Let’s Be Upfront About This Outback: It’s Four Paws Up And Three Spins Around.
–Review by Steve Cooke
If you’re not in the market for a car, don’t drive the all new 2014 Subaru Outback. And under no circumstances should you drive by Mastro Subaru’s showroom with your dog in the car, unless of course, you intend to go on in and drive off in a new Outback. You see, dogs have this sixth sense as we all know, and they can smell that new car Subaru smell even with the window rolled up. So to be clear — keep the dog away from Mastro, or you both
Brown leather interior — a new color combo for 2014. It is also available in a 3.6R config- uration boasting a 256-hp BOXER engine. I’ll have to get back to you on that one, but I’m not gonna lie — the 2.5i is plenty of motor for this baby — we accelerated, passed and quietly navigated the expressway and Hillsborough, with ease and aplomb. Under the hood, the Subaru engineers
have quietly, yet methodically refined this compartment like no other car I have seen. The equipment elements requiring regular service and/or maintenance are all colored yellow. At idle, the patented SUBARU BOXER engine does just that: it idles — no shaking, rattling or rolling — just quietly, effi- ciently waiting for your command. Part of that quiet efficiency comes from the use of chains instead of belts, but standing there admiring this engineering marvel is a trip in itself. There’s loads of extra storage space in the
back under the cargo area. Both rear seats recline; and there’s a center console with cup holders back there too. For options, my personal favorite is the
Warranty: ~ 36,000 miles or 3 years for general maintenance. ~ 70,000 or 7 years on the power train. ~ Mastro Subaru oil changes for life.
Sticker on the Outback we drove: $35,690.
Bonus: Mastro Subaru will pay for adoption fees when you adopt from the Humane Society of Tampa Bay or the Orlando Humane Society/SPCA of Central Florida.
Mastro Subaru Tampa - 813.884.7513 Sanford - 321.206.1792
www.MastroSubaru.com
will be happily ensconced in the best ride a pup can share. On the other hand, you both deserve it, so forget everything I just said. I know it’s sacrilege, but my auto obses-
sion once tilted toward that Bavarian brand that shall go unmentioned here. But no — I had to test drive the all-new, 2014 Outback at Mastro Subaru in Tampa — and I’m a changed man. Well, not so much changed as astounded, or even dumbfounded. So if that’s change, it’s change I can live with. But with that being said, what it means is that this car is my new obsession — I’ve gotta have it. For the purposes of this review though, let’s get to some of the why’s and what for’s that drove me to my ultimate driving ambition: Get. This. Vehicle. The car as tested was the 2014 Subaru
Outback 2.5i Limited/EDF in the 173-hp configuration of the 4-cylinder BOXER engine. It has a Deep Indigo Pearl exterior, matched up with a stunning new Saddle
90 THE NEW BARKER
back-up camera with screen display on the dash. Trust me, once you’ve had a vehicle equipped with this, you’ll never own one without it again. We noticed how smooth it was when Steve hit the gas. No jerky move- ment. And that, as our excellent Mastro Subaru Consultant, Wayne Macfarlane explained, is yet another engineering break- through: Lineartronic CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission). “The Outback is our Subaru’s flagship
vehicle, so it’s no surprise the company puts so much emphasis on making it special,” Paul Hamilton, General Sales Manager at Mastro Subaru Superstore, tells us. “Subaru really lis- tens to customers’ input. Technology updates are always proven before being made. Subaru doesn’t jump on the technology bandwagon fad.”
I’m being honest here: If Subaru’s engi-
neers keep this up, they better ramp up the assembly line. This Outback is a winner’s win- ner. Like I said, my Scottie rated it four paws up (that’s all of them), and I’m backing him up, hands down (that’s both of them). U
www.TheNewBarker.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100