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What did you do with your 6th Gen Outback today?

2M views 15K replies 1K participants last post by  15thSubaru 
#1 ·
I figure every generation needs this thread.

So I'll begin:

I saw a 2020 Onyx today!
 
#6 ·
I'm letting my Gen 6 rest today after putting about 1500 miles on it over the past week. Some things I liked (if this was yesterday, it would be what I was doing with my Outback Limited driving home to Atlanta):

  • Drive is really quiet once you reach speed and it's very smooth.
  • Great gas mileage with the 2.5L - Averaging 29.3 mpg over 3 tanks. The first tank was all city driving, one was all highway driving and another was mixed. Impressed with that so far.
  • Acceleration was ok with the 2.5i; actually better than I expected. Interstate entrance ramps weren't an issue. Yes, it tends to groan under acceleration, but I'll take the higher overall gas mileage over the XT.
  • The acceleration with the cruise control after moving lanes to pass a slower vehicle is great when you choose the most aggressive setting. This can't be configured in our 2017 Forester, so I really like it.
  • The whole Start/Stop issue is really a non-issue with me. Save that gasoline. One thing I hate is to be sitting at a light or in traffic with the engine running. The system does a good job of restarting the engine if, for example, the temperature rises in the cabin and the AC is on. There are a lot of inputs it uses to make the decision to stop the engine, and sometimes I couldn't guess why the engine wasn't stopping, though.
  • I really like the infotainment system - it isn't too hard to find what you need after using it a few times. It's great for the Nav, and I can see the XM radio station that's playing at the moment (really important to me, :) )
Some things I don't like:

  • Navigation is not as easy to use as Google Maps through Android Auto. I couldn't get it to do things like "Find the closest Dunkin Donuts". But I used it exclusively on our trip and it's traffic information is up to date, like Google Maps. It found and suggested alternate paths when appropriate and my copilot was checking it's accuracy on her phone with Google Maps. It does a decent job, it's just the searching that I haven't quite mastered yet.
  • There's a bug when I'm connected with Android Auto and a text message comes in; I get an error on the infotainment screen. If I disconnect the USB cable and a message comes in, it works as expected.
  • When you plug in the USB cable to your phone, by default it switches to Android Auto on the infotainment screen. If you're using the built-in Nav, this makes you have to do a couple of screen presses to get back to the Nav. I found the setting to disable switching to Android Auto after a while.
  • Driver seat and mirror settings - you can do this with the buttons on the door for two drivers or you can use the driver monitoring system to store the settings for up to 5 drivers. They aren't synchronized. Plus, if you take your time getting into the vehicle, the scan of the driver will fail and you can either manually rescan or use the buttons.
  • Driver monitor system - it's a work in progress, IMHO. It has a tendency to report false positives if you are taking a drink of coffee. Through my testing, it's looking for your head to drop or move to the right. That would set it off guaranteed. If I looked up or to the left, it didn't complain. If you were driving and nodding off, I think it would definitely catch it, or if you were trying to find a radio station or digging around in the console, too.
I'm sure I forgot some things, and if this doesn't belong here (maybe in a review thread), I'm ok with moving it.

Cheers!
Dave.
 
#26 ·
I'm letting my Gen 6 rest today after putting about 1500 miles on it over the past week. Some things I liked (if this was yesterday, it would be what I was doing with my Outback Limited driving home to Atlanta):

  • Drive is really quiet once you reach speed and it's very smooth.
  • Great gas mileage with the 2.5L - Averaging 29.3 mpg over 3 tanks. The first tank was all city driving, one was all highway driving and another was mixed. Impressed with that so far.
  • Acceleration was ok with the 2.5i; actually better than I expected. Interstate entrance ramps weren't an issue. Yes, it tends to groan under acceleration, but I'll take the higher overall gas mileage over the XT.
  • The acceleration with the cruise control after moving lanes to pass a slower vehicle is great when you choose the most aggressive setting. This can't be configured in our 2017 Forester, so I really like it.
  • The whole Start/Stop issue is really a non-issue with me. Save that gasoline. One thing I hate is to be sitting at a light or in traffic with the engine running. The system does a good job of restarting the engine if, for example, the temperature rises in the cabin and the AC is on. There are a lot of inputs it uses to make the decision to stop the engine, and sometimes I couldn't guess why the engine wasn't stopping, though.
  • I really like the infotainment system - it isn't too hard to find what you need after using it a few times. It's great for the Nav, and I can see the XM radio station that's playing at the moment (really important to me, :) )
Some things I don't like:

  • Navigation is not as easy to use as Google Maps through Android Auto. I couldn't get it to do things like "Find the closest Dunkin Donuts". But I used it exclusively on our trip and it's traffic information is up to date, like Google Maps. It found and suggested alternate paths when appropriate and my copilot was checking it's accuracy on her phone with Google Maps. It does a decent job, it's just the searching that I haven't quite mastered yet.
  • There's a bug when I'm connected with Android Auto and a text message comes in; I get an error on the infotainment screen. If I disconnect the USB cable and a message comes in, it works as expected.
  • When you plug in the USB cable to your phone, by default it switches to Android Auto on the infotainment screen. If you're using the built-in Nav, this makes you have to do a couple of screen presses to get back to the Nav. I found the setting to disable switching to Android Auto after a while.
  • Driver seat and mirror settings - you can do this with the buttons on the door for two drivers or you can use the driver monitoring system to store the settings for up to 5 drivers. They aren't synchronized. Plus, if you take your time getting into the vehicle, the scan of the driver will fail and you can either manually rescan or use the buttons.
  • Driver monitor system - it's a work in progress, IMHO. It has a tendency to report false positives if you are taking a drink of coffee. Through my testing, it's looking for your head to drop or move to the right. That would set it off guaranteed. If I looked up or to the left, it didn't complain. If you were driving and nodding off, I think it would definitely catch it, or if you were trying to find a radio station or digging around in the console, too.
I'm sure I forgot some things, and if this doesn't belong here (maybe in a review thread), I'm ok with moving it.

Cheers!
Dave.
Great review. I have had my Touring for 9 days and am gathering my thoughts for a review.
 
#14 ·
#16 ·
I had a peek at one at the dealer today while I was waiting for my CEL to be reset...

I thought I would throw my 2 cents in...

That screen is HUGE!

The back tailgate opens much faster than my '17 OB.

The sales guy at the dealership actually knew about the ACCESS PIN feature!

There is an extra set of buttons on the inside of the rear hatch to close the hatch, as well as lock/unlock the passenger doors.

The turbo air intake needs an aftermarket option for a HOOD SCOOP!!!

The Subwoofer is on the opposite side (left). (As opposed to the right side on my '17 OB)

The rear cargo net has it's own storage bag! (Spiffy!)

Seems like there is just a smidgen more room in and around the spare tire for storage. (For the important stuff, like double bladed axes and bear mace...)
(Still not a full size spare, or room for one, without removing the storage tray)
 
#32 ·
I drove my Onyx XT to the dentist, to Starbucks, and then back home. Not a huge amount of adventure but the weekend will hold more I’m sure. I’ve had the car for a week and am just enjoying getting used to all the tech features since my old car didn’t have much of that. Some things I like so far:
  • All I have to do is touch the driver’s side door handle to unlock the car (with fob in hand of course).
  • The infotainment system does everything but make my coffee for me - and I’m sure there’s an app out there for that too. It is easy to reach and touch things like the a/c controls and stereo controls. Thankful there’s a dimmer switch on the dash lighting so it doesn’t appear you are driving with a 60” full screen in front of you at night.
  • The ride is car-like, not so much SUV-like. I don’t mind the factory-installed Yokohamas but I’d like something a little more rugged when I do need a new set of tires.
  • Plenty of get up and go in the turbo engine, just a little lag off the line at stop lights but I bought this knowing I wasn’t getting a sports car. Easy to suddenly be doing 10mph over the speed limit without realizing it.
A couple of things I’m still getting used to. . .
  • The stop/start feature on the engine. A bit unnerving when you’ve never driven one (aside from test drives) that has this feature. The slight jolt it makes when restarting was a little unsettling at first but it is a smooth transition to acceleration and I like that it senses the temperatures and restarts on its own if things are too warm, keeping the a/c going.
  • The stares I get when people see the beautiful blue/black look of this Outback. My coworkers are all jealous :)
Here’s what my baby looked like last week when I drove it off the lot. It has sinced rained a bit so I’m not showing you the slightly spotty version it is now. Love this car!!!
471887
 
#35 ·
Am I the only one that has started purposefully getting behind cars at stoplights? Before adaptive cruise and Eyesight, I use to choose the lane that would put me first in line. Now, I'm glad when someone pulls in front of me and the car can stop by itself. It makes driving so much more pleasant. It also enhances safety as it is much easier to maintain situational awareness.
 
#39 ·
Test drive a 2020 today, so not mine technically, but still... Also, kudos to all the participants on the forum, the 2 sales guys I’ve been working with asked me where the stop/stop icon was in the HU menu! It was off when I began driving but since I wanted to see what that was like I pulled over and found it thanks to you all. It came on less than half my stops, probably because I ease into the brakes.
 
#41 ·
Drove my Onyx up to the Canada side of Lake Erie over the weekend for a couple nights of camping. The drive over the 500 miles was fantastic. Smooth and very comfortable. Eyesight worked as expected and was a bit more responsive and natural than my '17 Forester. I averaged 29.1 mpg over the trip. I really like the Startex seats. Soft and comfortable. I think they will hold up, but time will tell. The head unit worked as expected despite the limited size of the CarPlay screen and the standard six speaker sound system sounded pretty nice. All in all, a great first 1000 total miles.


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