2005 Subaru Outback 2.5i from North America
Summary:
I love it
Faults:
Rear struts needed to be replaced when I bought the car. Not leaking, but worn.
The heat shield vibrates. Sounds terrible and will have it repaired soon.
Other stuff is just normal wear... wiper blades and battery.
General Comments:
I love the ride and handling. It's fun to drive, and I have never had a car that so many people comment on the smooth ride. It's unexpected in a small wagon, and is my favorite thing.
The noise level is occasionally too high for my tastes, but I have the base model, and there may be more sound insulation in the upper models.
Gas mileage is good for an AWD. On a recent trip, I got 30.3 MPG on the two lane back roads, traveling about 50 mph, and 26.7 on the interstate at a steady 70 mph.
The downside is routine maintenance at dealers is expensive. Almost German car expensive.
Not a ton of power either, but it keeps me out of traffic court!
All in all, I am a fan of the Outback. It's all the car I need.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 22nd January, 2013
21st Aug 2011, 17:39
I have the same model/year vehicle. Dash has some type of computer noise sounding when the car is turned off. Goes on for 90 seconds.
Transmission downshifts from 4th to 3rd extremely hard when the motor gets to operating temp. Bad shifting goes away when AC/heater is turned on.
Heated seats broke.
The 2005 is very disappointing.