Review: 2010 Subaru Outback

Subaru is all set to launch the fourth generation 2010 Subaru Outback. Like the previous editions, the wagon is a polymath with its durability, wide range, ease of use and maintenance off-road and on-road. This time the Japanese automaker makes the biggest influence in styling. It is a perfectly designed vehicle with significantly contrasting lines, planes and details.

The interior is impressive. The seats are spacious, and comfortable and there is increased legroom for five passengers. The steering wheel has contrasting, trimmed arms and larger buttons. The instrument panel has the general shape, but includes hard point and detail lines which increase the texture and the dimensionality. Subaru has come up with a faux, textured metal-trim that feels and sounds just like metal. The exterior design detail is noteworthy. The crossbars can be extended when you want to carry something, and retracted to sit flush with the roof rails when not in use. This design cuts down wind noise significantly and the design fit Subaru models up to ten years old.

The cabin is vastly capacious. The Outback has grown 4.1 inches taller & 2 inches wider but is 0.8 inch shorter due to smaller front and rear overhangs. The extra height & width of the wagon directly transforms into 13 more cubic feet of cabin space. This provides more head, shoulder and hip-room and increase by 4 inches of rear legroom and 2 extra inches of toe-room under the front seats. The tailgate is wider, and the floor is lower. The rear seats are reclined and one-touch fold-down with a 60 / 40 split. The space behind them is covered with a retractable tonneau which is hidden it in the subfloor, and accessed by up-lifting the rubber mat and carpet. It has a larger center armrest cubby and a ticket holder on the front visor.

The Outback has two types of engine and three types of transmission, trim-level and AWD (All Wheel Drive). The base engine is the 2.5i, SOHC-4-cylinder power-plant with 170 hp and 170 lb ft of torque which peaks at 400 RPM. It also provides improved gas mileage, with 19 for the city and 22/29 when it works with the CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission), and 27 when fitted with the new 6-speed manual. It can be certified as a PZEV (Partial Zero Emission Vehicle) in all 50 of these United States. The 3.6-liter DOHC engine comes from the Tribeca and is expanded by six-tenths of a liter more than the current engine. It has 256 hp and 247 lb-ft with 225 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm. It will return 25 mpg in the city 18 mpg on the highway. It is also fitted to the five-speed automatic transmission.

The 2.5i can be mated to the 6-speed, manual transmission and the Lineartronic CVT. The CVT gets a wide-ratio-spread and uses a chain-driven unit that makes the system compact, improves fuel economy and reduces friction. The CVT comes in with paddle shifters that create a virtual, 6-speed transmission, with shifts taking a one-tenth of a second.

The Outback comes in with the fold-down and reclining rear-seat, Hill Holder, electronic-parking brake, automatic lights, Vehicle Dynamics Control, Brake Assist and a 3.5 mm audio jack. The additional options include a power moon-roof, a navigation system with a rear-view camera, the All-Weather package and the voice-command feature. The 2.5i manual costs $22,995, $23,995 for the CVT, plus $694 destination. The base 3.6 Outback costs $27,995 and 3.6 limited costs $30,995, a $1000 drop from the current Outback.

Source: www.nitrobahn.com