Used 2018 Subaru Outback Consumer Reviews
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What took me so long?
Keith, 02/08/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Touring 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
91 of 97 people found this review helpful
My purchase of a 2018 Subaru was a bit of a fluke. I was replacing a 2014 Honda CR-V, my second one in a row. Although the Honda is a great value and roomy for it's class, we were simply tired of all the road noise! The 2018 Honda was supposed to be quieter....I don't think so, and so the search began in earnest for a replacement. Bottom line we wanted something that had the gas mileage, Utility, and reliability of the CR-V, but needed to ride and be much more "travel" (quiet) friendly. After testing 8 vehicles; i.e.; Volvo XC60, Toyota Highlander, Kia Sorento, Honda CR-V, Honda Pilot, Acura RDX, Mazda CX9, & the Ford Edge, we still were not happy...Either they used premium fuel, had large noisy tires, too expensive or simply the same as everybody else; and then we finally drove the Subaru. We knew folks that owed them, and not one person who actually owned them said nothing but positive things about theirs. After our test drive, I finally "got it"...The new 2018 Outback Touring is simply excellent. We heard the reviews about the 2.5i 4 cycl. being under powered....I have owned over 23 automobiles. Under powered is relative, and in the real world, this vehicle will do what it needs to do and economically as well. Our first trip from Tennessee to Ohio was 32mpg and that's AWD. Our CR-V which was 2-wheel drive did not do much better. It is much quieter with the changes in acoustic front and side glass and design features to the front end. Inside we have received countless comments about how nice the interior looked. Yes, it is a bit simple...simple elegance beats out "flavor of the year" any day. Cargo capacity is on the larger side for it's category. Heated and reclining seats front and back makes trips very comfortable. My wife likes it, because she sits high in it like other CUVs. Electronics: From adaptive cruise, blu-tooth, to senors galore, it has everything you want except photon torpedoes. Our insurance went up only $30 dollars/yr going from a 5 year old Honda to our new Subaru due to all the safety features. The only negative we've seen thus far...the Harmon Kardon 14 speaker stereo...Honestly, my 18 year old Ford Sport Trac sounds better. We can't seem to find the "sweet spot" for this set-up yet. There have been some complaints by other reviewers about the navigation. We prefer Subaru's nav based on Tom-Tom, than other autos based on Garmin. Personal preference for everyone. More intuitive for us. I've also read other reviewers talk about the seats....We don't see the issue. In fact, we thought the seats were another positive point for the Outback especially given that our model has the seat memory. Last item: The attention to detail in both design and construction really sealed the deal. All-in-all, we wished we would have looked at Subaru a long time ago. If your tired of the same big box, noisy, hard to park vehicles out there, try Subaru....the "weird" alternative...Highly recommend.
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3rd Outback
CW, 11/05/2017
updated 11/15/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
51 of 54 people found this review helpful
This review is based relative to my experience with my 2 previous Outbacks both of which were also Premium models. The 2018 is an entirely different vehicle. Drivers seat is less slippery and feels ab it deeper, in my 2011 and 2015 I was always repositioning myself. The seat does sit a bit lower than I like. The new gearing/programing on the CVT was needed and my 2018 performs like a real car now rather than the past 2 tach screamers. The new media center is so much easier to use than the past one I just wanted to bet with a hammer sometimes. mileage is about the same and still great. Ride is a whole lot quieter and I'm still getting used to the eyesight feature but a nice option so far. Just before I traded in my 2015 I put new 60k Cooper tires on it and they were awesome, the stock tires on new Outbacks are short lived and somewhat noisy but that's about the only negative......so far
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Good SUV alternative uncomfortable seats
slm66, 11/25/2017
updated 05/28/2019
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
62 of 66 people found this review helpful
This is an update to earlier review. Now have owned car, radio head unit died and was replaced under warranty. Thus far new unit appears to be working although volume inconsistent. Sometimes after phone call radio volume comes back far louder than it was set. Road noise much more noticeable than in my former car especially noticeable to other people if using phone. I miss feature on old car that lowered fan speed on a/c during call and volume adjust for speed on radio. Any driver with back or neck issues should consider an extended test drive. I test drove the outback several times and even took it home for a weekend. I had some tightness in mid back but attributed that to some yard work I had been doing. A The seats are extremely firm and as others have mentioned the lumbar is aggressive and seems a little misplaced for me. I am 5'4". I believe the angle of the seat bottom (angled toward the back) is an issue. There is no way with the power adjustable seat to level out the seat cushion. It leaves your hips postioned at less than a 90 degree angle which is not comfortable for me. Each day I find my back pain increasing to the point that I may need to sell this car at a loss. After a four hour road trip (2 hours driving and 2 as passenger) I was uncomfortable. Positives of this car. It is great for difficult terrain. We climbed a dirt road hill with a significant incline using the xmode and it handled it with ease. Gas mileage is good for a 6 cylinder and size of car is great for around town. The touring edition has all the latest safety features. My windshield has cracked due to a rock. Windshields seems less strong than other cars. BE aware that the eyesight technology requires that any chip or crack in windshield be repaired with a Subaru windshield. Chips can not be filled or it interferes with the eyesight system per Subaru service dept. A windshield and recalibration of eyesight can run upwards of $1500. They do offer a windshield extended warranty type contract. Sales will likely not point this out during your test drive.
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What's with Subaru????
KR, 08/07/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
56 of 60 people found this review helpful
This is my first Subaru, a 2018 3.6R Limited Outback. It's now about 7 months after driving the new vehicle from the dealer and it has about 6400 miles on it. About two weeks after I had the car, the radio and screen froze, but ultimately fixed itself after either continued driving or with the vehicle being parked and shut off for a while, and subsequently restarted. Apparently the same problem has been happening to other owners. After a few more times with the same thing, I had the dealer install the latest firmware, but that didn't fix anything, as I had a few more freezes, with either the radio blasting, the screen going dark, or both. Sometime later, the driver's front window would no longer always close. Brought that to the dealer and it was fixed. Apparently some computer sensing glitch. Who knows? Sometime after my 6 month service the radio and main screen console finally died and went blank. No radio, no NAV, no control over settings, no rear back-up screen, nothing. I subsequently left the car with the dealer overnight so they could start working on it first thing in the morning. They had it all of the following day and some of the next. Besides analyzing the problem, I was advised that the technician had to fill out a 23 page report. The next morning I learned that a new part would not be ordered until someone remote at Subaru got to reviewing everything and approves a replacement. I went back to the dealer and picked up the car, which is now and has been in my possession for a few days. I also called Subaru customer service and they started a complaint ticket. But I'm still waiting to get the car fixed. I don't get it-as I reported and as confirmed by the dealer technician, the screen and radio are dead!!!
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Driver seat comfort issues
JC, 09/17/2017
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
85 of 92 people found this review helpful
I have wanted to puchase a new Subaru for several months but the driver's seat comfort has always been an issue for me. I waited for the 2018 Outback to arrive but after a test drive there doesn't appear to be any improvement. The seat cushion is to still too short and firm without much memory foam. There are many other makes of cars with more comfortable seats. I like just about every thing else about the car. Subaru's have a great ride and handling. They are a great value that does about everything well but if the seats are not comfortable it will probably not work for me. I suppose if Subaru can still keep increasing sales volume they are not concerned about seat comfort. This would have been my 4th Subaru.
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