Styling is evolutionary. It's an Outback -- and still slightly frumpy -- for sure. Subaru's designers have backed away from the rugged SUV look some, generally reducing the swathes of black vinyl cladding all around. Active grille shutters contribute to an increase in aero efficiency, and a corresponding contribution to fuel mileage, despite the taller roof. The bottom of the A pillars are pulled a couple inches forward, giving the windshield a faster rake.
All the massaging pays big dividends inside, with 2 inches more cabin width front and rear. Hip points rise for something more like an SUV view out without a headroom decrease. Maximum cargo capacity increases 2 cubic feet to 73.3, 35.5 behind the rear seat. Cargo lift-over height drops 6 inches and the load floor is 7 inches longer.
By the most obvious indications, the engines haven't changed much. In the standard 2.5-liter boxer four peak horsepower increases two to 175, with 174 lb-ft of torque. Numbers for the upgrade 3.6-liter six are identical to its predecessor: 256 hp, 247 lb-ft. Subaru engineers nonetheless insist the engines are “80 percent new,” with new cylinder heads and internals -- reworked to reduce weight, friction and operational noise and to improve fuel efficiency. In any case, the Outback engines remain port injected, and specific output is not a strength.
The manual transmission option is history, as is the conventional automatic in the six-cylinder Outback. All 2015s come with a continuously variable automatic, programmed with six steps or “gears” for manual operation. The CVT is the single biggest contributor to improved EPA ratings: up 10 percent freeway and 8 percent combined for the four-cylinder, to 25/33/28, and 10 percent combined with the six, to 20/27/22
The single transmission also means one all-wheel-drive system, rather than three slightly different arrangements in the previous Outback. A continuously variable hydraulic clutch varies power front to rear, with new electronic management accounting for more parameters than before. Subaru's Xmode -- an off-road control program introduced in the current Forester -- comes standard. It optimizes throttle progression, torque split and transmission operation for off-pavement operation, and adds hill-descent control. Active torque vectoring brakes the inside front wheel on pavement to help manage understeer.
A new rack-mounted steering-boost motor increases mileage 2 percent, according to Subaru. The ratio also drops from 16.5 to 14.0:1. Suspension geometry is revised throughout, and the standard wheels increase 1 inch in diameter to 17. The Outback 2.5i gets larger brakes previously reserved for the six-cylinder, and all models now have vented rather than solid rear discs.
Safety is one of Subaru's "things," and the new Outback offers as many safety-themed features as any car south of a full-luxury brand. A rearview camera and eight airbags come standard, including two in the front-seat bottoms that inflate to prevent submarining under the belt.
Gen II of Subaru's EyeSight optical accident-avoidance system is optional on all but the base Outback. It has 40-percent better range than the first EyeSight system and stops the Outback from 30 mph without driver intervention. Its cameras are located at the front edge of the headliner on either side of the rearview mirror, with a third washer nozzle to keep them clean. A radar package adds blind spot warning, lane keeping, rear cross traffic alert and adaptive cruise control. There are no visible sensors, and the radars are packaged well above the bumper line to avoid a minor ding taking them out.
At $23,795 plus $850 destination, the base Outback 2.5i comes well equipped, with HD radio, RDS, Bluetooth and a high-res touchscreen with Aha, Pandora and several apps. The 2.5i Premium opens Outback to most of the trick options and the leather-lined Limited adds high-watt Harman Kardon audio. The Outback 3.6i is offered only in Limited trim.
The original Outback was a Legacy wagon trim package. It helped Subaru re-establish equilibrium as a brand and it's been on a steady climb since. The company has managed six straight record sales years in the United States -- right through the Great Recession. The fourth-gen Outback (2010-14) sold 2.5 times more than the first (1995-1999). Sales are up again so far this calendar year, even as the 2014 Outback trundles toward history.
No comments:
Post a Comment