The Subaru Outback gets a health check

The Subaru Outback is one of those rare cars that pretty much lives in a class of its own. On paper it’s deemed a premium four-wheel-drive estate, which sets it up against rivals from Audi, Mercedes and Volvo. 

But because it has a much lower sticker price – which for our long-termer is £35,000 – that makes it a much more attractive proposition for anyone wanting an estate car with the benefits of four-wheel drive on a budget. The Outback’s ownership costs work out at between £10k to £15k less than the more expensive, more premium competition.

But just because the Outback is cheaper than its ‘plush’ rivals, don’t think there’s any evidence of skimping when it comes to equipment. It comes fully armed with 18-inch alloy wheels, electric power boot and heated leather electric seats, as well as the 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

It seems, though, that you do start to pay when it comes to ownership costs – something that we found out when it was due its first service. At just over 11,000 miles we had a warning message come up on the touchscreen, advising us that it was due a trip to our local Subaru service centre.

However, the car was returned in a much better state than it was delivered, with an excellent full valet thrown into the deal.

Living with the Outback has, so far, been fairly trouble-free. It’s spent most of its time moving to and from video shoots, carrying filming equipment and crew in comfort. In real-world conditions it’s averaging around 38 miles per gallon – around eight mpg less than the official combined figure – which isn’t up there with the best in class, with most premium rivals nudging the low 40mpg, but for a car with permanent four-wheel drive and a CVT automatic gearbox, it’s not bad.

The service interval has come at a pretty good time, as the Subaru has a 1,200-mile road trip to Val Thorens planned. This should prove home turf for the Outback, as it’ll be taking three people with a bunch of ski gear up across France to mountains to tackle steep hills, cold weather and plenty of snow.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH: A bit of TLC from the dealership following its service has seen the Outback restored to its former glory

MODEL: Subaru Outback 2.0D Premium Lineartronic
PRICE: £34,995
ENGINE: 2.0D
POWER: 148bhp
TORQUE: 350Nm
MAX SPEED: 124mph
0-60MPH: 9.9secs
MPG (COMBINED): 46.3mpg
EMISSIONS: 159g/km CO2
MILEAGE (TO DATE): 11,984