Subaru Outback

"I live in Montana and the all wheel drive is a must. This car is great on snow and ice!"

"We are senior citizens and don't need to squeal our tires when we accelerate. It goes through snow easily. Never gets stuck. (considering the snow in Maine, it is impressive)."

"responsive handling and quick acceleration"

"Pretty good for a 4 cylinder engine. Has some pick up and go."

"The 6 Cyl Engine has enough power for Highway driving without needing a turbo"

"Acceleration notably sluggish. Handling feels heavy and a bit truck like, BUT actual handling is quite good."

"This car is 2.5 turbocharged..very quick..great for merging fwy traffic."

"all wheel drive is great in the snow!"

"Acceleration and handling is good except for the turbo drive that caused the car to overheat at 9000 ft. And then require $5000 repairs to the turbo drive."

"Road handling is unimpressive considering the powerful turbocharged engine. Even with aftermarket heavier duty suspension parts, it is, at best, just OK. This is probably due to its elevated posture. Offroad use is somewhat limited by long body overhang at both ends, especially in the front."

"weak acceleration, especially when carrying more than 1 passenger or A/C is running. Steering is vague and provides little feedback."

"Amazing acceleration and excellent handling in all situations."

"Comfort is good during drives"

"The automatic transmission is in this six-cylinder version has distinct jumps from one gear to another"

"fun to drive, go anywhere"

"We have the 6-cylinder engine. Very smooth and responsive. Love the handling of the car."

"good acceleration plenty of power"

"Once fitted with the Bilstein BTS suspension kit, available only in Japan, the USA MY05 Outback XT drives more like a poor man's Audi S4 wagon. Great upgrade. Bring money ($2,500)"

"Engine knocks. Past 5 years, significant acceleration lags."

"A bit slow on acceleration but handles well for a car of it's size and model (wagon). Steering seems very tight, however."

"This car was purposely ordered from the factory to include the 6-cylinder engine and VDC to provide the extra oomph for highway and mountain driving. This car adequately lives up to that requirement over the 4-cylinder that was available at the time of purchase and performs when required."

"The car accelerates very briskly and handles like a champ."

"The Outback is still peppy, handles very well, and gets good mileage."

"Adequate power, great handling, minor gripe about gas mileage."

"Does not have a lot of pep or power. I've driven other 4 cyl cars that were much better in this regard. Had trouble with it going thru the mountains in TN. The car really struggled and I shut down the A/C to make it easier."

"Very good acceleration Unstable ride from the factory"

"Acceleration remains wonderfully quick, but something in the suspension has deteriorated over time leading to rather sloppy handling. No-one has yet been successful in diagnosing this problem."

"Excellent handling"

"It’s a little slow because it’s a 4 cylinder car."

"very satisfied with the acceleration and the handling is great, particularly on any wet, snow or ice conditions, the AWD grips the road- or at least it seems to. Cornering is crisp as a sedan for this wagon. Sorry later years got bigger than this."

"I love the security I feel from Subaru's all-wheel drive system, not just in snow, but in rain and dry weather as well. Front-wheel drive was good, but all-wheel drive is so much better. Acceleration is decent, and allows me to "goose it" whenever i need it."

"The car is 13 years old. I bought it two months ago. It runs smoothly, has decent acceleration, handles well, gets good mileage, etc."

"Acceleration is good and the Outback maneuvers well on city streets and on corners."

"Acceleration and handling are superb"

"Our 2005 Subaru Legacy Outback had a new transmission installed in May 2016 by an authorized Subaru dealership. However, we notice that the engine hesitates upon acceleration, which is not expected, not is it a reassuring experience to have hesitation on Highway travel. As experienced drivers, we are now compensating for this lag in acceleration, but it makes us uncomfortable whenever our adult children borrow the car."

"Acceleration is poor."

"handles okay but can use a more pleasing acceleration"

"Very good acceleration with the 2.5l turbo."

"Ease and responsiveness in handling"

"Acceleration is spirited; the car handles better than any other wagon I've ever driven"

"turbo acceleration is awesome. however, cornering is uncomfortable--feel the car leaning too much."

"The seats in the 2005 Subaru Outback station wagon is that for my lean 6'2" body, they cause a bit of contortion to get into and are a little cramped once in."

"Back seat is tight on leg room and the lack of squareness of the rear doors make it difficult to get kids in and out of car seats"

"SEATS NOT GREAT, A/C SUCKS"

"The seats in the 2005 have always been a comfort problem."

"speedometer could be bigger. During fogged windshield the defroster works well but When you switch to up/down air it all fogs again.So You have to back and forth. My previous car a Volvo Had choices to have both fog vents and heat at same time."

"The worst thing about the Outback are the seats. They are very uncomfortable, especially after a couple of hours or more in the driver's seat. As for in dash controls (navigation, etc.) there are no high tech features in this old Subaru. The other complaint I have is that the headlights burn out on a regular basis and I have had to replace them on average, I'd guess yearly....so much that I actually have to carry spares in my glove compartment! Very aggravating!"

"seats are poor for driver over 6 ft. tall. Cramped leg room"

"It seats low and the steering wheel is too low to the seat. It is difficult to get in and out of but is comfortable once seated"

"Noticeable road noise."

"Very comfortable seating with very good vision"

"The car is now 12 years old, yet the front seats are as comfortable as when new. The car is easy to drive long distances, and we arrive as comfortable as when we entered the vehicle. The car has developed various rattles over the years, most of which seem to be in the dash board."

"Seating adjustments and riding comfort"

"still trying to figure out why the seat is not as comfortable as past models."

"Comfortable ride. Unfortunately, wind and road noise."

"Very comfortable, fairly quiet and a decently smooth ride. Nothing exceptional but overall very acceptable."

"I really like the size and usability of this car and don't want a bigger model. I wish Subaru would consider the older population who need the ease of loadability of a wagon but don't need a larger vehicle"

"Too much wind noise from the window seals"

"the ride is bouncy. passenger seat very uncomfortable."

"Seats are firm. Although they are not contoured very much nor super-comfortable, the seats are fine for passengers on short trips. For long trips, we bring along small pillows for our passengers’ comfort. As to interior noise, this is low inside the cabin. The ride is stable, and the car handles well and responsively on the road. We feel very safe riding in this vehicle."

"Seats and ride are fine. I notice noise more. I don’t Know if it was always there or if maybe it’s because the car is older."

"Seats are fairly hard and don't absorb much in the way of bumps in the road, etc. Not a very smooth ride, more sporty."

"Good seats Noisy ride Unstable ride"

"This car is very comfortable to ride in with very little road noise. Handling is also very good."

"The back seats are not deep and adults have a difficult time sitting there. For a short ride, it is tolerable, but on a long trip it would cause a problem. The new Subaru Outback is larger and I assume has more rear seat room."

"Seats are very comfortable and supportive even on long trips. The heater no longer works in the driver's seat bottom. The car is noisy but the ride is stable and secure."

"In 2005 when I was looking for an inexpensive all wheel drive, I tested Honda (CRV), Toyota (RAV4) and the Subaru. The Outback was FAR quieter than the others. Honda is my go to car company but Subaru has presented an excellent choice. Still a very comfortable car and still take 8 hour trips with no complaints. A/C still works great as does everything else as far as comfort goes."

"Front seats are very comfortable and offer a number of adjustments to ensure a comfortable driving position. Rear seats. on the other hand, are thin and quite uncomfortable for anything other than short ( a couple of hours) drives. As the car has aged, not surprisingly, the number of mysterious rattles has increased and, so far, no-one has been able to locate and fix them. Also, although the car has been examined by both the dealer and a local repair shop, no-one has been able to solve and increasingly sloppy ride."

"seatback not comfortable (my old Passat was great)"

"The front seats were likely designed for Japanese people with narrow bottoms, and can be uncomfortable without an added pillow"

"The 2005 Outback was purchased as a used fleet vehicle with one year of use. We would not have purchased as a new vehicle because of cost, but the used price met our budget. When we test drove the car, we fell in love. It was the most comfortable, best handling vehicle we've ever had. And these were our first heated seats--we had been in MN for a year and this may have been the item that sealed the deal. When we replace this vehicle, I fully expect to replace it with another Outback or maybe Forester. I have loved the Subaru and my family (brothers, nieces/nephews) have purchased four Subarus since we've owned it."

"It's our little workhorse. Not fancy, but very reliable"

"It has given good performance at a low overall cost for 10 years and with low maintenance problems during this time . With a a recommended head gasket replacement , S ubaru of America discounted the cost by $500 of the dealers estimate ."

"Extremely reliable daily driver, no unexpected downtime. Over 205,000 miles on the 2005."

"We bought it used with 140,000 miles on it and it now has 182,000 on the odometer. After it was paid for, it needed a head gasket, a fan belt idler pulley and a wheel bearing or two. Nothing major for the mileage."

"Gas mileage is low even for city. Car didn't come with hill grabber, so the manual clutch burns out often (need to lean on clutch for tight parking, etc.). Otherwise very reliable."

"Great Ride!!! Get one!! Limited Repairs."

"Considering the build quality, the safety ratings, and its performance, and despite some problems I have had with it, I feel I got more than my money's worth."

"I have owned many cars and this Subaru has been, by far, the most expensive to car operate and maintain of any vehicle I've ever owned. It has not aged well at all. Major problems began immediately after the 60,000 warranty expired and have continued since."

"Reliable, easy to maintain. Economical"

"Flawless performance, great value for the price, especially compared with, for example, BMW, although I like the styling of my model better than the new one."

"Very nice - reliable car that has been in out family for 12 years. We have over 158,000 miles on it and other than normal maintenance have had no major problems."

"go anywhere car at a good price"

"An all around very useful and rugged SUV."

"As with any 14 year old car, things begin to need repair. However, in the beginning for the first 11 years little went wrong."

"The Outback handles well, gets good mileage, is comfortable, and has an excellent safety rating."

"Essentially trouble free service, with minor repairs, for 13 years!"

"My car is almost 14 years old and has 192K miles. It's extremely reliable, and the parts that need replacement during a service visit are items like tires, brake pads, an alternator belt or a coil pack (this at 190K). I have really gotten my money's worth from this car, and it's still going strong. My car replacement account is growing larger and larger!"

"dependable awd for use in poor weather"

"It is always in the shop. I would never buy another!"

"AWD"

"Purchased new and no problems in the last 13 years of ownership. Good value for the money given the AWD system, crash safety and engine performance."