2019 Subaru Outback consumer reviews

I am planning a road trip soon and will be doing a lot of car camping, and along with owning and working with many dogs, I knew I needed something with the space and capabilities to handle what I needed. It's very "high tech" and has so many features. I haven't owned it for long, but I loved it the second I sat in it.

Bought this car sight unseen except through a virtual tour during Covid . We found this car for our son who lives in Park City , Utah from a Subaru Dealer in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He was looking for a 2019, Subaru, Outback Touring 3.6r with low mileage. So we flew up from NC , bought the car , and drove it home all in one day. The car out performed and handled better than any car I have ever driven. And I’ve owned a Jaguar for 20 years... The Subaru dealership was great helping us in orchestrating signatures and getting a 1.99% rate as well as an extra 4 year’s warranty bumper to bumper on top of the new car warranty, 3 years/36,000 mile that comes with the car. It is sporty and well made and a very handsome car inside and out. End of the story, we made the trip home to North Carolina by midnight and thoroughly enjoyed the long drive. We surprisingly were not tired I guess to the very well made seats that seemed to support our back well. Can’t say enough about this car , oh and the sound system and front panel with all the bells and whistles is great too.... I’m wondering if my husband will really give this car to our son.....

Compared to my 2010 Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited this 2019 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited is a step backward in many areas. The engine/transmission combination in this new car lacks the performance of the older offering. The Continuously Variable Transmission does not provide the the same acceleration as the old 5-speed automatic. The CVT is much slower in accelerating giving the impression it doesn't know what range to be in and the electronics limit engine power to only provide what the CVT can deal with. The fuel economy is significantly less than the previous model. This car has never been able to exceed the EPA highway mileage rating which was easy to do with the old car. The CVT does not hold the car back on a hill as well as a conventional transmission requiring more brake usage. Cold start up can sometimes give a stumble or hesitation when first shifting out of park, this problem cannot be duplicated regularly. Subaru service cannot fix an intermittent problem if it cannot be reproduced regularly. The expensive navigation system is a nightmare. It won't pair with my phone which meets system requirements. Attempting to use some functions can sometimes lock the system up for days. Attaching an iPod to the system will provide erratic results, sometimes works great, other times not so good. Navigation updates are painstaking, can only be done over wi-fi, you can only update 10 states at a time, engine must be running and transmission in park - owners manual warns against excessive engine idling. Salesman stated lifetime free updates, sales literature states 5 years. Again, intermittent problems cannot be fixed. Safety electronics abound in this car. Reverse automatic braking is especially problematic. When towing a trailer, backing has to be done extremely slowly otherwise it engages and in some instances applies the parking brake. It can be turned off each time you shift into reverse by touching a button on the navigation screen for 5 seconds. Without a trailer, backing up towards tall grass produces the same neck snap. The Eyesight system will sometimes give a warning when entering a curve at speed limit sensing guard rails on the edge of the road. While all of the electronic safety systems can be turned off, it is at different times and for different durations. Headlights in this car are an LED type, very bright. Illumination intensity is always the same, the focus and aim changes with beam selection. Low beam has a very distinct cutoff line which goes up on each side of the road. The height of the cutoff line is set high and cannot be adjusted (dealer service department states), very often blinding oncoming traffic which responds with their high beams. Roof rails have grown in height and are solid front to back. Might not seem like an issue until you have to remove snow from the roof. The Touring edition of this car has roof rails which are 1/3 to 1/4 of the height of the standard ones, I thought of swapping them out. Within six months of purchasing this car I tried purchasing roof rails for a Touring edition of this car from Subaru parts - No Longer Available. It is comforting to know some parts are no longer available for my new car. I ordered this car with a dealer installed Subaru trailer hitch. When the trailer hitch is installed, the rear bumper beam is removed from the car. Hitch instructions warn that if hitch is removed the bumper beam has to be put back in place and should be returned to car owner along with the instructions. I never received one or the instructions Ride is nice and handles well.

The 2019 Subaru Outback Touring is like a bank vault on wheels. It's all business- the ride is firm, the seats are firm, the controls, compared to most of today's cars, are simple and purposeful. Fit and finish rival that of a luxury car. But the best feature by far is the EyeSight suite of safety features. The active cruise control makes highway driving an absolute pleasure in any kind of traffic or weather, and the lane departure and blind spot warnings give me more confidence than in any previous vehicle I've owned. Two knocks- I pay for the smooth power of the big 3.6L six in not-so-great gas mileage (they've replaced it for 2020 with a turbo 4 I hear is more economical but noisy). The other is the OE halogen fog lights- they're too dim really to do much, so I installed some powerful LED replacements. Problem solved. So, in case you can't already tell, I love, love LOVE this car.

Fast, looks great, can be up on the mountain in the day and to the symphony at night. Interior is roomy, tons of room with sets down in the back, the new head unit has a huge screen and has not given me any issues to this point, I love it. I have zero regrets and nothing to complain about, this Subaru can do it all, and now I can tow 3500lbs with this Onyx to boot.

Only 2 nit-picks or this would be 100% my perfect vehicle. Roof rails have nowhere to tie-down to and need expensive cross-rails. I am reluctant to use all its power because of the way the CVT "feels". As I said - just me. Even so, this is the car I would most likely buy again.

Found a car we are going to enjoy for years. Everything from the exterior color to the interior we are very pleased. It is so fun to drive, can’t wait to make memories.

The Infotainment and control system is my only complaint. Apple CarPlay constantly disconnect from any phone connected after multiple cables, system flashes and even a head unit replacement it is still worse than the system from my 2009 Ford Escape.

The Subaru Outback 2.5 Limited is a beautifully designed car. Our 2013 Outback was totaled in an accident caused by the other driver (rear impact). I knew I was buying another when I saw how well it held up in the crash. And no one was hurt. The Outbacks are even safer now and the interior is spectacular.

The lease was up on mu 2017 Forester. Nice car but not sold on it comfort wise. Drove a 2019 Outback and love at first sight. Quiet solid ride, interior design and lighting especially is very classy and comfortable. I am thrilled with this car and the best car I have ever owned.