2009 Subaru Outback User Reviews

Pros

Fuel economy--way better than expected.

Cons

For the category and price---non

Purchased As New

I drive about abour 40,000 miles in the snow belt and need something that can get me "there and Back" everyday. I ve had the car a little over 6 months and 20,000 mi. on the clock so far with no hick ups at all.

The seats are firm but this suits me well as I have a bad lower back. Many note that the seats are uncomfortable. Well, they definitely are firm but they work well for me.

The reputation of the all wheel drive system speaks for itself and is why I bought this car. There are many, many videos on youtube that compare the system to others and it wins hands down. Some are real world offroading and some are controlled tests on ramps with rollers...the Subey outshines them all.

I do most of my own basic maintanance and love that everything in the engine bay is accessible. Oil changes are a snap, starter and alternator are in reach, and plugs/wires are easy to get to. I feel this is important for those that plan on keeping the vehicle long term. I plan on giving this to my son for his first car in 3 years. By that time it will have 130,000 miles on it. If this care lives up to Subey's reliable reputation, this thing could get him through college! But, when things do wear out, you can get to them to fix them.

The flat four engine really does a nice job. Even my base model with only 170 hp gets onto the highway fine. I definitely notice the lack of vibration compared to inline 4's and V engines. It's a nice smooth ride.

Fuel economy...Depends on your driving habits. I am rarely drive 5 miles over the speed limit, don't do late braking, and accelerate easy. Highway is 31 mpg and after 20,000 miles, I m averaging 28.1 city and Highway. That is really unbelievable considering it's an Automatic and All wheel Drive. Accelerate hard, brake late, and do over 67 and you' ll see those numbers decrease.

Ok, what don't I like...the manual running light switch on top of the steering colomn is retarded. A hazard light switch already exists. When wiping down the dash, I ve hit the running light switch a couple times and left my running lights on all day ( the switch allows running lights to stay on with out keys in the ignition!).

I don't know if it's a good thing or bad but the tire pressure sensor is really sensitive. The dummy light comes on after a small drop in pressure...When the weather changes, the tire pressure changes. Good for a reminder but, the light continues to come on. The dealer said "They're that sensitive". So , I put 33 pounds in each tire instead of the recommended 32....seams to have helped. No a Con, but certainly annoying. I can't imagine the extra pound will add any additional heat/wear on the tires. We ll see.

Maybe it's becuase I have a base model, but I was dissappointed to find no 12 volt outlet in the cargo area out back. A rear outlet comes in real handy for so many things.

I guess that's it. I have been very impressed with the car's overall performance and can't wait for the snow to come to try out the AWD system ( when's the last time you heard someone say they can't wait for the roads to get bad!).

Hope this helps potential buyers....read morehide

Pros

Great acceleration with decent gas mileage

Cons

Easy to flick on brights by mistake when turning

Purchased As New

Most everything is great, so I will mention a few of the things I don't like about my Outback. The cruise control kind of bugs me while going up hills because it will continually shift back and forth between 4th and 5th gear while trying to stay at a constant speed of 75mph. I wish it would just stay in 4th gear until the terrain levels off. It's a problem here in Montana where we do a lot of driving on the wide open Interstate. I don't believe that the speakers in the upgraded sound system are very good. I don't care for the sound system and the way it was designed in the first place. I wish that the brights were controlled by clicking the turn signal once for brights and once for dims. Instead, the brights come on when the turn signal "indicator" (I don't know what to call it) is pushed away from the driver for brights, and toward the driver for dims. When using the turn signal at night, I sometimes click the brights on and don't realize it will driving in the city until someone flashes me. Overall, I really like my first Subaru Outback 3.0 and I love love love the way it drives through heavy rain and snow : )...read morehide

Pros

Good utilitarian AWD station wagon

Cons

Seats are uncomfortable

Purchased As New

This is my fifth Outback since 1995. I need an AWD in New Hampshire. I bought the 2009 new in late July 2009. I had a choice of going with the 2010 or the 2009. I did not like the look of the 2010 with the big bumps on the top for the rack and the black "trim" on the bottom. The two tone 2009 (not available on the 2010) is better looking. Fuel economy is okay - the RPM seems to rev up to 2500 on a slight hill. The road noise is very bad - I also have wind leaks in the front dash - dealer says it's normal. The black interior looks great new but it's a nit picker's dream when in use. Seats are very uncomfortable. Odd item: when I put on my polarized sun glasses the dials on the dash disappear - I can't see how fast I am going, etc....read morehide

Pros

Handles well, decent mileage, nice features

Cons

Seats are not comfortable.

Purchased As New

Must admit my previous car was a Lexus - kept it for 11 years and still was extremely comfortable. The seats in the Outback are not comfortable. The front passenger seat does not raise and lower, and even for me at 5'2" it sits way too low for comfort and not enough padding. Driver's seat is better but still falls a little short.

Overall, love the car and looking forward to its handling well in the snow....read morehide

Pros

fun, good gas mileage, tough, awd is 2nd to no one

Cons

black carpet,

Purchased As New

I had wanted a good car for travel and wanted all wheel drive fir the hills or mountains, this wagon is as good as it gets, i test drove 26 vehicles and the subie won!!!

Pros

best AWD I've driven, good mileage, telescoping tilt wheel, pretty luxurious, easy controls

Cons

Seats still a bit narrow for my backside, a bit sluggish on the takeoff, carpet

Purchased As New

We're "Blue Oval" people through and through. A year ago I'd have called you un-American and laughed in your face if you said I'd ever own a Subaru (or any import for that matter). Then, last January I picked up a '99 Outback Limited showing 120K at a sheriff's auction for a grand. (Long story) Anyway, over the rest of the winter my wife and I found ourselves competing for driving privileges in it. Turned out it was a pretty decent car and the first small car (and I've driven just about everything) that didn't FEEL like a small car that performed in north Idaho's snow better than anything else we've owned. We have several Lincolns, one of which has 560K (not a typo) on it's original un-rebuilt still running drivetrain, and 3 Ford 4X4 trucks, along with an E150. By this summer the Lincolns were on the sales block and we just purchased a fully loaded '09 Outback Limited, graphite gray over silver, dark gray interior. What an awesome car! Although it could use a bit more low speed power, it's very respectable and we are averaging about 23 mpg around town. The only real beef is the seats have that turn-up on the edges and so don't fit my backside as well as I would like them too (we're used to Lincoln seats), so I guess it's time for a diet. The carpet seems a bit thin to me, but I'm used to Lincolns. Also, I have to admit some of the ratings are ambiguous as most of the zeros are still on the left side of the numbers. But we absolutely love it! We are actually considering another new one so we don't have to fight over who gets to drive this one!
At first I found it odd that people made such a big deal over some items. like heated seats, etc. as we have had them with our cars for years. But then I realized we're talking about unusual luxury in a car around $30,000!...read morehide

Pros

All wheel drive for safety. Solid feeling. Great luggage space.

Cons

Rear seat passenger room. A bit more pick-up needed.

Purchased As New

4th Outback owned. Had switched to Highlander for last "big" vehicle and it was fine. Out of SUV mode and the logical choice was the Outback. Plenty of room to haul stuff,classy enough to look good. Safety is always a factor here in cold, snowy Buffalo and no wonder this is a high choice among people in areas of bad winter weather. Glad we came back. Reasonable price for this car with its features....read morehide

Pros

Great gas mileage on the freeway (32HWY, 25 City). My dog loves it too.

Cons

Cruise control does not work on downhill. Window washer fluid freezes in winter. hissing noise frnt

Purchased As Used

Great car. The navigation system is super. Interior decor and music system are matchless.

There is a hissing noise in front, windshield washer freezes in winter and the cruise control does not work in downhill. When I spoke with the Subaru service personnel ,they told me it was a design flaw and nothing could be done....read morehide

Pros

nice looking vehicle,great options/unsure of fuel efficiency- 3 weeks old

Cons

sluggish take off/feels very heavy/not very comfortable

Purchased As New

i recently leased a new outback and while it is very nice, i would give anything to have my forester back!!!! i miss its perky take-off and fun drive. i never realized the drive would be so different. this new car is very sluggish and reminds me of a car hundreds of lbs heavier. oh well , i had better get used to it as i will have it for 3 yrs....read morehide

Pros

Fuel economy, AWD handling and build quality

Cons

Passenger leg room, interior layout

Purchased As New

My first Subaru and thus far I've been extremely pleased. At 6.5k miles, I'm getting 22-23mpg mixed driving and 27-29 on the highway. Actually better than the EPA estimates. Compared with my 01 Sequoia, the OB is very easy to drive/park and handles quite well. Not a powerhouse, but respectable. Handling in snow is excellent. Seating for 5 is doable, but somewhat cramped. No mechanical issues thus far and I'm hopeful based on Subaru's reputation for reliability. My complaint is that the interior layout offers no room to set things down inside the driver compartment....read morehide