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| 2002 Subaru Outback Review, Photo-John
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VCD H6
| | Model of the car: | VCD H6 | | | General comments: | I bought my Outback VDC wagon in July of 2002. I've put over 60,000 miles on it in a bit under 2 years. So far, I'm very, very happy. The only problems I've had with my car have been with the McIntosh stereo and weather seals on the front doors. The stereo had a bad amp when I got it, which was fixed under warranty. Aside from that the stereo has been excellent and was another good reason to buy the car. I haven't been tempted to buy any more car audio, as the McIntosh is excellent.
The weather stripping on both front doors has given me trouble. The driver door stripping had to be replaced as it kept falling out on the bottom. It was replaced under warranty and has been fine since.
I travel a lot. I've had trucks and motorcycles in the past. I love having the storage space in the Outback wagon, I love the security of the all wheel drive, and the H6 motor is very nice. I'd enjoy more power and I'm very interested in the 2005 Outback, but if I use the 3rd gear I almost always as much as I want. Traction is excellent. The VDC traction control has only come on a couple of times for me, where I live in Northern California.
The tires have been great. I've squeezed over 60,000 miles out of them. I intend to replace them, finally, in the next week. They OEM Potenzas are an excellent all-purpose tire and a great fit for this car. They handle very well on everything that I've driven. They drift a little on gravel if you drive hard. And this winter, they did get kind of crappy in heavy rain. The next set of tires I get will probably also be Bridgestone Potenzas. But I think I'll get something a little more performance oriented.
Overall, the Outback VDC is a great all-around car. I needed something I could travel in with lots of gear, and that I could sleep in. I would have loved a WRX wagon, but I needed more room. The Outback VDC handles well on the pavement and the dirt. Of course, it's a little soft on the road and a little harsh on the dirt. But it's a compromise. I doubt I drive it as intended. I push it really hard. It almost always has what I need. The H6 motor can cruise at 90 mph on mountain roads and I've actually had it up to 120 mph. It only starts to choke at high altitude (over 6,000 ft) on very steep roads. As I said before, the 3rd gear in the automatic transmission is great. For most purposes, it moves the revs right into the power band. | | | What things have gone wrong with the car: | * Some fit and finish issues
* Somewhat expensive to maintain
* Gas mileage - but AWD isn't as efficient. No one should be surprised
* Problems with brake rotors warping | | | Previous car: | Previous vehicle was a 1990 GMC truck. Friends with comparable Volkswagens and Audis seem to have their cars in the shop more, and I know they paid more. |
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