SUBARU Outback 2018

Body and cabin

It takes a sharp eye to remark the styling changes to the 2018 Subaru Legacy and 2018 Subaru Outback. Except for the grille, bumpers, headlights, fog lights and outside mirrors, the outside is the same. Touring models present redesigned alloy wheels.

Overall, the Subaru Legacy is still sober and classic while the Subaru Outback is more eye-catching thanks to its two-tone paint and large roof rack. In this respect, the Premier variant that appeared in 2017 still uses a lower roof rack than the others. It makes it look less like an SUV and more like the high-stance station wagon it actually is. However, it loses the versatile system of retractable cross bars that swing out from the rails.

The most significant changes inside are found in the middle of the dash. All trims display a revamped infotainment system with integrated Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality. The touch screen measures 16.5 cm (6.5 in.) on base 2.5i models, and 20.3 cm (8 in.) on all the others. Its clear graphics, good-sized buttons and quick response are a significant improvement over the somewhat cheap, outdated interface of the former system. Well-defined capacitive switches and good old knobs provide access to the most oft-used functions.

Subaru also has revised the ventilation control panel and its digital display. Curiously, the vehicle’s only clock is still integrated into the latter display, but at least it is more conspicuous than before. Subaru claims to have improved the automatic climate control; hopefully that means it has reduced its well-known tendency to freeze the cabin in summer and overheat it in winter when starting up.

The front doors are now equipped with acoustic glass; rear passengers get a pair of USB charging ports. Contrast stitching on the doors and dash enhance the finish on the top-line Limited and Premier models. Subaru even went so far as to improve the feeling when passing from Drive to Reverse.

All these refinements put Subaru Legacy and Subaru Outback at the forefront of technology while reinforcing overall comfort. Bright and spacious as can be, and equipped with well-padded seats, the cabin is one of the best features of both vehicles. Even more so for the Outback; its versatility and imposing cargo area make it a genuine alternative to heavier, more expensive and cumbersome SUVs.

Safety

It’s already been five years since Legacy and Outback inaugurated Subaru’s EyeSight safety system. It offers a full complement of driving assistance safety aids including, among others, emergency automatic braking (even in reverse when parking) and a program that cancels low-speed acceleration before an obstacle or a stopped vehicle.

EyeSight functions using dual cameras inside the windshield on either side of the rearview mirror, below the area cleared by the windshield wipers. Winter slush is therefore less of a problem than with a system based on sensors in the bumpers or the grille, for example.

For 2018, the EyeSight system is standard on all Legacy trims except the base 2.5i (non-available) and 2.5i Touring (a $1,500 option). In the case of the Outback, it is optional on Limited trims and non-available on base 2.5i models and on the 3.6R Touring. Come on, Subaru, why not take the next little step that would allow all your customers to benefit from these important technologies—like Toyota, since 2017?

Limited and Premier models equipped with EyeSight are among the few models to obtain a Good rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s headlight safety test. IIHS rates both the Legacy and Outback as Top Safety Picks for crash protection.

Crash test results

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Overall score: 4 / 5
Frontal impact: 5 / 5
Side impact: 5 / 5
Rollover resistance: 5 / 5 (Outback: 4 / 5)

Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS)
Moderate overlap frontal impact: 4 / 4
Small overlap frontal impact:
- driver side: 4 / 4
- passenger side: 4 / 4
Side impact: 4 / 4
Rear impact: 4 / 4
Roof strength: 4 / 4

IIHS Top Safety Pick+

Mechanical overview

The engineers at Subaru applied the same evolutionary approach to the mechanicals of the 2018 Subaru Legacy and 2018 Subaru Outback as it did to the exterior and cabin. Thus reappear under the hood the two familiar horizontally opposed engines, a 2.5L 4-cylinder or a 3.6L 6-cylinder.

Contrary to the Subaru Impreza’s 2.0L 4-cylinder, the two engines still make do without direct injection. It doesn’t seem to matter with the 6-cylinder, still distinguished by its smoothness and generous torque. However, it could have been beneficial to the 2.5L; despite its willingness, it hits its limits relatively quickly in tight passing situations, or with a full load.

On the other hand, it promises a combined fuel economy of 8.5 L/100 km (Natural Resources Canada), an excellent result for an all-wheel-drive midsize vehicle, and completely realistic based on our experience with recent Subarus.

The continuously variable automatic transmission paired to each of the engines is among the best available on the market. Smoother than ever for 2018, it responds promptly and avoids making the engine howl at high rmps, because it mimics the functioning of a traditional automatic in heavy acceleration.

If you regret that it replaces the manual this year as the standard transmission, please note that you’re not missing much; Subaru’s manuals are often afflicted by imprecision or poor clutch progressiveness.

In terms of driveability, the steering and shock absorbers have been lightly revised to make handling more stable and precise. The changes are not all that noticeable in normal driving, apart perhaps for a slight improvement in straight-line stability at highway speed.

However, a tour around a track reveals more predictable performance with both models; before, the rear end tended to lose its grip too easily in an emergency situation. The Legacy also proves significantly more agile than the Outback, which displays more body roll—exaggerated lean—and understeer—the front end wanting to plough straight ahead—in tight bends.

The station wagon obviously redeems itself in off-road situations. Its 22‑cm ground clearance allows it to tackle much more difficult terrain than what you find on the majority of hilly, unpaved rural roads.

In fact, very few SUVs are as impressive in off-road conditions. The electronic X-Mode system pairs perfectly with the effective all-wheel drive to maximize traction on the back trails. It also brakes the vehicle automatically in descents; all the driver has to do is concentrate on steering, which makes off-road forays almost too easy.