Used 2020 Subaru Outback Consumer Reviews
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The safe one with a good ride
BocaRich, 01/10/2020
updated 07/14/2021
2020 Subaru Outback Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
169 of 175 people found this review helpful
Great ride, lots of room, bigger than the older Outbacks...love all the toys...Power adequate. CVT transmission, shifts like a normal one. Tires: Yokohama AVID-GT are quiet, but a B rating for traction is curious. Automatic start stop was annoying, found www.autostopeliminator.com/subaru and installed (easy) device which when you turn the auto start stop off ...stays off until you want it back on. SAFEST car you can buy....My ultimate has everything you would ever want in a car. Much better than my old BMW and Mercedes... Now have 5700 miles ....mileage in city experience: 21 mpg... could be better but it is 4 wheel drive....
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Comfortable, great style, and good mpg!
New to Subaru, 12/21/2019
2020 Subaru Outback 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
111 of 115 people found this review helpful
This was my first Subaru and I've fallen in love with it. The ride quality is smooth, but without sacrificing a sense of the road and terrain, and the Outback's seats are supportive enough to make long drives pleasant. Having the large cargo space of the Outback along with being able to get over 30 mpg is a huge plus, as well. Some general notes/comments: -after about 3k miles so far, my overall average gas mileage has been 28 mpg, which includes both a lot of stop/start commuting and 2+ hour trips on the freeway -there are quite a few neat 'perks' that my previous cars haven't had, like the reclining rear seats, adjustable headrest angle in the front seats, roof rail crossbars that fold up, and high beam lights that dim automatically when other cars are close enough in front of you -the lane-centering feature seems to have two operational forms: 1) a clear-cut feature that does what it sounds like, where it just nudges you back to the center if it senses you're drifting out of the lane, and 2) a micro-managing nutcase that can be very aggressive in forcing the steering to follow the car in front of you, even if they're weaving around in the lane--thankfully, this second type of the lane centering is only activated when cruise control is on, and even then can be easily shut off by a button on the steering wheel -the base model is the only trim that has two 7" screens instead of a single large screen; although it looks a little odd, admittedly, its controls are fairly straightforward and essentially identical to the large screen version--but yes, that sadly does mean that the climate controls use the same smaller buttons and can be somewhat difficult to use -all Outbacks come with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, but Subaru's own Starlink infotainment OS is rather good for bluetooth operations; along with handling voice calls and music/audiobooks, Starlink will also show text messages on screen when the car is in park or read them aloud when the vehicle is in motion
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2020 Subaru Outback for sale near you
3 of 94 listings
- Premium 4dr SUVMSRP: $20,9903 mi away
- Onyx Edition XT 4dr SUVMSRP: $23,00017 mi away
- Limited XT 4dr SUVMSRP: $24,5003 mi away
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Amazing vehicle with a minor drawback.
Jay Kim , 01/11/2020
2020 Subaru Outback Onyx Edition XT 4dr SUV AWD (2.4L 4cyl Turbo CVT)
123 of 128 people found this review helpful
I am coming from a 2016 WRX STi Limited to 2020 Outback Onyx XT Metallic Silver model. I am a 29 year old male, who is married, and have been looking for a Crossover/SUV vehicle that came with AWD and Turbo. 2020 Outback Onyx XT came to my mind. This vehicle is amazing. Compared to the STI, I am absolutely okay with the CVT transmission. No more feelings of gear shift change. Also I feel like I am cruising in the clouds; it is very quiet and I don’t feel bumps at all. Pros: Quiet and comfortable. Low turn radius. Comfortable steering wheels and doesn’t feel “light” when steering. Most of the standard features that come with the car (with exceptions). Cons: MAJOR FLAW: Auto Start/Stop function. This is the most deal breaker function that will turn away most of the young potential buyers. I hate the fact that I have shut the function off every time I start the car. Subaru needs to update it so that the off function is permanent until the driver wishes not. Gas mileage: I DO NOT get 26mpg average. I average about 23 mpg and I have been driving regularly not like the STi. The touch function on the screen is so slow and lags. The functionality is not smoother AT ALL. I wish they had it like Apple or Tesla where you get instant response from touch. This is my pet peeve, but how is Subaru going to put every thing LED and not the turn signal lights? I love the day time running LED lights, LED headlights, LED fog lights and then forget the turn signals? That drives me insane. But I love this car so much I am willing to give 4/5. I love love the design and it doesn’t look like a soccer mom or granny car. It looks very sporty. I can live with shutting off the auto start/stop function every time I start the car but it can get quite annoying time to time.
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Great driving SUV or very roomy sedan?
JP, 02/11/2020
2020 Subaru Outback Limited XT 4dr SUV AWD (2.4L 4cyl Turbo CVT)
22 of 22 people found this review helpful
I recently purchased a 2020 Outback Limited XT. The lease was up on our 2017 Acura RDX and went looking for a replacement that included a new RDX, Honda CRV, Toyota RAV-4, Buick Envision and a Lexus NX. I had not thought seriously of the Subaru, until that is, I drove one. Now that I own it, I am utterly impressed with the Outback XT and more pleased every time I drive it. It may be the most solid car I have ever owned, thanks to some additional chassis stiffening. It literally glides over tar strips and joints with almost imperceptible feel and comfort. Despite, this it has an extremely confident road feel, level handling and steering feedback. Cabin noise level is even less that the RDX and approaches some luxury sedans. Normal conversations are possible even at Interstate speeds. Technology and appointments are more than I had expected at the Limited’s price point, that includes adaptive head lights, adaptive breaking and cruise control, blind spot and cross-traffic monitoring as well has heated rear seats and steering wheel. Also, “X-mode” allows for better traction in poor weather conditions or driving off road. The leather appointed interior is very attractive. Performance with the 260 hp turbo is a worthy improvement over the standard engine. Although the CVT transmission is not perfect, it allows for adequate performance in Auto mode and spirited passing and Interstate merging capability. For a sportier experience, one can use the transmission in manual mode with its paddle shifters and eight virtual speeds. In addition, Subaru has one of the more impressive safety ratings and very high resale value. On the downside, there is a shortage of front seat storage and the new info-tainment screen could use some improvement. I prefer old-fashioned physical dials and buttons, being less distractive than fumbling for touch screens when traveling on rough roads or at Interstate speeds. Also, the car is fitted with an annoying “auto-start-stop” feature that attempts to save fuel and pollution from excessive idling. Most of the other technology features can be activated if and when you so chose, but the auto start stop feature must be turned off every time the engine is re-started. This feature should also be optionally on or off. All in all the Outback Limited XT is a great compromise between a fun-driver and utilitarian SUV and with its standard list of features, a good value.
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Failure of brakes & Eye-Sight system nearly killed
N. Alam, 05/06/2020
2020 Subaru Outback 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
429 of 462 people found this review helpful
Failure of brakes and unresponsive Eye-Sight system nearly killed us and the passengers in a stationary car at an intersection. After owning two Subarus, we leased a 2020 Outback in November 2019. On a cool day with clear driving conditions and no ice in late January 2020 in PA, we approached a four-way intersection at less than 25 miles/hour. With over 30 years of an accident-free record, I pressed the brakes. To my horror, the car was not slowing down. My husband on the passenger seat warned me to hit the brakes, to which I responded, "I'm trying but it's not working!" We watched helplessly as our Outback traveled about 40 meters on the single-lane road and rear-ended the other car. Luckily, because of the low speed, the driver and her infant daughter in that car were unharmed. After reaching home, we found this report on NBC report about failed brakes in the 2020 Outback models (https://nbc24.com/news/auto-matters/2020-subaru-outback-2020-legacy-recalled-for-brake-problem). We immediately reached out to Subaru headquarters. Subaru took in the car for over three months. In May 2020, they reported that the car had no faults whatsoever and that we were responsible for all repair costs. However, Subaru refused to share the test/diagnostic report with me. When I reminded them about the NBC report, the Subaru spokesperson first denied knowledge of the report (even though I had shared the report with him in February 2020) and later wrote a curt email that, "... this recall does not pertain to your vehicle." [Again, the NBC report disputes his claim. It clearly states that 2020 Outback and Legacy models can suffer from brake failure]. For a company that pledges "love" and "safety", we are astonished at their cold and dismissive response. We never threatened to sue-- all we asked was that they make things right by either replacing the car, or acknowledging the failure and repairing the brakes and EyeSight. We are terrified of getting into the 2020 Outback again. What if the brakes fail at a higher speed, resulting in a deadly collision? What if we are picking up our children from school and there is another low-speed brake failure and unresponsive Eyesight system?