2020 Subaru Outback Review, Ratings, Specs, Prices, and Photos

Closet cheapskates, fire up your calculators. 

The 2020 Outback begs scrutiny by offer-finders, penny-pinchers, frugal-fans, affordable-aficionados, and their ilk. 

Subaru provides the Outback in foundation, Top quality, Minimal, and Touring specs that rarely skimp on characteristics. Each Outback gets active safety characteristics, a generous touchscreen for infotainment, electrical power characteristics, Bluetooth connectivity, all-wheel generate, and cloth upholstery for about $27,500 to start out. We give it factors for very good foundation characteristics, yet another for the touchscreen (much more in a moment), and one much more for its worth relative to opponents. It’s an eight. (Browse much more about how we rate cars.)

The foundation Outback isn’t undesirable but it doesn’t provide a lot of solutions. It’s outfitted with twin seven.-inch touchscreens for infotainment and car or truck capabilities, with Apple CarPlay and Android Car compatibility. In addition to electrical power characteristics and cloth upholstery, the foundation Outback is outfitted with two USB demand ports, 17-inch wheels, a split-folding rear seat, and LED headlights. 

We’d be happy with an Outback Top quality, which costs a lot less than $30,000 to start out, and adds an eleven.six-inch tablet-model touchscreen for infotainment, two much more USB demand ports for rear-seat riders, electrical power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, and seem-insulating front windows for a quieter cabin. Keyless ignition, navigation, blind-location monitors, a electrical power liftgate, and moonroof are on the solutions record. 

The best Outback Touring gets a driver attention check, a front-look at digital camera, nappa leather-based upholstery, a heated steering wheel, and cooled front seats. With the foundation engine, the Outback Touring costs about $38,four hundred. The uprated engine, which is obtainable on Outback Minimal and Touring wagons adds $two,350 to the bottom line. An Onyx edition adds blacked-out trim, the uprated engine, and is outfitted likewise to the Outback Top quality, costs a lot less than $36,000. 

Outback infotainment

A single of the most significant modifications for the 2020 Outback is its eleven.six-inch touchscreen infotainment, which is typical on every single Outback besides foundation types. 

The tablet-model touchscreen is very clear and sharp and doesn’t fade in the daylight. It’s outfitted with typical Apple CarPlay and Android Car compatibility, but we have mixed emotions. The presentation for each smartphone units is compact and requires up a lot less than half of the touchscreen. The information and facts introduced underneath the smartphone units is primarily redundant, and we say the finest way to use your phone is through Bluetooth connection. 

The dwelling display is crammed with uncomplicated-to-read icons and uncomplicated buttons for climate control along the bottom (although it is not immediately very clear in Outback Touring types how to activate the cooled seats). Car or truck information and facts, weather conditions, and other exhibit capabilities are along a swipeable strip at the best. 

Occasionally long, deliberate presses are wanted to launch applications, zoom in, or flip by means of radio stations. When outfitted, the TomTom navigation program reminds us that there’s no substitute for a distraction-totally free, front-seat passenger with a smartphone and cell reception. 

For Subaru diehards who’ve utilised the automaker’s seven.- and eight.-inch touchscreens ahead of, the eleven.six-inch touchscreen will not be a radical departure. If you have not been in a Subaru for a whilst, welcome to the future. 

But we caution versus expecting an iPad working experience in your new Outback—it’s not as responsive. 

Evaluate carries on underneath