Used 2015 Subaru Outback Consumer Reviews
Used Outback for sale
Too many lights coming on!
Brenda Turner, 08/10/2015
updated 02/20/2019
2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
20 of 26 people found this review helpful
Subaru seem to think that just putting a light on the dashboard means something. We had trouble on a long journey when just about all the lights on the dashboard lit up. On consulting the handbook we discovered that it might be something to do with the X mode. So what does this mean? Contact a Subaru dealer and don't drive it. Great - the nearest dealer was over 120 miles away over a mountain range. Fortunately my husband had the bright idea of disconnecting the battery and leaving it to reset for an hour or so. It worked - nothnig wrong apparently as it has not come on since. Thanks for the scare Subaru! It is also almost impossible to get rid of the low tire pressure light even when all are showing the correct pressure. All in all it seems to be too much technology for the car.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Quality Engineer's Review. Oil Eater snd Rattler
Jeff Miller, 03/09/2016
updated 04/11/2024
2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
12 of 15 people found this review helpful
Car traded in on a 24’ Subaru Outback at 225,000 miles. Couldn’t pass up 0% on new ones. Last year for this body I believe. In the end, got a new one because the car is the perfect size for me since Im a mega commuter, 104 miles a day and have to come home and haul 2 small kids and all the junk that comes along. The AWD deals well with the snow, heavy rains, and dirt roads I have to deal with. Final issues with vehicle prior to trade. Both front power windows have failed. Depending upon humidity and temperature changes, the cruise control and all wheel drive warning lights come on. Cruise control will not work when the light is on, assume AWD is dead too. 187,000 mile update. Leaking radiator hard line replaced, radiator flushed Rear wheel bearings replaced Right front passenger window motor controller causes window to stop in halfway up position. Have to return to open and try again. 28 mpg average, still burning thru oil. No other new issues to report. 160,000 mile update. MPG’s back at 28, no explanation. Suspected catalytic converter rattle is severe. Neighbors Subaru has the same rattle on a Crosstrek. Eating oil now at a higher rate, Oil light on this morning only 75 days since last oil change. Gas Cap and Power Window seizure during even mild icing conditions is annoying. Supposed to be a bad weather car made for winter. 150,000 mile update. MPGs still at 25. Eats a quart of oil every 15,000 miles. I suspect its the early generation low friction rings everyone complained about when the engine was first released. Still runs well. No body rust yet, coming up on 6 years old. UPDATE: overall MPGs have dropped to 25.5 mpg and a rattle is now present from the back tailegate when Im stoppedin traffic. Otherwise it is still running well. No new major issues mechanically. Now nearing 4 years old. Still putting 30,000 miles a year on it. At 100,000 miles took to dealer. No major issues other than a physical hole in the Catalytic converter. Most likely road damage. At dealer had them put in factory oil, instead of Amsoil. It lost over a quart in less than a few thousand miles, so switched back to Amsoil. Complaints: Factory tires had poor traction. Front seat now squeaks, 30k miles a year, but still expected more miles before the seat would start giving out. Air con dies on hills, I guess to save gas mileage, but I live In a very hilly area. Heated everything but steering wheel, which is kinda stupid. Speakers make dash rattle already. Overall interior quality is lackluster. Pros: Practical AWD station wagon w reasonable gas mileage and good storage. No oil consumption issues. Love the CVT trans w XMode. Two warranty issues. Defective front glass annealing, never saw safety glass crack that quickly from a minor pebble. Recall for starter relay, apparently it doesnt like cold weather, which is great for a cold weather vehicle. Orig review: Interior, starting to rattle at only 23k. All weather mats are flimsy and cheap. Infotainment is not impressive at all, blue tooth is always confused. Stock tires are downright dangerous in actual snow of over .25" Zero plans to purchase again. Have been around multiple other Subarus, my first.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
2015 Subaru Outback for sale near you
Showing 3 of 63 listings
- 2.5i Limited 4dr SUVMSRP: $14,8127 mi away
- 3.6R Limited 4dr SUVMSRP: $12,39910 mi away
- 2.5i Limited 4dr SUVMSRP: $14,4327 mi away
See all 63 listings
Love driving but Navi entertainment Useless!
ellenz1, 04/21/2015
updated 04/24/2017
2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
9 of 11 people found this review helpful
I purchased my car in December 2014. It's very comfortable and responsive And I love the eyesite safety features. But I'm not sure I would purchase this car again given 2 major issues First the fuel economy is well below rating. I'm in flat Florida, driving slowly for insurance discounts and still my average mpg is only 24-25. Highway about 27-28. Second the navigation and entertainment system is buggy and of low quality. The sound system is terrible. If music is important to you you won't be happy. Navigation is also poor. Directions are never as good as my Garmin or IPhone. More importantly he entire navi info system freezes randomly and the dealer can't fix it! After 2 years I still love my Subaru and still hate the Navigation and entertainment. Sound quality is poor. The navigation system is awful. I'm on the road full time and have tried to use it but keep going back to my iPhone. The system doesn't have many points of interest or businesses so it's hard to program. And the map randomly switches out of the mode I want to another mode. It's sometimes difficult to pair my iPod with true system to listen to podcasts. The dealer told me that Subaru's do not like apple products. If I were to do it again I'd leave out this package and have something else installed at a auto shop
- Safety
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Excellent car, Poor fuel economy
projectm96, 05/13/2015
updated 08/02/2016
2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
9 of 11 people found this review helpful
I am the kind of guy who can easily average 2-5mpg better than the advertised highway fuel economy in any car, but in the Subaru Outback, I can't even reach 30mpg. The best I got on highway driving is 28mpg. My average in mixed driving was 23mpg. The car is also overpriced. They are selling for over MSRP. Overall it is a good value, but it is still annoying that you can't buy one near MSRP price.
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
Buy Carefully!!!
Ashley Wilson, 07/03/2016
2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
I bought my 2015 Subaru Outback new in 2014 and it was great at first. As time went on everything that could go wrong did. It kept stalling and every time I took it in to be repaired or it was towed in I kept getting the same response "we can't duplicate the problem." Not to mention they had to replace all my keys for it because when I would lock it the alarm would go off or it wouldn't unlock. I had to get rid of it because it became too much of a liability and safety hazard for my family and me. At the end I would hold my breath hoping it would start and I would fear that it would stall in the middle of traffic or something.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Great value
David Kostrikin, 09/09/2018
updated 03/16/2020
2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Love the car, it was a choice between an Audi all road at over $60 or it’s closest competition the 3.6 limited outback. The great quality for such a low price (our price new was below msrp @ $34k) is amazing. Drives easily, good handling, comfort and roominess. The mpg is not the best but relative to the size and power of this vehicle. Now for the negatives,,,the road line sensor warnings nonstop beeping is annoying plus there isn’t an obvious way to turn it off. The factory battery is weak and small. The battery needs to be replaced long before it fails and upgraded to a unit with more reserve capacity due to the self diagnosis the car does every night. This self diagnosing uses up too much power and drains down the battery also if you put a front window shade in you can accidentally hit the map light during daylight hours and kill your battery that way too. Lastly I don’t know if it’s low quality factory tires or the Subi AWD system but the tires were completely wore out and not safe after only 45k miles of regular mixed city/freeway driving. Our other AWD cars factory tires last 65-70k miles so we were amazed. Over all this is a great, dependable and comfortable car especially after the tire and battery upgrades we did. Also love the free lifetime oil changes our dealer gave us. Long term update- car is doing well all except for the drivers seat fabric which is literally falling apart. Then there are the electronic issues IE. the front passenger power window refuses to close. Also the rear tail gate either will it open or,will not close.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
A Great Vehicle!
Terry H., 10/26/2016
updated 11/02/2023
2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
After over 50 years of driving, I can say that my 2015 Outback Premium 2.5 is overall the best vehicle I've ever owned. I've owned Volvos, Mercedes, Lincolns, Cadillacs, and Suburbans. I was a used car dealer for 30 years. So I've driven them all. My wife and I purchased two 2015 Outbacks new in 2014. In 6 years of driving, we have not had one problem with either one. There have been a few recalls....all but one minor enough to where I waited until the next complementary dealer service to have them done. When we had both our cars in for complementary oil changes & tire rotations, I was informed of a recall just announced on both. The recall included replacement of the exhaust manifold which included the catalytic converters. We had no operational problems before the recall was done and notice no difference in operation after the work was done. We have also received notices from Subaru on both Outbacks that there have been transmission problems on a few vehicles made about the time ours were made. No repairs were made. Subaru did extend the manufacturer's warranty to 100k miles or 10 years. Both or our vehicles have the Eyesight system -- it works great. My wife's is a Limited. The thinner tires on the Limited give better handling, but a little rougher ride. Personally, I prefer my cloth seats. I do wish that the Premium trim included rear A/C vents. Why pay more for a less dependable vehicle -- we'll stick with Subaru. We've now owned our two Outbacks 6 years. Our Limited has push-button start. We have had a problem with dead battery twice. I left the car at Subaru of Port Richey several days. They could not find a problem. With the help of New Port Richey Subaru Service Writer Brian, we suspect that the problem comes from leaving the fob in the car after shutting the car off. Apparently after pushing the button to shut off the car, she must be taking her foot off the brake pedal and hitting the button again. The engine is off, but the car is in an auxiliary setting so the navigation and radio are operating. Should she happen to have hit the button twice without her foot on the pedal, the instrument cluster lights up. With the fob left in the car, the car assumes you are also in the car wanting the accessories on. The batteries on these cars run down very quickly. In fact, I left the dome light at the rear hatch on overnight, and the battery was dead in the morning. I think, regardless of the cause of battery drain, the car should shut itself off to prevent the battery from going dead. It could signal a warning or in some way alert someone sitting in the car or nearby of the situation. If no one does anything, then shut itself off to prevent draining the battery. The last time I took my Premium to Subaru of Port Richey, my service writer, Brian, told me that there was a software update which lengthens the time the alternator charges the battery. Perhaps this is the cause of the battery problems. I'm having it done to both our Outbacks. Since replacing the batteries in both our Outbacks, we have had no problems. At this update point we’ve owned our Outback’s nine years. Finally replaced the front brake pads on my premium at 90k miles. Wife’s limited still has original pads at 60k! Still can say these are the best cars we’ve ever had. The only other suggestion I could make would be to enable you to press the radio button to turn off the volume after putting the car in reverse. If you want the volume off, you can manually turn the volume button down.......not something you need to be doing while backing up. Another option would be to have the radio sound go off automatically when you put the car in reverse and the backup camera comes on. In all, the cars still get 5-star ratings from us both!
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
First Subaru and it will be my LAST
lbeck, 10/17/2016
updated 04/18/2018
2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Only a little over a year old, 7720 miles and God knows if it will start when I want to go somewhere. The last two months I have had to jump start my car FOUR times. It sits in my driveway dead. Dealer ran diagnostic when I brought the car back for the third recall! They found nothing. Dead a few weeks later. Drove it on a Sunday, was dead on that Wednesday. Back at the dealer since Thursday (it is now Monday.) They still claim that they have found no drain on the battery. Was told by a tech that I should start the car every two days when I know I am not going to drive it. That is ridiculous. Then was asked if I keep the keys too close to the car when it is parked. What!? I purchased this car based on the claims that it is a reliable brand and that that has proven to be a fallacy. I guess if I have to go away and leave the car I should hire someone to start it every few days? Or I could just turn it in on the lemon law...? This has been a truly frustrating experience. Would not recommend this car, unfortunately, unless you are looking for a really expensive lawn ornament. UPDATE. Still not very happy with this car. Now the car's front windshield gets condensation on the interior. I have never in my life seen this before. There are spots all over and I have to clean the inside before I drive. Seems to me the seal on the windshield has a leak. great. really looking forward to dealing with that. Thanks Subaru...
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Disappointed compared to my other 8 subarus
Michael Rollins, 01/25/2016
updated 08/02/2016
2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
We have owned Subarus for years and currently have 4 of them in our driveway. I always thought we would own one because we live in the mountains of Va. We have had the car for 16 months and have 16k miles. Several things work sparatically(back up monitor and opening of rear hatch with key,) also has never gotten gas mileage they claim. BUT my biggest disappointment by far is it's lack of ability to get traction in the snow. Last winter, we had a fairly significant snow. We were able to drive our other 3 Subaru's out of the snow with no digging. We had to dig and dig to get the 2015 Subaru out. Yesterday we had a 12" snow. I had cleaned my driveway. When I backed my 2015 Subaru back into the driveway, I got one rear wheel over in the snow bank. The other 3 were on plowed ground. I thought I was going to have to have it plowed out. My other Subaru's have 210 k miles, 190k miles, and 65k miles. I would trust any of them in snow more than this one. After more than 25 yrs. of being a loyal Subaru owner, my next new car probably won't be a Subaru.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Love it but grossly disappointed in windshields.
Jonathan, 01/26/2016
updated 08/02/2016
2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
We are preparing to install what will be the third windshield. As my wife said she has driven for 33 years and she never had to replace a windshield until this 2015 Outback. One cracked in the heat of night driving across Nevada/California with no recollection of anything hitting the windshield. Same problem driving to Idaho last Month. Now a new crack. Our dear ski friend also has a 2015 Outback. He is preparing for his third windshield as well. When we went to replace the first windshield the wait time was six weeks. Independent windshield installers did not have any in stock. The dealership was verbally kind and made a concession and only charged about $160 labor. Not likely after it is out of warranty. At this rate we will spend about $1,280 on windshield labor assuming they do not charge for the glass if we keep the vehicle for 80,000 miles. Without the consideration from the dealership, each windshield alone is over $600 each. Our other concern is if it spider cracks when we are traveling we do not want to wait weeks for a replacement. We were preparing to purchase a second Outback. That is on hold as we consider trading our existing vehicle in. We are not confident this problem is remedied.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value