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Subaru Outback 5GEN 3.6R (2014-2020)
Also referred to as: Subaru Outback 5GEN 3.6R 2019 and Subaru Outback 5GEN 3.6R 2021.
dior2009Greater Melbourne (Outer), VIC
- 18 reviews
Best car I've ever owned
Bought a new Outback 3.6R a month ago, seriously this is the nicest car I've owned. Super quiet and silky smooth, built well, very refined and has all the technology for a safe drive. Especially love the Harman Kardon sound system. Looking forward to good times in this car. Thanks Subaru
Purchased in June 2021 for $46,700.00.
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GilMelbourne
Drives well
Good safety features. Maps vastly superior to the older version in our 2012 Outback - speed zone notifications in maps and on instrument screen are especially useful. Car has plenty of go and is very comfortable. Lot's of space in the back seats and boot. Happy now the Starlink system has been replaced.
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NickMelbourne
2018 Outback 3.6r - Mixed feelings
I bought this car because I was impressed by my experience with my last car 2005 Subaru liberty 2.5i. That was my first Subaru. It had a mesmerising pull when it occasionally downshifted to 1st gear when flooring the pedal below 40-50km. It engages the rear differential and revved up all the way to redline bringing the car to 60-70km in such a short time. The first time I did this it almost choked me cause I couldn’t breathe as I wasn’t expecting the acceleration to suddenly press my body against the seat. It also sticked to the road when corne...Read more
ring, you could feel the outer wheels holding the car from going outside the turning trajectory. it was such a sure-footed, confidence inspiring car in 4EAT mission. That made my decision to buy another Subie. And this time a wagon with even a bigger engine because I wanted that mesmerising experience. But Outback 3.6r in CVT trans was nothing but that. Granted the eyesight combined with this trans is very quiet and comfy. Ho-hum. But accelerating in CVT I noticed it just gives a split burst of torque. It doesn’t build rev and give a predictable amount of torque. Basically not linear. And also don’t have much of linear engine braking. So I feel less in control and hard to predict driving this car compared to my old Liberty sedan. Its body rolls in corners and sometimes the car doesn’t stay in the lane after changine lanes where it is going down and turning in a big diameter. I can feel the G force not just going in lateral direction but in vertical direction aka suspension sinking too much unlike my last 4 gen Liberty. The suspension is very soft aimed for comfort. After months of driving I just drive Outback very carefully like I’m driving a bus. The only time I can appreciate this engine is when speeding in a straight line with minimum cars around. I simply don’t feel safe to do spirited driving because the driving experience is numb. Numb handle, weak engine braking, non linear torque building or revving. S and S# is also not THAT different from I mode which is eco mode. When it is crusing, the mode just jumps additional 200 rpm from each other. So I can be doing 1500 rpm while cruising on 70km. If I switch to S mode then 1700rpm, S# to 1900rpm. The throttle response gets just tad sharper. That’s it. Now I admit that the car is very quick off redlight if you’re in S# mode although it doesn’t feel like it. You’d notice it IS actually when you notice you’re easily half a car to a car space ahead some FF cars next to you. This Outback AWD offers a quiet and less obvious rear wheel traction feel (compared to my old Lib which pushed violently from behind like a rear wheel drive which was eye-opening fun) but it can still smoke most cars off redlight. Driving in a very hilly suburbs, you still can lose momentum if you’re cruising uphill at 60km on S mode. Engine rev can be something like 1500-2000 but then the car can slow down to 50km on CVT. I was wondering why a crappy 20 year old daihatsu turbo mini car can stick so close to my tail on uphill. It’s just that the Daihatsu can control the high revs better than this OB CVT. I was mainly utilising paddle shifter for engine braking down hill and putting back to D mode on uphill assuming that the flat 6 engine would keep up the cruising speed uphill but on low revs, it can’t keep the heavy 1.7 tonne car with 3 passengers on speed on partial throttle! Torque is not strong enough in 1500 rpm. And because the car is so quiet it’s hard to notice you were losing momentum. At some point I was letting Eyesight Adaptive Cruise Control do the job since I must admit ACC can regulate the speed on downhill quite impressively. I don’t know how it manages to control the speed on a long down hill without creating almost any noticeable G force or without obvious engine rev up like manual engine braking. It doesn’t feel like it is applying brakes either.. It actually might but it doesn’t indicate in the driver’s console where there is a car figure that shows when brakes are applied. But because there was quite a few blind corners, I had to disengage ACC (otherwise it will keep going steadily on cruising speed without considering risky situation be it uphill/downhill) and drive normally with paddle shifters aid. Anyway manual shifting on CVT has no fun. The 4EAT on 4 gen Liberty had more accuracy and fun. I could even match rev the 4EAT by adding a slight throttle to down shift with almost minimum shift shock. Summing up, if I knew that 3.6r would only be good for super quiet automatic cruising on Eyesight and very quick off redlight (although I rarely do this unless I have to overtake to cross a lane) or tow something heavy which I never do, or driving rough terrain which also I don’t as I drive exclusively on paved roads, I would just have chosen 2.5 4 cylinder version of OB. Or else get a Mazda wagon for it would be more fun. The flat 6 Outback although maybe quicker compared to my old car in straight line and definitely in the speed range above 60km, the 4 gen Liberty 2.5i felt much safer and composed and much more fun like an European Audi A4 I’d imagine.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
Find out how Subaru Outback 5GEN 3.6R compares to other Large / 7 Seater SUVs
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Soc
- 4 reviews
Outback
What a great car, excellent overall in regards to space height, room and more so the roof racks. Great family car and price is spot on. The only thing i could find is why are they using full synthetic oil on a daily driver? Really happy with this car i will buy another soon.
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Garry MAU
- Outback 5GEN 3.6R (2014-2020)
- Verified purchase
Great Car
This is my fourth Subaru over a 18yr period, two Foresters & now on my second Outback. I test drove a lot of different SUV’s & did a lot of research, thinking it may be time to move onto another brand.
I was able to eliminate all the diesel models partly for the interior noise levels & the other factor being the dpf (diesel partical filter problems) as I do a mix of short trips & long trips, short trips not being good for a diesel.
Our previous Outback 2013 model with 2.5 motor was a great car & after reading motoring reviews on the new mode...Read more
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AntMacquarie Park
- 6 reviews
- 7 likes
Best Subaru Ever By Far
I have driven Subaru's since 2001. They have always had something special about them, but I noticed over time other brands had not only caught up but were exceeding the Subaru on most levels. Seeing the newly designed Outback, I had expectations of a small improvement over previous generations. Boy was I wrong! This generation is such a big change in every way. The quality of build, the quietness in the cabin, the safety features, the entertainment system, everything is automatic and you are now even warned when your washer fluid is low. I am not saying the Subaru is more advanced than other cars, it has just finally caught up in one big leap. I love this car and think it's the first one I will hang on to for quite some time. 5 Stars.
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CLBSydney, NSW
- 3 reviews
- 2 likes
We love our Outback
We chose the Outback for the space and its capability on country roads. Purchased new in Nov 2016 we were aware that some people have labelled the 6 cylinder model a bit thirsty, but we are delighted with the fuel consumption - much better than expected on our month-long road trip around Victoria & South Australia. The vehicle's comfort and power has exceeded our expectations. We would recommend this vehicle to anyone that wants to explore the country in comfort with confidence.
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VVMelbourne
- 7 reviews
Perfect for growing family and trips
Bought my Subaru Outback 3.6R Premium brand new in 2015. The engine is powerful without being heavy on fuel, I get an average economy of 9.0L/100k with mix of highway and city driving (60/40), obviously this will depend on lot of other factors for many.
Love the space especially for our family trips. The car is packed with safety features and the constant AWD boosts confidence while driving in wet conditions.
The only thing i hate is the way the headrests are placed on the driver and passenger seats. They are almost pointing downwards and don't suit me being used to seating straight. But that is an issue for me and may not be for others.
Overall a very well built, reliable and safe car.
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TruereviewerVictoria, Australia
- 4 reviews
The vehicle does it job .
I was a bit disappointed initially . The driver's leather seat developed a wrinkles bulge after two weeks . Complainted to the dealership and after 3-4 visits and numerous phone calls the whole seat was replaced . The right front pillar cover start to come off after a month . The dealership fixed it .
No other major issues within the last 7 months . The vehicle is pleasant to drive, though the rear seat buckles are very difficult to fasten due to bad ergonomic design . Obviously, you need to do your research before you buy . I'd recomme...Read more
nd to base your opinion on the current owners feedback rather than people that have had the previous gen vehicles since there is no connection between models and quality of assembly would be totally different .Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
Find out how Subaru Outback 5GEN 3.6R compares to other Large / 7 Seater SUVs
Know better, choose better.
sbmtbMELBOURNE
Very thirsty and poor off road ability with CVT
I picked up my Outback almost 12 months ago now. I must admit it was a step back from the previous car I owned being a Volvo XC60 diesel. The first thing I noticed was the drone (noise) from the transmission. It reminded me of driving in a ford falcon taxi. Also and I'm not sure if it's related but we all felt car sick when driving the Outback for the first few months. I think it was due to the wallowing of the cars handling. I hadn't noticed these things when I test drove but that was a quick 15min drive with the sales guy.
Driving off roa...Read more
d is dangerous....you need to be sure what you are going to encounter as the CVT can really catch you out. it'll limit drive to the wheels if it has to work to hard, leaving you standard. On the open road though it's smooth and easy to drive with the eyesight system taking car of the adaptive cruise. Urban traffic though and the car will eat fuel like a V8. I regularly get 15L per 100. the other thing is the full tank is small. so you feel like you are using more fuel because you are at the full station more often. I don't rate the dealers very highly but I guess thats a reflection of having previously dealt with Volvo who were exceptional.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
WAH
- 3 reviews
- 2 likes
Excellent car and I love it, but a few minor bugbears
The 2015 3.6R Outback is a brilliant car. I love the performance, both raw power and agility on twisty roads. I am well used to CVT transmissions, my two previous cars (Mitsubishi Outlanders) had them. The Outback's is superb -- always in the right gear at the right time. I drove the Outlanders with the paddle shifts all the time -- no need to do so with the Outback. I have driven the Outback using the paddles shifts on mountain roads however, and it is a tremendous experience.
The car is extremely comfortable. Another reviewer complains abou...Read more
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