Used 2018 Subaru Outback Consumer Reviews
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Solid, No-Nonsense Ride
Kevin Steele, 03/15/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Second Outback! Comfort, performance... practical. Love it.
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Whole lot of Value, Utility & Safety for the Money
HomoSapiensWannaBe, 02/08/2019
updated 03/14/2019
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Touring 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Like new CPO 2018 2.5i Touring that replaces a 2001 BMW 525iT. My wife will drive it most of the time. Our other car is a 2000 BMW 323iT, which we will replace in a few years (with an Impreza?) We take care of our 2.5 year old twin grandkids during the week and needed something safer, more reliable, convenient and spacious, which this fine car delivers with ease. The LATCH system and reclining rear seatback allows for an easy, secure installation of the two child seats. The power liftgate is convenient, though I miss the BMW wagon's top glass panel that opens separately from the tailgate for putting in smaller items. Soon after we got the Outback, I joked that it was a better driver than me. HaHa! Well, this was proved true as my wife, grandkids and I were backing out of a parking space in a quiet park. There were no other cars around for much of the parking lot. Suddenly, the beeper went off and Reverse Automatic Braking kicked in. Then, I saw a little old man standing behind us on the side I was backing toward from our space. Wow! Where did he come from and what was he doing there under the circumstances? (There was a sidewalk in front of us and just across the lot from our parking space.) I just didn't see him and hadn't expected anyone to be around us where we were parked. In this situation, the Outback safety systems prevented an accident. Thank you, Suburu engineers! I really like the adaptive cruise control, too. On the other hand, my overall satisfaction is dampened by some things I wish were different. One is the inability to unlock all doors remotely with a single press on the key fob. There are menu settings to unlock all doors at once, but they only work when using the driver or front passenger door handles, or the button on the liftgate, but not remotely with the key fob. There is an annoying "feature" where the Starlink audio system turns on the radio when the car is started, even when it was muted or turned off previously before the engine was turned off. To get around this, I tune the radio to XM Sirius channel 0, which has no sound when the radio comes on. I find the Outback to be noisy on many roads, in particular on rough highway surfaces. True, it's not a luxury sedan, but I would like more quietness, especially for listening to music because this requires turning up the volume too much to overcome the road noise. Speaking of noise, the "boxer" engine sounds like it's having a clangorous fight with itself sometimes! The seats are more firm than I would like. They are OK for short trips around town, but become uncomfortable after an hour or so. (I miss those BMW 323iT sport seats when driving this car...) There are some hard interior surfaces on the console and doors that I have to avoid resting my legs and knees against for very long or they will eventually cause discomfort. So far, even with gentle driving and very little A/C use, city MPG is only ~21 (not good, imo), but highway is ~32 (good). I had a bit of trouble getting Android Auto to work, and got various bugs and strange behaviors that I won't detail here. I had to update the phone OS, re-install Android Auto, and only use a USB 2.0 spec cable. ***This review was edited and updated 3/13/19 to simplify and add additional info.***
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2018 Subaru Outback for sale near you
3 of 68 listings
- 3.6R Touring 4dr SUVMSRP: $25,00011 mi away
- 2.5i Premium 4dr SUVMSRP: $18,5889 mi away
- 3.6R Limited 4dr SUVMSRP: $17,734In-stock online
See all 68 listings
The Goldilocks car
Chris Drayer, 01/24/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Just the right balance in many ways. Not too big, but plenty of cargo space, so not too small. Can't climb boulders like a jeep but still decent off road capabilities, with smooth, quiet car like handling. Not a Prius when it comes to gas mileage (I have the 6 cyl. ) but pretty good for an AWD SUV. Nice looking too.
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Poor electronics
Kathy, 01/26/2019
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
If you are used to state of the art electronics stay away from Subaru. I owned a 2012 Ford with better and safer electronics. The reason I purchase new vehicles is so I don't have to get repairs done. I've had this car in the shop over this issue so many times and it still doesn't work properly. So disappointed.
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First time buying a Subaru
Ron Moreau, 06/28/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Was very impressed with the safety features. Wanted and NEEDED them all. Final item to clinch the deal was the 0% financing
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Windshields? Who needs them?!
AA, 03/11/2019
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I like my Outback. Can be a little boring to drive. The biggest flaw is the windshield. Under normal driving conditions the windshield has cracked twice. First time was a small rock. I just assumed it was bad luck. Second time was a small piece of rock salt. What’s the point of an Outback if you can’t drive it in the winter. If you research this issue- you will discover this is not new with the Outback. 20 years I’ve driven the same route and owned a 2010 Outback- never had an issue. 2 windshields in 8 months??? Get good insurance coverage on your Outback!
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Excellent Value and Quality !!
Rod Macleod, 01/15/2019
updated 07/16/2020
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
The 2018 Subaru Outback Touring 3.6R is an impressive vehicle to drive. The 3.6 engine has the right amount of power for smooth acceleration and highway cruising, as well as providing nimble performance for city driving. All that with a respectable MPG fuel usage, and "regular" gasoline. The infotainment system is clear and easy to use, for navigation, vehicle information, and radio / CD, etc... I also own a 2000 Subaru Outback Limited, which still looks and runs beautifully. Needless to say, the Subaru All-Wheel-Drive system is incredible, and my almost 20 years of experience with my 2000 Outback Limited convinced me to purchase my new 2018 Outback Touring 3.6R, which is of course the latest generation of Outbacks, and takes the Outback to a level of ride, performance, safety, and technology that is truly a pleasure to own and drive. I am retired now, and won't be putting as many miles on my new Outback as when I was in the world of work. Therefore, I anticipate having this vehicle for the rest of my days. It's the perfect vehicle for both an active family with children, as well as a couple of "empty nest" retirees...
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Love my Suby
Chester Robinson, 12/06/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I am a long time Subaru fan and now enjoying driving my 2018 Outback. I love AWD and Subaru is the best - I can definitely tell the difference between FWD and AWD. I feel very secure driving in all road conditions. Usually put snow tires on for the winter as I travel long distances occasionally in inclement weather. Plenty of power from the flat 6 so acceleration overtaking is never a problem. The CVT transmission works well. Gas mileage is not great but that's the tradeoff isn't it. I'm 6' 2" tall and have enough leg room to be comfortable. Driver seat could have more thigh support but is not bad. Lots of cargo space and with the rear seats folded is humungous. The Harmon Kardon sound system is great. No problems with the Head unit as others have (yet). The Eyesight safety system is extremely good and well worth having. I like the touch screen because it's simple and logical to use. My phone connected instantly and is very clear on speaker but still have not solved the issue of transferring the phone directory- a minor work in progress when I think about it. I use the dealer for warranty issues only. Tired of the continual upsell of unnecessary maintenance non issues. So I use a trusted shop and keep good records. Very happy with my choice.
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Outback rocks
Jeffrey werwa, 02/18/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
We’ve always owned Honda’s/Toyota’s/Lexus/Acura.We love our outback touring.The dealership kings subaru was a great experience.The salesmen JT was very helpful and worked really hard to get the best value for our trade-in.
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Infotainment disaster; dealership inept
Beach dog, 06/11/2019
updated 06/17/2024
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
The 2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring offers mediocre electronics and performance for a premium price ($40K). The "infotainment" system and electronic fuel gauge failures (and subsequent dealership run around) aren't worth the multiple dealership visits and aggravation. In addition, any actual mention of these issues at a Subaru dealership earns you a dismissive shoulder shrug and an orange sticker on your bill. The sticker tells you to call customer service to vent, rather than give the car and dealership the unfavorable rating they deserve. Since customer service is astonishingly patronizing in face-to-face interactions, there's really no reason to get this same treatment by phone. And nothing has changed since I originally posted this review. Except that the car battery and electronics are now acting up. That's a lot of aggravation for $40K.
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