2005 Subaru Outback consumer reviews

This is my 4th Legacy. Bought it (ab)used at 80000 miles and it needed lots of repairs. It is relatively inexpensive to fix for an import and many independent mechanics like to work on these. The engine is bulletproof, the drive train needs attention and does not take well to abuse. You can offroad it, but you can never ever tow it with only 2 wheels on the ground. Therefore expensive repairs can lurk for 2nd hand owners. Do your homework and find a trustworthy seller with service records.

The turbocharged 4 cylinder engine is very powerful and there is plenty of torque to climb up steep hills. The traction is especially good with the manual transmission and power is most enjoyable in 2nd and 3rd gears. The gauges are very easy to read and I like the red color of the dials for night driving. The cargo hold is a bit small when there are 4-5 people and gear for a trip, skiing, etc. Overall, I am very pleased with the car and love driving it as much now as when it was new in 2005.

We bought this '05 Outback 2.5i (5M) new. From the beginning we were impressed with the features of this base model. The new ('07)base models lack many of the amenities that our car has. This car has been reliable, easy to maintain, is still tight and fun to drive. The Subaru O/B is an exceptional car with impressive abilities especially appreciated by people living in more challenging environs. With a couple exceptions. The cruise control gave us fits with it's on/off throttle control. After Subaru of America repaired the ECM this problem was cured. However, this took several visits over a few months to our dealer along with heated conversations concerning what constitutes "normal cruise control operation"! Secondly the stock tires, BF Goodrich PE92, while rated "performance tires" did a lousy job gripping the road on anything but sunny days. I replaced them 500 miles ago. Even though they had plenty of tread left on them I had them tossed out as I concidered them unsafe! These tires have no place on any vehicle, in my opinion, with lousy snow traction and the eager ability to hydroplane at the slightest hint of a serious rainy day water puddle. The new tires ( Michelin Hydro-Edge ) have far better grip and are far more quiet to boot. These two improvements have made this already exceptional car even more so! So when you test drive: check the tires. If they are still stock,chances are they will be being made of plastic they'll last forever, figure on replacing them to get top performance out of your O/B. Check the performance of the cruise especially over hill and dale. Otherwise figure you can go ANYWHERE in comfort and safety with this baby!

versatile and handles well. Good for recreation and dirrerent terrains and weather conditions. All wheel drive is great.

We own a 2005 Sport Outback and are very impressed with this vehicle overall. It handles unlike anything we've ever driven in the corners and has the "get up and go" to move when you need to move quickly. No delay in response. The driver can use the panel controls easily and the sound system is terrific. Our one concern is the fact that is takes premium gasoline. In today's market and depending on your driving habits, that can be an added monthly expense you didn't count on. Other than the gas issue, its a really terrific car.