Driving Experience
Includes acceleration and handling
What Owners Say
"A little short on acceleration. But the handling is excellent: on the rare occasions that require drastic emergency moves it feels like a sports car."
Anonymous, NV (2005 Subaru Outback)"Love the powerful engine & acceleration. That's main reason I purchased this car (that, and safety ratings)."
Anonymous, CA (2005 Subaru Outback)"I live in Montana and the all wheel drive is a must. This car is great on snow and ice!"
Anonymous, MT (2005 Subaru Outback)"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)."
PAUL D., ME (2005 Subaru Outback)"responsive handling and quick acceleration"
Anonymous, WA (2005 Subaru Outback)"Pretty good for a 4 cylinder engine. Has some pick up and go."
Anonymous, NY (2005 Subaru Outback)"The 6 Cyl Engine has enough power for Highway driving without needing a turbo"
D B., DC (2005 Subaru Outback)"Acceleration notably sluggish. Handling feels heavy and a bit truck like, BUT actual handling is quite good."
Anonymous, WI (2005 Subaru Outback)"This car is 2.5 turbocharged..very quick..great for merging fwy traffic."
W C., WA (2005 Subaru Outback)"all wheel drive is great in the snow!"
CHRIS T., CA (2005 Subaru Outback)"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."
Anonymous, HI (2005 Subaru Outback)"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."
Anonymous, AR (2005 Subaru Outback)"weak acceleration, especially when carrying more than 1 passenger or A/C is running. Steering is vague and provides little feedback."
Anonymous, VA (2005 Subaru Outback)"Amazing acceleration and excellent handling in all situations."
Michael L., MA (2005 Subaru Outback)"Comfort is good during drives"
Anonymous, PA (2005 Subaru Outback)"The automatic transmission is in this six-cylinder version has distinct jumps from one gear to another"
Ian C., PA (2005 Subaru Outback)"fun to drive, go anywhere"
Michael R., MD (2005 Subaru Outback)"We have the 6-cylinder engine. Very smooth and responsive. Love the handling of the car."
Edward B., ON (2005 Subaru Outback)"good acceleration plenty of power"
Anonymous, OR (2005 Subaru Outback)"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)"
Mike S., GA (2005 Subaru Outback)"Engine knocks. Past 5 years, significant acceleration lags."
Anonymous, VA (2005 Subaru Outback)"A bit slow on acceleration but handles well for a car of it's size and model (wagon). Steering seems very tight, however."
Anonymous, MI (2005 Subaru Outback)"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."
Anonymous, CO (2005 Subaru Outback)"The car accelerates very briskly and handles like a champ."
Robert P., OH (2005 Subaru Outback)"The Outback is still peppy, handles very well, and gets good mileage."
David E., NY (2005 Subaru Outback)"Adequate power, great handling, minor gripe about gas mileage."
Joe H., CA (2005 Subaru Outback)"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."
Anonymous, GA (2005 Subaru Outback)"Very good acceleration Unstable ride from the factory"
Greg O., IL (2005 Subaru Outback)"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."
Darlene M., CA (2005 Subaru Outback)"Excellent handling"
Anonymous, NY (2005 Subaru Outback)"It’s a little slow because it’s a 4 cylinder car."
Anonymous, NY (2005 Subaru Outback)"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."
Maurice M., CA (2005 Subaru Outback)"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."
L A., PA (2005 Subaru Outback)"The car is 13 years old. I bought it two months ago. It runs smoothly, has decent acceleration, handles well, gets good mileage, etc."
James A., NY (2005 Subaru Outback)"Acceleration is good and the Outback maneuvers well on city streets and on corners."
Anonymous, MI (2005 Subaru Outback)"Acceleration and handling are superb"
Anonymous, MD (2005 Subaru Outback)"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."
Amy S., NY (2005 Subaru Outback)"Acceleration is poor."
Anonymous, OR (2005 Subaru Outback)"handles okay but can use a more pleasing acceleration"
Anonymous, NY (2005 Subaru Outback)"Very good acceleration with the 2.5l turbo."
Anonymous, WA (2005 Subaru Outback)"Ease and responsiveness in handling"
Anonymous, NC (2005 Subaru Outback)"Acceleration is spirited; the car handles better than any other wagon I've ever driven"
James D., CO (2005 Subaru Outback)"turbo acceleration is awesome. however, cornering is uncomfortable--feel the car leaning too much."
Erica O., CA (2005 Subaru Outback)
"FAST acceleration (Turbo model) Excellent handling on curves. The Best Handling car on ice & snow that I have owned in the past 45 years of driving (much of it in Northern Wisconsin)."
CHRIS B., IN (2005 Subaru Outback)