[ced1]

Hello All,

Zoning in on a new car and I keep coming back to the 2020 Outback 2.4T - likely Onyx edition.

I've done a lot of research and a few test drives, but have never owned an Outback. I'm just looking for some general feedback (good, bad and ugly) from real users who have had an Outback on the road for a while. Are you happy with it? Feel confident the 2.4T will hold up over time? Thoughts on CVT?

I'm looking to do mostly highway driving (wet and light snow/mud), but something with the ability to go off road, camping, etc. I've owned mid sized SUV's primarily for many years, but keep coming back to the Outback, now that it has the 2.4T option especially.

Would be me and my lady and a dog or maybe two. Can get a top box for longer trips. No plans to tow anything.

Any thoughts or opinions you're willing to share are greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[SilverOnyx]

If you've never had a Subaru before, just letting you know that once you have one, it could become an addiction.

There are thousands of posts in this area of the forum Gen 6: 2020-Future that describe the joy and the irritations of the car.

The 2.4 has only been out a few years but so far so good. The CVT has been refined for many years and there are a few owners who have had issues while the transmission was relatively new, but it appears it's due to a defective pressure sensor in most instances. Subaru's CVT varies pulley pressure depending on expected load and if the pressure sensor is faulty it may think the pulley has sufficient pressure when it doesn't and the chain slips. These problems rear their heads early on. This is the same transmission used in the Ascent with the same 2.4 turbo towing up to 5000 pounds. You may want to browse ascentforums.com as a second data set.

Many things have a U shaped failure profile - either it fails early, or only after prolonged use and not so much in-between. Subaru generally bends over backwards more than other brands to achieve customer satisfaction.

I have the Onyx and I think it's a brilliant trim package.

 

[Lickitysplit]

Like mine. No Regerts.

 

[Parlan]

Like my onyx too. Turbo is a little laggy from the stop but otherwise good. Really like the fit and finish of the onyx. Very comfortable for a 50 minute commute. AWD is good but OEM tires suck in the snow.

 

[Jus-An-Onyx]

First time Subaru owner here as well & I chose Onyx as well. Look at the First year ownership review thread if you want more reviews:

One Year Ownership Review Thread

The linked thread reminded me that allot of us have /are just about to round the corner on a full year of ownership on our early gen 6 Outback's. https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/impressions-after-one-year-and-20k-miles.527077/#post-6042069 It got me to thinking that this would be a good...

www.subaruoutback.org

PROS
#1 Great looks. Can’t beat the murdered look of the Onyx

#2 Onyx edition gets a full size spare wheel included, no BS donut tires especially when u r in the woods

#3 dual Xmodes & front camera

#4 no issues with CVT. Lots of controversy about fake gears in cvt but in the real world, I like the ability to downshift & hold constant speed without braking especially on long downhill grades

#5 11,000 miles odo, real mpg is around 26 combined. Highway is more like 27 to 30 depending on load & travel

#6 turbo is AWESOME to climb grades at altitude with load. Overtaking is a breeze. Zoom, zoom, zoom 👍

CONS
Subaru Eyesight & safety is a NANNY. It will warn you if change lanes & not indicate. In heavy traffic it will auto brake. Also the Onyx is not as bad as it does not - thankfully - include the driver eye monitoring. You can also disable some warnings.

You’ll probably need to adjust your headlights because factory tends to set too high. Easy to do but we should not have to IF factory had it down right in first place 😔

You may not like the “shudder” when the engine starts itself while in Start/Stop mode. At least you can now disable start/stop at easy convenience

 

[Tmontague]

Hello All,

Zoning in on a new car and I keep coming back to the 2020 Outback 2.4T - likely Onyx edition.

I've done a lot of research and a few test drives, but have never owned an Outback. I'm just looking for some general feedback (good, bad and ugly) from real users who have had an Outback on the road for a while. Are you happy with it? Feel confident the 2.4T will hold up over time? Thoughts on CVT?

I'm looking to do mostly highway driving (wet and light snow/mud), but something with the ability to go off road, camping, etc. I've owned mid sized SUV's primarily for many years, but keep coming back to the Outback, now that it has the 2.4T option especially.

Would be me and my lady and a dog or maybe two. Can get a top box for longer trips. No plans to tow anything.

Any thoughts or opinions you're willing to share are greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

I'm curious why the 2.4T has you interested in the OB now but not the 3.6 of old?

 

[ghp]

I feel the 2.4 would be a better match with a proper transmission. With the Ascent I had it was anything but smooth. I would like the 2.4 that's going in the BRZ to be the Outbacks base power plant . I'm sure it will for gen 7

 

[Hokieman]

Like mine. No Regerts.

Are you that kid w/ the carnival in "We're The Millers"?

 

[Sumrtym]

Love my Onyx. Comfortable, a joy to drive, with good hauling ability. I kept bouncing between 4runner, Outback, and Rav4.

In comparison, the 4runner is a truck. Would be the best for offroad and is superbly reliable. However, it has only a 5 gear transmission and burns gas like it's going out of style (18 mpg would be good). At the end of the day, I don't find a truck comfortable for day to day use.

The Rav4 I really wanted to like....I just didn't. More cramped in the interior, engine was loud, not as useful hauling capacity, and not as good a view when driving. Better gas mileage was the only attractive thing.

Again, over 10k miles in, love my choice and would do it again.

I did test drive the 2.5. I found the engine inadequate and underpowered. It also was louder under acceleration (or lack thereof). I do a lot of 2-lane highway driving where you can't see super far due to curves or hills. The 2.4 was a much safer choice in these passing situations.

 

[Valkator]

I'm curious why the 2.4T has you interested in the OB now but not the 3.6 of old?

If the OP is anything like me, NA motors are boring. Even the EZ36. Yes one of Subaru's best motors, but I have driven a Tribeca and an old OB 3.6R and it was a yawn to me.

Also, I have only ever owned boosted Subarus. To me the turbo engines give it character, little more fun. I totally understand the positives of a 3.6, smooth, reliable, well made. (Although my buddies Tribeca 3.6 hasn't lived up to the 3.6's reputation.)

 

[Scoobs]

I feel the 2.4 would be a better match with a proper transmission. With the Ascent I had it was anything but smooth. I would like the 2.4 that's going in the BRZ to be the Outbacks base power plant . I'm sure it will for gen 7

I doubt that the 2.4 from the upcoming BRZ will make it into the Outback in the same state of tune with 228hp as you are hoping, which will no doubt require premium fuel. Don't forget that the Crosstrek and Impreza share the 2.0 liter with the current BRZ but it is tuned to 205hp in the BRZ on premium fuel and only 152hp in the Crosstrek/Impreza.

Back to the OP's question. I enjoy driving my 2020 Onyx XT and the 2.4t makes it so much more enjoyable to drive than the NA 2.5 that was in my previous 2015 Outback. I have no worries about the reliability of this engine, a great deal of R&D was done by Subaru to make sure this engine would perform well and be reliable. It makes a lot of torque and runs well on the recommended regular grade fuel. The CVT was a bit jerky at times when new... but smoothed out pretty quickly as it "learned" my driving style.

 

[Scoobs]

I'm curious why the 2.4T has you interested in the OB now but not the 3.6 of old?

The 2.4t has more horsepower and torque, quicker acceleration, lighter weight (translating to better handling and braking dynamics), better gas mileage and a higher tow rating to name a few advantages over the 3.6...

 

[tehelmo]

I previously drove a 2015 Impreza Sport, so it was my first CVT. No issues with it in the 60k miles I've driven it (a few long road trips and mountain passes up to the ski resorts and camping). Flushed it as well before handing it over to my parents and no big metal bits drained out. I'm sure now it'll live a happy life with some easy city driving with them.

I now have a 2021 Onyx XT and I'm confident in the high torque CVT. I only have ~1720ish miles on it and it feels like a normal CVT to me.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[Brian M]

Outback XT has exceeded expectations after 3.5k miles. Only minor disappointment is 22-23 mpg with mixed driving, no issues with drivetrain responsiveness. Previous turbo was 5 speed Saab 9000 w/Aero engine, daily driver for 19 years. This Outback equals or betters the Saab in almost all categories, including expected longevity.

 

[ced1]

Thanks one and all!

 

[digitldlnkwnt]

Here's a little ramble for ya - We just bought our second Subaru, a '21 Outback XT Touring and it's awesome. We test drove the Volvo XC60 Insignia trim, which is the highest level and includes the T6 motor, but was the better part of 20K more than this car. Honestly, it wasn't worth it. The fit and finish of the OXT are on par with the Euro cars and with the XT engine, it hustles up to highway speed with no issues. I will say that when I first got it, the tranny seemed to have a mind of its own - you'll find countless posts on the 20/21 CVT trans and it's foibles - but the Factory Throttle Recalibration technique which is posted here helped to sort that out. I'll echo some of the other posts about the tires - they're mediocre at best, but then most factory tires apart from high-end sport sedans and sports cars usually don't have the best tires. Handling is very good and after driving a few different all-wheel-drive SUV's like the Range Evoque and the BMW X5 in the snowy/slick conditions - I keep coming back to Subaru every time, as I believe it has the best all-wheel drive available - my .02 cents. My local dealer is also really good - they do go out of their way to get me the best prices and support. I would also suggest that if you are looking to do more "outdoor" stuff with the car - the Onyx trim is specifically gear for that with the interior materials and dual X-Mode programs - a very smart trim package. I went for the Touring with single program X-Mode as I'll be doing less off-road and spending a lot more time in traffic, so the heated/vented Nappa leather seats are super comfy and supportive.

 

[Hans onyx]

I feel the 2.4 would be a better match with a proper transmission. With the Ascent I had it was anything but smooth. I would like the 2.4 that's going in the BRZ to be the Outbacks base power plant . I'm sure it will for gen 7

With the ascent I also HAD it was anything but smooth also. Very frustrating to try to drive smooth .

 

[Monsieurmaggot]

I love my 2.4T but I will say while outside and standing near it, the 2.4 is much noisier at idle compared to my 3.0R. It sounds "throatier" with a noticeable rumble. Inside you barely know it's running. You can't tell the 3.0R was running. I'm guessing this is normal?

 

[SilverOnyx]

I love my 2.4T but I will say while outside and standing near it, the 2.4 is much noisier at idle compared to my 3.0R. It sounds "throatier" with a noticeable rumble. Inside you barely know it's running. You can't tell the 3.0R was running. I'm guessing this is normal?

My 2.4T is also 'noisy' at idle and I wasn't so sure it was normal but from hearing videos of others and theirs it sounds the same.

 

[InTheDesert]

Hello All,

Zoning in on a new car and I keep coming back to the 2020 Outback 2.4T - likely Onyx edition.

I've done a lot of research and a few test drives, but have never owned an Outback. I'm just looking for some general feedback (good, bad and ugly) from real users who have had an Outback on the road for a while. Are you happy with it? Feel confident the 2.4T will hold up over time? Thoughts on CVT?

I'm looking to do mostly highway driving (wet and light snow/mud), but something with the ability to go off road, camping, etc. I've owned mid sized SUV's primarily for many years, but keep coming back to the Outback, now that it has the 2.4T option especially.

Would be me and my lady and a dog or maybe two. Can get a top box for longer trips. No plans to tow anything.

Any thoughts or opinions you're willing to share are greatly appreciated!

Thanks!