2021 Subaru Outback AWD review: ownership update

Typically, finding a handwritten note on the windshield of your car is cause for concern. 

But the note placed under the wiper of my 2021 Subaru Outback caused a sly smile to spread across my face.

“Hi there – do you like your car? I’m thinking of buying one. Sincerely, your neighbour,” it read.

I promptly grabbed my phone and sent the inquirer a link to my six-month ownership review of the Outback on Drive, cheekily adding: “This should answer all of your questions”.

Spoiler alert: it didn’t. After his initial joy – “OMG, I’ve asked a car reviewer!” – it turned out my friendly neighbour had far more elaborate and niche queries for me than I’d anticipated as he pondered the shift from his ageing Audi A4.

Clearly, it was time for another update (catch up on my first summary here). 

Six months after my first review, I’ve added 3600km to the Outback’s odometer, enjoyed two separate visits to the service centre, and acquired a couple of niggling complaints – and highlights – to share with potential buyers.  

In my last update, I complained of a mysterious rattle coming from somewhere near the passenger-side glove box. 

Shortly after publishing, a Subaru service centre employee reached out to me and offered to fix the rattle, explaining that it had plagued other 2021 Outback owners.

The source of the rattle turned out to be a plastic panel in the front passenger’s footwell. The service team simply added a piece of foam to prevent the plastic panel from hitting against the other plastic components and the rattle disappeared immediately. 

That marked my first trip to the service centre, but it was quickly followed by a second trip to have two more recalls carried out on the car.

You may recall (pun intended) that before I took delivery of my Outback in early 2021, it was delayed by two recalls – one pertaining to the car’s electronic brake booster and the other pertaining to its pre-collision braking system.

The latest recalls included a software update to keep the latter issue at bay,  plus a reprogramming of the car’s Vehicle Dynamics Control module, which Subaru said could fail to automatically brake after a collision. 

Because I didn't want to make a third service centre visit in under a year, I decided to combine the recalls with my 12-month scheduled service.

For $317.50 I essentially had the car’s oil changed, the interior vacuumed, the tyre pressure topped up, and a series of maintenance checks performed (none of which returned anything of note) – before my son cracked it and we had to flee without the exterior car wash. 

It was the most I’ve ever paid for – on the surface at least – a glorified vacuuming, but at least the staff were fast and courteous. 

Unfortunately, mere weeks after my visit, the foam lining on the driver’s side door detached – something that could actually have benefitted from some professional attention. 

If, like my neighbour, you’re coming to Subaru from a European brand, these servicing costs will, over time, work out somewhat similar with each Subaru interval at a slightly different price (from my $317 visit to $802 at the four-year mark). By comparison, an annual service for the Audi A4 Allroad works out closer to $585 per year under its five-year scheduled servicing plan.

In switching from his Audi A4 to the Outback, my neighbour’s concerns were mostly around cargo space, concerned the Outback wouldn’t live up to the roominess of his old sedan and would instead be similar to the cramped (in his opinion) boots of his family members’ Volkswagen Tiguans or Subaru Foresters. 

The Outback offers 522L of boot space, or 1267L with the rear seats folded, which is more than the Forester but less than the Tiguan. I don't know which generation of A4 my neighbour owns, but I imagine he'd be hard-pressed to equal, let alone exceed, that amount of cargo space (the current-generation A4 offers 460L).

We've never found the Outback's boot lacking, ferrying wheelbarrows, prams, a backyard’s worth of pebbles, and enough luggage for a week without even needing to fold the seats down. 

Perhaps it’s not the amount of space you have but what you do with it – the Outback’s cargo area is easily convertible, uncomplicated, and unimpeded by attempts at aesthetic edginess like some of the more premium large SUVs on offer (ahem, BMW X6). 

With more cars to drive upon my return to work, I invested in a second child seat and found it quite easily fit alongside my existing car seat (we now own the Britax Graphene and Britax Brava) – but I can’t imagine a person small enough to squeeze in the middle between both seats. 

As a result, it feels as though we own a very large two-seater car. Great for ferrying oversized items and babies, not so great for giving friends a lift.

Another niche question from my inquisitive neighbour was in regard to the apps on the car’s home screen, which looks similar to a giant iPhone. 

He wanted to know whether apps could be rearranged in the same manner as iPhone apps – by clicking and holding one and then using your finger to drag them into a new spot. My very thorough investigations revealed they can.

While I’m a fan of the look and feel of the car’s infotainment – which I use mostly for Apple CarPlay – I dislike the lack of physical buttons for climate control, which is operated mainly via the touchscreen. 

This can prove very distracting and fiddly when you’re trying to adjust the fan speed while on the move. 

During hotter months, I also found the two central vents in the rear didn't pump out enough air to keep my little boy cool, so I took to starting the engine and cranking the air-conditioning for a few minutes before putting him into his car seat.

The tinted rear windows did little to mitigate glare, and I had to invest in some sun shades during the summer months. 

A lot of people recommended Snap Shades, a company that makes window shades specific to certain makes and models, but at $80 a pop we decided these were too pricey and opted for a cheap and cheerful set from Bunnings.

Fuel consumption is still on the higher side, something that’s been front of mind with the recent rise in petrol prices, with mostly urban driving averaging 11.0L/100km (Subaru quotes 9.3L/100km on an urban cycle). Filling up on 91 unleaded from almost empty rarely costs less than $60. 

On the road, the Outback remains an incredibly capable companion. As the winter months crept in, I still felt assured tackling slippery tram tracks and muddy gravel roads, and the ride on the car’s 18-inch wheels remained eminently comfortable. 

While my husband finds the many safety alerts annoying, I am consistently impressed by how on the ball they are.

When approaching parked cars on the sides of narrow streets, the Outback has issued an immediate alert to tell me there's an object ahead, and when I've briefly turned my head to check on my son in the back seat while at a red light, the car has scolded me to "stay alert".

In one instance, when cautiously testing the limits of the rear camera's precision in a tight underground car park, the Outback initiated its reverse automatic braking to dramatic effect. It wasn't needed, but it was good to know the car was paying attention.

I'll admit there have been a handful of moments where I've wished the 11-metre turning circle was tighter, but for a long, large car it's still remarkably agile.

And finally, a confession: I haven’t used a single drive mode beyond ‘Normal’ in my 12 months behind the wheel – much, I assume, like many of my fellow city-dwelling Outback owners.

Outback by name, but not by nature.