2008 Subaru Outback Consumer Reviews Page 8

Subaru

Written by: Barbara Bengels on 10/08/2007

Vehicle

2008 Subaru Outback 2.5I Limited 4dr Wagon AWD w/VDC (2.5L 4cyl 4A)

Review

Adequate acceleration, stable braking, air conditioner dual controls and seat warmer excellent, single roof window works fine. Quite pleased with it. Miss cassette tape deck. Would like MP3 port.

Favorite Features

Seat warmer, moon roof, air conditioner.

Suggested Improvements

MP3 port and tape deck.

2 out 4 people found this review helpful

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Best Outback yet

Written by: Andrew on 10/02/2007

Vehicle

2008 Subaru Outback 2.5 XT Limited 4dr Wagon AWD w/VDC (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 5A)

Review

My third Outback and by far the best. Wanted a fun mid-life car, needed a practical car for the fam and the mountains. Subaru hits the mark with the XT turbo! Far more fun to drive than my H6 2002 LL Bean! It drives very tight and solid, very smooth and quiet, turbo kicks in nicely and pulls you along beautifully. I love wagons and the XT is the best combination of any brand/model. Steering wheel feels good in my large hands. Still trying to find the best seat position for my tall self. Skip the nav and add your own portable, upgradeable Garmin or other. Looked at SUVs (Tribeca, Highlander, RAV4, CR-V, RDX) and prefer XT. Great car for my wants and needs!

Favorite Features

Beautiful gray color with nice off black interior. Great stereo (but had to tame the subwoofer)! Very fun to drive yet hauls us and gear around beautifully. Nice, simple dash and display layout, not high-techy cheesy like so many other cars today. Drives wonderfully. AWD!

Suggested Improvements

More small storage, coin drawer. Doors feel slightly less solid than previous. Mid-row LATCH car seat attachments. Gas mileage as expected but still I dream it could be better. Ashtray is almost useless; make a trash drawer instead.

18 out 18 people found this review helpful

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Great value, fun!

Written by: cdb9000 on 09/27/2007

Vehicle

2008 Subaru Outback 2.5I L.L.Bean Edition 4dr Wagon AWD w/Nav (2.5L 4cyl 4A)

Review

Bought this car 4 months ago, replaced 2001 Toyota Landcruiser. Tired of paying $75 premium, now I pay $35 regular to fill it! Owned 2 Volvo wagons (new) before my LC, and the Subaru compared to those in comfort and luxury. I looked at the Honda CRV and Rav4, too. CRV had good safety, but so cheap inside I couldn't stand it. Rav4 has very poor rear crash test, and I don't like when Mac trucks come up on my rear when I'm stopped and sitting in a car with no bumper. Acceleration is fine, it's no BMW or 8cyl, but gets me from here to there safely and in comfort! The Subaru has 5 star safety ratings all around - very important to me (and kids). Check out IIHS website for crash ratings.

Favorite Features

Comfortable power seats. Safety rating. Ground clearance for charging into driveway in snow. Leather, nav, auto dim mirrors, leg and side room (great space between you and the door!). 30 mpg highway after 7000 mi, 25 city. 6 CD, cool illuminated instrument panel, under 30K, can't wait for snow!

Suggested Improvements

Seat belt chime, no useful roof racks (what's with these useless curved crossbars on cars these days?), halogen headlights, typical Subaru engine noise (ext. only)... but you know you're going to get that!

5 out 5 people found this review helpful

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Subaru Outback Limited with VDC

Written by: TODD SIGLER on 09/27/2007

Vehicle

2008 Subaru Outback 2.5I Limited 4dr Wagon AWD w/VDC (2.5L 4cyl 4A)

Review

I just bought my outback limited w/VDC about 3 weeks ago. At first, my vehicle was hesitating very badly and I took it back to the dealership where they said it was a loose #3 spark plug wire. I was not happy at this, to say the least. However, since the spark plug has been adjusted 2 weeks ago, my vehicle has been performing very well. My ride is much smoother than most vehicles I've been in; I don't feel bumps in the road as much as other vehicles. The AWD is wonderful in handling a lot of turns as I live in West Virginia.

Favorite Features

The panoramic moonroof opens beautifuly with a view of the southern sky. Drives very smoothly at a high rate of speed. Very well insulated such that there is no outside noise with the windows shut. Takes turns very smoothly. The stereo system is awesome!

Suggested Improvements

Acceleration could be improved in going from 0 to 60. Windshield likes to fog up when there is only slight humidity in the air (have to use the defrost too much).

2 out 2 people found this review helpful

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Transmission blown at 4,200 miles

Written by: John Kasperowicz on 09/18/2007

Vehicle

2008 Subaru Outback 3.0 R L.L.Bean Edition 4dr Wagon AWD w/VDC (3.0L 6cyl 5A)

Review

I have owned many Subaru models in the past years. This new 2008 Outback will be my last. The transmission blew out at 4,200 miles and left me stranded. I think that the new transmission selection of different modes might have contributed to failure. This new feature is more of a gimmick than a useful option. Ride of car is not good, very jarring over small potholes or minor dips in road. Way too much road noise. Leather quality of seat not very good for 32k car. Overall, car is not worth the money and quality of parts and the interior is lower than previous models.

Favorite Features

All wheel drive.

Suggested Improvements

Seat quality and comfort. Self dimming side view mirrors. Road noise must be lowered.

26 out 36 people found this review helpful

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Stability Control Requires Leather Seats

Written by: ruddyduck67 on 09/13/2007

Vehicle

2008 Subaru Outback 2.5I Limited 4dr Wagon AWD w/VDC (2.5L 4cyl 4A)

Review

Best midsize value on the market. I wanted stability control as an extra safety measure but was kind of annoyed that this requires a whole host of non-safety oriented upgrades like leather seats and a moonroof (which is actually very nice). The other wagons in the lineup require premium fuel!? Yeah, I wanna spend an extra 20 cents per gallon for the life of the car. Anyway, it is a very nice driving car, very tight for a wagon, and can carry anything when considering the interior and the roofrack. One more thing about the roofrack, take off your crossbars when not in use. That little effort will take 5 minutes and can save you on mileage.

Favorite Features

Driving position, dual moonroof, corering stability.

Suggested Improvements

Storage kind of stinks. Glove box doesn't fit much. Silly little ashtray is all but useless. No practical change holder. And as a running theme, work on better mpg. I am averaging 20 mpg. Talk to Toyota about dropping a hybrid under the hood.

4 out 5 people found this review helpful

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Utility meets Luxury and Reliablitity

Written by: FXOFFROAD on 08/24/2007

Vehicle

2008 Subaru Outback 2.5I Limited 4dr Wagon AWD w/VDC (2.5L 4cyl 4A)

Review

This is a blast to drive. Mileage is good and the sport shift truly rises to the occasion. Hard to believe this is 4 banger that cost under 30,000 for the 2.5i Limited. I trade a 2003 Ford F250 so it was a dramatic change, but definitely for the best. Test drove Honda CRV, Ford Edge, Escape & Explorer, Audi wagons. But for the value, the Outback was truly the best choice. Extremely satisfied. Taken up to the Colorado Rocky Mountains often and its performs extremely well. Compared to my 07 Lexus ES, this vehicle is truly a great value for its outstanding build quality, AWD, and economy.

Favorite Features

Overall value! AWD, sunroof, VDC, comfortable seats, sport shift on automatic. Very comfortable seats.

Suggested Improvements

Coin drawer, sunglass holder (not available w/ the sunroof), power tailgate lift, dual climate control should be independent of air source (outside or recycled interior air). Navigation available on the Limited version. More aggressive all-season tires other than the Bridgestones.

11 out 11 people found this review helpful

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Basis model beats Rav4 in smackdown

Written by: Lk Superior north sh on 08/19/2007

Vehicle

2008 Subaru Outback 2.5I 4dr Wagon AWD (2.5L 4cyl 4A)

Review

Had great Mazda3 but couldn't sleep with winter coming, spent two weeks checking out Rav4 options. Then drove the Suby, game over. Rav4 has +7ft cargo, +800lbs towing, and losses on at least a dozen other comps. This is a classy ride, I don't need speed. It's got all the winter things Toyota charges extra for. Better ride than either Base Rav or Rav Sport. 4AT has 3 modes, what else could I need? The basic climate and audio systems are a good trade off for heated 8 way power seats and true AWD.

Favorite Features

Heated everything, great road feel, easy to get kayak on top, 31.8 mpg on first tank, never under 25 so far, 34 on nice 50 mph north shore scenic road. Beautiful charcoal cloth interior, 3 AT modes. Only 1000 miles on it, but I can't wait to get past new car phase and explore.

Suggested Improvements

Just put the subwoofer in at the factory. Dealer has a 48 step install, not going to have my new car disassembled quite yet. Really short on driver storage spaces, but hey, it's so comfy in there I'll carry a purse. And, put the audio controls on the steering wheel, we all expect that now.

11 out 14 people found this review helpful

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Second review after 3 months

Written by: gtskier on 08/05/2007

Vehicle

2008 Subaru Outback 2.5 XT Limited 4dr Wagon AWD w/VDC (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 5A)

Review

Great fun to drive. Mileage is better than expected, 24 mpg in SI Drive - "S" mode driving up and down canyon 5400 to 9200 feet on weekly shopping trips and local mountain driving daily. Handles great on curves, highways, dirt. One exception: factory Bridgestone tires squirm excessively on grooved pavement. Road noise is a bit high, but crank up the great stereo with SRS-WOW, MP3 CD and jack. Can't wait to see the VDC work on snow and ice this winter.

Favorite Features

Suggested Improvements

14 out 14 people found this review helpful

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Ranch Mom Liking 08 OB

Written by: Ranch Mom on 06/23/2007

Vehicle

2008 Subaru Outback 2.5I Limited 4dr Wagon AWD (2.5L 4cyl 4A)

Review

After 3 years of researching I decided it was time to downsize from my Ford Excursion. I love my Excursion, but couldn't stomach the cost of driving it any longer. Even though the Subaru is a world apart from my "bus", I am getting used to the small size. The Ltd's fit and finish compared to other crossover vehicles was far superior. It is smooth to drive and after two tanks I've averaged 28 mpg in mixed driving. I'm 6 foot tall and with the much loved sunroof, the head room is tight and the leg room is adequate, while the backseat's leg room is snug for adults. I enjoyed driving the XT but with the premium fuel requirement and decreased mpg I couldn't justify it.

Favorite Features

The limited's sunroof, leather and wood trim sets the OB apart. The 08's grille gives it a sporty look. Good overall feel when driving. Great gas mileage for AWD.

Suggested Improvements

Legroom in back seats and head room in front. Lumbar support in passenger seat. More cupholders and places to put loose change. Bluetooth would be nice.

18 out 18 people found this review helpful

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