Used 2017 Subaru Outback Consumer Reviews
Used Outback for sale
See Edmunds pricing data
Has Your Car's Value Changed?
Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.
Saved Our Lives
DF, 09/05/2016
2017 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
83 of 86 people found this review helpful
In December of 2015, we leased a 2016 Outback. In eight months, from December 2015 through August 2016, we drove the car just over 19,000 miles of Idaho and Nevada roads. On a late August night, just before midnight, driving through central Idaho at at 65 miles per hour, we hit a 500 pound Elk. The Subaru was totaled. The front end was completely demolished. The total damage was in excess of $25,000.00. The passenger cabin was untouched. My wife and I walked away from the wreck with nothing other than sore muscles. Two days later, we drove out of the Subaru dealer with our newly purchased 2017 Subaru Outback. Our Subaru Outback is the best car we have ever owned.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
A Subaru alternative for Allroad, X3, GLC shoppers
David Bartholomew, 10/09/2016
updated 04/11/2019
2017 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
39 of 40 people found this review helpful
My new 2017 Outback Touring has it all. This car feels like a luxury class vehicle but costs 10 grand less than other similarly equipped Audi, BMW or Mercedes. Loving the Java brown leather and wood grain interior. The 3.6 engine is quiet and powerful. The infotainment center and iPhone integration are a big disappointment. Come on Subaru, invest in CarPlay. Leave software development to the specialists at Apple and stick to what you do best, engineering cars. Update after winter driving experience: We've had a big winter in California this year and my new Subaru has proven to be a reliable, capable winter driving machine. On several occasions in heavy blizzard conditions the Suby proved a mastery of traction and control in difficult circumstances. The symetrical AWD system really is superior. I've owned other 4wd vehicles in the past, but the Subaru traction control system is "smart". In once incident I was in heavy ice and snow on uneven terrain. I slowly turned around and gave it the gas in an attempt to pop over some deep snow. But the Subaru AWD "brain" took control over the accelerator and instead of speeding up to pop over the snow as I intended, it slowed the wheels and gradually applied traction with deliberation to the wheels that had traction. This surprised me. The car simply rolled forward over the slippery bits in complete control, applying power to the wheels that had effect. I've also grown very fond of the Eyesight system. Long drives and heavy highway traffic are easier with adaptive cruise control. I use it all the time now. It makes the drive to Tahoe from the Bay area much easier, especially when the traffic slows. I like the way the car matches the speed of the car in front and keeps the distance. I feel safer. I'm happy with my decision to get this car. 2019 update: The CVT transmission seems to be the Subaru Achilles heel. My car developed an intermittent squeal that I’ve dertermined to be coming from the transmission. On cold starts, after about 10 miles of highway driving, the squeal occurs a few times for just a second or so. When the squeal occurs, the tachometer surges about 200 tp 500 rpm and the car shudders slightly. After a trip home to the Bay Area from Tahoe the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. The check engine light and the transmission warning light remained on after a restart. Did you know cruise control is disabled if the CEL is on? The dealership read the codes and said the trans. oil pressure was having a problem. After more than a week without my car, the dealer in consultation with Subaru of America, replaced the valve control body of the CVT. But afterward the squeal remained. I suspect the squeal is a slipping CVT chain/belt. But the dealership refuses to replace the entire transmission until they can hear the squeal for themselves. Since it only happens after a cold start and 10 or more miles, this means leaving my car overnight. I commute 36 miles each way to work; so it’s inconvenient. I’m waiting for the symptoms to get worse so I can reliably expect the dealer to be able to witness the behavior. All of this led me to question Subaru reliability so just before I reached the end of the factory warrantee at 36000 miles, I decided to purchase the Subaru Gold Extended warrantee (8 years 120K miles). Even though the drive train is already covered to 100K, I bought peace of mind, just in case. I wish the Subaru had come with a Diesel engine and a DSG dual clutch transmission like we had on our 2013 VW TDI. Beware of the CVT, it may not be as reliable as I had hoped. Subaru extended the warrantee on it to 100k after we bought the car. I think I know why.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
2017 Subaru Outback for sale near you
Showing 3 of 86 listings
- 3.6R Touring 4dr SUVMSRP: $13,71816 mi away
- 2.5i Limited 4dr SUVMSRP: $13,9952 mi away
- 3.6R Limited 4dr SUVMSRP: $13,9952 mi away
See all 86 listings
Yahoo Subie-Roo
Mike Federer, 08/21/2016
updated 08/23/2017
2017 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
54 of 56 people found this review helpful
This a great car and a wonderful alternative to a see-everywhere SUV. It is solid as a rock and definitely feels like a step up from the 2012 Subaru Forester I traded in for it! There are no blind spots and the backup camera shows a very wide field of view...very helpful when backing into my garage. The radio is good but not spectacular, I can live with it. The front seats are very comfortable and are not tiring after driving for several hours. I had my doubts about the CVT transmission, but I am very pleased with it. It shifts like a 6-speed transmission and the gas mileage is spectacular. Acceleration from a standing start is very good with no hesitation. I was concerned about the possibility for "droning" sounds at some speeds, but have not experienced any of that. All in all, I am very pleased with the 'wagon Subaru has built and can't wait for our first long get-a-way trip into New England at the end of September! Have taken two trips, one to New York and one to Florida. Over 3300 miles on the Fla. trip; car was comfortable, roomy and avg. 28 mpg! Very pleased!
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Super Wagon
Caleb, 01/17/2017
2017 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
35 of 36 people found this review helpful
My car is a black Outback 3.6R Limited with Eyesight, rear cross traffic alert, all the front and rear and lower body plastic protective bits, rubber floor mats, cargo and seat back protectors, homelink, and auto-dimming/defrosting mirrors. Some user details: I've put 6000 miles on this car thus far (purchased mid-october 2017, it is now January 17th). My commute of 25 miles averages 1.25 hours one way through some of the heaviest traffic in the US (Los Angeles), and it handles it perfectly fine, zipping in and out of traffic when I am in a hurry, or safely following the car ahead using Eyesight and nudging me back into lane if I get distracted -although MPG never gets over 20 no matter how I drive. I've taken one road trip of 700+ miles in it with my family of four, two strollers, food, luggage, etc., and I was impressed with the quiet interior at highway speeds, the ability to pack everything we wanted, comfort of the front seats during long hauls, and the rear bench being able to fit my wife between the two child seats. I am coming to this vehicle from a power and suspension modified BMW 335i, so I find the driving dynamics of this Outback to be less than stellar, but that said, I have to say that for such a big, heavy, high ground clearance car, it handles remarkably well and has adequate acceleration at pretty much any speed. I think I will be adding the 19” rear sway bar to firm up cornering characteristics at some future date, but as it is, it performs very well. The CVT is the best I've ever used with none of that weird rubber band lag, making it what I would consider acceptable in most situations, although it does have a bit of a wiggle/shake at lower speeds when quickly modulating the gas pedal. The paddle shifters and manual mode are great for keeping the engine from lugging up long ascents and are also good for getting the car into the optimum rpm range before quick passing maneuvers -but simply mashing the pedal does a quick enough job as well. The nav does a passable job with clear directions, and would be perfectly fine to use for small city, long suburban or rural trips, but in a dense traffic city like Los Angeles, it’s ETA’s are always off by 15 minutes, it can be inaccurate with traffic conditions, and it doesn’t usually give you the fastest route. I prefer using waze during my commute. I have Subaru’s ne plus ultra 12 speaker Harmon-Kardon sound system, and while I’ve seen more than a few complaints about it in the Outback forums, I find it to be pretty good for the price. The highs are clear, the mids are clean, and the there is strong bass. I wish the sound field in the driver’s chair were a bit more spread out, but if I want a stellar listening experience I will sit properly centered in an acoustically damped room using a true hi fi system, not wedged into one corner of a car putting out 65+dB of constant noise at highway speeds. Overall the infotainment system is good bordering on great. There can be a few layers to go through to get to an option you think should be one or two button/screen presses, it can be a bit slow to respond at times, and setting up a nav destination is unnecessarily button-pushy. I think pressing “go” once should be enough, not 2-3 times as it gives you more options or wants to make sure you really want to do it. That said, I love having a touchscreen rather than only a bunch of knobs and buttons, and the touchscreen hides or doesn’t collect fingerprints fairly well. The knobs and buttons offered are appropriate and function well, for example, a long press of the right knob will put you into split screen mode (I have mine set up with nav on left, music on right), a short press puts you fully into radio. Nav has its own dedicated button. In conclusion, after having done a ton of research and test driving several other vehicles (Mazda CX-5, CX-9, Honda CRV, Subaru Forester, and BMW X1, X3, X5, 5 & 3 series), I found the Outback to fulfill all my needs at least adequately if not very well, and a few of my wants in the bargain at a very attractive price. It is a roomy, with excellent safety features, decent tech, and good overall driving dynamics. I haven’t taken any dirt roads in it, but from what I’ve read it is a very capable light to moderate off-roader as well, with higher ground clearance than a Jeep Cherokee. After 3 months, I can say without reservation I am very happy with this purchase, and hope it lasts me a long time.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Love my Outback Touring!
Rick, 08/19/2016
2017 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
32 of 33 people found this review helpful
Subaru hit a home run with the Touring edition! Quiet, responsive and comfortable to drive. I previously drove a Lexus RX330 and put the Touring edition in the same category as Lexus. Great value! The quality and fit of this vehicle is excellent. Love the EyeSight system. Next week I am looking forward to driving to Indianapolis. Can't wait!
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value