15)
Design & Function: 16/20
Safety: 15/20
Practicality: 16/20
Value for Money: 13/20
Wow Factor: 12/20
Score: 72/100

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