Alright, I know what you are thinking. Didn’t you just have one? You would be halfway right. I had a 2015 Outback, but this time I went with a new car. Something that I could pick out, and make exactly what I wanted.
After my 2012 Volvo XC60 had developed some premature issues, I had decided to just get something new. I was just about out of college, and could afford something new. This time I knew without really doing any shopping that I wanted another Outback. However, I decided that I wanted the 3.6 6 cylinder. Of course the salesman that sold me my first Outback gave me a 3.6 to drive “just to see how I liked it”; well of course I loved the heavier feeling, and more power.
Before I get ahead here, there are a few reasons why I went back to Subaru after my last one. I was still pleased over the value that you get for your money, I liked the incomparable AWD system, I am a wagon guy at heart, the dealer was offering good incentives for new ones, and honestly it is the next best thing to a Volvo in my opinion. I could not afford a new Volvo, so I went with the next best car.
So after I drove the 3.6 I told my salesman that yep, that is what I wanted. She asked me what color and options. At this time unlike my last one, you could get a Touring which shaves off the roof rack, and gives you a brown leather option. I could not afford it, as prices were close to $40,000. I went with a 2017 Limited, and because they were trying to get rid of the 2017 for a model refresh, I got a good discount. I thought I wanted a Tungsten color, however I saw a Wilderness Green on the lot, and fell in love. Sadly for me, you could only get tan interior, which again is a drawback for Subaru I think, but that was the only thing I did not like about the car.
Sure enough they had a Wilderness Green in a 3.6 in the back for me, and she pulled it around. I drove it, and fell in love. That Saturday I came back to do the paperwork and the car was mine. The picture above is with me and my dad and is the only picture I have of this car, weirdly enough. I added a trailer hitch to tow the Scamp with, and a side molding kit. Out the door, I had not paid hardly any more than my 2015, and it was brand new.
This one had the same tan interior which I hated because it would transfer my blue jeans onto the edges. I was alright with it, and lived with cleaning the seat regularly. The 3.6 was Subaru’s biggest motor for the Outback, and provided the driver with a little more power at the pedal. I did have to sacrifice a few MPG’s, but it was not too bad. I towed a few times with it, and let’s just say it was not something I would do again. Even with the 3.6 Subaru limits you to 3,000 pounds, and the Scamp and gear was under 2,000 pounds. It still struggled, and was not a fun ride.
For a while this was my only car, as I had just sold my 07 XC90 to its new owner. I drove the car for quite a while, but I did not put that many miles on it. I think I had it for a little over a year, and had 6,000 miles on it. Unfortunately what ended the ownership with this car was an accident, but not in this car. I will go into more detail in a few COAL’s. I enjoyed this car for sure. I would still be driving it had things not changed. My only complaint that I have about it is the seats. The front seats are not comfortable at all. I think in the newer models they have changed the seat design completely, which is good. Honestly it was not much difference than sitting in my girlfriend’s Crosstrek.
I would do it all over again buying another Subaru, and maybe I did. We will see toward the end of my series. I was a little sad when I had to let it go for something different. When I sold it, I hardly lost any money on the car as I bought it right, and got a good deal. It was a good car, and I am glad that it was my first new car.
Out of everything, I want to know what kind of jeans you wear that deposit dye? I’ve worked high end retail that sold denim specifically that warns of this initially, but never once came across a case where that actually happened…
It happened to family member’s Honda Civic with tan cloth seats, dark blue stains from jeans on the out lower bolster. Pic from google
It’s happened in almost all of my vehicles with tan leather (it also happens with saddles), and I’ve worn everything from Lucky to Wrangler to Levi’s to Member’s Mark (Sam’s Club), so it’s anyone‘s guess which one transferred to the leather. But as you stated, it comes off easily.
I rented an Outback on a long vacation in Maine, and had the same problem with seat comfort in this generation of the Outback. In my case, the seat cushion was too short, and dug into the back of my thighs on long drives. But the Forester I drove as a company vehicle didn’t have the same issue; it either had different seats, or the more upright seating position didn’t cause the same problem.
Was the opening pic taken at Adventure Subaru? I’ve had good experiences with them…
It was taken there. We have bought 4 cars from them. They are really great to work with.
I had to get used to the seat in my ‘13; now I consider it my most comfortable car of the 4. I don’t know if they made a seat design change In the ‘15 remodel, but I do know on the new ‘19/20 model you can get a seat cushion extender on the Touring model. I think the short seat bottom cushion has been a complaint on the Outback for many.
Thank you for calling it a wagon. So many journos call it a crossover which it isnt and never was. It was a legacy wagon with body cladding back when there was a legacy wagon.
I recently (last month) drove an Outback Premier XT. I actually found the seats fairly uncomfortable as well, and that was during the test drive. (There were other issues with it too, such as what seemed to be astronomical turbo lag, and neither I nor the friend I went with enjoyed the suspension very much.) I fiddled with the seat, but it felt like it was giving me too much support in the wrong places, and not enough where I wanted it.