Used 2018 Subaru Outback Consumer Reviews
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The 2018 Outback is an amazing car!!!!
Jason B., 01/20/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
I can't say enough how much I love my new Outback!!! I've never felt safer on the road!!! Love the ease of getting in and out, the beautiful interior, and the technology is leagues ahead of most. The Eyesight technology is fantastic!!!! Get it!!! You won't regret it!!! This car is the best bang for the buck, looks great, and drives wonderfully!!!
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Love our second Subaru
J E Favre, 05/28/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
Order the protective molding on the doors and the plastic protection on the door edges. Helps to avoid parking lot door dings.
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2018 Subaru Outback for sale near you
3 of 67 listings
- 2.5i Limited 4dr SUVMSRP: $14,99944 mi away
- 3.6R Limited 4dr SUVMSRP: $17,734In-stock online
- 2.5i Premium 4dr SUVMSRP: $17,557In-stock online
See all 67 listings
God Custom Made This Car For Me
neilz@verizon.net, 06/03/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Touring 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
I am 400 lbs. I have problems getting into SUV's because I have to climb up into them. Plus I have bad knees and a bad back. This Outback is unreal. I just slide in and the steering wheel is not fully extended so it doesn't rest on my stomach. The room inside is fantastic, the ride is smooth. It is very quiet and the technology is off the charts. I am so glad I bought this Outback.
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New and improved and dressed for all occasions
John, 09/26/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
The 3.6R Subaru Outback Touring is an outstanding vehicle when evaluating safety, technology, driving dynamics, comfort, fuel economy, value, vehicle size/functionality and price. This vehicle is dressed for all practical and creature comfort needs including hauling stuff and/or people in town or on the highway. The Outback always had the rugged ability to feel sure footed off road or in inclement weather and now truly has become a well rounded vehicle. The safety features and functions on the 3.6R are practical and easy to activate such as lane sway, blind spot detection, front and real collision all of are included in the Eyesight Package. The Outback's driving dynamics are excellent for a vehicle at this price point. Merging on highways, passing at speed, and cornering can be maneuvered with confidence with moderate body roll. The acceleration pedal is a bit too touchy off the line and the brake pedal can be be touchy as well. The CVT paired with the 6 cylinder engine is smooth and sporty. Subaru has improved convenience (adaptive cruise control, heated front and rear seats, heated side view mirrors, heated steering wheel, added USB ports) and comfort in all the models over the years and the 2018 Outback is no exception. The seats are the weak point inside the visually appealing cabin with needed added bolstering and more adjustable passenger side seat. The cabin is well planned and executed with controls and dials and soft touch materials where your elbows rest but not your where your knee rests on the inside of the center stack where there is still hard plastics. The side view drivers mirror can also use a bit more adjustability for taller drivers with the seat back in a highway cruise position. Fuel economy is pretty spot on with 20-27 mpg expected. The Outback has the driving dynamics of a sedan with a smaller turning radius then most SUV's, and good steering wheel feedback. Storage space and second row legroom are on par with most mid sized SUV's. Offering a 40/20/40 second row split would only add to the practicality and functionality of the Outback allowing for longer items to be stored. At the price point listed for the 3.6R Touring, a panoramic sunroof and second row adjustable sun blinds should be included. The Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring also has enough style and looks to be respected pulling up to a 5 star hotel and the practicality and toughness to travel in the mountains or in inclement weather with confidence. The Subaru Outback is dressed for all occasions, and with a few upgrades with convenience and interior comfort the 42K listed price point will be well worth it.
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iS THIS SUBARU A LEMOM ?
Lucke, 12/03/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
the head unit is garbage !!!!!!!! it was ok for 6 months then nothing works. no - am, fm, xm radio, backup cam.clock ,blue tooth navagation. It is all dead ! Took to closest dealer 60 miles from my home they said head unit needed to be replaced. afer an hour the service manager said the head must be replaced. does the dealership have the units in stock. NO ! when will they in ? there starting to trickle in. that told me NOTHING !! question do have $40,000 lemon on my hands?will Subaru get this fixed fast and compensate me for my time & value, well we shall see. in the mean tine do not buy a Subaru!
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Subaru Outback Harmon Kardon Infotainment issue
E, 12/27/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
One word of advice for those who have the Subaru Outback/ Legacy Infotainment issue on backorder because of the malfunction. I had to wait a month before the dealer replaced the part. Report it to the Subaru Customer Service Center in NJ and complain that you should not be required to pay the monthly payment on the vehicle since the vehicle is not operating at 100% due to the infotainment malfunction. Subaru customer service did the right thing and reimbursed my payment for the month my infotainment system did not work. Still, a malfunctioning unit on a $38,000 vehicle is unacceptable.
Loving the 3.6 Touring
gsctht1, 03/05/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
This car has the most and best features you could find in an Audi and at a much lower price. Its a nice comfortable solid car and love the 3.6. When it gets replaced with the turbo dont know what I will buy next, Maybe just old fashioned but I dont care for turbo's I love the quick, quiet, smoothness of a 6 cyl. Do wish it had a regular transmission but I have no problems or real complaints with the CVT it does great. I have a 15 3.6 limited also and it has been flawless except a replacement of the nav screen under warranty for developing lines.
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Over-hyped AWD
GSN, 01/21/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Touring 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
14 of 20 people found this review helpful
My 3 year old Outback with 24K miles was in the shop for 6 days because the service could not figure out why the check engine, brake and cruise indicators were flashing. They loaned me a fully loaded Outback and here is my feedback driving it in dry and snowy roads. Compared to my 2014 model, there are few things to like about the car: 1. Looks and feels more spacious 2. Infotainment system, Navigation was easy to use but seems to lack some latest features. 3. Smooth ride 4. Heated rear seats 5. Bridgestone tires drive better in snow than the lousy Continentals that came with my car 6. Lane departure warning Now the things that I did not like in this car: 1. Side mirrors - I do not like the position of the mirrors. You need to turn your head more to see the mirrors. This could be an issue for short drivers. I am 5'10" and I do not sit close to the steering wheel. My wife is 5'1", I can see this being an issue for her. 2. Digital clock - Why did they move the clock below the touchscreen? You need to move your head down, take your eyes off the road to see the time. 3. The eyesight system disabled on its own two different times and it re-enabled after a mile or so. 4. I live in a place where we get enough snow and very low temperatures. I would definitely get snow tires for this car. Like I mentioned above, the Bridgestone felt better than the tires on my car. However, I had trouble stopping the car on a slope close to a intersection. I was driving at around 8 mph. ABS kicked in, was able to eventually stop but was scary, felt like it would not. I drove my FWD with snow tires on the same slope at the same speed and had no issues stopping the car nicely. 5. The AWD system of the Outback is over-hyped. I do have snow tires on my 2014 Outback. My wife drives it to work and I drive it mostly during off hours and on weekends. I don't feel confident driving it without snow tires even in slightest slippery conditions. 6. I found the thick (D?) pillar blocked my view. I always turn my head when changing lanes, it is challenging to get a good view in this car. The blind-spot monitoring helps but I would not rely on it 100%. 7. Sound of the servo motor after the engine is stopped and opening the door. I here that faint sound in my car but it is twice louder in this new car, very annoying. If you live in a region where you get lot of snow and sub-zero temperature, get a good set of snow-tires. My daily driver has always been a FWD, I have snow tires in winter. I don't miss the AWD. The only place where I find the AWD to help is when you are at a stop on snowy/icy roads, the power to rear wheels will help propel the car forward. Back in 2014, we bought the Outback to replace our 2000 Xterra. It was a huge downgrade for us as far as 4WD/AWD is concerned. The AWD on the Outback pales miserably compared to the On-Demand 4WD. In 14 years, we never had snow tires, never felt insecure and was not planning one buying them for the Outback. We took delivery of Outback on a snowy day and then temps dropped so low, the roads were bad for a week. The Continental tires on the new car were so bad, we drove only 3 times in the 1st week, it was very difficult to keep the car straight and stop. After we got the snow tires installed, absolutely no problems and no complaints. I would not buy another Subaru for the below two reasons and the first two things that I did not like: 1. I bought a 2012 certified used Outback in 2014, I had to return it in couple of hours since it had a major issue. 2. Since I already did my research and my wife insisted on AWD, I ended up buying a new 2014 Outback a week later. Three weeks ago, my car started stalling in the middle of the road putting my family at risk. Each time I was able to start. Eventually, the check engine, brake and cruise light came on and car died requiring a jump start. It took Subaru service 6 days to identify the issue, they told me there were no errors or warnings.
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Engineered to Irritate
Benito Mooz, 07/24/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
12 of 17 people found this review helpful
First, the 2018 Subaru Outback is a fundamentally sound auto. Mostly it is very good, if AWD is OK with you. But, right away you will be struck by how it's got some features that must have looked great on the drawing board, but are poor in reality. All of these could be fixed at minimal cost, even in recalls. The least is that the Premium passenger's seat is uncomfortable. It needs another layer of cushioning to have the passenger sit higher, have good under knees support and not be "hard" on the backs of legs at the front edge. So many people have noticed this the auto cushion sales sites have reviews mentioning the Outback. There is a cushion that does the job, but it should be under the upholstery, not above it. The absence of any electric controls on the passenger seat is just cheap! Remember when you turned a radio or television off by rotating the volume knob counter clockwise until the volume went to zero and the knob clicked off? Turning on again was the opposite, at which point you would have to again find your preferred volume level. Brilliantly simple idea was to have on/off just be a push of the knob. Your preferred volume setting was preserved during off/on and you didn't have to rotate the know. Well, some mental dwarf at Subaru decided we all want the audio to be on as soon as we start the car, regardless whether it was on or off when the car was stopped. The closest you can come to having the audio "off" when starting the car is turning the volume to zero. You want audio, you are back to the days of finding your preferred volume each time. Neither owner nor dealer can change this glue headed wonder. Some will want audio always on at start, and that's cool, but many find this feature alone a huge source of buyer's regret. There's gotta be an easy hardware/software fix. Get it done, Subaru. Finally, if you get the Eyesight safety system be prepared some an excess of features and audible alerts. "Ping" "Ping, Ping, Ping" "Ping"...... You'll need to drive a while and study the manuals seriously before you know what you want and what you don't want and what you want but want to kill the audible alerts. So, Subaru dealers will probably encourage you to come back for a free "second deliver" so they can help customize your car. The manuals are enough, if you want to work that hard, and you should get to know how to fiddle with the system. Something could need resetting when you are no where near a dealer. Know there are three ways "to customize" the features, the rectangle of on/off buttons on the lower left of the dash, the customizing control located like a paddle shift behind the steering wheel with "i/set" on the middle lever, and the "Settings" icon on the dash screen. Why aren't all these in one place? Ask the Subaru engineers..... Good car, but be ready to undergo a long break in period for the driver.
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Something Old Something New
A Happy Baby Boomer, 01/11/2018
updated 05/13/2024
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Traded in my 2008 Camry for a 2018 Outback. Was pleasantly surprised to see it had a CD player. It also has Bluetooth and Sirius radio. Love the safety features in this vehicle and the heated front seats. The ride has a slightly more sporty feel than the Camry on cushy tires and is pretty quiet. Took the new car home in a snowstorm and she handled great in four inches of snow. I love this car! Update: 2.5 years later and I just love love love this car. It has carried tons of wood, grandkids, me everywhere we wanted to go. The ride is stellar and way more comfortable than anything else I have ridden in lately. She's reliable, no problems and is a wonderful car. Can I say 6 stars? How about 7? Had this baby for over 7 years now and she still rides well and looks new. Update: Can I say 7 stars? This car is the absolute best. Absolutely no problems. She always runs well in any conditions. The heated seats are like a Godsend on cold winter days. Nothing like the remote feature for starting - gets the car in a nice warm mode. All I have to do is climb in and snuggle up to that warm seat and away we go. The dogs love it too. Plenty of room in the back for them. Love this SUV
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