Used 2015 Subaru Outback Consumer Reviews
Used Outback for sale
Great step up from our 2008 Outback
BrianT, 07/20/2015
updated 08/02/2016
2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
8 of 9 people found this review helpful
Recently traded in our 2008 Outback Limited with 135K virtually trouble-free miles for a 2015 Outback 2.5i Limited without nav. With frequent road trips to our vacation home in SW Colorado with 2 German Shepherd dogs, we wanted to upgrade to something a bit bigger yet not compromise on gas mileage. Looked at the Hyundai Sante Fe Sport, Toyota Highlander, Ford Escape (way small inside) and Edge, and the Outback, and the Outback was the hands down winner in regard to interior space, features, and gas mileage. Have 2000 miles on the car and get about 25-27 MPG city driving, and on a recent road trip from Flagstaff, AZ to Durango, CO (including a few uphill mountain grades) the Outback averaged just under 35 MPG. The 2.5 engine with the CVT did a much better job pulling the vehicle up the hills than the 2008 Outback with the 2.5 and 4-speed auto, despite the slight increase in vehicle weight with the 2015. Likes: Interior room, excellent build quality, awesome sound system, Starlink Bluetooth connectivity is great, plenty of cup holders and pockets, handles well (but not quite as well as the smaller 2008), blind spot detection, rear traffic alert, and rear view camera are great, quiet and smooth ride, gas mileage good so far. Suggested improvements: Needs a deeper under floor storage tray (2008 tray had more room), optional rear cargo net is pretty useless, I miss the side rear covered storage bins in the 2008, the front seats could use a bit more bottom cushion padding and bolstering. Can't comment yet on reliability, but if it is as reliable as our 2008, we'll be very happy.
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2015 Subaru Outback Parking Brake Problem
Flow, 01/23/2016
updated 08/02/2016
2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
8 of 9 people found this review helpful
I've had this car for over a year. Be aware that this car has electronics everywhere, for everything, and is very Consumer UNfriendly.The manual is not helpful ....What idiot would make a car with 100's of commands and a display screen right in front of you, and then in order to change the time, you need to use the heated seat button.. That's just one of several annoying things about this car.That took me a drive to the dealership, which they didn't know how to change it..I finally figured it out after 2 days.. Here's another goody. On the drivers side of the seat, that plastic piece.. Constantly is coming off. It's to big for the seat.. You turn to get out of the car and your leg hits it and it comes out...I've been to the dealer 3 times for that one.. They can't do anything about it because that's the way it was manufactured...This is a BIGGY The parking brake goes on if the car is on something slippery. Ice,snow ..after the wheels spin, the brake comes on and won't go off. The wheels then lock and you can't move the dam thing. Right now it's in my driveway and I need to call a tow truck.. Here's another fabulous thing, sometimes the electronics that take care of the gas gauge,speedometer,oil temp,H/C gauge, doesn't work.. I had to shut off the car and restart it for them to work.. How about those lights....couldn't get them on one night..they're on "auto" they didn't go on..again shut the car off and restart.. That's what I do when the electronics mess up.. Shut it off, restart.. I'm very afraid of those same dam electronics going off when I'm doing 65 mph.. I'm not a happy person with this car.. The best thing I can say are, great gas mileage, about 30 mpg. The heated seats are fabulous. The Bluetooth is cool, but I would get that on any new car.. I could go on and on what is wrong with this car, but I won't.. This is my first and last Subaru..
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2015 Subaru Outback for sale near you
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- 2.5i Premium PZEV 4dr SUVMSRP: $14,99848 mi away
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Poor Interior Quality
Michael Siva, 04/06/2015
2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
14 of 17 people found this review helpful
I'm actually quite disappointed with the interior quality of the 2015 Outback. I got my first one in December 2014 and traded it in for another one in February 2015 because of a clicking sound in the rear driver's-side window that the local dealership couldn't repair, and the 2nd one is driving me insane as well. The interior looks nice but the quality is sub-par. The faux-wood trim and the plastic housing for the Eyesight is cheap and makes noises whenever the car hits slight bumps, and the dashboard isn't solid and every time the car hits a bump it moves up and down against the windshield area which makes a noise. I was really hoping to like this vehicle but I am quite disappointed.
Solid Car with some quirks
Bob Smith, 03/11/2016
updated 08/02/2016
2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
10 of 12 people found this review helpful
We love driving this car. It is definitely one of the most solid buys out there - I can safely say as we painstakingly researched for months - for a reasonably priced and efficient SUV. The interior is nicely designed, and comfortable in the limited model. And the interior also seems to be durable - although we've only had it a few months. It has great pickup in the 3.6 engine - but the smaller 2.5 engine did not at all - so beware. That being said, the pickup is so great because it has dismal fuel economy - not close to the EPA rating you'll see on the window. We are getting about 20 mpg with all freeway driving - or so it says but even our quick trips are draining the tank faster than any car I've driven. That is one of the few quirks you might want to consider - but remember we found many more quirks in other options. Another oddity is the technology. It is not much of a concern for us but just like all the other car companies out there Subaru has put a ton of new features in the display, climate, and entertainment - and it is mostly worthless. In fact it is so hard to navigate, that I'd say it is unsafe to have in the car at all. Doing something simple like turning on the radio takes four or five clicks which is not something you should be doing while driving. And such a great percentage of the features in there are not valuable so they just make for a crowded screen that compounds the frustration and unsafe factors. Again, this is not different from any other car maker out there except maybe the Tesla or the newest Volvos. Somebody should tell them all to just have Apple design the stuff for them and have them work off our phones which are advancing way faster. Drive train - seems really great - excellent acceleration. The CVT does make for a lot of hesitating and then punching it though - not a smooth accelerating car. And the ride is overly bouncy. I like the higher clearance on this model - the 2015 3.6. It's a great balance between a compact SUV, wagon, and off roader.
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Outback 2015
Jack Vongray, 04/06/2015
updated 04/12/2021
2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
15 of 19 people found this review helpful
The main reason I purchase the 2015 Outback 2.5 was the cargo capacity and the gas mileage 25/33. Fuel economy... initially was poor, but got better over time. Otherwise, great car. The ultimate compliment... I would purchase another one.
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POOR FUEL MILEAGE
John, 01/20/2016
updated 08/02/2016
2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
There are a few reasons that sold me on my 2015 Subaru out back with 2.5L one of them was the posted 25 city 33 Hyw fuel mileage (its a farce) my average mileage is 23.7 according to the data from the car its self, if I do the math its even worse by a few tenths. I wanted to give the car a chance to break in a little before I wrote about it. I have had the car for one year now and have 10,000 miles on it, just did a 500 mile round trip and got 25 mpg SAD!!!! The other disappointment is the poor sound quality from the speaker phone/bluetooth very difficult to hear the person that is talking in the car. The voice command NAV system also is less than desirable very frustrating to use and most the time can't recognize the command. Just for the record I have a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado that has these features and they work flawlessly. Ok now for the pros... my outback it is very conferrable to drive my wife and I took it on a 2500 mile road trip and did some 8 - 10 hour day's with no problem very roomy, also love the AWD handles great in all conditions, I have the eye sight option love/hate relationship but over all works great with cruise control and on long trips is very nice.
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You will love this car
southern_boy, 01/23/2015
updated 01/26/2017
2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
This is the first Subaru I have owned and love it. It is comfortable, fuel efficient, quiet, and the build quality is better than anything I have owned. We looked at the Toyota RAV 4, and Honda CRV. Both were loud, under powered and clunky. The Outback drives extremely well, has a good sound system (not great), quiet, and solid. I too have not heard the noises that others have talked about, but would suggest that they not have their roof rack cross bars across the roof. The only Con I can think of is getting used to shifting from reverse to drive takes a second or so. I loved mine so much I recommended Subaru to my wife who ended up getting rid of her Toyota and trading it for a Legacy.
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Too many quality problems
Bill Taylor, 02/21/2019
updated 08/26/2024
2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
Beware of potential quality problems. With only 40,000 miles on my 2015 Outback the dealer has made the following repairs: 3 dashboards, 3 driver door panels, replaced drive shaft, replaced front axle, ongoing dashboard rattles, rear hatch failed to open, Vibration at high speeds in spite of new tires and repeated tire balance, unable to fix shutter when turning right, unable to fix vibration noise at 1,800rpm’s. If you buy a Subaru I recommend buying the long term bumper to bumper warranty. UPDATE: I am fortunate to have a great service department at Nate Wade Subaru. They kept looking and attempting to solve the vibration problems. In addition to previous efforts A third set of tires, repeated road force balances. Efforts to work with Subaru of America for the Buy Back Program were a joke. In checking with numerous dealers for used Subarus I was able to find many cars from the Buy Back program for some things as simple as a radio problem or AC problem but with all my problems they wouldn’t authorize my eligibility for the Buy Back Program. Be careful, Subaru of a America does not have your back. As for the vibration problem I reached out to a local tire shop chain I have used for over 20 years. I was told they have heard of problems with transmission mounts, he said he even heard one Subaru service department tell a customer they have had problems with transmission mounts. I went to Nate Wade and told them what I heard. They replaced the transmission mount and what a difference. Within a mile after picking my OB up I first thought they gave me the wrong car. It felt tighter, less engine vibration at idle, less engine shake when starting and a more solid feel. As for vibration, unfortunately with the pandemic unable to take long road trips to check out the vibration. Would I buy another Subaru? Probably since I have read that quality has improved and Subaru is investing a billion dollars in improving quality. Find a good dealer that will have your back, don’t count on Subaru of America.
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Alignment Please!
Markerg, 11/03/2015
updated 08/02/2016
2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
Bought new 2015 Outback Premium 2.5i and took it to trusted alignment shop to have better tires installed. Mechanic said car was way out of alignment and adjusted it for me. I really wish Subaru would not have transferred this expense from their factory to me.
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Third outback
Henry, 08/22/2015
updated 02/25/2020
2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
Pleasantly surprised by comfort, mileage, and handling of car. Eye sight isc helpful searching blind spots. Good acceleration with 6 cylinder. Comfortable seats. Very good long distance car. Quiet. Still handles well and much better lights then previous Outbacks. The universal criticisms for the clock and outside temp are true, difficult to find. Good bad weather car as advertised. Still happy with car. Drives well. Eyesight clearly helpful. At 43000 miles. No issues with car. Drives well on high way 650 mile road trip. Speed control does well and keeps distances well. No improvement in mileage as engine breaks to keep distance. Overall very happy with car. Eye sight is worth it. At 50,000 miles still enjoy car. No unusual maintenance issues
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