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FIRST TEST 2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited
2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i
owners will pay attention to
track-tested performance data
as much as BRZ sports car
owners worry aboutrear-seat
headroom—it just doesn’t happen. Owners of
the new 2015 Outback will appreciate what
they think the new wagon-like crossover,
with its nifty retractable crossbars and
integrated tie-downs, says about them. While
the Outback boasts a reputation for actually
being used for outdoorsy pursuits, nearly
every off-road adventure ends on pavement,
so we headed to the track to explore how
the 2015 model compares to our long-gone
2010 Outback long-termer. Does the new
Outback 2.5i reward drivers with sportscar
acceleration? Not even close, but it is
markedly improved over its predecessor, a
versatile crossover that won our hearts to
become the 2010 SUV of the Year.
Matched against the 2010 model, the
all-wheel-drive 2015 Outback 2.5i is quicker,
bigger, a better handler, and heavier, all at the
same time. Let’s start with the new Subaru’s
quickness: 0-60 mph in 9.2 seconds doesn’t
sound swift, but it’s actually half a second
better than our 2010 Outback longtermer.
That 9.2-second time also puts the new
Outback ahead of the 2014 Kia Sorento
I-4 AWD (9.8 seconds) and just behind the
mechanically related all-wheel-drive 2015
Subaru Legacy 2.5i sedan (8.8 seconds).
With 87 percent of all Outbacks powered by
the four-cylinder instead of the flat-six, the
Subaru’s slow-ish acceleration is just fine for
those who aren’t interested in the six-cylinder
Outback 3.6R’s $33,845 base price. EPArated
fuel economy is a bright spot, with the
2015 model’s 25/33 mpg city/highway rating
surpassing the 2014 2.5i model’s 24/30 mpg.
In our Real MPG instrumented fuel economy
test, the 2015 Outback 2.5i camve in at
21.5/30.8 mpg. That’s below EPA estimates,
but still higher than the all-wheel-drive 2014
Nissan Rogue, which has a similar 25/32 mpg
EPA rating and 20.1/28.2 Real MPG.
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