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Used 2014 Subaru Outback Consumer Reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
67 reviews
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Pros
Cons
4 out of 5 stars

Grinding noises and burns oil

Breana, 08/03/2015
updated 08/02/2016
2014 Subaru Outback 2.5i 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl 6M)
16 of 16 people found this review helpful

I'm a huge fan of the Outback. After my 2011 was totaled I went straight to Subaru and bought the 2014. But I've had some pretty obnoxious issues, the first being it burns oil. Like other have mentioned my car burns a quart of oil every 2200 miles. Additionally, when keeping the car right around 30-40 miles slowly accelerating to keep the speed I notice a grinding noive coming from the front of the car. No one seems to be able to explain it to me which is pretty lame.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
4 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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3 out of 5 stars

Rust its what makes a subaru

coffeelude, 03/21/2015
2014 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl 6M)
33 of 35 people found this review helpful

Got a brand new 2014 Subaru 15 months ago, mostly satisfied initially with the ride. Have about 12000 miles on it so far. Some minor issues include uneven acceleration in the morning and weird jerking when changing from reverse to drive. A few months after I bought the car I noticed that the bottom exterior of the car was rusting. A few searches online and seems like we were not alone. Neither the dealer or Subaru customer service were interested in acknowledging the problem. They claim that it is normal for a 5 month old car to start rusting. I live in the Washington dc metro area where the winters are not extreme.

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5 out of 5 stars

Happy to Join the Subaru Family

cornpuff, 10/31/2013
2014 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
33 of 35 people found this review helpful

Shopped around a lot, but was won over by the Outback's push-button park brake (wife has physical issues with pull-ups), its interior refinement, its reputation for reliability, its snow-handling prowess (BIG plus). Dealer couldn't have been happier to give a great trade in value and shave 2,500 off MSRP. It has SUV abilities, but drives like a car, and does not jiggle like a tall SUV. We are an empty nest couple in our 60s, who live on a farm in PA, and we need the perfect blend of on-road manners with the guts to get up and down a challenging driveway. It is a relief to find such a vehicle after fighting the SUV wars for decades. Should've done this years ago.

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5 out of 5 stars

Love this car

jons2, 04/09/2014
updated 04/11/2016
2014 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
36 of 39 people found this review helpful

I traded in my 04 Highlander for the Outback, primarily because I needed a small SUV type vehicle that would get better gas mileage, and be comfortable on trips etc. This Outback met all my expectations. The seats are very comfortable, gas mileage is better now that the engine is broken in and the Chicago weather is warming. I get about 27MPG in mixed suburban/highway driving with the 2.5 engine. I noticed that the mileage suffers when the engine is cold (runs richer) and can take some time to warm up on real cold days. Constant short trips will kill gas mileage, fyi. Engine has plenty of pep which was an initial concern and I was impressed on how quiet and refined it is. After 2 yrs and 15000 miles, I still love this car. No issues with anything mechanical or electrical up till now, granted 15000 miles is not a great test of time. Mileage is better in the warmer months than in the winter as it takes a while for it to warm up. I drive mostly short distances so that kills the mileage. I did take it on my first road trip last summer around lake Michigan which encompassed a multitude of 2 lane highway roads. The eyesight technology on the cruise control really proved its worth. The Outback kept a safe distance to the car in front and even stopped when the car in front of me stopped. Has great traction in snow and I love the CVT! FYI, I did have my unlock touch sensor re-programmed by the dealer to include all doors to be unlocked at the touch of the drivers door. Found it more convenient than just having the drivers side unlock. I believe however that if Subaru adapted direct injection on the cylinders it would greatly improve the performance and MPG on this engine. Also, the logic on the steering wheel switch for radio presets is backwards. If station number 1 is visibly located at the top of the screen and station 6 is at the bottom, would it not make sense to coordinate the steering wheel up down button to the visible location instead of what they have which is a numerical logic order of 1 being at the bottom and 6 at the top? It drives me crazy that I have to consciously think that up is down every time I want to change stations. I hope they fixed that on newer versions. Great car otherwise!

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

My Third Subaru

Dan Watson, 04/01/2015
updated 10/12/2021
2014 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl 5A)
19 of 20 people found this review helpful

I bought a '10 Forester when we moved to a ski resort. Loved it, but traded for an '11 Outback because I wanted a bigger vehicle. Loved that one too. After 3 years and 80,000 miles, traded it in on an identical '14 3.6 Outback. I prefer a traditional auto trans instead of a CTV, I got one of the last '14s. Love this one too. It has 16,000 miles with no problems. Gets 24 mpg with mixed driving. When I bought the Forester, I asked the salesman why Subaru doesn't advertise much (they do more now). He said that once someone becomes a Subaru owner, they tend to come back again. I guess I'm proof of that. We've had the Outback for almost 3 years and 40,000 miles and are still very pleased about it. No problems with it at all. An odd observation. My 2011 Outback often needed a quart of oil added between scheduled oil changes every 3,750 miles. I was told that's not unusual. My 2014 Outback, with the same engine, doesn't go through oil at all. The frequency of the recommended oil changes is shorter than most cars, but I've figured it's cheap insurance. I've been very satisfied with all three Subarus I've owned. The Outback just turned 50,000 miles and still runs great. I drove it from Southern California to Atlanta by way of Northeast Tennessee and back in June. 5,300 miles over 2 weeks. The only problems was a cracked windshield from a rock. The car ran great, got about 26 mpg, was comfortable for long periods of time. We now have over 75,000 miles of trouble free driving. The car still runs well. Have only had to spend on routine maintenance. There have been no mechanical problems at all. The Outback is now over 5 years old and nearly 90,000 miles. It still runs well and there have been no mechanical problems except for having to replace a broken rear differential mount. While the mechanicals are strong, the body is starting to show it's age with a few squeaks and rattles. Nothing serious or surprising considering its age and mileage. My wife is the primary driver and she loves the car. I sold our Outback in October 2019 when it had about 103,000 nearly trouble free miles. It was a great car but time to replace it with something new so I wouldn't have to worry about it breaking down on a long road trip or while my wife was driving out of town. After Subarus, a Forrester and two Outbacks, all of which were very reliable, we switched to a Grand Cherokee. I would have considered another Outback but I really don't like CVT transmissions and all Subaru's now have that as the only choice. Too bad or I would have stayed with another Subaru.

Safety
4 out of 5 stars
Technology
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
4 out of 5 stars
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