We have a 2017 Subaru Outback that we are having a really hard time liking. It's our first Subaru (and last for sure) and unfortunately we bought it new so we are stuck with it for a while until we aren't completely upside down.
We are very outdoorsy, kayaking, skiing, MTB, rock climbing etc in Asheville, NC so we bought into the marketing hype that an Outback would be a great road trip car that was capable of carrying around our toys. I won't go into the list of things we hate about this car right now as we have one big issue that we need to resolve first before we decide if we will keep this car or cut our losses and buy something else that is more capable for road trips. And sorry in advance for the negative tone but we have just been so disappointed in this car, especially since we never buy new cars and splurged because we thought we'd keep this for 10-15 years.
So the last straw is that we just got back from an 8 week ski trip to Colorado. We were fairly loaded up (like any Subaru in their marketing ads) with a ski box on top full of skis, boots and gear and the cargo area was full with normal suitcases and stuff you'd take on a normal road trip for 2 adults and 2 young kids. The car had about 16k miles when we left and while in Colorado we had the tires rotated and an oil change at the local Subi dealer and they said the tires (OEM Duelers) had almost half their life left at 19k miles. We drove a bit more in Colorado and then headed home and by the time we got to KC the rear tires were really worn and by the time we got home the rears were so bald that we weren't sure we'd make it. The fronts were great but the rears were all the way bald on the outsides and a little better as you move towards the inside. We figured surely something was broken or bent in the rear end even though this car has never been off road or hit any pot holes so we took it to the dealer assuming this would be a warranty item but they wanted to charge us $90 to check the alignment. They checked the alignment and it wasn't totally perfect but was close enough that they didn't think this was the issue and they said everything looked fine on the suspension and that we must have had the car loaded too much.
While waiting at the dealer I typed googled "excessive rear tire wear Subaru Outback" and couldn't believe all of the posts on multiple forums from people having the exact same problem and it was usually during a road trip. Why would Subaru design this car to be so soft in the rear that a normal road trip would throw off the alignment so much that it ruins your tires? Why would Subaru market this car as a rugged, go anywhere with all of your toys vehicle when it reality, using it for anything other than going to the grocery store will have you buying a new set of tires every year (or 9 months like our situation)? Our other vehicle is an AWD Lexus RX330 and no matter how loaded down it is, the tire wear is phenomenal even when I abuse it using it as a work truck. We have babied the Outback but it's just so fragile. I understand the OEM tires are not great but clearly this vehicle is so under sprung in the rear that it can't handle suitcases and gear for a road trip.
Since this isn't just an isolated issue but appears to be common for anyone using the vehicle like Subaru markets it, what options do we have to make it road trip capable? Are there suspension modifications that can be made with air bags, helper springs etc, that won't cause it to ride harsh or wear tires when the vehicle is empty? When I buy new tires (this week because it has been a paper weight sitting in our driveway since we got home as we don't want to buy tires until we figure out how to fix Subaru's poor design) should I load the car up with a normal road trip worth of gear and have the alignment done like that? What tires will last longest on this tire eating car but still give us decent snow performance for each year's 2 month ski trip? We are just shocked at how incapable this vehicle is to do the very thing Subaru markets it to do and I don't think I should even use our Kuat bike rack to carry our 4 mountain bikes as even just that will overload this fragile car. Growing up in Tahoe the Subarus were known for being built so bomber but I have a feeling that those same 80's and 90's Subarus will outlast these new disposable ones.
So bummed.......
We are very outdoorsy, kayaking, skiing, MTB, rock climbing etc in Asheville, NC so we bought into the marketing hype that an Outback would be a great road trip car that was capable of carrying around our toys. I won't go into the list of things we hate about this car right now as we have one big issue that we need to resolve first before we decide if we will keep this car or cut our losses and buy something else that is more capable for road trips. And sorry in advance for the negative tone but we have just been so disappointed in this car, especially since we never buy new cars and splurged because we thought we'd keep this for 10-15 years.
So the last straw is that we just got back from an 8 week ski trip to Colorado. We were fairly loaded up (like any Subaru in their marketing ads) with a ski box on top full of skis, boots and gear and the cargo area was full with normal suitcases and stuff you'd take on a normal road trip for 2 adults and 2 young kids. The car had about 16k miles when we left and while in Colorado we had the tires rotated and an oil change at the local Subi dealer and they said the tires (OEM Duelers) had almost half their life left at 19k miles. We drove a bit more in Colorado and then headed home and by the time we got to KC the rear tires were really worn and by the time we got home the rears were so bald that we weren't sure we'd make it. The fronts were great but the rears were all the way bald on the outsides and a little better as you move towards the inside. We figured surely something was broken or bent in the rear end even though this car has never been off road or hit any pot holes so we took it to the dealer assuming this would be a warranty item but they wanted to charge us $90 to check the alignment. They checked the alignment and it wasn't totally perfect but was close enough that they didn't think this was the issue and they said everything looked fine on the suspension and that we must have had the car loaded too much.
While waiting at the dealer I typed googled "excessive rear tire wear Subaru Outback" and couldn't believe all of the posts on multiple forums from people having the exact same problem and it was usually during a road trip. Why would Subaru design this car to be so soft in the rear that a normal road trip would throw off the alignment so much that it ruins your tires? Why would Subaru market this car as a rugged, go anywhere with all of your toys vehicle when it reality, using it for anything other than going to the grocery store will have you buying a new set of tires every year (or 9 months like our situation)? Our other vehicle is an AWD Lexus RX330 and no matter how loaded down it is, the tire wear is phenomenal even when I abuse it using it as a work truck. We have babied the Outback but it's just so fragile. I understand the OEM tires are not great but clearly this vehicle is so under sprung in the rear that it can't handle suitcases and gear for a road trip.
Since this isn't just an isolated issue but appears to be common for anyone using the vehicle like Subaru markets it, what options do we have to make it road trip capable? Are there suspension modifications that can be made with air bags, helper springs etc, that won't cause it to ride harsh or wear tires when the vehicle is empty? When I buy new tires (this week because it has been a paper weight sitting in our driveway since we got home as we don't want to buy tires until we figure out how to fix Subaru's poor design) should I load the car up with a normal road trip worth of gear and have the alignment done like that? What tires will last longest on this tire eating car but still give us decent snow performance for each year's 2 month ski trip? We are just shocked at how incapable this vehicle is to do the very thing Subaru markets it to do and I don't think I should even use our Kuat bike rack to carry our 4 mountain bikes as even just that will overload this fragile car. Growing up in Tahoe the Subarus were known for being built so bomber but I have a feeling that those same 80's and 90's Subarus will outlast these new disposable ones.
So bummed.......