BUYING TIP
- The Outback Wilderness may be the most capable and fun version, but it’s also the biggest fuel guzzler.
The 2024 Subaru Outback remains an appealing, rational choice to bigger, thirstier, and, frankly, less capable SUV rivals.
What kind of vehicle is the 2024 Subaru Outback? What does it compare to?
The Outback is a mid-size crossover SUV with seating for five and a rugged personality. Shop it against the Hyundai Santa Fe and Subaru Forester.
Is the 2024 Subaru Outback a good SUV?
Straddling the fence between SUV and station wagon, the 2024 Subaru Outback is a solid overall choice that’s still a decent value for the money and offers plenty of standard safety features.
What's new for the 2024 Subaru Outback?
The rugged Wilderness trim level sees a new front bumper design that brings it in line with the rest of the Outback lineup, while the Onyx trim level adds a standard sunroof and heated steering wheel.
Otherwise, the Outback sticks with its tall-wagon theme. Chunky lines outside mesh well with its SUV-grade capability. Inside, the cleanly styled cabin features a tall 11.6-inch touchscreen on all but the base trim level.
A 182-hp flat-4 serves as the base engine, while the optional 260-hp turbo-4 provides even better thrust. A tame CVT that can simulate eight stepped gears delivers power to all four corners. All models are comfy around town and quite ready to go four-wheeling, particularly the higher-riding Wilderness trim. At 28 mpg combined, the base engine is fairly frugal for a vehicle of this size.
The Outback’s spacious interior provides a predictably car-like feel with a 32.5 cubic-foot cargo area. The base two-tier 7.0-inch touchscreens have a cheap look rectified by the 11.6-inch screen fitted to Premium and higher trims. While the screen responds quickly and features wireless smartphone mirroring, its display is a bit dim.
How much does the 2024 Subaru Outback cost?
The Outback runs $30,190 to start, though most shoppers will want to start with the $32,490 Premium that adds an uprated infotainment system, heated front seats, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.
Where is the 2024 Subaru Outback made?
In Lafayette, Indiana.
Styling
A rather inelegant update last year gives Subaru’s quirkiest model even quirkier styling.
Is the Subaru Outback a good-looking car?
It’s rugged and fun, but not exactly pretty. The 2024 Outback earns a point above average for its soothing cabin, which seems at odds with a busy exterior. It’s a 6 here.
All the classic four-wheeling bits that have characterized the Outback for years remain: unpainted body cladding, a tall stance, and a wagon-like profile. (Fun fact: there’s no longer a Legacy wagon in any market.)
The Wilderness Edition sees some tweaks this year that bring it in line with the rest of the range, for better or worse. All models now have wide, vertical strips of unpainted trim unglamorously attached to their front bumpers. The Wilderness actually manages to look a little better than before, though it’s far from pretty.
Performance
The 2024 Subaru Outback is at home on- and off-road.
Few new crossover SUVs master pavement and dirt as well as the Subaru Outback. This tall wagon has a great ride no matter the terrain. It’s a 6 on the TCC scale.
Is the Subaru Outback 4WD?
You betcha, and they’re all pretty decent when the going gets rough. A tall 8.7 inches of ground clearance means even base versions can clamber over rocks. Wilderness models add extra off-road modes and even more clearance, plus chunkier, slightly taller all-terrain tires.
How fast is the Subaru Outback?
Now that’s a sore spot. Most use a 182-hp flat-4 that delivers middling acceleration, though it works well enough with the CVT. Paddle shifters are on board to help with highway passing and hill descents.
On the upside, ride quality matches many luxury cars thanks to a long wheelbase and reasonable wheel sizes that enable Subaru to pack in taller tire sidewalls.
Towing capacity ranges from 2,700 to 3,500 pounds. A trailer hitch is optional.
Comfort & Quality
The 2024 Subaru Outback is a welcome reprieve after a day of hiking, even if it’s just through the mall.
The 2024 Subaru Outback boasts a spacious cabin with comfortable seats and good cargo utility. It’s an 8 on our scale thanks to good front- and rear-seat room, plus its wagon-size trunk.
Most versions have power adjustment for the driver’s seat, while high-end models grant the same luxury to passengers. Heated seats are widely included, and cooled seats are optional. Subaru offers a bunch of different upholstery choices, too, so choose wisely.
The second row has an ample 39.5 inches of legroom and big door openings.
Materials inside impress, though small-item storage is just so-so.
Safety
The 2024 Subaru Outback is a safety champ.
How safe is the Subaru Outback?
We think it’s a very safe choice. The IIHS calls it a Top Safety Pick+, the NHTSA says it’s a five-star choice, and all versions have a wide slate of features designed to prevent a collision in the first place. There’s no semi-autonomous tech, though, so we keep the 2024 Outback at a 9 for safety.
Every Outback comes with automatic emergency braking, active lane control, and adaptive cruise control. Aside from a number of beeps some of our testers consider excessive, the systems work in admirable concert to keep the Outback in its lane and away from other cars. Blind-spot monitors and rear cross-traffic alerts come in most versions, too.
Outward vision is terrific forward thanks to narrow roof pillars, but a little tricky rearward. A surround-view camera system is on the options list.
Features
The 2024 Subaru Outback comes in myriad, mostly well-equipped configurations.
Starting just north of $30,000, the Subaru Outback can be a decent value so long as you don’t work your way too far up the lineup. It’s an 8 on the TCC scale thanks to standard safety fare, plentiful choices, and a big touchscreen fitted to all but the cheapest version.
Subaru’s 3-year/36,000-mile warranty is nothing special, though.
The base model comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, twin 7.0-inch screens, and wired smartphone mirroring.
Which Subaru Outback should I buy?
How much is a fully loaded Subaru Outback?
The lineup creeps northward through Limited (think leather), Onyx (think black-out trim, a sunroof, and easy-clean synthetic leather), and Wilderness (the off-roady choice) versions before landing at the $44,090 Touring XT with its brown leather trim, surround-view camera system, and cooled front seats.
Fuel Economy
The Outback’s base engine provides decent fuel economy.
Is the Subaru Outback good on gas?
It’s not bad in base form, which is rated at 26 mpg city, 32 highway, 28 combined using the EPA’s test cycle. That’s a 3 on the TCC scale.
Outback XT versions ratchet that down to 22/29/25 mpg, but the Wilderness pays the price for its higher ride height and chunkier tires. It’s rated at just 21/26/23 mpg.
All models use regular unleaded fuel.
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