Used 2018 Subaru Outback Consumer Reviews
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Beware the Squirrely Screen!!
GFE, 08/13/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
25 of 26 people found this review helpful
Very, very happy with this purchase. Handles like a dream, gets a dependable 33 MPG on the highway, fantastic visibility and road feel. The ONE thing that disappoints me is the "screen" in the dashboard -- the nerve center of the vehicle. We had it less than a month when, one day, the screen went blank. No back-up camera, no "home" screen, no radio...nothing. Just. Went. Blank. It came back later in the day, but that was not much consolation...know that the screen could crap out at any moment. It has worked fine ever since. BUT...the Android Auto app is also a bit janky -- and doesn't work reliably. Disconnects from the USB-connected phone, or sometimes doesn't want to connect at all. When it works, it's great. But when it's being difficult, it's infuriating.
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Great SUV w/ a sedan ride but Noisy. engine Noise
Thang Nguyen, 01/31/2018
updated 02/09/2021
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Touring 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
15 of 15 people found this review helpful
Updates after 3 years: Battery is junk, started to lose sufficient amperage within 2.5 years, and had to replace coming up 3 years. Without proper voltage, the back trunk kept locking up and had to do the whole battery disconnect and reprogramming- pain in the rear... My Toyota factory battery lasted 5 years. Engine was noisy. seems like it is more noisy now. The engine started to idle rough, vibrating after 3 years. Not sure why, I'll try higher octane gas to see if it'll help. I still like the vehicle overall less the road noise. Great SUV without having to climb up to the vehicle. Lot's of leg and headroom and plenty of cargo space in the back. Great hight clearance as compared to other compact and midsized SUV. The ride is smooth but loud engine noise compared to my 2004 Toyota 4Runner. The acceleration kind of hesitate a bit because of the continuous transmission engine but once it kicks in it fly. Combined gas mileage is average for the type of car that it is. The touring trim has all the active safety features that I wanted. Love the steering sensitive headlights. . The Starlink system is terrible if it is important to you; it comes with the car but doesn't really offer much, save your money if you have to pay for it. Traction is good on snow and ice. visibility around the car is great. The heated steering wheel is great as an extra. The seat lumbar support is comfortable, the 10-way seat control is good but I do wish that the seat can be raised about another inch or two. It doesn't have a full-sized spare tire but I had never had to drive on my spare tire for long in the past 30 years so no big deal. Coming from Toyota (Toyota didn't have a comparable vehicle with features I wanted) so this is my first Subaru so I can't say much about reliability but my brother and his wife have had Subaru in the past 30 years and have had no problem. It's a shame that it doesn't have a panorama moonroof like it's little brother (Forester). There's plenty of USB ports but does not provide 2 amp charging. It is lacking the AC plug like my 2004 4runner so a little inconvenient to have to buy an inverter. The built-in navigation is pretty basic but you have a choice of using casting the google map from your phone onto the car's screen so not a big deal. Love the feature of providing low fuel warning on the screen and asking you if you want to search for a gas station. It does a good job of finding a gas station. Getting in and out of the vehicle is good, lots of legroom in the back seat and everyone loves the standard rear heated seats.
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2018 Subaru Outback for sale near you
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Steering Problems
steve simmons, 04/22/2018
updated 05/26/2021
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
33 of 35 people found this review helpful
For the most part, this is a nice car. I like the value and the Eyesight. The longer I have the Eyesight, the more I like it. There is however a major flaw in this vehicle which prevents me from recommending this car and that is the steering. There are some major flaws here. At higher Interstate speeds, the steering control will temporarily leave, it feels like you are hydroplaning in water, when the tires lose contact with the roadway and then when the tires settle back down to the roadway, your control resumes. In addition, if you are in a strong cross-wind and you need to adjust the angle of your steering to crab into the wind, the steering will attempt to steer on its own temporarily and you have to physically over power the surge that your steering wheel generates. This happens when the Lane Change mechanism is turned off. But it feels like it is turned on. This is the safety feature Subaru has on its Limited trim Outback. It's a quick and temporary surge but both of these conditions are very scary. Every try to pass a semi at 80+ mph and your steering temporarily leaves? I've done some internet research and I've seen several other complaints with the very same problem, so I am not an isolated incident. I have not yet called my Subaru dealer as this is a weekend review, but I have notified the NHTSB of my problem. Caveat Emptor!
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Extremely Disappointing
Diana Buckley, 11/09/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
32 of 34 people found this review helpful
The Head Unit which basically controls everything on the screen is completely broken which means there is no navigation system, no map, no radio, no cd player, and no Carplay. The screen is totally black. We understand that things like this can happen, but what is not okay is the response of the dealer - or Subaru itself. We were told that the new systems are on "back order" with absolutely no approximate time when it could be replaced. Literally, this could be months. The system is made by Harman Kardon and according to our dealer, there are no replacements available. We don't know what that really means but it seems ridiculous to have paid as much money as we did - we specifically waited for the 2018 model to get Carplay - and not have it functional or fixed. What is most frustrating is that we have been complaining to the dealer for months about problems with the system (shutting down without warning, but then coming back up, map cutting out suddenly, carplay not working, etc). Nothing was done to repair this - we even asked about getting a new system. It wasn't until the screen became completely black they are saying that it needs to be replaced. We will say that we like the car, the comfort, and how it drives. We did a lot of research before buying this (it is our first Subaru) but are incredibly disappointed at this point.
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Mostly great after 3 months and 2K miles, (UPDATE)
Pete R., 05/14/2018
updated 09/04/2019
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Touring 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
13 of 13 people found this review helpful
On the plus side, this Outback is very quiet and comfortable, which were among my primary requirements. It gives a nice smooth ride, much better than the X3 I considered buying. I'm getting 30MPG in mixed driving, higher than the combined 28 indicated by the EPA, which is outstanding for a vehicle this size. But, despite the great combined MPG, when primarily doing highway driving, I struggle to get close to the 32 highway EPA number. The adaptive headlights work great and provide outstanding visibility. I'm happy with my Outback but I wouldn't say that I'm loving it. Yesterday, I ran out of gas when the trip computer indicated I still had 30 miles remaining! That was an unpleasant surprise. I understand the computer provides only an estimate, but my Toyotas never let me run out of gas. A few other complaints: I can't see the clock when I have my hands on the steering wheel because my right arm blocks the view of the clock, which is low on the dash. My preference is to have the clock high on the dashboard, so it can be easily viewed by all passengers. The Harmon Kardon sound system is good, but not as rich as I would expect in a car with a $38K sticker. Even with the bass at full level, it just doesn't give that full, rich sound I expected. Also, the radio can't be turned off. The volume can be turned down to "0", but there's no power button, which seems like an odd design. Unlocking the power rear gate does not unlock all the doors, which seems odd as well. Sometimes, the rear gate release on the dashboard doesn't work, but I haven't figured out under what circumstances that happens. If a passenger unbuckles their seat belt before I stop and put the car in park, the seat belt warning will sound and it doesn't stop even after I put the car in park. Again, an odd design choice. Lastly, the EyeSight safety suite can be overly aggressive. I often veer left or right to avoid hitting a pothole, which sometimes causes the LKAS to move the wheel against my wishes because it detects me crossing either the left or right lane line. Not a big deal, but a little annoying. So, in conclusion, I'm happy with my Outback, but not in love with it. 9/3/19 UPDATE: Well, after a year and a half, and 12K miles with my Outback, I still didn't love it, so I traded it in for a 2016 Lincoln MKX, which I'm loving! I got a good trade-in amount for the Outback, because, if nothing else, Subarus are a great investment and hold their value. The Outback was very comfortable, and my gas mileage increased from the earlier review to 31 MPG in mixed driving, which is outstanding. But, there were little things that bothered me about the car, most of which are outlined above, and I decided I wanted something with more luxury features, specifically, a better sound system, air conditioned seats (which I understand are now available on the redesigned 2020 Outback) and ambient lighting. So, someone will be getting a very nice Outback with only 12K miles on it. I hope it goes to a good home. It just wasn't the right car for me at this time in my life.
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