Faults:

I have owned a Outback 1998 before this 2006 Outback, and was happy with it, even though it blew both head gaskets.

I have owned this 2006 for 3/4 of a year, and done 20,000km, and concluded that it is of lesser quality than the 1998 version for these reasons.

1. Similar engine is slower than before.

2. Body shell is thinner than before; I have put dents in it just by leaning on it.

3. The stereo is near impossible to install a line in for an iPod or whatever; it's a molded dash with a radio and CD, with the AC all interlinked.

4. Inner driver's door handle squeaks, as it is made of two components, not one, and gives you a real cheap feeling.

5. Trim around the sun roof falls off, and I had to glue it on.

General Comments:

The car looks better than the earlier models, and has had no mechanical faults under my watch yet. Fingers crossed. It has proved reliable so far, but the quality of the build has definitely fallen from previous years.

I hope the decrease in engine performance has lead to an increase in engine reliability. Only time will tell.

Faults:

Wheel alignment needed doing at 10,000km, 15,000km, 24,000k, and 35,000km.

All new tyres required at 24,000km.

General Comments:

Love the handling and road holding.

Love the low ratio (manual gearbox only) for towing and paddock use.

Love the solid feeling of safety.

Hate the wheel alignment issue - despite never hitting a curb, this car requires a wheel alignment every 5,000 to 8,000 km.

Tyre wear of the stock Geolanders is excessive; hoping for better from the Bridgestone G3's I've fitted.