Used 2006 Subaru Outback Consumer Reviews
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Not a Car for those with Infants
Tamara, 05/21/2009
2006 Subaru Outback 2.5i 4dr Wagon AWD (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
When I purchased this vehicle, I did not have a child. With the exception of the headlight and interior lighting systems (mentioned in reviews by others), I was reasonably happy with the car until I had a child. This car does not allow for the infant car seat to be safely placed in the center of the backseat, which is the safest place for the child to ride. Moreover, the front passenger seat had to be pushed so far forward to accommodate the child carrier behind it, that that seat was rendered virtually useless. Although I had hoped to keep my OB for some time, the inconvenience associated with trying to transport an infant in this car will likely cause me to trade it soon.
You can do better
Bob L, 06/11/2007
2006 Subaru Outback 2.5i 4dr Wagon AWD (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
Bought this wagon because of all the reviews I had read. This vehicle performs exceptionally well and looks nice. Quality control is good. Now for the bad. EPA sticker 22-28 mpg. The last car I had was rated the same and I averaged 23-25 mixed driving. This vehicle is getting 20 mpg mixed but will get 28-29 on highway driving. The headrests are very obtrusive and hard to see past. I am average height (5'9") and the electric driver's seat doesn't quite give me the leg room I need. The passenger seat, although manual, is way worse. I can't even stretch out my legs. The rear legroom is terrible. Also trade-in value is the worst I have seen on any car I have owned.
2006 Subaru Outback for sale near you
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Loved my car, but wouldn't get another.
Katie, 02/23/2018
2006 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited 4dr Wagon AWD (2.5L 4cyl 5M)
3 of 6 people found this review helpful
To be fair, I bought my 2006 outback in 2013 and had no issues other than normal wear and tear things until 2017. It always leaked a little oil but I kept up with oil changes and checked it often and it never was an issue. The timing belt on mine broke before the expected mileage. It is an interference motor, so the timing belt breaking turned into a $2000 project to rebuild the engine and put a used transmission in. Of course, after that it was fine and would've lasted me a long time I'm sure, but an old lady crashed into it and totalled it. Bad luck I guess.
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Why I Probably Won't Buy an Outback
Lennie Blaumuehle, 04/04/2009
2006 Subaru Outback 2.5 XT Ltd 4dr Wagon AWD w/Black Int (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 5A)
2 of 4 people found this review helpful
The all-in-one control stalk for headlights, parklites, turn signals and high beams is a disaster. When reaching to lower high beams, it's very easy to turn off the headlights. It's happened to me numerous times and to others who have driven the car. It is in my opinion a serious design flaw. When I don't have access to a different vehicle for nite driving, I tape the headlight switch to on position. That aside, OB has met or exceeded all expectations. It stayed within a car length of a friend's manually shifted WRX thru the quarter mile. A little tuning since has made a huge improvement in power. OB has taken me places no other vehicle ever has.
LOVED it till it tried to kill us!
Carla Kelly, 03/05/2018
updated 03/16/2020
2006 Subaru Outback 2.5 XT Ltd 4dr Wagon AWD w/Ivory Int (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 5A)
12 of 34 people found this review helpful
WARNING!!! On 8/27/12, we bought a used 2006 Subaru Outback XT with @70K miles. On our first trip to Vermont, with about 400# of dogs and luggage in the back, new all-weather tires and a driver with a spotless 48-year record, on a flat straightaway at @30 mph in snow flurries, the car crept into the oncoming lane. My husband managed to tweek it back into our lane in time to avoid a head-on collision, but the car then spun out of control and hit a tree. The air bags broke both our sternums. I am a very small woman and was unable to breathe right afterwards. It was @9pm and the road was just starting to freeze, so we had slowed down from 50 mph. We ended up sideways in the road with smashed headlights--helpless. My husband managed to climb out and while trying to open my door to attend to me, had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by an oncoming car that then t-boned my side of our car with me still in it. They took me out on a back board. We both ended up in the hospital with broken sternums and assorted bumps, including a huge knot on my head where it smashed against the side window when the other car struck our car after the wreck--had it been going much faster, I'm sure I'd be dead. A huge local two-day search restored our two dogs to us, fortunately. We lost the car--totaled, just like us. Costs ran high for medical, transport home to CT, new car, etc. The intense, disabling pain lasted many weeks and I still have pain when the weather is bad--probably always will. In researching why the air bags nearly killed us both, I ran across the "ghost walking" term on line. Undoubtedly, that was the cause of the accident, since my husband had noted earlier on the trip that the car was handling like there was a cross wind even though there was none. That was our only warning of what awaited us that night. We have owned four Subarus and were dedicated fans. I still own an '09 WRX which I love, but the unconscionable failure of Subaru to "own" this design defect and notify owners and dealers about this very-dangerous problem with the rear toe-in under moderate loads nearly cost us our lives, and a great deal of pain and money. I had spent a lot of time researching this vehicle prior to purchase but didn't run across this issue--and am amazed that the 2005-09 Outback wagons still have a near-spotless safety record despite this VERY-serious design flaw. If Subaru handles this like they handle most design problems, nothing will come of our report to them and to NHTSA. Perspective buyers of the '05-'09 Subaru Outback wagons (American version only), should research this thoroughly. It only happens to some cars under certain load and road conditions. It you know about the potential problem you can have it checked and fixed (@$500-$1,000) but Subaru is mum about it. Be careful, people. This defect is a killer waiting to strike. I'm sorry that we only owned the car for about a month before it was totaled, so don't have some other details available like gas mileage, etc.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value