Subaru Outback (09 on) - Review

There are three engines available in the Outback and it's the 2.0-litre diesel that's by far the best choice. With 150bhp and good pulling power it delivers decent performance with a 0-62mph time of 9.7 seconds but it's not as relaxed as other diesel engines and often needs to be revved a little harder than you'd expect. It's fairly noisy a lot of the time too, although does quieten down when cruising on the motorway. On the plus side, economy is a useful 44mpg and like the other engines, it's capable of towing unbraked trailers up to 750kg. The petrols include the 2.5-litre with 167bhp but despite the extra horsepower over the 2.0D, it's actually slower from 0-62mph, taking 10.4 seconds to cover the 0-62mph benchmark. That's due in part to the fact that it is only available with a CVT automatic gearbox which offers seamless gear 'shifts'. The top Outback is the 3.6-litre six-cylinder with a mammoth 260bhp. It comes with a conventional five-speed automatic as standard and can sprint from 0-62mph in just 7.5 seconds. Fuel economy isn't great at 28mpg, but that's not bad for a four-wheel drive car with more than 250bhp.

Like all Subarus (with the exception of the small Justy hatchback) the Outback is fitted with all-wheel drive as standard that gives extra traction - reassuring in the wet and incredibly useful in snow and ice. There are different systems, depending on the engine, but the most popular 2.0D version has a limited slip differential, so when a front wheel or rear wheel slips, it increases power to the other wheels to ensure traction. In everyday motoring the Outback is easy to drive with responsive steering, but on more demanding roads there's a distinct lack of weight and feel through the wheel, so it's rarely involving. It also lacks poise in tight corners too where the front feels heavy and lacks grip. However, all models come with a stability system called VDC (or vehicle dynamics control) which prevents the car going out of control in a skid by braking individual wheels or reducing engine power.