By Holly R.

Pros:

• Really decent acceleration in “sport” and “sport sharp” mode
• Lots of room in the seats and back of the car
• Drives great in off-road type conditions (grass, gravel, dirt), and handled a terribly stormy day (wind and sideways rain) with aplomb
• Tinted windows were a nice touch both for security and curb appeal

Cons:

• No built-in Bluetooth®
• Tinted windows limit outward vision

Introduction:

I’d rented an Outback on an out of town trip before, but that was before I started writing car reviews! I was curious about how it would stand up to a real test, and knew that if the weather sucked, the car would certainly not let me down. It was like the weather knew too… So I was able to test this car in some pretty crappy conditions. Excellent!

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By Kurt Gensheimer

I stepped up to the rental desk at Norfolk International and asked for a Jeep. Any Jeep, so long as it had four wheel drive. The cheerful rental company representative, who looked like Edie McClurg in Planes, Trains and Automobiles presented me with a choice of three Jeeps: a Compass, a Grand Cherokee or a Wrangler. Now since the business, tax-writeoff justification end of my vacation was to pit a Jeep against my brother’s new Subaru Outback and run them ragged along the endless driveable beaches of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, I needed the most capable Jeep available to really put the Outback through its paces. I slapped my finger down on the miniature picture of the Wrangler.

The representative smiled, handed me the keys and the paperwork. I signed a few documents and was just about on my way when she pulled out a huge red stamp and slammed it down on the rental agreement.

“Oh, you’ll need to sign this too, honey.” I looked at the stamp and all I could think about at that moment was Edie’s famous two word response to Steve Martin’s F-bomb tirade, “You’re f**ked.”

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By Gary Chan

Pros and Cons

• Solid structure
• Quiet at cruising speed
• Generous amount of storage

• Feels heavy
• Excessive engine noise when floored

Introduction

Looking for an AWD wagon and the price tag of Audi A3 or Volvo wagon is a little steep for your pockets? Now that the Outback has been around for 14 years, its styling is toned down making it a viable option in this limited field. It’s got lots of storage, good historical reliability (at least since 2004), and good gas mileage. Try it, you might like it.

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