Used 2018 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.
No Love
Bob, 02/25/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
20 of 26 people found this review helpful
In my opinion Subaru spends too much time/money on telling why I love my car and not enough time and money on fixing the reasons I don't. Road noise is still an issue with the 2018 however better the the 2017. There are so many annoying squeaks and rattles that I'm already looking to move on. The cabin is always full of exhaust fumes from the vehicle in front of me. I assume road noise if coming in through the same holes. The interior door panels seem like the are going to fall off when used. Door seals all appear to be installed incorrectly of very poorly with not enough material to make a good seal. I'm guilty of believing the advertising hype so shame on me. Subaru needs to pay a lot more attention to detail and button things down inside the cabin and door panels. For the money they are charging I expect a more quiet annoyance free mode of transportation.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
WANT A GREAT CAR? GET AN OUTBACK 3.6R
CARLOS RUEDA, 10/29/2018
updated 11/02/2022
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
12 of 15 people found this review helpful
I had a 2014 Outback 2.5i Premium with 6 speeds but had to give it away to CarMax since my wife accepted a transfer to a hellhole: Buenos Aires. Its mpg was 20.72149 and it was a great car. I bought a 3.6R Limited online before we got home to VA and I must tell you, this is by far the best car I ever had. It is dark grey with grey seats. Very nice. I paid less than invoice, I changed the oil first at 52 miles (the 2.5i was 33 miles), then at 1020 miles - Subaru paid for it - and then at 4221 miles. it has now 6581 miles and today it is 4 months old. My driving is 50% highway with 10% of that time in a traffic jam; 20% city and 30% suburban. The car is better than new, I wash it at home at least weekly and detail it. Oil changed every 3000 miles and all recommended check-ups. My only complaint so far has been the navigation, since we live in a new place which is on google maps, but Tom Tom (Subaru's maps) is not up to date. The car has a great ride, is extremely comfortable, everything works just fine. The best? I have to say the LED headlights are amazing. I have my lights in automatic and when driving on a black road at night [this part of North VA has terrible roads like DC and its vicinity, no lighting on roads at night] and the high beams are illuminating my way, when it senses another car going or coming, it just switches to fog lights automatically, the car passes and my high beams come back. They have the best illumination of any headlight system. And they steer, a very helpful item in total darkness... the next best thing is EyeSight. It is a blast when you engage the adaptive cruise control, the thing brakes, decelerates, accelerates, starts. I just love it. The rear camera and sensors, as well as the reverse auto brakes, do work indeed. The lane change thing is not my favorite item, but if you signal a lane change the thing will not correct your steering. The CVT works just fine, with the exception that you must treat it like a lady when going from P to R or D, since many times it makes noises. It accelerates very well in every circumstance, no delays. Just lots of power. Much better than my manual 2.5i. On the highway I usually do 80, eats gas, yes, but if you get it on cruise control at 70, its mpg is like 23 when going steady. My overall mpg is today 20.93542. I put a bottle of Techron fuel additive every 1000 miles or so. I inflate my tires when they are under 35 psi. If my CVT has no problem (I have read many dreadful stories) I shall buy another Outback. I wish I could get the 6-speed transmission, but not even 10% of owners bought it. A pity. The other item I miss from my 2014 2.5i is the ability to use the cell phone from the steering wheel, dialling from it, I did not have to look at the display and select the person I was dialling. Now I must do it. If you know how to skip this, please let me know. The space the car is incredible. In the 2.5i we stuck 13 bags when we got from the airport to pick it up, this 3.6R is no different. It loves going to Home Depot or hauling a 50” TV, anything in the big, cavernous space with the back seats folded. On top of it, a great pair of roof rails with cross bars you can use at any time. The money spent on the 3.6R over the 2.5i Limited is well spent, you get the powerful 6 cylinders engine and more things – my opinion. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today I am updating my review, the Outback is 15 months old and 23658 miles old... it is still as good as new, I take extremely good care of it [well, it should last forever] and the only sore point is the navigation provided by Subaru, or whoever. The roads and streets South of my home are not in the system yet - a year later... and at least I got Android Auto, which is great. Waze and google maps, although I always use waze. The car nav was useful in getting through the Blue Ridge mountains in VA, where T Mobile has no coverage. Every day that goes by I am happier with the car. Great engine, great acceleration when passing or the highway. The CVT in my car is very good, both manually and on automatic. The Eyesight is great also. No quarrels there. My mpg varies greatly due to the fact that I always have my AC on or the heater in winter, the car idling. My computer avg. is 20.9 mpg and my Excel avg. is 20.3697 mpg. No mechanical problems so far. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is a new update at 32148 miles and 26 months, during the pandemic I have driven only about 2k miles – I saved myself over $400/month in tolls, gasoline and maintenance. My mileage, which includes gas while idling with A/C on, is 21.125 mpg. I take it to the dealer for oil change, wheel alignment, tire rotation, etc. the car has had no problems whatsoever. I am extremely happy with my 3.6R choice, not having waited for the turbo engine. My miles today, 37851.11/01/2021.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
2018 Subaru Outback for sale near you
3 of 55 listings
- 2.5i Limited 4dr SUVMSRP: $19,99569 mi away
- 2.5i Limited 4dr SUVMSRP: $19,94878 mi away
- 3.6R Limited 4dr SUVMSRP: $21,29853 mi away
See all 55 listings
ALMOST PEREFECT
Quyen, 06/14/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
9 of 11 people found this review helpful
When you are 70's years old and lost your beloved 150,000 miles sedan in the hurricane Harvey 2017 in Houston, nothing matched your needs like an Outback 3.6R. The engine is powerful but thrifty, the vehicle is compact but plenty of room, the comfort is at your finger and the high-tech is elaborated but understandable (after a while). There are a few complaints though: Vibration on and off at the steering wheel when the speed is above 60. Emergency brake is too sudden and late. Outside noise is acceptable and not great. I am not impressed with the Eye-Sight system, the vehicle veered left and right like a drunk, sometimes it forgot to straighten itself and went into the next lane. It took me 3 trips to the dealer to make the Harman Kardon CD system operated as it supposed to be and the Blue Tooth phone system is still unable to hold its favorite list for more than a day. I still have until this September 2018 to have all these defects fixed. The next review might be completely different, [contact information removed]
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
Fourth Subaru
Cherie, 03/23/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
The 2018 Outback is great. My last Outback was 2012 and the improvement in technology is significant. The Bluetooth actually works well and the rear view backup camera has been improved. I have Eyesight in this car and it is challenging to get used to but overall I like the features. The car drives well and is quieter than the 2012. It is bigger than the 2012 and while I don't notice the size difference when driving, I absolutely do when parking, especially in a narrow garage. Also, I use a hitch mounted bike rack and the rear eye sight feature has a hard time with the rack alone and a very hard time when there's is a bike on the rack. The car will slam on the breaks if it thinks I am going to hit something, which is great if there is something there. Other than that I love the car and the price point.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Not the Subaru experience I expected!
J Miller Grant, 07/10/2019
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
I was fully confident in my purchase decision -- the Outback was exactly the right vehicle for my active lifestyle - mountain biking, kayaking, camping, etc. Everything I have heard about Subarus has been great and I expected to be a member of that club. Not so much as it turns out. First -- be warned - the Subaru "heavy duty hitch" is a one-and-a-quarter inch hitch -- not a standard two inch hitch! And they don't tell you this anywhere -- in fact if you look at the photos they are carefully taken so you cannot get a perspective of the size. Sure - you can add an adapter but by doing so you reduce the tongue weight capacity by 50%. Our (2 inch) heavy duty double bike rack with our mountain bikes on it would be over the tongue weight. Of course we found all of this out after we purchased the hitch and had it installed on the vehicle. Ultimately, we were able to find a hitch that fits and does not decrease the car's clearance (Torklift) and had it installed by Subaru - it probably cost us close to $1,000 all said and done. Six months after owning the car the "infortainment" system went out and had to be replaced. It took six weeks to get the replacement unit - in the meantime we had no navigation, radio, Apple Car Play and rear back up camera. And of course - had a vacation previously scheduled that we had to take without this system. Six months after that and while on a two week vacation, the Eye Sight system has failed meaning many of the techie safety features we paid handsomely for are not operating: adaptive (or any kind of) cruise control, lane departure warning and correction, front crash avoidance etc. Rather than take a day out of our vacation to spend at an out of town Subaru dealership, we will drive it home and take it to our home dealership. At this point I don't know what the problem is or how it will be resolved. What I do know is that I am very disappointed in this car -- the most expensive car I have purchased. I have never had issues like this with any other car I have owned and if I continue to have issues I may not keep the vehicle.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
Subaru Fan
Randy, 04/29/2019
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
This is the second Subaru that I have owned. The first was a 2008, and had 105,000 miles on it when I traded it in. Never gave me any problems. The 2018 that I bought used, had 21,000 miles on it, and I am still learning all of the new technology. I am very pleased with it, except for one problem. I have driven it for about 1000 miles and have had it a month and during that time I have experienced a stalling when turning left from a slow speed about five times. It does not always occur and is difficult to duplicate on command. This is a serious safety concern and the dealer has not been able to correct the problem. I filed a complaint with the NHTSA to go on record and in case others may experience the same problem. If I can't get this resolved, I will consider trading it for something else. It is a shame because I otherwise love the car.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Poor electronics
Jim, 02/13/2019
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Have had my Outback for about 18 months. Head unit (radio, navigation, back up camera etc...) has needed reboot (pull fuse, wait 30 minutes) 5 times due to audio stuck on channel or not working at all. Even when the head unit works, it acts funky, doesn't like apple carplay. Took it to the dealer and had to fill out a 10 page questionnaire on the problem for harman kardon to "capture" the issue. This shows the extent of the issue and how little HK and Subaru know what the cause is if they have a packet of info for you to fill out to help them problem solve. Dealer supposedly installed a software update, but did not fix the need for periodic "reboots". Now head unit is dead. Not completely dead as the head unit control illumination lights flicker about every 45 seconds while driving. Also has an open recall due to gas gauge and low fuel signal not working properly, no fix at this time, Subaru recommend keeping the tank 1/2 full. Recall for rear back up camera as well. My first and probably last Subaru. $40K and they can't even spec in robust electronics. Car drives ok, handles great in the snow (with snow tires, as OE tires sucked). Investigate head unit issues before you buy.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
so good I bought another
homerkc, 11/29/2018
updated 08/17/2022
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
My Outback is as comfortable as it is practical. While acceleration is 'adequate', handling is fine and the ride is superb. The seats are all-day comfortable, and we take 900 mi/day trips with no problem. Highway gas mileage is 30-31 mpg, but around town (suburban driving) it is more like 24-25. Still, just about the same as in my VW Passat. The Eyesight suite is just great - the main reason we bought Subarus. Now, after 4 yrs and 52K miles I would still heartily recommend the Outback.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Incredible machine
Jerry, 07/04/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl CVT)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
6 cylinder has much better acceleration. The build quality is exceptional.
- Performance
- Comfort
Great winter vehicle
Dave Zander, 02/08/2018
2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
STARLINK is buggy with apple I phone. The nav is tom tom software. Waze program is better. The outback is quiet, smooth, comfortable. The all wheel drive is as good as the Audi Q 5 I had. Only have 3850 Miles on it so far. only negative is the buggy STARLINK software.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value