#NYIAS Scheduled to go on sale in August, the 2010 Subaru Outback follows the lead of the 2010 Subaru Legacy
and is much larger than any previous Outback. With the 2010 Legacy rumored to start around $20,000, look for Subaru's all-terrain wagon (and it will only be a wagon this time) to start a couple grand above that.
The turbo engine option is gone, so your choices consist of the 2.5-liter, normally aspirated boxer four-cylinder (170 horsepower at 5,600 rpm, 170 pound-feet at 4,000 rpm) and the Tribeca's 3.6-liter H6 (256 hp at 6,000 rpm, 247 lb-ft at 4,400 rpm).
All-wheel drive is standard, of course. Preliminary fuel economy estimates are 19 mpg city/ 27 mpg highway with the base four and the new six-speed manual transmission and 21/27 with the new "Lineartronic" continuously variable transmission. The CVT is manufactured in-house, but Subaru sources the chain from Luk, a German manufacturer that supplies Audi's CVT.
Unfortunately, Subaru won't be putting the six-speed manual and CVT into the Impreza and Forester for 2010. Company officials tell us the switch might not come until those models get full redesigns.
With the H6 engine and the carry-over five-speed automatic, you're looking at a predicted 17/23 rating.
More details after the jump.
Built on a new platform shared with the 2010 Legacy, the Outback is 2 inches wider across the shoulders and looks every bit of that in person. Although overall length is down 0.8 inch, the new wagon has a 107.9-inch wheelbase, an increase of 2.8 inches.
The result is a substantial increase in front hiproom (+3.5 inches), rear shoulder room (+2.4 inches) and rear legroom (+3.9 inches). Overall passenger volume increases 8 cubic feet to 105.4, while max cargo capacity is up to 71.3 cubic feet (up 6). The increase in cargo room is aided by a new double-wishbone rear suspension (in place of the old multilink design), which Subaru says will improve handling as well. If you still need to put stuff on the roof, you can take advantage of the Outback's new roof rack, which has fold-away crossbars.
Interestingly, ground clearance edges up 0.3 inch to 8.7, so this will remain the most off-road-worthy of any U.S.-market wagon. The base tires are 215/70R16s, but the H6-equipped 2010 Outback in Subaru's booth wore P225/60R17 89T Continentals.
Trim levels are 2.5i, 2.5i Premium and 2.5i Limited for the four-cylinder Outback and 3.6R, 3.6R Premium and 3.6R Limited for the H6 wagon. New features include an electronic parking brake, Bluetooth (including streaming Bluetooth for audio devices), iPod integration and a navigation system with voice recognition and a back-up camera. -- Erin Riches, Senior Editor
rsholland says:
11:52 AM, 04/ 9/09
The fold-a-way roof rack cross bars are a great idea. When not needed just fold them into the roof rails, and cut down on wind noise. Very clever.
altimadude00 says:
11:55 AM, 04/ 9/09
This car is more and more looking like an SUV/Crossover thingy.
I do like how they went back to more lights on the liftgate than just the backups....the current models looked unfinished.
willbuyan09 says:
12:26 PM, 04/ 9/09
How come MB is the only one with a jump seat? I love those! Perfect for those who don't want a full size SUV or minivan but occasionaly have a few extra kids to cart around short distances.
roar02ram says:
02:35 PM, 04/ 9/09
I'm not a fan of the Legacy, but I like this. I wish the rear bumper were smoother - it'd better match the front - but all in all, very nice and far more modern looking. I especially like how the electronic parking brake was executed. Far better than the buttons that other automakers employ.
firstwagon says:
03:30 PM, 04/ 9/09
I'm not sure I see the need to make it bigger. I'm 6'2" and I fit in my old Legacy wagon fine.
I guess that's what sells though.
I don't like the CVT though. Even the best of them are merely adaquate. A good 5 or 6 speed auto is better.
orangutan says:
08:38 PM, 04/ 9/09
Why would they drop the 2.5T? Why is the fuel economy so much worse than the Legacy sedan?
7driver says:
09:41 PM, 04/ 9/09
willbuyan09,
Rear facing jumpseats in wagons are actually pretty useless. Infant/toddler carseats and belt positioning booster seats are not rated for use in rear facing seats, which makes the minimum age to ride back there 6 years old. Furthermore, the ones in the 2006 Volvo V70 (haven't checked the Benz yet) aren't rated for more than 80lbs, which makes the maximum age to ride back there about 11 years old if you have an average boy (less if he's on the heavy side). Who wants to spend money for a feature on their car that cuts into your cargo space and is good for only 4-5 years?
firstwagon says:
01:13 PM, 04/10/09
Even more useless in Canada. Here your kids need a booster until they are 9 years or 4"9". As you said, by the time they are 11 or 12 they are too big.
It's like back seats on so many sport coupes. Boosters don't fit properly and by the time your kids do't need them they are too big to fit back there.
The space should be kept for cargo or pets and automakers should stop pretending it seats more then it does.
wooderson1 says:
08:19 PM, 04/12/09
Boy did they screw up a good thing. When (if) my 2005 Ouback dies, I’ll have to buy the 2009. 2010 looks like an overgrown volvo/patriot/tribecca. The whole point is to have a stationwagon, not an SUV. Now all they have is just another gas-hog SUV like everyone else. Dumb move.
nes2 says:
11:06 PM, 10/ 6/09
The roof rack is inadequate if you are a real otdoor enthusiast. It looks cute but the bar spread is awful and as a result its dangerous to use with anything thats more than afew feet long.
Back to the drawing board!
nes2 says:
11:09 PM, 10/ 6/09
The roof rack looks cute but is dangerous given the inadequate bar spread which is fixed and cannot be modified. You cant safely carry anyting more than a few feet long.The rack isn't so clever after all.
Back to the drawing board!