H6-3.0 Wagon is the best value for a Wagon or SUV

Author's Rating:

Pros: Smooth, Torque-Rich H6-3.0 engine, Subaru All Wheel Drive, ride, comfort, Outback is a true bargain!

Cons: Automatic transmission isn't great, stock tires are terrible, stock stereo speakers very poor

The Bottom Line: 
Unless you need a vehicle that can tow a big load I don't know of anything that is a better value than the Outback.

Author's Review
UPDATE (June 7th, 2005)

Hello again all! Well its been almost 2 years and 26,000 miles since I purchased my Outback and things are going great! So far I've had no problems and have followed the standard maintainence schedule in full. The transmission is still bugging me although it seems to be getting better over time. I've replaced the crap stock tires with Nokian WR's as I had planned, these tires are an absolute dream to ride on! I honestly don't think theres a tire that suits the Outback better, period. I really don't have much more to say other than I love my Outback and plan to drive it until the wheels fall off. Actually I'm hoping to pay it off soon, keep it, and then buy a new Outback XT! Anyway if you want to chat it up with me some time, stop by an awesome website I previously mentioned here and ask for "Hero"

THE ULTIMATE SUBARU SITE: www.SubaruOutback.org


OVERVIEW

Back in July 2003 I purchased a new 2003 Subaru Outback H6-3.0 Wagon that currently has 10,000 miles on it. Just so you know this is a base H6-3.0 Wagon, not the LL Bean or VDC model. The new base model was released in Feb 2003 and filled the void of people who wanted more power than the 2.5L 4-cylinder had but didn't want to pay the sky high prices of the LL Bean and the VDC models. This car has just about everything that the two other H6-3.0 models have except Leather, dual moonroofs, and an upgraded stereo.

ENGINE

I'll start off by talking about the main part of the car that I wanted, the H6-3.0 engine. This is no hotrod engine, although it has tons of low-end power to get you started. It is one of the smoothest, quietest engines I've ever driven. On the highway passing is a breeze and MPG for this car is pretty decent as well. I've never gotten below 20 MPG even in the winter, I usually average about 23 MPG in town and 28 on the highway. As far as useable power, this car wasn't made to tow anything like a truck or fullsize SUV although I've pulled a few Jeep Grand Cherokee's out of some snowy ditches before so I'll git it its due.

SUBARU ALL WHEEL DRIVE

Next I'll talk about the Outback's All Wheel Drive system, by far the most valuable aspect of this car or any Subaru. I've driven some other cars with AWD and I can honestly say that none can hold a candle to a Subaru. I live in Omaha, NE and we have some of the worst winters of any city in the U.S. and if not for my Outback I'm sure I would have been in many ditches or worse when the weather gets bad. I've never had any trouble getting through the snow in my Outback, usually I'm the only one on the road who can actually drive the speed limit SAFELY in snow. Some people may think that that is unsafe in itself although you should know that this car doesn't slip and slide around at all even in the worst conditions I've experienced so I've never put myself in the way of danger while driving in this car. You can be safe but not be stupid, I know this car's limits and I will never try to push the envelope. The one thing that will further enhance the AWD and the car itself is good tires. The stock Bridgestone Potenza RE-92's are probably the worst tires I've ever had on any of my cars. They are acceptable in dry conditions and pretty much worthless in rain, snow, ice, etc. They don't last long either, I've put 10K miles on them and there almost done. I will be putting on Nokian WR all-season tires on pretty soon, I HIGHLY recommend these tires to anyone and everyone. They are the all around best tires you will ever find. I'll end this section by saying that I've taken my Outback offroad before and it does pretty well. I've gone through some deep mud, crossed some creeks & streams, and rustled through the backwoods. I will say that the Outback would do just as well as the average SUV offroad, but it cannot do all the things that a dedicated offroad SUV or truck can do like a Jeep Wrangler or Toyota 4Runner. For most people who camp, fish, or do any other light offroad activities it is perfect.

INTERIOR

The Outback's interior is fairly nice, for the price you pay it really does compare to many more upscale brand names and whatnot. It is very roomy and the seats are very comfortable, especially on long trips. The climate control is GREAT! It can melt your hands on 85 degrees or it can put you in Siberia on 65 degrees. By far the best climate control of any car I've ever driven. My car came with heated seats, heated mirrors, and a heated windshield standard and these have been some of the features I've gotten plenty of useage out of. Its very nice when you can get heated seat with having to get Leather let alone standard, let alone with heated mirrors and a heated windshield. This car has a cavernous cargo area, no matter how much stuff I've tried to fill this car with there's always extra room. The one downside of the interior is the stereo, mind you it is the most basic stereo Subaru provides for its cars. It has a CD player but the speakers are pathetic, I don't even play my music loud and 2 speakers are already blown out. I will say this though, the car comes standard with Weatherband. This feature is invaluable, it lets you listen to 24 hour-a-day weather reports in your area. It comes in very handy in the winter and on road trips.

DRIVING THE OUTBACK

Driving my Outback is a total pleasure! The car has a very, very smooth luxury car ride and it really shows when cruising down the highways and interstates. As I said previously this can be enhanced even more with the addition of some better tires, the RE-92's ride good but it still could be better. It handles very well as well, for someone who has never driven a Subaru (or at least a Subie with an H6-3.0 engine) you would be very surprised when you take your first turn in this car. Its hard to explain but this car turns and presses on the wheels, it "presses" and the body doesn't lean to the side like every other car. This is due to Subaru's flat engines and the Outback's low center of gravity. If you don't understand the concept for yourself I'm sorry I couldn't explain it better. Trust me though if you drive an Outback or any other Subaru you'll understand. My biggest complaint about this car so far is the 4-speed Automatic transmission. Its not that bad of a transmission but it doesn't complement the engine very well. It is slow to shift (up and down), shifts rough sometimes, and I think it robs the engine of power somewhat. It is a heavy duty transmission so these things are understandable to an extent still there is room for improvement.

THE BOTTOM LINE...

Well folks I'll probably come back and update it whenever I feel this review needs to be updated and I'll make sure to tell you all that I have when I do. I can say that I am 100% satisfied with my Outback up to 10,000 miles. I have had absolutely no problems with it so far, it feels very solid. I know that Subarus are built with a high standard of quality and have high reliability and resale ratings as well. There may be a few things that kinda bug me about the car but all the good things about it completely drown those bad things out. My favorite things about this car are the H6-3.0 engine, roominess (passenger and cargo room), and my big favorite is Subaru's All Wheel Drive. Without All Wheel Drive I could have, would have, and probably should have been just another car, truck, or SUV stuck in some snowy ditch in Omaha waiting for an Outback like mine to come pull them out like I've done for many people. I hope you liked my review of my Outback, if you have any problems or comments please leave them here or come to an Outback site I'm part of called:

www.SubaruOutback.org