2025 Subaru Outback XT Sport: Detailed review - 0-100 & POV test drive

[@erawamai]

Best Australian car reviews by far. Less advertorial with good unscripted comments. Thanks!

[@drivingenthusiastaustralia]

@@erawamai Thanks

[@marcusgeorge1825]

“Blue and green should never be seen unless a colour is in between”. I agree, this one looks good.

[@ttkk9]

Nice review especially mentioning the real fuel consumption

[@germie7666]

Wow you really put it through its paces! Loved it! Test drove the new 2.5L when it came out. Punch for overtaking was very poor. Maybe the turbo is the way to go.

[@shaun1900]

The single most useful vehicle for many, many people, the boot is huge, can fit a grown family of 4 easily, has amazing on-road comfort, AWD adds to a dimension of capability and will take it offroad as far as most will venture, and is safe, fast enough and frugal enough. We have a non-turbo - great for what it does and averaging 7.2 l/100kms.

[@adamzadro8216]

That’s reasonable fuel economy from all reviews I’ve seen. What type of driving do you typically do? Is it mainly highway, country driving?

[@shaun1900]

@@adamzadro8216 highway, country and 25% city and short trips. Melbourne to Sydney, fully loaded with 4 and luggage and aircon blasting over Christmas 6.9.

[@adamzadro8216]

@@shaun1900 👌🏼not bad!

[@andrewiverach659]

I average 7.1 with the 2.5l with E10. Mainly freeway driving. Great all round vehicle and still well priced.

[@ifillam7511]

My 2.4t is around 7.5l/km 30%city 70% high way. I think it's not bad for a All time AWD. The 2.4t motor can handle 80%of road under 2000rpm. Feels effortless.

[@russell3436]

Why would Subaru detune this from the 202 kW in the WRX to 183 kW, I get the CVT limits the torque capabilities but detuning their 2.4 turbo in a car that weighs at least 200kg more than the WRX by 20kW just seems silly, I know this isn’t meant to be an outright performance car but are they afraid that the Outback would outperform their flagship performance car, even if it had the same output the power to weight would still heavily favour the WRX.

[@jamesszabadics5911]

would need to see the torque power curve but speculation - did they sacrifice peak power for lower RPM torque in this tune?

[@ScrambleNorth]

@@jamesszabadics5911yes, it has more torque and takes lower octane fuel than the WRX

[@lukehedstrom8009]

i bought this model last year, added a couple of mods, custom air intake, replace the stock bov, process west intercooler and a tune, mine is now making 223kw at the fly wheel and 178kw at the wheels. 40kw difference which i was surprised with, that's keeping the stock exhaust system as well. and thats running it on 98 octane fuel

[@cruiseadmiral]

Subaru Outback Gen 6: Vehicle class - Compact Crossover SUV. Body type - Wagon.

[@elsaandnoah]

Hi, I currently drive a 2011 Forester and the Outback has been on my shortlist for my next car for a long time. I’m in Canada and I’m jealous that your Outbacks have a nice front fascia compared to the claw that we get in North America. I’m hoping for a redesign of the Outback front fascia (otherwise OBW trim becomes more appealing). Great video & review! Thank you!

[@Bennyboy-dog]

I reckon the restricted torque is to compensate for the CVT. Mistake by Subaru to persevere with the CVT when they don't appear to get significant fuel economy - holds back the whole car. I had a 2004 outback with the 3.0l six and 5 speed. Beautiful car - my wife referred to it as our own personal jet. And highway, we'd get around 7l/100km so 10l/100km of this new one makes absolutely no sense.

[@drivingenthusiastaustralia]

@@Bennyboy-dog I think you're right. The CVT is probably the reason for torque being limited. It needs to go, especially as it doesn't seem to help with economy.

[@Bennyboy-dog]

@@drivingenthusiastaustralia I'm sure Subaru knows this, but they are persevering until they have an alternative. Now, electric needs no CVT...so maybe the next one will be a full BEV? Unfortunately this is a pipe dream because Toyota are drinking their own cool aid with hybrids.. Toyota, let Subaru do what they do best - dynamically work out how much torque goes to each wheel. They do that brilliantly - even back in 2004 with my 3l flat six outback. Ran on railway lines.

[@russellchristison8425]

@@drivingenthusiastaustralia the manual WRX had 350 nm of torque as well

[@drivingenthusiastaustralia]

@@russellchristison8425 Good point. They could still cap torque for both to make it consistent I guess. I'm not sure exactly. It just seems like a low torque figure for a 2.4 turbo.

[@paulsimpson8990]

Cvts are very cheap to make. When a Chinese Ute can come with a ZF 8 speed you realise how bad it is for Subaru to put such a crap gearbox in its cars to the detriment of their customers and reputation. It belies belief tbh

[@connarwise8839]

hi could you do a off-road review of the Forester sport

[@drumaasepp9899]

I’ve got a 2016 Outback 3.6r. Torque also capped at 350nm and power is 191kw but they happen at higher revs than this 2.4t. This Outback is the spiritual successor to the H6 outback and it’s nice the XT is here in Aus. I agree could be better on all fronts, however the outback range looked very sad during the 18 months it took Subaru to get the thing to Australia. Guess I’m glad it’s here and hope that people can live with its flaws enough to tell Subaru we want their cars to be more like this and less like their non turbo 4 pots which are even more underwhelming. Another negative I’ve had to live with is the low payload. 468kg for my 2016 vehicle and very basic research indicates the new XT is around 450kg. I don’t think that’s enough when most of the market is sitting around 550-650kg. With a family of 5 I really can’t pack much when we tour. Still, nice to have a full size spare and some overtaking power when needed. One final point, I noticed my car can cut the power when off-roading without beeps or bongs. You can have your foot flat and the car will just not move. Some KZbin channels attribute this to the car protecting the cvt. However my personal experience is you actually need to deactivate all The eyesight safety features. The car thinks it’s going to hit the hill or tree in front of the car so cuts power. Turn all the forward collision stuff off and the car can climb reasonably difficult terrain. At least in my experience.

[@madrx2]

being a CVT shouldn't it just sit the engine at Max power on the curve and not change revs for best performance? Why would they tune it to sound like a conventional transmission?

[@drivingenthusiastaustralia]

Good question. Probably to create the feeling of a normal automatic, which, if true, defeats the purpose. Guilty?

[@jimmyp1433]

normally with a flat to the floor brake hold/stall it will switch to proper CVT mode and hold lowest ratio for longer

[@Bamwich]

CVT… screw that. They get so much right with this car, but it’s all undone by that transmission..

[@sylenzyostampa]

Shut up, you've driven 2 cars in your whole life and you're talking about the CVT on the Subaru...

[@gogeorgia707]

This is the best Subaru CVT ever. Years of experience and research ( and yes problems) have made it perfect for this turbo.

[@tyhyhh]

I hate cvts as much as anyone else but subaru has a really good cvt

[@_ViktorZinin_]

И чем же он плох ???

[@shaun1900]

@@Bamwich you’ve obviously never driven one, you clown

[@marcusgeorge1825]

Nice review. Even with traction control off it’s actually the CVT that is preventing you from sliding the rear into corners and drifting. Even a torque converter auto would enable a bit more fun in throwing it around. It’s just not designed for this and the targeted buyers wouldn’t really be exploring this if it could. The WRX? Yes.

[@kmuinde]

i like subaru outbacks series

[@Zenithdraggy]

wow 10.6L/100km is slighty worse than my dads 3.5 V6 Alphard with the 6 speed auto and thats like a 2.1ish tonne V6 minivan

[@Bamwich]

Yeah idk why everyone Kris bragging about the fuel consumption in these things, they literally worse then all of the competition.

[@nvnh319]

Permanent AWD consumes more fuel than FWD or on-demand AWD

[@JimmyLLL]

I like the idea of an outback. Get you to many camping spots. I'm really not a fan of big centre screens. Bring back buttons.

[@simonmul449]

Suspect that the crappy CVT transmission that Subaru have been using for a while now is the reason the engine outputs are limited, especially the torque.

[@jamiefrangos9233]

Subaru has long time issues with head gaskets and CVT. Such a disappointment from the quality product they used to be.

[@sayedengine]

From head gasket I can confirm oil leak at 40K km only for Subaru forester 2019 really bad quality

[@charlied8456]

9:03 seated heats lol

[@drivingenthusiastaustralia]

Lol - I was waiting for someone to notice that. I think my brain and mouth are still in holiday mode.

[@tedk-42]

I love that subbies come with them!

[@danwatts8269]

@@drivingenthusiastaustralia I thought i was the only one that noticed lol. I swap words all the time haha

[@oldfashionedwrx3574]

almost 1800kg wow. inflation - all cars are gonna be more and more expensive

[@surfman0115]

Terrible fuel economy considering the revs. My 2004 Forester xt sits at around 3k rpm at 110 and I'm in the 7s for fuel economy.

[@fred3527]

If you get one at a good price, it would be a good buy. Fuel consumption is disappointing, but hopefully, that understressed engine results in longevity.

[@MisterX-er9si]

10.6 l/100km is too much? My mazda 3, 2.0l non-turbo 2018 is consuming 10-11 l. I had corolla 1.8l 2009my and it was consuming 12 l. Do you expect that 2.4 l turbo engine with AWD should consume as Yaris? The price is too high for this tech pack. I would go and check Chinese PHEV SUVs for this money.

[@shaun1900]

@@MisterX-er9si what a load and f shit

[@Electricmarquis]

Pretty sure these Outbacks were not made to launch jumps at speed.

[@garageblitztv3215]

Don’t take the new Toyota Prado through that little puddle … it will breakdown and end up on the back of a tow truck!

[@drivingenthusiastaustralia]

@@garageblitztv3215 😅😅

[@martinburns342]

Main thing with CVT is maintenance. The schedule says to change the fluid at 90000kms, but then says to do it at 45000kms if used under severe conditions. Which includes stop/start driving and towing. I love my XT Touring. So comfortable to drive around town and on long trips. The only thing is the rear shocks could be a touch firmer. I bought an Auto Eliminator so the auto start/stop stays deactivated.

[@gort3969]

Auto eliminator? I never heard of this. Can it be configured to deactivate other driver assistance crap or is it limited to just stop start?

[@martinburns342]

@gort3969 just the start stop.

[@gort3969]

@@martinburns342 😪

[@Bamwich]

I don’t think I’ve met a mechanic that thinks the CVT in these things are a financially good decision.

[@Karlscarstuff]

5 year warranty so shouldn’t be a concern. Who takes financial advice from a mechanic😂 There is a reason companies and gov organisation lease cars and flog them just before the warranty ends.

[@mahcooharper9577]

Disappointing about the fuel consumption, I get better consumption than that from a 20 year old Falcon...

[@xboxice2005]

I can see people modding that bonnet scope :)

[@drivingenthusiastaustralia]

Extra 5kW, surely :D

[@Wedgetail96]

That’s the Sports Touring XT. It’s the top of the line Touring (Napa leather seats) with the Sports wheels, and blacked out trim. I think it’s also the only model available in the geyser blue. It’s pretty much a limited release of the earlier 50th anniversary model.

[@peelvroom8003]

😂 are they ok with you getting air time

[@gregy1194]

Curious about the fuel econony you had. In your standing starts at the end, the 10.2 avg never changed. Wondering if its set to something that only updates after 500km etc. Workmate has an XT and gets 8.0lt/100 all the time on hwy. Just a thought. Great review

[@rodneyturton0]

I reckon it wasn't reset to check highway driving and its the overall average from every other test driver giving it a flogging. You need to see the instant average not the overall average.

[@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

In my country town all the pensioners have gone Outback crazy. They're everywhere.

[@andrewiverach659]

If the oldies are buying it then it has to be good value.

[@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

@@andrewiverach659 Maybe, dunno. These oldies are all cashed up retired farmers who aint real bright and buy stuff to keep up appearances thru the family trust to dodge tax. The Outback might be popular here only because Clarence and Margaret bought one and said its a good car down at the bowls club. I've had some different Scoobies over the decades, including the WRX and Outback, and wouldn't touch a new one with someone else's ten foot pole.

[@andrewiverach659]

@@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt Had the diesel model regular servicing 197,000 kms not a thing went wrong with it. Have the 2023 petrol regular servicing 63,000 kms no problems. I just like the way they tour. Do miss the diesel though.

[@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

@@andrewiverach659 That's a far better story than the ones I could tell.

[@paulsimpson8990]

Subaru has to be the most overrated brand out there these days. Lacklustre engine and gearbox with poor long term reliability and very average fuel consumption. Ok I suppose if you live in NZ and need winter grip but such a poor choice in Australia. I wouldn’t ever park my hard earned money in a Subaru ever again.

[@garageblitztv3215]

Could have been the best SUV … In my very humble opinion, let down by a thirsty and underwhelming engine mated to an abomination of a transmission.

[@xan2242]

could have been the best, but then it's mixed with either a severely unpowered NA 2.5L or a much more expensive and terribly nerfed turbo 2.4L. The interior has good materials and good thought until they decided to go with digital AC controls and analogue dials.... the people who can deal with digital AC controls really want digital gauges, and the people who want analogue dials really really want analogue AC controls. Subaru, choose one, analogue AC controls and digital dials is probably the best mix to please everyone, but for god's sake don't ever mix and match with analogue gauges and digital AC controls... you please NO ONE, everyone will always hate either one and they're given either one. oh and if you're going to do digital touchscreen infotainment, make the touchscreen responsive?? It's so laggy it's a joke, which is surprising since the digital gauges only given in the Japanese market are very responsive. other than that it's a good car, the CVT really isn't bad since it's already not a performance machine... they had such a good car then just failed right at the very end on the simple things. Fortunately for the next-generation Outback it's already shown with a new Toyota-derived infotainment (which is super responsive and well-designed), physical AC controls, digital gauges, and a toyota hybrid system. I'd really wait till that comes out rather than buy this analogue-digital transgender generation of Outback.

[@garageblitztv3215]

Mostly agree, however I do prefer real analog instrument gauges for RPM and Speed. So much better than the majority of screens … especially for long distance driving to reduce eye tiredness.

[@NathanE808]

These will be great with proper hybrid. Really no need for these fuel guzzling turbos when a hubrid can give similar power output.

[@tonybennett638]

Fifty+ thousand WTF ... it's Australia... luxury silly long as its comfortable like all cars.

[@Jaydee254]

I must be getting old to think that this actually so cool ! Love the outback. Joy to drive and really want the new one.

[@SommerAdric]

Just got the sport XT model, coming from a GTSP CX5 we have lost some luxuries but increased power and space is very welcome! Plus it’s quieter and smoother than the Mazda ever was!

[@lyndonheard2319]

still no new model forester xt???? cmon subaru bring it back

[@russellchristison8425]

I’ve just ordered the touring XT in Sapphire Blue with tan leather

[@art-is-lazy4509]

Not with that CVT.

[@Studat]

Not buying this car as a demo 😊

[@angusnz7910]

The days coming that we won’t be able to turn of the cameras and assist shit. Trust me someone will say why have it if you can defeat it…and they’ll remove the odd button. Or if they dont then they’ll download the status at time of accident if you have. Any bets insurance won’t take this attitude some time soon

[@johnsteve1352]

A great car but has a CVT gearbox, and probably the worst CVT on the market

[@Zenithdraggy]

have you seen nissan ones, but yeah kinda sad it doesnt come with a traditional torque converter auto

[@shaun1900]

@@johnsteve1352says who exactly

[@johnsipolis]

I heard they're rated the best.

[@xan2242]

Subaru CVTs in terms of reliability especially compared to off-shelf ones from JATCO, and the TR690 Subaru CVTs are one of the most power-capable. If you categorise a eCVT in the same area as gasoline CVT, then obviously eCVT is more reliable... since the toyota eCVT is literally the most simple and reliable transmission ever made.

[@johnsteve1352]

@@shaun1900 you can just google it. There are tons of reports saying the Subaru gearbox has catastrophic failure and need a new gearbox under 80k km

[@brentonl2631]

If that was a new Toyota LC Prado, you would have blown it up driving it through that creek.

[@drivingenthusiastaustralia]

@@brentonl2631 😅 Let's see - test coming soon.

[@A861967]

Best part is the ride quality and the performance you get for a wagon, very versatile and easy to use 😊 cheers from Oz🇦🇺

[@richardbrimble1319]

CVT 🤮