The Urban Dink: 2008 Subaru Outback Update

It’s been a while since I’ve written about the Urban Dink’s wagon of a purchase from back in July. Truth be told, we’ve put very few miles on the 2008 Subaru Outback 2.5i since then. How many? Just over 2,300. That’s not many miles even for my wife, who usually only puts about 7,500 miles on a car a year.

We’ll get into mileage in a minute, but overall I’ve found the Outback to be one heck of a car. Every time I get into it I can’t help but think we made a good decision. There are a few nitpicks, but not many, and none have to do with overall quality.

The interior has held up really well. In the few miles we’ve put on it, many have been with the dog in the back. The rubber mat in the cargo area has been priceless, as we just shake it out every few weeks to get the dog hair out. I’m glad we got a dark-color interior, as we seem to be messy/clumsy these days and it still looks like a pretty new car.

I did nick the back door with our collapsible dog kennel, but that’s not really Subaru’s fault. The only “real” problem so far is that the glove compartment doesn’t sit perfectly flush with the dashboard when it’s closed, which annoys me when I’m in the passenger seat. My wife never noticed.

One reason the car gets so few miles is that I drive a test car for Cars.com pretty much every week and my wife has been taking the train to work. So, on weekends we travel in test cars, unless we’re taking the dog somewhere. Lately we've been doing a lot of city-to-suburbs drives in winter weather and the car is a fine highway driver. I still like getting behind the wheel of this car even though I’m testing something new routinely. Despite the small engine, I like the way it handles, and it always feels solidly planted to the road.

We average gas mileage in the low-to-mid-20 range, even in bad weather. EPA has it at 20/26 mpg, so we’re right at the expected range.

Another negative note: My wife put a peach air freshener in the car a few months ago and thus ruined the new-car smell that had lasted longer than any other I’ve experienced. At least in a car without leather.

Comments

[Nick]

The new car smell people love so much is really toxins in the car outgasing and getting into your lungs. Stuff like chlorine, bromine, etc.

[Dave T.]

Nick,
Yes we know. We actually ran a blog post on that a while back. I don't think because the smell goes away or is masked the toxins still aren't coming out though. Might as well enjoy it right?

[LM]

Congrats on enjoying the Subie. Is your dog dark-haired? I would image a light-haired dog would show up much more in a black interior.

[Dave T.]

she's a brindle boxer and the brown fur definitely shows up and sticks to everything it hits. The cargo mat is also a rubberized material so she doesn't slide too much.

[Charlie]

Agree with your Pro comments on the Subie. Had
a 04 Forrester and a 05 Legacy (Both Turbo)
never had a prob. but,went with the CX-7 Mazda
07 and like it just as much as my Subaru's.

[Dave's wife]

It was a peach air freshener from Yankee candle. It smelled quite good and I believe it's time for a new one.

[cxv]

This vehicle was on my shopping list but purchased a Saab 9-3 combi instead. I just need to get the rubber mat in the cargo area for my dog. Good article.

[jereg]

I purchased the 2.5i a week ago. I had read these columns, but had to do the test drives myself. My wife has a Passat wagon which she loves, and that was our benchmark.

Within 2 minutes of the test drive, I knew this was the car. My wife drove it, and while it's not the same, she found it to be a close second.

It does everything I need it to do, hauling kayaks on the roof and dogs in the back. It's extremely comfortable and easy to drive. The car handles very predictably.

I'm letting everyone I know drive this car because it should be on everyone's short list. please keep posting reports of your experience.

[jereg]

I purchased the 2.5i a week ago. I had read these columns, but had to do the test drives myself. My wife has a Passat wagon which she loves, and that was our benchmark.

Within 2 minutes of the test drive, I knew this was the car. My wife drove it, and while it's not the same, she found it to be a close second.

It does everything I need it to do, hauling kayaks on the roof and dogs in the back. It's extremely comfortable and easy to drive. The car handles very predictably.

I'm letting everyone I know drive this car because it should be on everyone's short list. please keep posting reports of your experience.

[CU Dan]

My wife and I can't agree with your comments more. We bought an '05 Outback and I feel the same thing every time I get behind the wheel. We have over 51,000 miles on it and I love driving this car! I wish it got better mileage, but overall the entire car has held up so well. We are again looking at buying a new car and I went straight to the Subie dealer just yesterday to look at the choices.

[Ima Shopper]

My husband and I are 'this' close to buying a 2008 2.5i Turbo XT Limited. It's such a great looking and driving car, even though we're used to 6 cylinders. It would be the first Subaru we've owned. We are a littel jittery about some of the stories about the reliabiltiy of these cars. But these stories seem to match up well with success stories. But this car has a great fit and finish, and we like the SUV/Station Wagon feel - the car is both and neither. We are also cognizant of the fact that it seems to be a bit on the pricey side, but if you compare with a Volvo, VW or even Audi, in terms of sportiness, we actually think it holds its own.

/s/ About to make the move in Virginia.