2020 Subaru Outback: FULL REVIEW | Subaru Goes Techy and Hits a HOME RUN!

What is happening on you tube? So it's hard to overstate the importance of the interior for Subaru. Not only is their most recognizable nameplate, but also their best-selling product. In recent years, its popularity has skyrocketed and so far this year. 130 thousand units of the outgoing model have been sold. That's why we turned to Quantrell Subaru as soon as the first all-new

2020

model arrived, and of course, if you're in the market for a new Subaru, be sure to stop by their dealership or visit them through their website which we provide a link to at the video description, so with all that said, let's see if this is the best Outback ever built.

So to start with the exterior, as is typical with most redesigned Subarus, I haven't rocked the boat much. The design at the front is especially familiar, although if you look closely you'll see that the shape of the grilles has been gently redesigned and there's more black cladding along the underside to further amplify the rugged look. Like the headlights they have also changed subtly as the position of the LED bulb and turn signal changed this year. This LED configuration used to be optional last year, but is now standard on adaptive LEDs with a slightly different design. Come on, the limited one and the tour.

Finally, at the bottom, all but the base model have LED fog lights and all models have eight point seven inches of ground clearance. As for the side, the main difference compared to the outgoing generation is the upward drop in the window that also coincides with the new movement of the rear lights. They are partially directed on all models and then downwards. There's more black cladding and a hidden exhaust outlet. So overall, the exterior of the Outback didn't change much, but they did change the important parts to give it a completely modern look. Now turning our attention to the wheels, there are three different designs, all new this year.

These are the 17-inch alloys that come in both the base and premium models. While upgrading to limited or touring alloys with 18-inch contrast alloys. Finally, the XT Onyx edition has a special 18-inch black finish. alloys Next we have the mirrors which are body color on all but the base trim and on our model with package 15 we have the projector light and auto dimming capabilities. That same package also adds BSM to this premium. However, beyond BSM, everything else about security. Systems are standard across the board, meaning even the base model has automatic pre-collision braking, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams.

Additionally, Limited and Touring models also enjoy rear automatic braking. But anyway, that pretty much does it for the exterior, so now let's move on and look at the much bigger changes to the cabin. So in the new Outback you'll find its standard smart entry system on the Limited model and above. However, in this premium model, we still have the option activated with the traditional Subaru smart key. fob Now, as for remote starting, you can do it through the Starling app. Now, to enter the vehicle, Subaru integrates a sensor behind the handle, so all you have to do is grab it.

Alright, take a first look inside the whole thing. New

2020

Outback What I can say right off the bat about the cabin is that it has a mix of familiar and completely new design cues for the Subaru brand. Now, as always, the first thing we're going to talk about is its cabin materials and colors. So at its base through its premium trim, it will come standard with cloth seats like this one you have here, the new Onyx edition It comes with this special startex, basically a waterproof upholstery. Then when you upgrade to the limited model, you get real leather. and the touring now comes with nappa leather for 2020.

As for the slate black colors for the base model, only premium up to the limited

home

with the additional color options of titanium gray or this warm ivory model and finally with the Touring that will come with the exclusive and special Java brown color. Now I'll hand it over to your man George, it's surprisingly well decorated. Being the premium model it is close to the base. So we have a synthetic leather material on the entire armrest here with an actual stitching detail over here. It's a fabric that matches the cloth seats and the entire top here is padded with a faux carbon fiber trim.

Two-person memory seats would be standard on the Limited model and above and then both of our front windows are one-touch automatic. Now we come to See here, Subaru has nicely included this 10-way power dust seat with 2-way lumbar support as standard equipment on all models except the base model and then as I already said, this specific premium comes with the cloth seats, but I have to say I am very impressed by the way it looks. It really is a cool design. I like that. You are not being penalized for choosing the most affordable model because we still have color contrast, different stitching textures.

So it actually looks very attractive and it's a very comfortable environment. Now probably the biggest change from the new Outback is simply what a big step forward this cabin is. It definitely has some of the best materials in the entire Subaru lineup and that

goes

for even this most basic premium model, so on our dashboard above you have a soft touch plastic. But then, this entire middle part is impressively covered with a leather wrap material with a genuine stitching detail. So, once again, that's very unexpected down here. You get more of that leather with a few more stitches.

And in typical Subaru fashion, everything fits together very precisely and feels extremely solid. Now once again the push button start comes with smart input. So that would be limited and included as standard or optional equipment in this premium. And when you press it, you'll see the most impressive new feature for 2020 and it's this new 11.6-inch high-resolution touchscreen for the infotainment system. This is actually standard on the premium model. So the only model that won't have it is the base model and instead will have two separate seven-inch screens. But I'll get into the actual software and stuff a little later in the video. but it's definitely very impressive for this type of vehicle and at this price I don't think any other rival has anything like this.

Now, checking the gauges here, they are pretty much the traditional Subaru layout. So you've got analog gauges and then a 4.2-inch multifunction display in the middle, you can cycle through all your traditional information here that's related to travel and all that, but the big change for 2020 takes us back to this screen from Everything It's practically integrated here. The previous six-inch screen that used to be stacked here on top in recent Subarus is now integrated here into this top bar. So what you're going to do is you're going to scroll over here and you're going to see the same type of information where you have the status of different functions, you have mode X.

You have the engine temperature and you can fill this in to make it whatever you want. But basically he just acts. kind of a shortcut and an assistant screen for these main things here and for that multifunction screen. Now, back to the wheel, of course, you have electric power steering and Subaru nicely includes their leather-wrapped steering wheel on all but the base model. You have all the traditional voice and audio controls from your phone here, as well as some related ones. security system and its adaptive cruise control to the steering wheel. It is manually adjusted across the board and will also be heated. whether you opt for the 2.5i Touring or the XT Limited and XT Touring.

Now moving on to interior storage, of course, this is a mid-size crossover and it has crossover-sized amounts of space. So now this center console opens into two different pieces. Then you'll notice that you'll pinch this side right here And it'll take you to a little shallow storage area for something small. Pinch the other side and this will open you up to the large overall part of the center console. You have a nice felt lining. down at the bottom. This was a 12 volt outlet inside up there and from there we finally have two huge cup holders, we're going to say one of them comes with a height adjuster to make it a little bit taller and then on the front here.

We have a curve that steps back pretty decently and is deep and this is where you will find the two USB charging ports as well as the auxiliary jack. Now, coming here to your shifter, it's a traditional shifter shared with most other new Subaru models. So it is very simple to use. All you have to do is reverse to get the drive flowing to the left if you want to manually shift through the now eight simulated gear changes and Subaru has nicely included paddle shifters to control those ratios and that's standard on most of the cases.

Now when we reverse, of course, you will find a standard rearview camera. All models also have dynamic guidelines like this. And it occupies this top portion of the screen, which is now new this year. a front camera, not a 360 degree camera, but a front camera for use in off-road or parking situations. And that comes in the Touring models and the new Onyx edition. And we also have an electronic parking brake. Alright, now That brings us here to this whole display area. This is where most of the features of this cabin are found. So we will continue climbing as usual.

So we'll start down here with the climate controls. Now Subaru has made automatic climate control standard across the board. However, you have to set the auto zone when you opt for the premium version and above. So what you'll notice about this is basically that you have both virtual and physical buttons to control it. I like the fact that you can quickly adjust the temperature for example without having to click anything. And it has all its functions located quite easily, you don't have to click through a bunch of menus. This will always remain here now. One of the things Subaru is keen to point out is that this climate control actually has a separate processor from the main screen.

They've done it that way, but so that there's no delay or anything like that when you're trying to adjust the weather, which is a critical feature. And I have seen that in some of the other vehicles that integrate all of this into one thing. Now Subaru has also done away with the hard buttons for seat adjustments. So much so that you will notice when you click on it that it expands. This is where you will turn on the seat heating. This is surprisingly standard across the base model as well. But seat ventilation will be reserved only for Touring models.

Now, move to the side here. You will come to the volume knob it is, of course, as you see, a physical volume knob to control the audio system. The base model comes with four speakers, most models come with six speakers, but the Limited and Touring models will come with the 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system. Of course, we have the middle option. So let's go ahead and take a sample. The sound quality of this system is surprisingly good for a basic sound system. Now we are in the middle section. This is where the actual infotainment system lives.

So we'll go ahead and take a look at it. Now, of course, as I already said, this is definitely the biggest change to the 2020 Outback inside this cabin, as you now have this big, high-tech screen that no other Subaru has had before. So now everything is on this screen as well. for these few physical buttons on the side So what you'll do is just press the

home

button and it will populate with all your apps on the home screen here. You can scroll and add more and you can also rearrange and customize them. kind of like a smartphone So we'll go ahead and go over some of the basic functions here.

This is our TomTom navigation system. It comes standard only on the Touring, but can't be added to lower trim levels like this premium. As you can see, it's actually quite detailed. It responds very well to pinch to zoom and all that. And I like the amount of screen it takes up. Plus, you'll also find Apple Carplay and Android Auto standard across the board. If you do not purchase the navigation system, you will still have access to Google Maps or Apple Maps. Going into our media here, you have your sources lined up at the top that you can access and then we're paired with standard Bluetooth so you can click play and pause.

I like it and you also like that the signal is available just below Where the music plays forso you can quickly select a certain song you want to play and go directly to it. These are just some of the benefits of having this. real estate They simply have many additional features that you won't find on a regular eight-inch oriented display. Let's say now, since they've pretty much eliminated a lot of physical controls, this is a very important button now, this is your car button. Now what it does is show different things related to the vehicle that may have been physically represented before in On the outgoing model, for example, the X mode button is now here.

So you can turn it on and off like this. You can also turn traction control on or off here and your vehicle hold and then you have various other things for driver assistance systems as well as different types of chimes and your car. start/stop system. On the other side you have this little head, this is where you can link the driver profiles to the keychain that way you can really customize the system to whatever you want and then it can change to say your spouse. which uses a separate keychain to have your own preferences there.

Anyway, that pretty much sums up the differences of this system versus the regular Star Link system. We have a dedicated technical help video available if you want to learn more about the Starling system in general and a link is provided in the description of the video which I will follow here. We have an auto-dimming mirror and three Homelink universal remotes. Normally it is a limited and top feature optional once again in this premium. And this premium also has the power sliding sunroof. It's generally reserved only for the 2.5i Touring and XT Limited. or Touring But we have the option that in this model specifically it is the normal size unit with windshield.

A panoramic one is not offered as in the Forester. I think that's because owners frequently use the roof rails. However, it is something to keep in mind if you cross-buy. But overall, I must say that I am very impressed with the cabin of this 2020 house. Production at the moment is really low. They are just starting to arrive at the dealership. So this was the only model we could get. That said, I was wondering how nice the premium model's cabin would be, since it's close to the base model. And it's on the lower end of the spectrum.

But I have to say you're really not giving up much of anything when you opt for this affordable model. This is probably the model you should get because you get a lot of technology and also a lot of luxury and the really high quality of the cabin materials that the top has. The final models are very impressed overall. Alright, that's it for the front. Now I'll hand it over to my brother Mason, who will check the back seats and cargo here. So back to everyone's back seats. -New 2020 Subaru Outback You will find a good amount of space like last year.

So you'll find 40 inches of rear legroom and 39 inches of rear headroom. For reference, that puts it on par with the Subaru. Forester and also makes it a little larger than the trim on Murano and Santa Fe. Now moving on to the door trim, you have a very nice one on this premium model. This is cloth up to here, but you have leather across the armrest portion. You have the window, as well as a bottle holder and a small storage space next to it. Now moving on to the seats, I'm a big fan of the fabric. It has a lot of color contrast, which I really like on the seat.

It also reclines if you use this little lever. Now here in the center, the Outback has many features, but in this premium model we are missing the rear vents, I assume they would be on the higher end. models and below you'll find smart charging USB ports which is a really nice touch and they're actually standard on all but the base model now I also want to point out that if you opted for the limited or touring model or the any of the xt models It would also have heated rear seats back here. Now in the center we have a folding armrest, it has cup holders at the end and at the top we have a quality headliner, some lights as well as a hook and grab assist Now, regarding the legroom in the rear , like I said, it's actually pretty big.

So behind your seating position, I have about six inches of rear legroom and my feet can easily slide under the seat. So everyone will definitely be comfortable in the back here Now the seats also have a 60/40 split, so what you have to do is locate this little button and I fold it down. Now we come to the tailgate. This is one of the areas where the 2020 model has changed and that is that it now offers hands-free power. Well, we now have the hands-free power tailgate on the Limited Touring Limited and Touring Tramp like the XT was or you can go for this premium one, which is what we've done.

So to open it, all you have to do is walk up to the Subaru emblem, place your hand and it will feel it, and then open it. Now, once you're inside the new 2020 Outbacks trunk, you'll find another huge amount of space. You'll find 33 cubic feet of space behind the second-row seats, which expands to 76 cubic feet if you fold them down. Now for reference, once again, it is a little smaller than the Subaru Forester. However, it's bigger than the Murano and Ford Edge Now in terms of how they finish it here. It has a very nice finish.

So you've got a cargo cover and a little bit of storage back here. And under the floor. We have a little bit of storage space down here and Subaru was nice enough to include the little handles to fold down the seats. from back here So what I have to do is grab it and it folds down. Now moving on to the passenger seat, it is manual on this model. But if you opt for the limited or higher, it would be electric in front of the passenger. It has some storage here and below, we have a good sized glove box and surprisingly it is very well located.

Not on top of that, we have a little storage cubby here and upstairs. We have a sun visor with lights and a mirror and it can also be detached and extended. But anyway guys, that about sums up all the rear areas of this new Outback. So now let's go ahead and hit the road and see how. You drive around there. Alright, so let's go ahead and talk about the powertrain situation with this 2020 Outback. Now, like last year, it comes with two different engine options. So you have the basic four-cylinder engine. It's the 2.5-liter flat-four engine that produces 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque, the same as the Forester Now, while that model no longer offers an XT.

The great news is that the Outback has brought back the XT. So now we have a return to turbocharged power with the Outback, the 3.6-liter V6 has been discontinued in favor of a turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-4 engine that produces 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque. , so they are definitely very good numbers. Yes, as for the transmission, it will always be Lineartronic a CVT. But you know, I've set up eight simulated gears instead of seven previously. And, of course, you have standard symmetrical all-wheel drive equipment on every Outback regardless. Finally, when it comes to fuel economy, you will see good improvements over last year.

So the base engine has an increase of 1 MPG combined, 226 city, 33 highway, 29 combined. However, where you will notice the biggest improvement will be over the previous v6 to this new turbocharged four-cylinder engine with capacity for 23 in the city, 30 on the highway. 26 combined four mpg with spurts of ash and still, we're definitely very notable for how good the fuel economy is for that kind of power as well. But anyway, that's enough specs, let's take it on the road and see how different it is out there Alright, so it'll take off for the first time in the 2020 Outback. This is the base engine, the 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine.

It will be what most people will choose that they historically have and well, maybe more people will choose the turbo. than the previous v6 due to improvements in fuel economy Still, most people are going to choose this based engine. So even though this one doesn't get all the headlines and things like the XT, it's very important that this model is very good and my initial. impressions here that it feels really quite lively. I'm very surprised that I barely understood it, the power actually feels very good. I have driven this engine and several smaller Subarus, but this definitely makes this vehicle move pretty fast.

Yes, I didn't expect it to be like this. that powerful. Also from the beginning. I just want to go ahead and talk about the CVT. Extremely responsive, you can see how quickly it responds to the way I changed my position on the throttle. If I don't have any of that CVT lag where you lower it and have to figure it out. You know, he just mopes and whatever. You know, if I press lightly, we stay here. I press harder, it immediately jumps. It gets me going in a proper way. and then lowers it again almost like a traditional gear change.

Now it doesn't really do any kind of simulation. Some vehicles like the newer Nissan Altima, for example, even when you're simply driving. Normally, you basically use a CVT to simulate gear changes. That doesn't happen. here However, as I already said, you don't know how to feel any of that rubber band That's it or anything and you can use the paddles if you want to still have that traditional shifting experience. We now also have an automatic start/stop system. also here in the Outback, which is of course new. And the Forester was the first Subaru to have it last year.

So when this red light turns green, we'll see how quickly and how smoothly it starts. Very pretty, very soft. And I also quickly noticed one moment that it was on and it actually had this interesting timer on it. I was wondering what yes. Yeah, definitely, definitely, good power. We're getting back to that. Yes, auto start-stop measures how long it has been on, not just like this time, but a total and tells you how much gas it estimates you saved by using auto start-stop. So, for example, it's on So far, all the auto start/stop sessions have added up to an estimated savings of 0.8 gallons, so that's kind of interesting and I think it's a good idea to tell people why they should stop on, they might want to use it because a lot of people will just turn it off and never use it, but if it's so nice and smooth, maybe it's something you want to consider.

You know, and another thing I'm noticing is kind of like a cruise. here at about forty miles an hour But it's very comfortable here inside, you know, I expected it to be very smooth and stuff, but I really didn't expect it to write as luxurious as it does, it honestly feels like a very luxurious ride. It's almost like a luxury car. When you hit a bump you don't feel it and it's very quiet and here I am impressed. One of the other really obvious improvements to this new model is the shape. what it feels like in general with balance and steering.

Now Subaru says the structural rigidity of this thing has actually increased by 70%, which seems outrageous, you know? But you can't really say that it definitely has this really solid feeling, not that the previous one. one didn't feel solid, but this feels, I guess, unusually solid for an affordable vehicle, oh. It just has this solidity, the steering is now really more responsive and much more communicative and as you can see, it changes direction at lightning speed, and the Outback has this kind of agile feel to it. That's one of the great benefits of the Outback is that it straddles this line between crossover and wagon.

You get a lot of the same benefits, but it's still kind of a truck-like truck since it's an SUV, so you get a more sedan-like driving experience. But overall, I have to say I'm very impressed by the way this Outback drives and overall pretty impressed by the overall package. Know? You're really getting a lot for your money, especially as we've discussed. We are driving the premium model. We haven't been to the And then as far as the base engine

goes

, it's certainly not a penalty, the vast majority of people will be more than satisfied with that kind of power and will especially enjoy the fuel economy and improved driving dynamics compared to a more traditional midsize crossover.

Very good now. Go ahead and talk about the price of this brand new Outback. So there are quite a few different trim levels that I'm going to look at. They added quite a few new trim levels thisyear. So for the very basic 2.50 model, it will cost twenty-six thousand six hundred and forty-five dollars, which is worth noting. That's about three hundred dollars more than the 2019 model, which is actually pretty good. You know, they usually trade it for a thousand or two. But if you want to go for the premium model, which is what we have here, which starts at twenty-eight thousand eight hundred ninety-five, the Limited starts at thirty-three thousand four. one hundred ninety-five and then you have the XT Onix Edition for thirty-four thousand eight hundred ninety-five dollars for the two point five I Touring for thirty-seven thousand three hundred forty-five for the Xt.

Limited to thirty-seven thousand seven hundred and forty-five And finally you have the xt touring for thirty-nine thousand six hundred and ninety-five dollars. Now this particular Outback has optioned almost every option that the premium model can get, so we have the options package. 15 for two thousand nine hundred and ninety-five dollars Auto-dimming outside mirrors for six hundred and seven splash guards for one seventy-two rear bumper cover for 159 all-weather floor liners for 132 and rear seat backrest protector percent four dollars And finally when you add the destination charge of one thousand ten dollars. This particular model, as equipped, costs thirty-four thousand and seventy-four dollars.

Which, you know, I have to say is a very, very good value. No, I was pleasantly surprised. You know, on a card in the thirty-four thousand dollar range. You expect the interior to be somewhat basic and I don't really feel that with this car. Well guys, we've enjoyed seeing one of the first in-depth looks at the whole thing. new 2020 Subaru Outback Hit the like buttons and subscribe if you haven't already. And we'll see you next time, as we say, for more of the latest automotive delights!