New Outback XT

MiddleAgeSubie

Forum Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2013
Messages
990
Location
AZ
Car Year
2018 / 2008
Car Model
4Runner / Tribeca
Transmission
5EAT
Well, after nearly a decade of disappointing news from Subaru, one after the other, there is finally some light at the end of the tunnel.

And it is a big, bright, shining light. The new 2.4T would make the next generation Outback a blast to drive on and offroad.

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/sub...0190F4D1E8E3B126522EAB2C8C7A9EEABF41658B05F88

The 2.4T+htCVT combo is stellar, I had an Ascent loaner for a day.

But the Ascent is too big and too minivan-ish, with a big but compromised cargo area behind the 2nd row. The XT Outback, by contrast, should have no downsides.


Well, except in the terrain I drive in the 4Runner, but that's not what a Subaru is designed for. I hope the XT Legacy/OBs will be very successful.
 
Maybe they'll put in the 2020 Forester! That would make a lot of people happy!
 
That...won't happen, as you know.
 
It'll be US only. We get EUDM, no way they'll have that engine.

Roll your own :), I did, and it's awesome.
 
I can see why Subaru liked rallying. They love handbrake turns. Yet another change of direction by Subaru in the way the company is heading. Is there another organisation anywhere in the world that seems so incapable of choosing a long term pathway to follow? It would seem that in order to be a board member of this company you must be devoid of all judgement and foresight and industry experience. Will this engine last longer than the diesel?
 
I see that XT as firmly in the US market. They have a 'no replacement for displacement' attitude which sells cars.



What we're more likely to get (if anything) is a version with the FA20F in a lifted levorg/legacy/outback.


I don't see a 220kW version, though... I think their safety dept. would put the kybosh on it.
 
Rally said:
I can see why Subaru liked rallying. They love handbrake turns. Yet another change of direction by Subaru in the way the company is heading. Is there another organisation anywhere in the world that seems so incapable of choosing a long term pathway to follow? It would seem that in order to be a board member of this company you must be devoid of all judgement and foresight and industry experience. Will this engine last longer than the diesel?
Click to expand...


I think Subaru came too late to the diesel party, without seeing that they were on the chopping block in the EU. Lack of market foresight.



WRT rallying, I get the impression the 2011 WRC rules were deliberately framed to neuter the Japanese dominance. 1.6l engines (matching EU production cars, not JDM), no active diffs, etc.



Why would you, as a Japanese manufacturer, want to play in an arena where the rules are set against you? Their major market is the US, so they continued in the US rally scene, and rallycross etc.
 
It’s not so much pulling out of rallying, it’s the direction they want to take the business. Back in the 80’s, they decided they would be a premium quality Japanese brand, and we saw the first gen Lib. Then they decided to be a serious performance brand as well, with the RS Liberty and then the WRX. That worked well, because they complimented each other.

Then they brought out the bug eye WRX and the focus was changed. They also brought out the Forester which again complimented the range. But the Impreza, except the wrx, was a bland nothing car. All it had going for it was the option of awd until it became standard. So you had some good cars, such as the Liberty, WRX and Forester, at least for a while. The basic Impreza was uninspiring. Then they brought out a new Impreza and Forester,GD and SG. The GD was even less inspiring, while the Forester improved. How could this happen at the same time with the same company?

And the wrx was a step backwards at the same time. Until they had a change of heart with the facelift and things improved a little, but the competition was doing better. The change to a 2.5 litre engine brought fragile engines. Then 08 wrx arrived and the cars goes sloppy again, until the facelift when they improved it a bit but still not enough. You have to wait till the next series for it become decent, but the competition has moved ahead while Subaru was changing focus.

The SG became the SH and like the wrx it was sloppy and overweight. Engine improvents over time, 8ncluding the all new engine, are barely noticeable and lacking compared to best in class. The diesel is weak also compared to best in class. The 4 speed auto is a relic compared to 6 speed competitors. Finally the SJ addresses some issues, but creates new ones, alienating customers who wNt manual gearboxes and dual range.

Then the Liberty. It becomes an elegant, stylish well balanced car with great engine options then a hideously ugly floating barge the antithesis of its predecessor. Only for it to become stranded part way between its 2 predecessors.

As for the XV, it’s a bit like the SF but without low range. Why? Because like the SF it’s gutless. It’s a recurring theme with the NA H4 Subaru range. Gutless engines but at least there was the option of a turbo, but not now. Except no, they have changed their mind and now you will, depending on what flag you fly.

So there you go. Stylish to ugly and back again. Good handling to sloppy and back again. No turbo, turbo, no turbo and turbo again. Comfort to performance to comfort to performance to comfort and back to performance. Just what does Subaru stand for?
 
Haha, no, it is nothing that surprising.


The 2.4T is the engine for the US-only Ascent. It makes sense to cross use it on Legacy/Outback as they did with the H6.
 
Rally, you make many good points. They're still confused with the WRX, levorg, and XV.

Of course the real issue we should be focussing on is whether or not an FA low-mount turbo is up to river crossings.

I suspect not!
 
In that case one day it would be a pretty little girl, then the next day a baby boy, a few days later a cockroach, then an obese teenager and because of that a fear there will be a brown snake the next time.
 
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