Subaru Outback

On the inside, the Subaru Outback has a very simple looking layout for the dashboard, which looks clean rather than being outdated. All the controls and bits are laid out very cleanly and in easy access to the driver. The all-black cabin of the Subaru Outback gets piano black inserts on the door panels and brushed aluminium inlays at various parts like the steering wheel, centre console and instrument console.

The driver’s cockpit of the Subaru Outback looks very simple and functional with a three-spoke multifunction steering wheel and a plain-looking two-pod instrument console with a coloured MID in between. The centre console looks big and chunky with an 11.6-inch portrait-styled touchscreen infotainment system, which also houses a touch-operated panel for automatic climate control. Flanking this huge central unit are slim vertical AC vents. Below this centre console, there is a huge and uplifted transmission tunnel that gets a simple-looking gear lever with silver surrounds.

The cabin of the Subaru Outback is well kitted with features like a sunroof, 10-way powered driver’s seat with memory function, 8-way powered co-driver’s seat, 11-speaker Harman Kardon music system with subwoofer and amplifier, Nappa leather upholstery, auto headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, heated rearview mirrors, dual-zone automatic climate control, paddle shifters and more.

The Subaru Outback has been designed like a traditional crossover – it has a low slung stance and jacked up visual appeal with the help of tough-looking body cladding all around. While the Outback has got a tough-looking presence of an SUV, its lowered stance and not so high ground clearance might not be loved by those who prefer the traditional upright stance of an SUV.

The Subaru Outback has a very simple looking front end, with a trapezoidal front grille, which has tapered edges for the upper corners and horizontal slats within it. The sweptback and angular headlamps look sharp and pack in all LED lighting, including LED projector headlamps and dual-functioning daytime running LEDs. The front bumper looks rugged with a heavy body cladding around the LED fog lamps and a thick silver skid plate in the middle portion.

The side profile of the Subaru Outback makes it look quite long, thanks to the lowered stance and long wheelbase. The entire side profile, including the wheel arches and lower part of the door panels, does come with rugged-looking black plastic body cladding. Even the roof rails look chunky with the black plastic moulds they get in partitions. The side profile is garnished with premium looking bits like machined alloy wheels, chrome surrounds for the window panels and brushed aluminium finish for the rearview mirrors.

At the back, the Subaru Outback has got a simple but attractive looking boot lid design with boomerang-shaped, two-part clear lens LED tail lamps and hexagonal housing for the license plate. The rear bumper too is heavily equipped with body cladding and a silver skid plate in the centre. 

The Subaru Outback feels firm and stable over all kinds of terrains, with its well-sorted suspension setup of Macpherson struts at the front and double-wishbone setup at the rear. The suspension might feel a bit stiff over broken roads, but it manages to give a great sense of stability and ruggedness over those sections.

The Subaru Outback sources its power from a 2.5-litre four-cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol engine, which is coupled to a simple CVT gearbox. The engine produces maximum power and torque outputs of 188 PS and 239 Nm respectively. The claimed top speed of the Subaru Outback is 206 km/h, while it promises a fuel economy of 7.3 litres/100 km.

The Subaru Outback is heavily packed with all the modern safety features, including Subaru’s trademark Eyesight 4.0 driver assist technology. The crossover gets premium features like a front view monitor, hill start assist, hill descent control, lane change assist, cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, rearview camera, cornering fog lamps, reverse parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring system, airbags all around and ABS with EBD.

The 2021 Subaru Outback impresses with its rugged visual appeal, an immense amount of cabin space and features, and a long list of safety equipment. All these attributes truly make it one of the finest and most practical family-oriented cars in the country today.