Used 2023 Subaru Outback Consumer Reviews
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Good car, EyeSight & safety tech need work
Alex, 06/09/2023
updated 09/06/2023
2023 Subaru Outback Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
11 of 11 people found this review helpful
We are mostly loving our Outback. We wanted lots of passenger and cargo space without having an oversized behemoth. Options for wagons are limited, but the Outback fits the bill extremely well thankfully considering it's really the only wagonish competitor in this price bracket. I'd actually like it even more if it was just a little bit more wagon and less SUV! Comfort: A top priority for us was a car that is comfortable and the Outback is VERY comfortable. It's especially great for long road trips. The roomy back seat allows the car to fit my family of 4 very comfortably and I'd even say it can handle a 5th fairly well when needed. Even taller adults find there to be plenty of room in the back. The ride is also very smooth without feeling numb. It glides over potholes and rough road with ease. We're also very impressed with the visibility. Tech: The large screen isn't very well used by Subaru's native software, BUT if you use Apple Carplay or Android Auto just about full time like my wife and I do, it's amazing to have so much real estate for that. Wireless connectivity for both of those makes it even better because you barely have to think about it, it just connects when you get in and you rarely even need to engage the Subaru interface. They also make it fairly easy to switch driver profiles, great for a 1-car household like us. The pop up HVAC control panel is still kind of a cluster, but they improved the basic controls for the '23 model year and that's what you use 90% of the time. Ours came with the wireless charger which was great but it's poorly ventilated and we've found our phones overheat if they're in there longer than 30-40 minutes, so that's annoying. Driver Assistance and Safety Tech: This is one of my biggest gripes about this car and what keeps me from giving it 5 stars. First, there are constant safety warnings beeping and dinging at you. You can turn some of them off but then you get the orange light on the dash that makes it look like something is wrong. The seat belt alarm is VERY annoying. If you unbuckle while in drive it keeps going until you re-buckle or turn off the car. Even putting it in park doesn't turn it off! I am really not a fan of the EyeSight system. We had a Honda Civic prior to this car and found Honda Sensing to be really good. It did its thing without being obtrusive and was helpful in bad weather. Subaru EyeSight is much more fickle. The steering assist is aggressive and it often feels like you have to fight with it, especially when passing on the highway. In bad weather, EyeSight will frequently turn itself off (allegedly due to the cameras being blocked by rain or snow) and is very slow to come back on. I came out of a rain storm and it was several minutes before I could engage the cruise control again. (Honda Sensing rarely disabled even in very poor visibility which was very helpful in keeping distance with cars ahead of you.) I also had a bad experience with the low-speed follow. It follows too closely and accelerates too aggressively, so that definitely should be addressed. Maybe it wouldn't bother me as much if I hadn't had another make of car that executed them so much better. But I know how useful they can be, so Subaru's execution is disappointing. Performance: Honestly, it's perfectly good for the majority of people. Some reviews complain about the base 2.5L engine being too slow. I do not find that to be the case at all. You're not wining any races, but it accelerates onto the highway well and passing on the highway is adequate. Yes the engine will wind pretty tight, but it does the job. A little more pep would be nice, but as a middle aged dad it's not a priority for me. (If you want adrenaline, shell out for the turbo.) I have found highway fuel economy to be lower than the EPA rating. It's rated for 32 MPG but the best I've gotten is 30 and it's often closer to 28. Overall: A very comfortable car with lots of space and a very nice ride. In that regard we are extremely happy with our Outback. The driver assistance/safety tech needs work and we hope they make improvements in the next generation by the time our lease is up. If that's important to you, you should definitely try it out in a thorough test drive before committing. Otherwise, we recommend the Outback to anyone seeking a family-friendly hauler who doesn't want a bloated SUV.
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Major Pluses, Minor Annoyances That Add Up.
Jim D, 07/12/2023
2023 Subaru Outback Limited XT 4dr SUV AWD (2.4L 4cyl Turbo CVT)
23 of 25 people found this review helpful
OVERALL; Great car, but I probably wouldn’t buy it again This is our first Outback, and overall, enjoy it very much. I test drove several trim and engine models before selecting the Limited XT. The additional options on the Touring didn’t seem worth the extra money. The XT was a must, since the non-turbo models felt sluggish and heavy. The engine runs unusually loud on startup, but smooths out quickly. The interior is very well made and has quality materials. I think the seats are great, but my wife thinks they are uncomfortable. Controls are ok, but too many AC controls (max AC, vent selection, etc) are buried deep in menus and changing while driving pulls your eyes from the road. That’s a prevalent problem with the menu system, causing enough of an attention pull that the car itself will warn you to "PAY ATTENTION TO THE ROAD”. The ride is very smooth and relatively quiet. Sound system is top notch. Apple CarPlay connects seamlessly and quickly. Interior fittings feel like quality parts and not cheap. Mileage is acceptable and made more palatable by the fact that it runs on regular unleaded. Rear seats are very comfortable and the air vents reach there just fine. Rear storage capacity is great and holds just about anything you’d reasonably expect to fit back there. I got the side and seat back protective liners and they are more than up to the task. Annoyances? Well, the fact that there is no 360 degree, or at least front camera is inexplicable. Putting everything on the massive touch screen is a mistake, too, as explained above. I paid for the built-in charger and it overheats my phone within 10 minutes (to emergency shut off levels) so it’s completely unusable. There’s very little interior storage/stash pockets. There’s a slim phone holder on the dash, door pockets hold a drink bottle, but not much else. Definitely not enough space for a tablet or magazine and/or a bottle.Console well is deep and just fine, but the pockets on side of the console are very narrow and I haven’t found any utility for them. The AC struggles against the Texas heat and the front vents are narrow, limited directionally and oddly placed so that the steering wheel blocks the airflow from directly reaching the driver. Again, great car, but the annoyances are, well, annoying in the fact that you encounter them every time you’re in the car.
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2023 Subaru Outback for sale near you
3 of 116 listings
- Limited 4dr SUVMSRP: $32,99849 mi away
- Limited XT 4dr SUVMSRP: $27,980In-stock online
- Premium 4dr SUVMSRP: $20,495In-stock online
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Does It All
Jenkins, 02/23/2023
2023 Subaru Outback Wilderness XT 4dr SUV AWD (2.4L 4cyl Turbo CVT)
20 of 22 people found this review helpful
Owned Jeep JL Wrangler, 2021 4Runner, 202. Still have a Tacoma 4x4 which I like. For 98% of the people out there the most challenging off-roading they will encounter will be easy to moderate fire roads. You don't need a body on frame truck or SUV. Outback is more than capable on taking on most offroad (not rock crawling, etc) conditions. The highway ride, engine, and tech is way better than anything the 4Runner currently has (if and when they ever come out with the next generation). My Jeep could easily take on the Rubicon Trail but very sketchy (ride and steering) at high speeds on the highway. That got old. Uncomfortable seats. Outback Wilderness seats are awesome. On pricing the Outback Wilderness $15-$20K less than a 4Runner or Wrangler depending on trim. Probably get another Jeep for a toy but for a daily driver the Outback is hard to beat. Lower load height way better to get our big dogs and in/out.
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The jury is still out on ’23 Outback Touring XT
67Stangman, 05/31/2023
2023 Subaru Outback Touring XT 4dr SUV AWD (2.4L 4cyl Turbo CVT)
11 of 12 people found this review helpful
After 1 month / 3000 miles of driving the 2023 Subaru Outback Touring XT, the following likes and dislikes are offered. Comparisons are made to our 2016 Outback 3.6 which we prefer in comparison to this new model. Likes • Turbo powered Boxer 4 at lower speeds. 2.4 liter plus turbo provides power similar to our 3.6-liter 6-cylinder OB but the 6 is more powerful at interstate speeds • Solid feel to car. Very smooth ride. High undercarriage clearance. • Responsive steering & tight turning radius • Rear blind spot detector (signals when a person walks behind a parked car or car passes on left or right) • Front panoramic camera (panoramic view of front) provides 180-degree ample view • Back up camera (info-entertainment screen and rear-view mirror screen option) • Proximity crash avoidance system (notification plus brake when objects are too close) • Heated steering wheel • Heated / Cooled seats (fan provides cooling air) Dislikes • Most of the Info-entertainment features including Tom-Tom. Only certain features are functional when the car is in motion like heat / air conditioning and radio. Tom-Tom requires too many clicks to operate while in park. Although there are a number of safety features to help you, we found the ability to turn off the features results in a more pleasant driving experience. One example is the facial recognition feature which allow for an automatic setting of seat position, left and right mirror position, and monitors your eyes while driving to assure you are not looking at the info-entertainment screen (it beeps if you do). You can separately program your two FOBs for each driver. • Beneath the Info-entertainment screen is a deep narrow slot containing USB, C, and earphone ports with access limited to a child or person with small hands. Apple’s Nano program does not work with this setup although the manual suggests it does. • Unable to disengage / lower volume seat belt warning system while shuttling the car for a short distance move. The sound automatically increases volume until you buckle your front / back seat-belt. Recent internet search describes a work around to disable while the front seat belt is unbuckled. It worked but the problem still exists for rear seat passengers / heavy objects laying on the seats. • Narrower driver and passenger dimensions compared to 2016 OB 3.6L. Increased door thickness plus much wider center console reduces side to side legroom especially on driver’s side. • Significant reduced storage capacity in both front doors, front glove compartment, and center console storage. Small slot above glove compartment has limited use. Reduced center console storage due to relocation of CD player from dashboard to console along with a two-tier compartment to hold a small cell phone and a 12v outlet port. • Automatic stop-start feature increases wear and tear on your battery, starter, and engine parts. You can disengage the shutoff switch at any time but the feature returns after shutdown. • Hesitation from 60 to 70 mph with Boxer 4 w/o turbo / CVT as compared to 2016 OB 3.6
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Rides nice, terrible touchscreen
Bilbo, 07/24/2023
2023 Subaru Outback Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
19 of 22 people found this review helpful
The voice response unit is horrible. I asked for directions to Costco and it asked me if I anted to drive to Pasco. I asked for a calendar and it turned on maximum cooling. The vehicle is comfortable on the road but almost everything in the car is controlled thru the touchscreen, which takes 4-11 seconds to react, way too slow. No more Subarus for us,
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