2015+ Subaru Outback

[Yuriman]

^ They may not be all that much bigger, but the 2016 Outback did gain something like 700lbs.

 

[NutBucket]

All cars have gained lots of weight. Safety, bells & whistles, creature comforts, etc.

 

[Yuriman]

Understandable, but at what point do you draw in line, in terms of how much mass you need to move around to get a single commuter from point A to point B?

Mazda seems to have solved this bloating in the new Miata.

 

[NutBucket]

Unfortunately its very difficult to built a quiet car that's not heavy.

 

[Jumpem]

^ They may not be all that much bigger, but the 2016 Outback did gain something like 700lbs.

The 2005 had a curb weight of 3,310 - 3,630 pounds. The 2016 has a curb weight of 3,593 - 3,810 pounds. An average gain of 231 pounds.

 

[NutBucket]

Damn, facts are a bitch! LOL

 

[sphenodont]

Maybe I need to test drive a 3.6R now. It would cost about 6-7% more, but it also adds HID low beams.

DO IT!

We absolutely love our 3.6R. It took a while to get it from the factory, but it was well worth the wait. We ended up getting the Eyesight package, and while I don't care for the lane departure warnings, the adaptive cruise is great.

 

[Yuriman]

The 2005 had a curb weight of 3,310 - 3,630 pounds. The 2016 has a curb weight of 3,593 - 3,810 pounds. An average gain of 231 pounds.

I was looking at the 2000 vs 2016 Outback since that's what Nutbucket had in their post.

 

[NutBucket]

Eh, point is still the same.

 

[Jumpem]

I was looking at the 2000 vs 2016 Outback since that's what Nutbucket had in their post.

The 2000 had a curb weight of 3,415 - 3,565 pounds. The 2016 has a curb weight of 3,593 - 3,810 pounds. An average gain of 211 pounds.

 

[Herr Kutz]

I just sent out my first request for pricing on a 3.6r with eyesight, and it came back a good bit lower than expected. I think I'm going to try and find a dealer within a 100 miles or so this weekend that has a 3.6r so I can test drive it and if I like it I'll take the deal I was offered. The only other issue is that the dealer is in Colorado, not that it's a big deal.

 

[Jumpem]

I just sent out my first request for pricing on a 3.6r with eyesight, and it came back a good bit lower than expected. I think I'm going to try and find a dealer within a 100 miles or so this weekend that has a 3.6r so I can test drive it and if I like it I'll take the deal I was offered. The only other issue is that the dealer is in Colorado, not that it's a big deal.

If you don't mind sharing, what purchase price (or lease payment) did you get?

 

[NutBucket]

Should be under $34k for a GDK23. Assuming he's talking about Heuberger in Colorado Springs.

EDIT: Why would you take the first offer? That's just the starting point!

 

[Herr Kutz]

Yep, that's the one. I didn't purchase or agree to anything yet since I still need to find a 3.6r to test drive. It's looking like the closest one is at a dealership a few hours away. Alternatively, my local dealer gets one in late March.

 

[JMapleton]

Look at the Legacy, it was a small sporty "rally-like" sedan with a high ground clearance. Now it's a giant, wide family sedan that sits low to the ground.

They absolutely ruined that car to cater to soccer moms.

 

[JMapleton]

All cars have gained lots of weight. Safety, bells & whistles, creature comforts, etc.

Cars should be getting smaller and more technologically advanced. This is 2016, it doesn't take hundreds of pounds of weight to add more technology.

Subaru has ruined their cars by catering to soccer moms.

 

[NutBucket]

And now they have record sales. A few posts up I showed the cars aren't significantly larger then they were a decade ago yet have tons more interior space. I love fun cars but the people need space! Plus, it was shown weight hasn't increased much either.

I'll agree since the GT disappeared and the only trans choice is a CVT the fun factor is gone but you can still buy a WRX.

 

[_Rick_]

Talking of the CVT: I recently test drove a Subaru Levorg (the 2L turbo Euro-market one) and loved the CVT for what it is - coming from an 8-spd ZF in a 1ser that tries hard to be a CVT but instead of smooth still ends up juddering, while having all the bad aspects of some of the cheaper CVTs, the CVT was just awesomely smooth, no slower to get going when you punch it and supremely silent at speed. It's still nowhere near "quick" - a second is an eternity when you're used to dumping a clutch and a revvy NA engine. But riding at 110 mph and not hearing an Otto-cycle engine is pretty awesome - the boxer-smoothness probably helps a bit as well.

 

[fleshconsumed]

Look at the Legacy, it was a small sporty "rally-like" sedan with a high ground clearance. Now it's a giant, wide family sedan that sits low to the ground.

They absolutely ruined that car to cater to soccer moms.

Cars should be getting smaller and more technologically advanced. This is 2016, it doesn't take hundreds of pounds of weight to add more technology.

Subaru has ruined their cars by catering to soccer moms.

Somebody else already posted the new dimensions and weight that aren't that much higher than the old gen.

The 2005 legacy had 5.9-6.1" ground clearance, the 2016 has 5.9" ground clearance. Basically the same. You guys are blowing this way out of proportion.

 

[Kaido]

Talking of the CVT: I recently test drove a Subaru Levorg (the 2L turbo Euro-market one) and loved the CVT for what it is - coming from an 8-spd ZF in a 1ser that tries hard to be a CVT but instead of smooth still ends up juddering, while having all the bad aspects of some of the cheaper CVTs, the CVT was just awesomely smooth, no slower to get going when you punch it and supremely silent at speed. It's still nowhere near "quick" - a second is an eternity when you're used to dumping a clutch and a revvy NA engine. But riding at 110 mph and not hearing an Otto-cycle engine is pretty awesome - the boxer-smoothness probably helps a bit as well.

Subaru's CVT is fantastic, better than Nissan's imo. Hated Honda's CVT. Hate my Jeep Renegade's 9-speed automatic transmission as well. Subaru's Boxer/CVT combo nails it.

 

[Jumpem]

Cars should be getting smaller and more technologically advanced. This is 2016, it doesn't take hundreds of pounds of weight to add more technology.

Subaru has ruined their cars by catering to soccer moms.

They are selling far more now than they ever have before.

 

[thesmokingman]

Gah, I just paid off our 2011 Tribeca, wipes brow.

Look at the Legacy, it was a small sporty "rally-like" sedan with a high ground clearance. Now it's a giant, wide family sedan that sits low to the ground.

They absolutely ruined that car to cater to soccer moms.

Do they not make the Legacy in Outback trim anymore? The Legacy and Outback are different trims of the same car.

Subaru has been making the same car since the first Legacy came here. Albeit they've had to change to grow, but it's still fundamentally the same. I do however not prefer the recent styling changes. That said, the 2006 Legacy and the 99 Impreza 22B will forever be the best shapes they ever put out.

 

[NutBucket]

The models are fully differentiated now: Legacy is a sedan and Outback is a lifted wagon.

 

[thesmokingman]

The models are fully differentiated now: Legacy is a sedan and Outback is a lifted wagon.

I suppose that explains the confusion.

 

[Herr Kutz]

Hey guys, I just got back from the Subaru dealer. Checking their website earlier today I noticed it said they had 3 3.6Rs in stock (wtf?) so I went in and sure enough they were able to find one. Wow, what a difference in the powertrain. It's so much smoother. The only thing that I thought was weird was when I stepped on it I wasn't expecting a fake downshift. This feels really odd to me because I'm current in a Nissan CVT which holds the rpms. The accelerator input is also much better than the 2.5i which is verrrrrrry sensitive, even more so than my versa. I also went ahead and gave the eyesight system a quick test and the automatic cruise control is much smoother than Honda's implementation when coming up behind a slower vehicle. And for some reason I was thinking the oil filter was in the engine bay instead of under the vehicle but it turns out that's not the case. That must be on the 2.5i only.

There are really only two things holding back at the moment.
1. The leather seats were more comfortable for my butt. Still somewhat firm compared to other vehicles, but it didn't feel like I was sitting on a concrete bench. However, something about the lumbar support is making my back somewhat uncomfortable. I tried turning the lumbar down all the way and it helps somewhat but still feels pretty aggressive compared to cars without lumbar control. Maybe I'm just not used to it?
2. With the seats folded down, the height from the floor to the roof isn't as tall as I would like it to be which would make me feel a bit claustrophobic when car camping (this admittedly doesn't happen terribly often...maybe 10-15 nights per year). My versa actually feels roomier, it's just not comfortable for sleeping since the seats don't fold flat.

Edit: Computer reported mileage over 25.3 miles (~60 minutes) was 23.6mpg. When I finished my interstate test driving it was sitting around 26.5mpg until I hit several lights in rush hour traffic. Much worse than the 2.5i, but to be expected. Stopped by the Toyota dealer on the way back to test drive a 2016 Rav 4 Hybrid and a 2016 Prius but neither were in stock.