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2020 Subaru Outback Touring XT review: tons of technology

"The 2020 Subaru Outback is a robust, practical car that doesn't save on technology."

• Powerful turbo engine

• A large screen that justifies its size

• Comfortable ride

• Well-executed driver assistant technician

• The price rises quickly with options

The Subaru Outback was developed under the motto "If you can't beat them, join them". In the 1990s, Subaru took one of its four-wheel suits and added some SUV-like styling details to create the outback. The model is still popular, even though other SUV cars have been pushed out of the market.

The outback remains a convincing SUV alternative, also thanks to a spacious loading space and all-wheel traction. The outback was revised for model year 2020 and expands the mix by more technology. The car is available with an 11.6-inch touchscreen and Subaru's DriverFocus system, which uses a driver-related camera to detect distractions.

Outback 2020 prices start at $ 27,655, but our test car was a Touring XT model priced at $ 40,705. It had every bell and whistle, including the large touchscreen, DriverFocus and a more powerful turbo engine.

Design and interior

The Subaru Outback 2020 is still essentially a car version of the Subaru Legacy sedan (which was also redesigned for the 2020 model year). The outback not only has a tailgate instead of a trunk, but also has plastic trim for an SUV-like look. The outback drives up a lot for a car too, so it feels more like an SUV. Its 8.7 inch ground clearance is actually more than a Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4.

The interior is typical Subaru, with a simple but reasonable layout.

Despite the redesign, it is difficult for you to distinguish the Outback 2020 from its predecessor. The new model is also quite large as the Outback 2019. It is a little wider and longer, but with the same wheelbase. The 2020 Outback runs under the skin on the Subaru Global Platform, on which most of the automaker's other models are based. Subaru claims that the 2020 Outback has 70% stiffer torsional stiffness than its predecessor, which helps improve handling and creates a more solid feel. According to Subaru, the new model can absorb more than 40% more energy even in front and side impacts.

Stephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

The interior is typical Subaru, with a simple but reasonable layout. Our touring test car was fully leather-cushioned, but the materials didn't feel worthy of the $ 40,000 price tag. Like many other car manufacturers, Subaru opted for a piano-black plastic panel that scratches and smears easily and, in our experience, creates a lot of glare on sunny days.

In terms of interior space, the outback is inexpensive compared to the compact crossovers that you can buy for similar money. It has more front legroom than a Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4, and with rear seats folded down, more cargo space than a Ford Escape. However, the outback follows Subaru's own forester, thanks to its larger, more box-shaped body.

Technology, infotainment and driver assistance

The big technical news for 2020 is an available 11.6 inch touchscreen in portrait format. The screen is standard in all outback trim levels, with the exception of the base model (which has a 7.0-inch touchscreen), while Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard across the board.

Many automakers have large screens installed, but most don't seem to know what to do with all of these properties. Subaru did something smart and straightforward – it just enlarged the menu icons. You don't have to blink to see anything on this screen, and the large icons are easier to find while driving. Subaru also placed icons for climate control at the bottom of the screen – roughly where analog controls are usually – and included an analog volume control, which is still the best tool for this job.

Stephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

The 2020 Outback also gets Subaru's EyeSight Driver Assistant technology, which uses forward-facing cameras near the rearview mirror instead of the radar equipment used by most other automakers. Adaptive cruise control with lane centering is standard, while blind spot monitoring, lane change assistant and rear cross traffic alarm are optional extras. The Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV4 are equipped with adaptive cruise control as standard. The Ford Escape costs extra, but the Ford system has a stop-and-go function.

Subaru did something smart and straightforward – it just enlarged the menu icons.

On the highway, adaptive cruise control was characterized by a constant pace, but reacted slowly when cars drove abruptly. In a straight line, the lane centering function did its job with the smoothest steering inputs, but had problems with even the slightest turns. These are issues that we have seen with most of the competitor systems, and overall performance has been good for a vehicle in this price range that lacks the more sophisticated sensor suites of high-end models.

Subaru is one of a few automakers (along with BMW and Cadillac) that use a driver-side camera to ensure that people don't use these technical features irresponsibly. The DriverFocus system, which was introduced in the Forester, sends audio and video warnings when the driver takes his eyes off the road. As with the Forester, we found DriverFocus to be fairly inconspicuous, with no false alarms.

Experience driving

Another big change for 2020 is under the hood. For the first time since 2009, the Outback is available with a four-cylinder engine with a turbocharger. As with all Subaru engines, a “boxer” configuration allows this engine to sit lower in the chassis, which helps improve driveability. Together with the Ascent, the turbo engine delivers 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque. You have to pay extra for this force. Base Outbacks receive from the Forester a 2.5-liter boxer four-cylinder with naturally aspirated engine that delivers 182 hp and 176 lb-ft.

The base engine offers competitive numbers for this segment, but the optional turbo engine is the partback of the outback. Only the Jeep Cherokee, which is available with a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder with 270 hp, offers a similar combination of performance and utility in a vehicle of this size.

Stephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

Regardless of the engine, the outback receives a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and all-wheel drive. Like the Ascent and the Forester, the all-wheel drive system also has an “X-Mode”, which is designed for light off-roading. This doesn't turn the outback into a hardcore off-roader, but it comes in handy for unpaved roads and deep snow.

The optional turbo engine is the part of the outback.

On the road, the extra power of the turbo engine was a stroke of luck when other vehicles were overhauled. However, the engine and transmission did not always seem to be on the same side, which resulted in uneven power output, which we did not remember from the same combination when climbing higher. Although the outback was smaller and had a lower center of gravity, it did not have the cornering capabilities of the Ascent. The handling wasn't bad, but the outback's limits felt much lower than those of its big siblings.

Subaru also found a good balance between handling and driving quality. The outback felt almost luxurious and absorbed bumps without feeling floating and separate from the road. A comfortable ride is probably more important to the person buying this car than a few extra degrees of manageability. If you want a sporty Subaru, buy a WRX STI.

Fuel consumption and security

Our turbo test car has a combined output of 26 mpg (23 mpg city, 30 mpg highway). This is a significant improvement over the old six-cylinder outback, which could only produce 22 mpg together, and a little behind a turbocharged Honda CR-V (29 mpg combined) and a non-hybrid Toyota RAV4 (28 mpg combined). According to the car's on-board computer, we reached an average of 22 mpg over a week's drive.

The 2020 Outback received the highest Top Safety Pick + rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and a five-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Subaru offers a three-year basic warranty of 36,000 miles and a five-year warranty of 60,000 miles for the powertrain. That's about the average of a mainstream brand, although Hyundai and Kia offer longer warranty periods. Subaru also has an excellent reputation for reliability.

How DT would configure this car

Our ideal outback would be equipped similarly to the car we tested. It may be a significant price increase, but if you want technology, the Touring equipment variant is the right one. The Touring is the only equipment variant that is equipped with the DriverFocus deflection function as standard. It also has an 11.6-inch touchscreen, leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats and an electric sunroof.

Stephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

We would shell out for the turbo engine too. Although we haven't had a chance to test the base machine, our experience in the Forester shows that this would be the wrong choice. The Forester felt sluggish with this engine and things are unlikely to change in the heavier outback.

Our opinion

The Subaru Outback is a familiar sight on roads in the northeast and northwest, but the latest version is aimed at a much broader appeal. The outback still offers great utility and all-wheel traction in a low-key package, but now with more technology and a better turbo engine.

For the last generation outback, buyers had chosen between an economical but underperforming four-cylinder engine and a powerful but thirsty six-cylinder. The Turbo Four of the 2020 Outback makes the difference and offers an urgently needed performance increase without destroying the mileage.

No one bought a 2019 outback for their infotainment system, but the 2020 model gets one of the largest screens in a mainstream car. Unlike its rivals Ford and Toyota, Subaru also used this large screen effectively. Subaru's EyeSight Driver Assistant technology is still among the best in this price range, and the DriverFocus feature ensures that it is not misused.

As the only car of a mainstream brand that is still on the market, the outback mainly competes against SUVs such as the Honda CR-V, the Toyota RAV4 and the Ford Escape. The Subaru is close to the competition in terms of interior space and fuel consumption, and shows how close they are to conventional cars. The outback also has a much stronger tech game thanks to its 11.6-inch touchscreen and EyeSight and DriverFocus driver aids. The 260-horsepower engine provides additional fun that most other small SUVs don't have.

Should you get one?

Yes. The outback offers an impressive combination of technology and utility.

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