Preview: 2015 Subaru Outback

2015 Subaru Outback. Click image to enlarge

Preview and photos by Jonathan Yarkony, additional photos by Justin Pritchard

I’m not 100 percent sure that Subaru chose the New York International Auto Show for the unveiling of the 2015 Subaru Outback for the sake of irony, but it sure struck me for its contrast. In a city where tourists like us drive down, park their car, take cabs and public transportation, the Outback is a rare sight. The realm of the Outback is the suburbs and country, and the closer you get to elevation and skiing terrain, the more they seem to pop up. Outbacks are good at what they do, and what they do is handle rough terrain (okay, Manhattan roads qualify in this context) while remaining a practical and utilitarian vehicle.

Well, in some small measure Subaru is trying to change that, but without changing too much. They want to keep the utility and practicality without being seen as too utilitarian, dressing the Outback up in a more streamlined look with a more refined interior and a more refined driving experience. Don’t forget, the Outback now serves as the de facto Legacy Wagon for all of North America.

The Legacy Wagon was discontinued as of the 2007 model year in the US, and lasted only two more years in Canada, the fifth-generation 2010 model never making it to our and rugged shores or trails as a wagon. Subaru was rewarded for their overall market savvy in North America, sales leaping from under 100K for the combined Legacy and Outback variants (70K in 2008, 90K in 2009) to over 140K in 2010. The Outback alone sold almost 100,000 units between Canada and the USA in the year of the fifth-gen launch and, bucking industry trends, has only grown since, with but a slight dip last year, though still selling 118,049 Outbacks in the US and adding 6,120 here in Canada (compared to 42,291 and 2,022 Legacy sedans). My point? The Outback is a big deal, and it was the right product for the market if not for us remaining wagon aficionados.

With Subaru families now growing older and cultivating their tastes, it’s only natural that Subaru expects them to demand more refinement, so it is refinement they will get. At its launch, Subaru execs stressed that the 2015 Outback will offer the “highest level of comfort, quietness and refinement” ever in an Outback without giving up its signature ride height, practical roof rails (with folding crossbars) and ground clearance. To that end, the Outback offers a new acoustic windshield, liquid-filled engine mounts, thicker panels in key locations (floor, toeboard, rear wheel apron, inner fenders) and expanded use of foam insulation and sound-deadening floor material on the noise front.

The focus of engine revisions was on efficiency, though we in Canada still have access to the ever more rare manual transmission, in this case packaged only with the base 2.5i trim. All other trims (and the six-cylinder is only available with this transmission) feature Subaru’s Lineartronic CVT with six set ratios available in a manual mode, and with steering wheel paddle shifters to boot. Power ratings are almost unchanged, the 2.5L horizontally opposed boxer-four up to 175 hp at 5,800 rpm and 174 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm and the 3.6L boxer-six makes an unchanged 256 hp and 247 lb-ft.

2015 Subaru Outback. Click image to enlarge

Both powertrains promise fuel consumption gains, though when they finally reach the market, Natural Resources Canada adoption of five-cycle testing might make it seem like they’ve gotten worse. City consumption under the old regimen goes from 8.6 to 8.0 L/100 km, and highway 6.5 to 6.0 for the 2.5 CVT. The new, more realistic rating system would follow the US EPA measurements, which sees the 2.5 CVT improving from 9.8/7.8 L/100 km city/highway to 9.4/7.1, and the 3.6 CVT managing 12.4/8.7, down from 13.8/9.4 with the previous five-speed auto. No matter how you slice the numbers, a 10 percent improvement seems fair. Aside from the CVT, active grille shutter and improved aerodynamics help the Outback slice through the air more cleanly.

2015 Subaru Outback & 2013 Subaru Outback. Click image to enlarge

On the ride front, the MacPherson front strut suspension and double-wishbone rear have been tweaked for both greater agility and a more forgiving ride, though the Outback already managed this balance better than almost any crossover on the market.

Also arguably better than any crossover on the market is Subaru’s full-time Symmetrical AWD system featuring “Active Torque Split”, and it now adds torque vectoring via the stability control programming (so brake-based, not mechanical) as well as X Mode hill descent control on CVT-equipped models. Manual models continue with a viscous-coupling limited-slip AWD system, also employing torque vectoring courtesy of the VDC stability control system.

2015 Subaru Outback. Click image to enlarge

Overall size is increased slightly, length 4,817 mm (+17), width 1,840 mm (+20), wheelbase 2,745 (+5), interior space only marginally improved (notably some added hip and shoulder room, but giving up rear headroom – now 988 mm, down from 999), but cargo space gaining almost 150 L, cracking the 1,000 L just barely. The rear seats split 60/40 and fold down to offer 2,076 L adding more than 50 L to the current model’s cargo hold.

Without gaining too much size, it puts itself ahead of competitors like the Honda Crosstour and Toyota Venza on the cargo front while staying competitive for interior passenger accommodations, except for that rear headroom. Sitting in the back, I did notice a shortage of space for my hair (thankfully the show was pretty much wrapping up by then), but legroom was generous and the outboard seats seemed reasonably comfortable as a respite from the rush of an auto-show media day.

But the best improvements are indeed up front. The driver’s seat was comfortable, and with the exception of the fake wood trim (stickers, no less), the interior materials were downright respectable. From the creamy leather seats to the soft-touch dash and the smooth action of the knobs, the car felt upscale. Now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves; this interior won’t put Audi or BMW on notice, but it’s a fine ensemble for Subaru, the silver and patterned plastics adding a touch of class if not luxury.

2015 Subaru Outback. Click image to enlarge

The luxury you might hear bandied about would be a features list to make Kia proud. However, the shiny new additions for 2015 are a standard back-up camera, available power tailgate with height memory, xenon headlamps, heated rear seats, blind-spot detection and rear cross traffic alert (added to all models except the base 2.5i), proximity access and start, and perforated leather upholstery with two-position memory for the 10-way power driver’s seat in Limited trims. Subaru’s camera-based Eyesight system with adaptive cruise control, frontal collisions warning and prevention and lane keeping assistance is available on 2.5i and 3.6 Limited models.

Most promising of all was a new infotainment system that actually appeared to have been designed along with the rest of the interior and not scooped out of an aftermarket parts pin. Base 2.5i cars offer a 6.2-inch touchscreen with capacitive touch display and Aha radio app and smartphone integration. Upgrade models with the nav system feature a 7-inch touchscreen display that answers to swipe, pinch, and scroll gesture controls as well as a voice command system that can also operate the temperature controls, not to mention the available satellite radio and a 12-speaker Harman/Kardon premium audio system with a 576-watt amplifier. A couple little things that I would appreciate are one-touch lane-changer signals (one tap, three blinks) and auto up/down for both front windows (with pinch protection).

On paper, Subaru is adding value and qualities that match the demographic they cater to and others they’re pursuing. It’s been nothing but success over the past few years with the new Impreza and XV Crosstrek, new Forester and the previous generation Outback, and we expect that this 2015 Outback will continue that trend by improving a lot of small things while maintaining the mastery of the big things like convenience, practicality and durability.

Pricing is not yet announced, but we expect Subaru to continue the trend of reducing Canadian prices to more closely match the US MSRPs despite the recent decline of the Canadian dollar.