Subaru Outback reviews

2000 Subaru Outback Driving Impressions

The first thing one notices about the Outback is its handling. Unlike a truck-based sport-utility vehicle, the Outback is sure-footed and never feels tippy. The ground clearance on the Outback is about 1 inch higher than in the Legacy. It has a raised suspension with heavy-duty components for off-road use. Coupled with higher profile tires the Outback does not handle quite as well as the Legacy but it's amazingly close. The good handling comes from a combination of suspension design, all-wheel-drive and a low center of gravity thanks to the horizontally opposed flat-4 engine. Subaru is in unique company: Porsche is the only other company with this type of engine layout on the market.

The all-wheel-drive system ensures power is distributed to all four wheels. This is especially helpful when the road surface is slippery. Unlike the more common part-time off-road four-wheel-drive systems, Subaru's system only adds a few pounds in weight, and the all-important viscous coupling limited slip unit is only the size of a grapefruit. This effectively replaces the hefty transfer case you'll find in a truck or SUV.

The four-cylinder engine produces 165 horsepower, which is pretty good for this size of vehicle. More important, it generates good low-end torque, which is what helps make a car feel faster than just the maximum horsepower rating. The engine is more powerful than the four-cylinder engines in the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. The Outback fits nicely in between these small SUVs and bigger models, such as the Toyota 4Runner or Chevrolet Blazer. However, those other SUVs are all available with optional six-cylinder engines.

The manual transmission shifts smoothly and is pleasant to use. As in all four-cylinder cars it helps get the most out of the engine. With an automatic, the car's performance suffers somewhat. With its new notched-gate pattern, you need to make sure you don't select third gear instead of drive.

In regular driving on smooth, dry roads it is all but impossible to tell the Outback has all-wheel-drive. It is transparent to the driver, which is as it should be. The steering feels good but it is not as precise as in the Legacy because of the higher profile tires. The added ground clearance also makes the car feel slightly less stable, though in reality it is caused more by the tires. All told there is only a small difference that will not concern most drivers.

Overall, the Outback offers a driving experience that is much more pleasant than in an SUV in everyday use. That is unless one needs to creep through old riverbeds with two-foot boulders on a regular basis. However, the Outback is more than capable of traversing the primitive roads and two-tracks that you encounter in the backcountry.