2008 Subaru Outback

The Basics
The Outback gets a few styling changes for 2008, most notably a new bumper and a restyled grille. Most people will be hard-pressed to tell the two apart, as the differences — both outside and in — are relatively minor.

All Outbacks offer either a four- or six-cylinder engine. Four-cylinder trim levels include the base, 2.5i and the 2.5i L.L.Bean Edition, which is the car I tested. The 2.5 XT Limited comes with a turbocharged four-cylinder. Topping things off is the Outback 3.0 R L.L.Bean Edition, which uses a six-cylinder engine.

Driving
Engine output ranges from 170 horsepower in the base four-cylinder to 245 hp with the six-cylinder. Manual or automatic transmissions are available for the regular and turbocharged four-cylinders.

The Inside
As midsize cars go, the Outback's five-seat cabin feels intimate. It seems like there's a lot of space-saving going on: The window controls are tightly wedged below the door handles, and the center console also serves as the place to plug in your electronics. The power driver's seat has limited range; I'm 6 feet tall, and with the optional dual-pane moonroof, I needed to lower my seat all the way for adequate headroom.

Total passenger volume ranges from 93 to 98 cubic feet, depending on whether you have a moonroof. As far as space for five occupants goes, sedans like the Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima offer slightly more.

The dashboard is attractive, with handsome two-tone materials and a nicely textured steering wheel. I only wish the rest of the cabin measured up. The heated seat controls have a rickety feel, and the doors lack window frames, so they don't shut with as much heft as I've come to expect in a midsize car. They also let in a significant amount of wind noise on the highway. Many other cars with frameless windows — mostly coupes — address road noise by powering the glass up an extra quarter-inch after the door has been shut, so it fits snug with the door seal. The Outback's windows do not. They don't all completely lower, either: The rear windows stop three-fourths of the way down at a crooked angle.

Safety
As of this writing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has not crash tested the Outback. Standard equipment includes four-wheel-disc antilock brakes, side-impact airbags for the front seats and side curtain airbags for both rows. An electronic stability system is optional.

Outback in the Market
If the Outback has something going for it, it's durability. The car's modest offroad credentials are rare among wagons, and the current generation, introduced for 2005, has returned impressive reliability ratings so far. It also holds a unique value proposition: There are precious few all-wheel-drive wagons that cost $25,000.

Play with the criteria a bit, however, and the Outback's isolation breaks down. SUVs have the offroad talents, two-wheel-drive wagons have the cargo room, and midsize sedans have the passenger space — and all three can be had for a similar price. With so many alternatives just a few steps away, I'm not sure the Outback can still rely on its differences to keep buyers coming.

Digging Deeper
Apart from the sheet metal updates, the Outback hasn't changed much from last year. For more thoughts on this model, check out Joe Wiesenfelder's review of the 2007 model here. He drove the 2.5 XT Limited trim, which is mechanically identical to the 2008 2.5 XT Limited. Joe shares some thoughts on SI-Drive, as well as the Outback's turbocharged performance.