Subaru of America has recently hit a sales milestone with the delivery of the 3,000,000thOutback. Rather than a cold-weather state, it was delivered to a customer living in Florida.
His name is David Jett, and Subaru of America claims that he's a four-time Subaru owner. Greeted by the general manager of Subaru of Jacksonville and two Subaru of America employees, the owner of the pictured Outback appears to be pleased with the all-wheel-drive wagon posing as a crossover.
This mixture of crossover styling cues and wagon practicality is the magic of the Outback, which premiered in 1994 for the 1995 model year as the first-ever sport utility wagon. Twinned with the Legacy sedan, the Outback was originally produced exclusively in Japan. Come 1999, production was extended to Subaru's Lafayette plant.
Subaru of Indiana Automotive finished the seven millionth vehicle in February 2023 in the form of a three-row crossover, namely a white-painted Ascent. Said plant started production back in September 1989 with the Legacy sedan. Over the years, the Lafayette plant also produces the likes of the Isuzu Rodeo, Toyota Camry, and Honda Passport. Since June 2016, only Subaru vehicles have been manufactured at this facility.
In addition to the Ascent, Outback, and Legacy, the plant is also tasked with making the Crosstrek for North America. The Legacy will be discontinued after the 2025 model year due to poor sales, which is why SIA is gearing up for the local production of the sixth-generation Forester. The first units will start rolling off the assembly line in 2026, the year the Forester will gain a hybrid powertrain.
Photo: Subaru
Even though it will feature Toyota's hybrid tech, said powertrain will feature a horizontally-opposed engine rather than an inline- or a V-type lump. Had it been Toyota's 2.5-liter Dynamic Force straight-four, it wouldn't have been a Subaru at all.
Speaking of engines, the Outback comes with either a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter or a turbocharged 2.4-liter. Neither is especially good on fuel because Subaru lists a curb weight of 3,641 pounds (1,652 kilograms) for the most basic of specs. EPA ratings? Those would be up to 28 miles per gallon (8.4 liters per 100 kilometers) for the 2.5er and 25 mpg (9.4 l/100 km) for the punchier engine.
Most grades feature 8.7 inches (220 millimeters) of ground clearance, which is 0.1 inch better than a Toyota RAV4 in TRD Off-Road flavor. The Wilderness grade levels up to 9.5 inches or just about 240 millimeters in the metric system.
It goes without saying that Wilderness comes with the 2.4-liter turbo, which puts out 260 ponies and 277 pound-feet (376 Nm) at 2,000 rpm as opposed to 182 and 176 (239) at 4,400 for the standard 2.5-liter engine. At press time, prices for the Base and Wilderness trim levels are $28,895 and $39,960, respectively, excluding destination charge.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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