2022 Subaru Outback Sport AWD Review

With passenger cars falling to the wayside of SUVs, 2020 saw the death of the much-loved Subaru Liberty in Australia. It marked the end of a nameplate that spanned across six generations of sensible sedans and wagons that carted around Aussie families over 31 years. Luckily, the sixth-generation Liberty used its last dying breath to pass the baton to the 2022 Subaru Outback – the wagon-cum-SUV based on the latest Liberty (or Legacy) overseas.

The reason we say luckily is because the Outback is the anti-SUV SUV. Being lower-slung and longer than a conventional SUV, it’s more car-like to drive while maintaining the rugged virtues that consumers love about SUVs. Does the latest Outback successfully carry on the legacy of the outgoing Liberty? Let’s find out.

Price & Equipment: 8.5/10

The 2022 Subaru Outback launched in March 2021 with a simpler range than the generation it replaced. Just three specs, one engine and one transmission solider on in Australia. For 2022, the range has seen a slight price rise across the range as well as a new special edition variant.

The range continues to kick off with the eponymous Outback, which is priced at $42,490 plus on-road costs (around $46,000 drive away). The Outback Sport sits above it at $45,990 (around $51,000 drive away) and finally, the Outback Touring tops out the range at $49,790 (around $55,000 drive away)

Having recently spent some time in the luxuriously-appointed Touring, we decided to see how life is like for the middle child of the Outback range – the Sport. Being a brand that’s known for safety, it’s no surprise that all Outbacks come decked out with the latest safety equipment including autonomous emergency braking (AEB) in forward and reverse, autonomous emergency steering, blind-spot monitoring, driver attention monitoring, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, rear cross-traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, and eight airbags.

Other standard equipment includes a 11.6-inch vertical infotainment touchscreen, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 4.2-inch trip computer, DAB+ digital radio, roof rails with integrated cross bars, dual-zone climate control, paddle shifters, six-speaker sound system, four cargo hooks in the boot, automatic windscreen wipers, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, LED headlights with ‘Matrix’ adaptive high beam, LED front indicators, and LED tail lights.

Exclusive to the Sport is what Subaru calls water repellent sports seat trim (read: artificial leather), heated and rear seats, front- and side-view cameras, hands-free power tailgate, and satellite navigation. Also, for the sake of verisimilitude, the Sport swaps out the grey 18-inch alloys and body-coloured mirrors for black 18-inch alloys, black mirror caps, black badging on the tail gate, green highlights on the roof rails, green ‘Outback’ lettering on the rear doors, and green stitching details in the cabin.

The Outback Sport is mostly generous in its standard equipment but there are a few anomalies. Like we mentioned in our Outback Touring review, we don’t understand why Subaru installed three cameras (front, rear and left-hand side) without adding a fourth and offering a proper 360º camera. Also, it seems odd and plain stingy that a large $45K car doesn’t offer front parking sensors. Then there’s other kit that many competitors now offer including a digital driver’s display, a proper heads-up display and electric mirrors that fold automatically (the Outback Sport requires you to push a button every time you want to fold them).

Our 2022 Subaru Outback Touring was finished in the rather striking ‘Autumn Green’ metallic paint (a no-cost option, as per all paint options) and came to a total of $51,050 drive away. Its closest rivals comes in form of the Volkswagen Passat Alltrack 162TSI, a fellow wagon-cum-SUV, for $56,000 drive away or the the Hyundai Tucson Highlander 2.0-litre, a more conventional SUV alternative, for $50,900 drive away. It’s worth noting that Volkswagen and Hyundai will charge you $900-1,000 or $595 extra, respectively, should you wish to match the Outback’s metallic paint.

The Volkswagen packs a more powerful and torquey engine, tri-zone climate and front parking sensors over the Outback but misses basic luxuries like leather seats and a powered tailgate despite costing more. The Hyundai manages to offer notably more kit than the Outback including fully-digital gauges, bigger 19-inch wheels, a premium Bose sound system, a proper surround-view camera, blind view monitor, ventilated front seats and ambient lighting. Where the Hyundai comes unstuck against both is that it crucially misses out on all-wheel drive at this price point, needing an extra $4,000 to match the Outback or the Passat Alltrack. Adding it also adds a 130kW 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine.

Performance & Economy: 7/10

The 2022 Subaru Outback soldiers on with a 2.5-litre horizontally-opposed four-cylinder petrol engine as its sole source of momentum. While you’d think it’s a carryover power plant from the previous generation Outback, Subaru is quick to point out that it’s in fact 90 percent new and now produces 138kW/245Nm – up by 9kW/10Nm. The 2.5 is paired with a continuously-variable transmission (CVT) that’s programmed to have eight ‘stepped’ ratios in a bid to feel more like a normal automatic. Like all Subarus bar the BRZ, the power is sent to all four wheels.

As a rule of thumb you get good and bad examples of all transmission types – be it manual, torque converter or dual clutch. Continuously-variable transmissions have, up until recently, been the exception to that rule with almost all of them feeling unnatural, droney and struggling to match forward momentum with the levels of noise being made. The two exceptions two this rule are the Kia Seltos and Hyundai Kona. The Subaru Outback has now added a third to that list of competent CVTs.

The CVT and 2.5 combo in the new Outback work efficiently together, keeping revs down in relaxed driving to keep noise and consumption levels at bay. What’s more shocking is that the CVT responds quickly when you stab the throttle, quickly ‘knocking down’ a couple of ratios and picking up its skirt to hurry up the pace. If anything the package is let down by the engine’s lack of low-down torque more than the CVT’s ability to put power down, making the driver have to do some quick maths when working out overtaking manoeuvres. Thankfully, the 2.4-litre turbo petrol in the WRX is due in the Outback in 2023.

There’s no denying that the Volkswagen Passat Alltrack 162TSI would make for a more satisfying car to drive thanks to its dual-clutch transmission and 162kW/350Nm – especially if you do a lot of motorway kilometres or just enjoy driving enthusiastically. Still, the Outback drives reasonably well, is happy to drink 91RON and returned a very-reasonable 9.3L/100km in mixed conditions (Subaru claims 7.3L/100km). The Passat drinks around 10L/100km while the Hyundai Tucson 2.0-litre guzzles 11L/100km despite its lacklustre performance. 

Ride & Handling: 8.5/10

Essentially a jacked-up wagon, the 2022 Subaru Outback benefits from a longer and lower body than many traditional SUVs. Why is that a good thing? It looks better (subjective, we know), offers plenty of space but still manages to be engaging to drive without requiring beefed up anti-roll bars and ridiculously firm damping.

In a word, the Outback is relaxed in its demeanour. It wafts over imperfections as if they aren’t even there and carries itself with a luxurious poise that reminds us of big cars from before the ‘sport’ revolution came to popularity. The steering feels light but direct and confidence inspiring, making the Subaru and absolute doddle to get behind the wheel and familiarise yourself with.

Driving the Outback spiritedly will see the body roll through corners but it never feels disconcerting or out of control. It’s less dynamically capable than the firmer Volkswagen Passat Alltrack but on par with the very impressive Hyundai Tucson. What ruins the fun a little bit is the overzealous stability control, which cuts power at the slightest sniff of a corner. The stability control combined with the hyperactive facial recognition and lane department warning all give you the impression that the engineers at Subaru don’t want you having fun in anything other than a WRX or BRZ.

Interior & Practicality: 8/10

The 2022 Subaru Outback’s interior a refreshing step forward from the sombre and, frankly, cheap interiors gracing Subaru showrooms for the last 10 years. The doors open and close with a solid thud, the interior is finished in classy materials and there’s enough design razzle dazzle to make you feel good. Contrasting leatherette and stitching covers most surfaces you touch and it all feels very well screwed together. There’s a general feeling that much more time and attention has gone into the presentation of the Outback’s cabin than earlier models.

Dominating the dash is a large portrait-oriented 11.6-inch infotainment touchscreen helps the cabin feel bang up to date. Both sides are flanked by a couple of hard keys to help make basic tasks, including changing the temperature or volume, manageable on the move. Those hard keys are greatly appreciated as the user interface isn’t quite as slick as the hardware that houses it. The interface looks a bit dated and the menu layouts are complex and sometimes illogical. The climate menu is fussy and temperamental at times and the satellite navigation can be fiddly to set. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto does a better job of hiding the system’s user interface downfalls and fills the screen nicely. Honourable mention goes to the unbranded six-speaker sound system, which punches above its weight in terms of bass.

Safety is covered with Subaru’s latest EyeSight autonomous driving technologies including a very good radar cruise control and lane-keep assist. It’s pleasing to see Matrix LED high beam being offered at this price point but even more pleasing to see how well this useful (especially on rural Aussie roads at night) system worked. The driver attention monitor on the other hand proved to be a bit hyperactive, slapping some of our reviewers on the wrist but completely ignoring others’ wandering eyes.

Storage is thoughtful in the 2022 Outback, with a large glovebox, a neat phone tray above and another beside the passenger’s knee. In front of the gear selector is a deep phone tray (but no wireless charging in any spec), behind it are some generous cupholders and a good centre console bin. The door bins are also good for large water bottles.

Rear seat amenities comprise of good door pockets, map pockets behind the front seats, a flip-down armrest with cupholders, two USB-A ports and aircon vents. The rest seats themselves are generously sized – offering plenty of head, knee and toe room for this 6’3 writer. The Outback does a good job of carrying four adults on a long trip in comfort.

The electrically-operated boot operates swiftly after a few beeps and opens up 522-litres of usable space. Its square shape but doesn’t blow you away with any particularly clever features help to make the most of the space. The Outback Sport offers tie down hooks, a cargo barrier and release handles to fold down the 60:40 rear seats – opening the boot to a sizeable 1,750L. The conventionally-shaped Tucson and the wagon compatriot Passat offer more space with their 539-/1,860-litre and 650-/1,780-litre boots. The Tucson also brings flashier interior design and more kit.

Running Costs & Warranty: 7/10

Like most of its competitors, the 2022 Subaru Outback comes with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. That matches the Volkswagen Passat Alltrack, as well as the Hyundai Tucson, but the roadside assistance is capped at 12 months. Both the Volkswagen and Hyundai add another 12 month with every scheduled service completed at the dealership for up to five years in the Volkswagen and 10 years in the Hyundai.

The Subaru also requires attention at decidedly odd 12,500km intervals or 12 months. Why Subaru couldn’t just round up to 15,000km intervals like most in the class (including the Passat and the 2.0-litre Tucson) has left us scratching our heads. Over five years or 62,500km the Outback will set you back $2,450, averaging out at an average of $490 per year. By comparison, the Volkswagen Passat Alltrack will cost $3,493 and the Hyundai Tucson (2.0-litre petrol only) just $1,595 to service over five years or 75,000km.

2022 Subaru Outback Sport DiscoverAuto Rating: 7.8/10

After two decidedly lacklustre generations, the 2022 Subaru Outback is arguably more resolved than ever before – including the the revered third generation of the wagon-cum-SUV. It marks a return to quality and design for the Japanese brand but doesn’t compromise on practicality, technology or space.

It’s a convincing alternative to its more traditional SUV competitors – offering good road holding abilities and comfort – feeling as at home on our rough roads at its name suggests.

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