2014 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium on 2040-cars

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Autoblog goes on an African safari, Subaru-Style

... And Learns To Love The Ostrich
Subaru may be the ostrich of the Japanese auto industry.
When one thinks of a safari, they naturally draw pictures in their mind's eye of wild animals, like lions, elephants and giraffes. I'm no different, and it was with visions of long telephoto lenses over vast runes and dunes that I embarked on a 19-hour plane ride from Phoenix, Arizona to Plettenberg Bay in South Africa, camera gear in tow.

2015 Subaru Legacy is fresh-faced and more frugal

While Subaru posted its best sales year ever in the United States in 2013, over half of its sales came from the success of the new Forester and popularity of the Outback. Its midsize Legacy sedan, on the other hand, saw sales tumble 10.3 percent. The company known for its all-wheel drive models hopes to right that trajectory with the 2015 Legacy. The all-new sedan sees a slight bump in fuel economy and a commitment to giving buyers a better product to compete against segment stalwarts like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.
The refreshed sedan wears Subaru's new design language, which was teased by the Legacy Concept at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show. However, the production version takes the hard, crisp lines down several notches, and it is bordering on boring at first glance. The best detail of the new design is the new hexagonal shield grille at the front that lends a little upscale panache over the current car's simple, rectangular front end. The coupe-like roofline has also been toned down from the concept, but it does smooth out the rear better than the current gen.
The Legacy's engines are carried over almost identically from last year's car. However both flavors of manual transmission are finally bowing out; all models now come with Subaru's Lineartronic CVT. Output from the 2.5-liter boxer four-cylinder sees a slight bump to 175 horsepower (2 hp more than last year's model) and 174 pound-feet of torque. The 3.6-liter boxer six-cylinder is unchanged at 256 hp and 247 lb-ft. Fuel economy benefits from the new platform with the 2.5-liter model rated at an estimated 26/36/30 miles per gallon city/highway/combined, a boost of 2/4/3 mpg, respectively, over the previous generation. The 3.6-liter also sees a modest rise to 20/28/23 mpg, 2/3/3 mpg better respectively. Fairly impressive figures for an all-wheel-drive, midsize sedan.

2013 Subaru Outback Limited

Subaru has given the 2013 Outback a host of detail changes and updates, though you'd hardly know from looking at it. The mild exterior changes mostly go unnoticed, and if you're comparing on a numbers basis, the new 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine is bang-on what the old engine would do. The biggest news is EyeSight, Subaru's new stereo camera-based system that drives lane-departure warning, active cruise control, automatic emergency braking and forward collision alert functions.
The 2013 Outback spent some time in my driveway, and as far as jacked-up wagons with off-road cladding go, this is one of the most affordable of the lot. That doesn't mean it's cheap; the Outback I tried was a Limited model with moonroof, navigation, EyeSight, leather and CVT added on. That takes the Outback from its roughly $25,000 starting point and adds nearly $10,000, landing solidly in the mid-$30,000 range. Still, against its most natural competitors like the Volvo XC70 and Audi A6 Avant, the Outback is a better value.
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