Is the Swiss Army knife of this iconoclastic Japanese brand on the verge of being left behind?

Price: $49,990

Powertrain and economy: 2.5-litre naturally aspirated boxer four, 138kW/245Nm, CVT automatic, AWD, combined economy 7.3L/100km, CO2 168g/km.

Vital statistics: 4870mm long, 1875mm wide, 1670mm high, 1745mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 522 litres, 18-inch alloy wheels.

We like: Robust and sure-footed, practical, well-priced, superb ride.

We don't like: Powertrain lacks edge, no quite as high tech as some.

THE old saying cites ‘contempt’, though it really means ‘complacency’.

The way I see it, it’s wrong in respect to the Outback. With the sixth-generation of Subaru’s elevated station wagon, the more applicable word when discussing about what exactly the familiarity this car breeds … well, it’s more along the lines of ‘contentment’. There’s no distaste.

For sure, I’d have to agree this is very much a view coloured by past personal association. Full disclaimer: For a while there, we owned an example of the previous Outback. You’d don’t buy into what you don’t like. And, overall, I really liked our Outback. No arguing that this is almost certainly why I felt a sense of connection with the new.

It would have been astounding, in fact, if a high sense of familiarity wasn’t a dead cert outcome. As much as a lot has changed – most notably the cabin layout and the technology implementation – this isn’t a car that has strayed far from a familiar formula. There’s a massive degree of not-so-different. Much the same look, pretty much the same powertrain, very much the same driving feel …

Before dissing ‘same again’ too much, though, consider Subaru’s situation. They’re a small, relatively low volume brand with limited resources. Beyond that, Outback’s massive success in its two previous evolutions has been so solid the designers and engineers would have had to have rocks in their heads if they’d gone back to head office and said they reckoned the whole thing needed a clean sheet.

All the same, don’t imagine they’ve simply dusted off the old car’s drawings for a second time around. Assessing an Outback as we have it now alongside one we had previously is an exercise in doppelganger deflation. That peer review highlights that as much as the general silhouette is similar, the windscreen is somewhat more raked, to lend more windswept and, yes, more modern look and the dimensions – save overall height – have increased, a result of it having at least gone to the Subaru Global Platform which first debuted in Impreza and XV.

Not only is Outback bigger than before (Geek note: It’s 50mm longer, some of that going into extra rear legroom, 35mm wider, and the tailgate is 20mm wider, plus it opens further to a luggage space up by 10 litres to 522) – but it’s said to absorb 40 percent more crash energy in a frontal impact than before. New bonding techniques make it even stronger and less prone to rattles.

This time around, too, they’ve added scalloped black plastic rocker panels and wheel arch flares; seemingly to beef up the car’s air of ‘off-road readiness’. Students of the type might recall that’s a trick last employed with the original car, which back then was quite literally an elevated Legacy wagon. Of course there’s a new grille.

It’s a look that sits particularly well on the model under test; the X. Positioning roughly equidistant between the entry level Outback, which costs $49,990 and the flagship Touring that will set you back $57,490, this would be my go-to; it’s well-equipped but not too flashy; a nice blend of utility and urban chic, the only one with green highlights BTW.

If you want leather and a sunroof, by all means spend the additional $3000 on the flagship but, frankly, I had both in my old Premium that stood as top dog previously and wouldn’t bother again. Sunroofs are pointless in an a/c age and while cow hide is easy-clean I really like the look and feel of the X’s neoprene-ish water-repellent upholstery.

BTW, if you are using an Outback for canine carriage, I’d recommend sourcing luggage zone liners from a US firm, Canvasback. Spending a couple of hundred bucks, postage included, got me the whole caboodle floor/rear seatback, side and bumper protector elements for my old car and it was the best bow-wow buy ever. The covers are tough and far better for fit and material quality than anything I’ve ever come across domestically and incredibly effective. Car detailers will tell you dog hair intrusion into carpet is the biggest challenge; when I lifted out the coverings after two years’ use, it took about five minutes with a vacuum to sort out the teensy amount of hair that’d somehow gotten through.

Anyway, the X hits the spot content-wise pretty well. It lacks the Touring’s heated steering wheel, but here you still achieve four heated seats (outboard spots in the rear), a powered tailgate, front- and side-view cameras, roof rails and satellite navigation.

The interior is the area of greatest single change for this model and not just content-wise. The standard of fit and finish is now conspicuously higher; while there are still some hard plastics, more of the cabin is finished in soft-touch materials. A shout-out to the seat designer, too.  

This new driver’s chair is the best by far, with truly decent lower back support and side bolstering. It’s as though they’ve acquired an old patent design from Saab, whose chairs were equally brilliant. The rear bench is less comfy – the middle rear position suffers a hard raise cushion – but it is generous on space, with good head and legroom everywhere.

 The new infotainment interface is the biggest of its type ever put into a Subaru, which in going this way joins a reasonably select group – Volvo and Tesla are the only other members I know of – to deliver a tablet-style touch screen as its main interface to audio, telephone, sat nav and car set-up functionalities.

Don’t be put off that it initially appears challenging. It really isn’t. If you’re reasonably confident with a smart phone, then the operability of this high-resolution 11.6-inch portrait-style element will be as easy and as intuitive. Subaru has been smart enough to retain buttons for HVAC functions, along with controls for volume and tuning. There are all sorts of sub-menus worth exploring – probably best, initially, when you are parked up – but you’ll crack basically functionality within minutes. This system also facilitates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and, frankly, you’ll likely use those for navigation rather than the native set-up; it was faster with my iPhone and, on top of that, Subaru’s destination address input format is a bit strange. In respect to phone integration, the make takes one step forward when two would have been better; there’s an induction recharging pad but no CarPlay still requires a cable hook-up – these days wireless association is where it’s at.

All in all though, everything above speaks to the car evidencing as a thoroughly more modern offer. Can the same be said about it’s on-road operability? Well, yes and … erm, maybe. 

In respect to that, an all-time all-wheel-drive system is a core attraction of this car and should always be so. Likewise, the Outback would not be the same if it didn’t have a soft, but friendly ride quality. These factors are core to what it is and should never be changed.

In a mechanical sense, though, it’s arguably at the point of risk. All models are powered by the same naturally aspirated petrol engine, a 2.5-litre boxer four. As much as version is said to be more than 90 percent new, but would you hand-on-heart swear to being able to pick that? I honestly couldn’t. It’s still very much like what we’ve been served up for years.

There’s just seven percent more power and five percent more torque (up from 129kW/235Nm to 138kW/245Nm) and, though it sounds a touch smoother and less intrusive, that could as easily be the result of extra sound-proofing (which it has) than any mechanical revision.

There’s nothing wrong with tried’n true. Yet, fact is, the world is changing. And old school stands risk of being considered dated and out of step. Like it or not, efficiency gain has become a big selling point and, in that respect, there’s not a huge amount of improvement evident here. The factory claimed mean fuel economy of 7.3L/100km was certainly well beyond my reach on test. 

Setting that aside, electrical involvement is now a ‘thing’ that an increasing count of consumers are looking out for as well. Subaru understands this as well as any brand – that’s why, after all, they’re a partner in a full-blown EV with Toyota, unveiling next year. Yet you have to wonder if the Outback will be part of that electric future. There’s been no hint at all that it will achieve any kind of battery-included and involved powertrain. Not even mild hybrid that now avails in the smaller Forester and XV (though whether that would suit it is fair to ask - it’s a poor undertaking in the smaller fare). Yet even a 48-volt system now might have proven prudent insurance; given this car will likely be around until very late in this decade.

I’m  not saying that what we get is wholly wrong for the ‘now’. Aside from being a bit of a gobbler, this engine delivers as it did previously; as an easy-going, stout-hearted accomplice. It’s not the fastest nor most athletic choice in the category, yet there’s plenty about how it works that appeals. Including that it’s not rev-happy; treat it right and in return it’ll release very decent torque from low down into the mid-range. It’s a shame the ‘thrub’ has all but been removed from the engine note, but it still has character and the way it operates seems to suit the car’s overall personality.

All the same, I’d be surprise fans of the now defunct six-cylinder are drawn to it; it just hasn’t got the guts to do that job. The six-pot support group is going to have sit tight until the end of 2022, when the turbocharged 2.4-litre with 194kW/375Nm. Going old-time turbo at a time when the market is every looking for electrical solutions is going to be interesting, yet I agree the Outback would be better with additional oomph. Even though the current car gets enough extra muscle for the braked towing capacity to increase to an even 2000kg, from 1800kg previously, it’s a laidback operator.

Moving on. Subaru has heavily revised the CVT; previously offering seven steps, it now has eight, which makes no great difference to the reactivity but definitely seems to smooth the operability; Subaru’s claim that it offers increased ratio coverage at both ends seems a valid one. There are paddle shifters to engage manual input but, frankly, there’s no need to bother for the most part, at least during daily driving.

The car arrived for test pretty directly in the aftermath of the brilliant Central Otago adventure concocted for the media launch so, with that memory still fresh in my mind, there seemed no need to take it off road again. I already knew it was great in that environment. I’d just say that any Outback owner who doesn’t take advantage of its all-terrain talent really is doing the car a dis-service. It’s a tough nut with excellent aptitude; the Dual X-Mode system that optimises throttle response for mud, snow and gravel surfaces is a reliable tool and, even though the tyres are more road than rugged, the car just doesn’t give up easily.

On the seal it’s a faithful friend, too. Corner-conquering isn’t any any more of a talent now as it was before; if you want that action, go for the WRX while it still exists. Though it delivers heaps of grip, the Outback experience asks for more care in the bends but in turn delivers a fabulously refined ride elsewhere. The Mac strut and multilink set-up is unchanged, save that hollow sway bars are new,  and being tuned for softness means it’s utterly regal; not only are bumps, ruts and other imperfections often ironed out, but the motor is often barely audible. There’s less wind and road noise this time around.  

And the confidence! The inherent security of four-wheel drive in slippery conditions has always been a Subaru selling point and the system in the Outback is sophisticated and capable. The unfazed approach to how it tackles any condition in any weather – well, if you know the Outback, you know that’s a given.

Steering from tarmac to gravel is a great experience because it just doesn’t change the car’s attitude; if anything, it’s all the more sure-footed. If you’re looking for a reason why this car has such a loyal following, that’s probably as good as any.

There’s also a sophisticated suite of electronic aids gathered under Subaru’s ‘EyeSight’ branding. Lane centring and lane keeping assist, lane departure warning and prevention, autonomous emergency steer, speed sign recognition with intelligent speed limiter, RCTA, blind spot monitoring and pre-collision braking (AEB) embeds across the range. There’s also reverse automatic braking; handy given the Outback is a long car and you could easily be unsighted. 

Also included are driver fatigue detection, along with driver monitoring, the system recalling settings for up to five drivers. Smart stuff.

A passenger seat cushion air bag which, in frontal impacts, raises the seat cushion preventing submarining and excessive flexion at the waist raises the airbag count to eight.

The base recipe of combination of station wagon practicality and light off-road ability has always been a big selling point, and rightly so. So many larger, bulkier SUVs are shown up by this car.

It’s a solid, tough package that works well at so many levels. Subaru needs to start thinking hard about what to do next under the bonnet. This car, the ‘original crossover’, is way too good for them to let go.