Subaru preparing new Outback for South Africa – Here’s what to expect

After its world debut just over a year ago, Subaru South Africa officially confirmed the all-new seventh generation Outback for the local market in April.

Making the transition from an off-road inspired estate to a crossover SUV, the Outback becomes a model of its own for the first time as previous iterations were spun off from the Legacy platform, despite Subaru having marketed both names independently since 2009.

Fundamentals

Utilising a new design, while also moving to the revised Global Platform shared with the latest generation Forester, the Outback offers up 220mm of ground clearance and according to Subaru, between 530 and 1 211 litres of boot space.

Dimensionally, the Outback has the following dimensions:

• Length: 4 880mm;
• Wheelbase: 2 745mm;
• Height: 1 715mm;
• Width: 1 880mm;
• Tow rating: 2 000kg

New interior, more spec

Riding on 18-inch alloy wheels regardless of the trim level, the interior sees the inclusion of not only a new dashboard, but also a new 12.1-inch infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Replacing the old portrait-style 11.6-inch setup, Subaru has also reintroduced physical buttons for the climate control as these were previously integrated into the infotainment display.

At the same time, the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is new and the centre console only mildly tweaked to feature a pair of cupholders beside the gear lever.

On the safety side, the EyeSight system gains an improved forward-facing and surround-view camera system and first-time hands-free autonomous driving.

Power of two, still

Up front, the Outback is again offered with two engine options; the familiar normally aspirated 2.5-litre Boxer flat-four and the 2.4-litre turbocharged flat-four introduced to South Africa in the previous generation XT three years ago.

While outputs in the United States amount to 132kW/241Nm and 191kW/376Nm respectively, South African versions are likely to mirror those of the more closely related Australian derivatives.

If so, expect 137kW/254Nm for the former and 194kW/382Nm from the latter. Sending each unit’s power to Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system is a recalibrated Lineartronic CVT.

Price?

Priced from $54 476 Down Under, which equates to R647 712 when directly converted and without taxes, the Outback is, once again, expected to slot in above the Forester in Subaru South Africa’s product range.

Whereas pricing for the outgoing Outback starts at R839 000, expectations are that the new generation will come with a significant premium to better distance itself from the Forester.

At present, only R9 000 separates the entry-level Outback 2.5i Field from the top-spec Forester 2.5i Premium.

Despite South Africa’s confirmation of the Outback in March not revealing an exact time of reveal, expect more details, including pricing, to be announced in due course.