There's no significant difference between MY 2016 and 2017. They represent the 2nd and 3rd model years of Gen 5 Outback production. FWIW, there was a mid-cycle design refresh for the 2018 and 2019 model years.

 

18 was the first year with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but had a lot of glitches that were mostly resolved with an update, just in case those features are important to you.

 

I have 17 OB with 30 k miles no issues so far . It’s been reliable with regular maintenance.

 

2017 had rear automatic braking available where the 2016 didn’t. Either would be a good choice.

 

I have a 2017 which I have had for a year and put about 16,000 miles on and I love it. The only issue I had was the alternator bearing went out and the dealership replaced the alternator under warranty. Other than regular maintenance and one minor accident where I was rear ended the car has been great. Best car I have owned of the two other cars I've had in my life thus far and is still pretty easy to maintain myself thus far.

 

2017 was the first year for the Touring model too. I had a 2016 Limited and went for a gently used 2017 Touring, never looked back, besides now I have a certified 100k mile warranty. The Touring is quieter, more features including faster lift gate and the nav screen is higher resolution too, plus that all important heated steering wheel. Good luck in what you find.

 

17' adds heated steering wheel on Limited and available Touring trim (Premier trim in Canada). Maybe a few Subaru tweaks, updates to HU etc. but nothing major. 18-19' were face lifted with a new HU and center dash, additional sound insulation and minor exterior appearance updates. Between 16,17,18' I'd personally buy the newest one within your budget, deals always pop up don't overspend if you have the time to wait for a deal. Given the current climate I'm sure some dealers will negotiate with you heavily to sell a car.

 

Learn something new every day. I didn't realize that 2017 was the first year for the Touring.

 

I have a ‘17 (purchased late ‘16) with almost 100K miles on it. Only problem I had was with the “remaining miles” on the fuel gauge which was fixed via a software update on recall. Very happy with it!

 

Hi all,

Brand new to this site. I understand the annoyance of beginning a new thread, especially if the question has already been posted but a brief search didn't yield quick results - please let me know if this question is already discussed somewhere here.

I am getting ready to sell by beloved 2005 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS in the next month or two. It's been an amazing car - literally zero major issues for 140,000 miles. I'm pretty sold on a new-ish Subaru Outback. However, I'm curious if there are any concerns or things to think about when deciding between a 2016 and 2017 (or newer) Outback, as far as reliability goes. I'm likely going to go with the 2.5 engine again unless I find a solid deal on a 3.6. My independent Subaru dealer mentioned it would be wiser to go with a 2017 as oppose to a '16....but I'm curious if others agree. Thanks in advance!!

-Grant

I have a '16 Outback Limited with all the options. Now has 90,000 miles. In that time I have replaced the right rear wheel bearing ($325), battery ($120), a serpentine idler pulley ($125), the front seat due to a worn bolster ($200: shop said it was his 6th in the last 2 months), and now my nav/radio touchscreen is failing ($TBD). I get 25-30 mpg depending upon season and speed although this is a non-issue at today's prices! The AWD is amazing and I have gotten through Wisconsin winters with not trouble. I love the utility of the vehicle - rear seats folding and built in roof rack are great. Eye sight is quite good but not perfect. Under winter or raining conditions is goes down, but that is less than 5% of the time. I have the 2.5 engine - pretty good unless I have 4 adults in the car, then I notice but not really material. I hope this helps.

 

I had a 2016 OB Ltd with 2.5 engine and drove it from new to 85K miles without any issues. Regular maintenance and she proved very reliable. Key is to find one that has been maintained or have an independent mechanic inspect it before buying. I don’t believe there is a difference between MY 16 and 17. I would still be driving it today if I didn’t get such a good deal on a trade in for a new 2019 Ltd 2.5.


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I have a 2016 Limited with 60K and love it. It gets about 28 mpg and has worked well. On second set of tires and second battery, but otherwise almost no major $$$ invested.

 

We have a '17 Limited, 32k miles. Only issue so far has been erratic idle w/AC running, which was fixed by replacing the alternator (under warranty). Have had wheel alignment done a couple of times and tires seem to wear quicker that I would like, but that isn't specific to the model year.

 

Hi all,

Brand new to this site. I understand the annoyance of beginning a new thread, especially if the question has already been posted but a brief search didn't yield quick results - please let me know if this question is already discussed somewhere here.

I am getting ready to sell by beloved 2005 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS in the next month or two. It's been an amazing car - literally zero major issues for 140,000 miles. I'm pretty sold on a new-ish Subaru Outback. However, I'm curious if there are any concerns or things to think about when deciding between a 2016 and 2017 (or newer) Outback, as far as reliability goes. I'm likely going to go with the 2.5 engine again unless I find a solid deal on a 3.6. My independent Subaru dealer mentioned it would be wiser to go with a 2017 as oppose to a '16....but I'm curious if others agree. Thanks in advance!!

-Grant

I think that for the most part, the 2016 and 2017 model years are fairly comparable but I seem to recall that a previous thread on this site gave a very slight edge to the 2017. That may have been due to the Consumer Reports ratings (listing of problem areas) – type in “Consumer” in the search bar and select the 2015-2019 forum in the Advanced search to find numerous postings or go to the most recent auto issue of that publication to get an up-to-date version yourself. I do believe there was some work to slightly improve the wind noise in the 2017s (but more in the 2018-2019s).

The NHTSA stats are fairly comparable:

Vehicles​	Recalls​	Investigation​	Complaints​	Manufacturer Communications​
2017 SUBARU OUTBACK SW AWD	4​	0​	255​	158​
2016 SUBARU OUTBACK SUV AWD	4​	0​	228​	233​

I have a 2017 Premium and have not had any problems. The only warranty claim was to replace headlight lenses due to a fogging issue but that was pretty minor and the stock tires wore out very early. If I was in the market for a used Gen5 I personally would look at the 2019 first (IMHO, it’s the pinnacle of the Gen5 line, having addressed many of the small issues in previous years), 2017 second, and 2016 third. As mentioned in an earlier reply, Apple Car Play and Android Auto did not come into the Outback until 2018 if that is a concern of yours. Also, the over-the-air updates via your home wifi didn’t come in until 2018 I believe, meaning that any software updates in model years prior to that have to be done by the dealer.

Check out the Cars 101 website to see the differences between 2016-2017. According to that:
____
NEW ON 2017s
webpage updated 7/5/16
started 7/1/6
All 2.5i models now have PZEV emissions (Partial Zero Emission Vehicle).

2.5i base model gets alloy wheels. Previously it has black steel wheels with a plastic wheel cover

2.5i Premium
with optional Eyesight gets High Beam Assist. When you have high beams on, it switches them to low beams when it detects an oncoming car.
Premium Option Package #13 (moonroof, power gate, navigation) has been dropped

2.5i and 3.6R Limiteds
New - standard moonroof, pushbutton start/keyless access is on all Limited models. There is no Limited without a moonroof or pushbutton start.
Eyesight gets new HID low beam and halogen high beam headlights with auto low beam aiming, Reverse Automatic Braking which uses 4 sensors in the back bumper to detect an object and help stop the car when going backwards, and High Beam Assist to switch the headlights between high and low settings when an oncoming car is detected on Limited

All new 2.5i and 3.6R Touring model.
Top of the line.
Comes fully equipped with Eyesight, Navigation, Moonroof, Blind sport detection/rear cross traffic alert, High beam assist, reverse automatic braking, Pushbutton start
Its gets all new heated steering wheel, standard Java Brown leather interior with ivory stitching, Navigation, silver and gloss black dash trim, dark gray front grill, dark gray machines finished 18" alloys, new chrome badging and lower accent trim.
The Touring model has standard roof rails with optional crossbars. It does not have the swiveling crossbars on all other 2010-2017 Outbacks.The roof rails are silver black end caps. The optional crossbars are Thule brand.
new silver finish low profile roof rails,

The interior is Java Brown leather seating surfaces. Ivory stitching, Available in Brilliant Brown, Crystal black, Lapis blue, Wilderness green and Crystal white colors.

Subaru Starlink app now includes Glympse location sharing app.
____

So, between the 2016 and 2017, I think it all boils down to the individual car. Look for one with documented maintenance & upkeep records and signs that the owner has taken care of it, run a Carfax report, and hope for the best!

 

I just turned 100,000 miles in my 2017 limited. It has never been back to the dealer except for my courtesy 3,000 mile oil change. Other than the usual oil and various filter changes, no other fluids have been changed. At 96,000 miles I had the plugs changed, a new serpentine belt put on, and had the rear pads replaced.

Just today I had my mechanic replace the idler and tensioner pulleys, as a precaution. The idler pulley was losing grease, and my mechanic told me he would replace the tensioner pulley at the same time for no additional labor charge.

I never had any battery failures, but replaced the battery somewhere around 75,000 miles, as it didn't sound as strong in the winter. Since we drive more highway miles than city miles, that may have helped avoid a dead battery.

If I use anything other than Valvoline oil in it, I lose a quart in less than 6,000 miles. So I stick with that oil.

We have several friends with the same year Outback, none with as high a mileage as ours, but they are all satisfied with their purchase. Some were bought new, and some were bought used.

My only real gripe with my car is the uncomfortable seats. I fixed that by buying a thin memory foam seat pad. Now I can drive up to 8 hours without leg pain.

And it's not just Subarus that have uncomfortable front seats. We just bought my wife a 2018 BMW 440i, and I have to use my seat pad in it on long trips.

I am very happy with my 2017. Hope to keep driving it for quite a few miles yet.