Michael Kopp has had Subaru’s in his family for decades but nothing quite compares to his new prized possession – the 2021 Subaru Outback
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- Drives like an estate wagon not an SUV
- Large multimedia display intuitive and user friendly
- Adaptive Cruise allows him to focus on the road, not the speedo
- CVT/Engine a little whiny under acceleration – hard to hear unique Subaru Boxer sound
- Speed Limiter function mated to EyeSight has trouble with school zone 40kph signs outside of school hours
- Integrated GPS far less responsive than GPS fed from iPhone via CarPlay.
Michael Kopp has always been fond of the Subaru badge having spent a lot of time in his dad’s MY04 Subaru Liberty GT, which they chose together. His very own purchase came in 2005 when he bought the MY05 Subaru Liberty Wagon – a car that accompanied him all around Australia.
A man on the go, he spends a majority of his time on the road for work and travel. With this in mind, his next purchase needed to suit his lifestyle – essentially a car with as much space as a Liberty with exceptional towing capacity. Enter the MY21 Subaru Outback.
Michael was one of the first to receive the model and didn’t waste any time taking it on its first road trip through Oz. He commends the Subaru for its comfortability, especially on long trips What’s more, it’s a car that ticks all of the boxes in terms of space, practicality and value.
The 2021 Subaru Outback Touring packs a 2.5-litre horizontally-opposed (Boxer) four-cylinder petrol engine, paired to a CVT automatic and is all-wheel-drive. While he misses manuals and is disappointed Subaru ended the Liberty/Legacy series, this car has been the perfect addition to his garage. Even the kids love it too.
We caught up with Michael to find out more about his purchase and what it is that makes the Subaru Outback one of the greatest cars he’s ever owned.
| Key details | 2021 Subaru Outback Touring |
| Engine | 2.5-litre horizontally-opposed (Boxer) four-cylinder petrol |
| Power | 138kW @ 5800rpm |
| Torque | 245Nm @ 3400-4600rpm |
| Weight (tare) | 2200kg |
| Drive type | All-wheel drive |
| Transmission | CVT automatic |
| Power to weight ratio | 83.1 kW/t |
| Price when new (MSRP) | $47,790 |
Drive: Tell us about your car.
Michael Kopp: MY21 Subaru Outback Touring, with a few accessories – tow kit (boat), cargo tray (dog), rubber mats (kids!), body side moulds (also kids!). Lots of gadgets, tows well. I needed a comfortable, reliable, safe, fun car. Even with the supply shortages and high demand it arrived early and I was one of the first to receive the all-new 2021 model.
Drive: Is this your first Subaru?
MK: No, I owned a MY05 Subaru Liberty Wagon (from new) – one owner, traded in with 385,000km. The Liberty went all over Australia, like 8000km road trip (with boat) to Darwin.
Drive: Have other family members owned Subarus?
MK: Dad has a manual MY04 Subaru Liberty GT, which is a cracker to drive. It’s a car we chose together 18 years ago and we used to use it for road trips. I do miss manual cars. I hope he still has it so my children have the experience of driving a manual also.
Drive: What made you choose the Subaru Outback?
MK: The Liberty was bulletproof, even after 385,000km. I was a little disappointed Subaru ended the Liberty/Legacy series in Australia, as not everyone looking at wagons wants a high riding SUV. The Outback absolutely feels like a low-rider station wagon to drive, but a little more ground clearance if I’m towing, or taking the car off-road. I looked briefly at the Subaru Levorg, but as much as I’d like to pretend I was in Fast & Furious, I needed a wagon with as much space as the Liberty.
Drive: Did you consider the competition when researching your purchase?
MK: I did. I looked at the Volkswagen Passat. It was the closest match that I could find but for the same spec as this meant I would had to have gone for a very high-end Passat and while that’s a beautiful car I felt really comfortable with the Outback. It came down to value for money for me and I’m a bit of a gadget person so this had all of my must haves like the sunroof, a good audio system, leg room for our trips, USBC chargers for the kids iPads, lots of boot space for sailing gear and comfortable seats which are leather which makes cleaning up after the kids a lot easier. Basically, I was looking for an AWD station wagon for towing and this ticked all the boxes.
Drive: What do you use the car for?
MK: I travel around Australia for yachting regattas, and on the road for work, and lots of road trips with the kids; we may not be able to travel overseas, but there is so much to see in our own backyard.
Drive: How far have you driven the car since you bought it?
MK: Around 130,000km since February 21 when I collected the car new from Subaru Geelong. Between lockdowns I took the Outback around Tassie with a friend; the Great Eastern Drive in Tasmania is amazing.
Drive: What’s your most memorable drive?
MK: I bought the car, it arrived earlier than expected and myself and a friend jumped on the spirit of Tassie and did all the way up the east coast around Tasmania. We made it a big foodie tour, stopping all the way up the coast. The weather was beautiful and the drive even better. It’s the first car that I’ve ever had with heated seats so that made the trip even more enjoyable. I couldn’t go back now to a car without heated seats.
Drive: What is your favourite feature of the car?
MK: The new Subaru Infotainment display; huge touchscreen, easy to use. My Liberty didn’t have DAB Radio, Apple CarPlay, or even Bluetooth, so it’s a bit of the luxury to drive.
| At a glance | 2021 Subaru Outback Touring |
| Fuel consumption (claimed combined) | 7.3L/100km |
| Fuel tank size | 63L |
| Boot volume | 522L / 1267L |
| Length | 4870mm |
| Width | 1875mm |
| Height | 1675mm |
| Wheelbase | 2745mm |
| ANCAP safety rating | Not yet tested |
| Warranty | Five year, unlimited km |
| Price when new (MSRP) | $47,790 |
| Colour as tested | Crystal White Pearl |
| Options as tested | Tow pack |
| Competitors | Volkswagen Passat | |
Drive: Is safety important to you?
MK: Absolutely. My son will learn to drive in this, so wanted a very safe car. The Adaptive Cruise allows me to focus on the roads, not down at the speedo. Love the blind-spot mirror alerts also.
Drive: How do you find Subaru Eyesight driver assistance system?
MK: I like how the sensitivity can be adjusted somewhat, particularly the Adaptive Cruise distance between the next car. I use the Speed Limiter on the steering wheel a lot, but it’s not ideal near schools as the EyeSight sometimes picks up 40 signs outside school hours, but it’s a small price to pay for pedestrian safety, and can be turned off with one button.AI-based safety technology may become more prevalent in cars; as long as the factory stops short of building robots with red eyes, exoskeletons and Austrian accents, we’ll be OK.
Drive: Tell us about engine power and performance
MK: I’m not a huge fan of CVT engine noise under acceleration, but there aren’t too many DSG options in wagons unless you go with a German badged car.
Drive: Tell us about fuel economy
MK: I use the “B” setting on the trip computer for this, just over 8L/100km average over 13000k so far. I generally keep the car in ECO Mode around town, the Sport Mode with the Flappy Paddles (as Jeremy Clarkson calls them) for windy roads. Towing the boat I get around 10L/100Km.
Drive: Tell us about ride comfort and handling
MK: Absolutely more better ride comfort than most SUVs I’ve driven; I read a Boxer engine, like in a Porsche, has a lower centre of gravity so this must help. Very stable around corners, even in the wet.
Drive: Is it important that your Subaru is all-wheel-drive?
MK: Without question. I don’t think I could ever go back to a RWD or FWD car unless it was a MX5 or a Mustang for weekends. In 15 years not once did the Subaru Liberty really lose traction, even on ski trips.
Drive: How do you find service costs?
MK: I have one coming up, but it’s a fixed cost; I was happy extended the service interval on the MY21 Outback compared to older generations.
Drive: Have there been any issues?
MK: A firmware update was needed to address an Autonomous Braking software bug, but I was contacted proactively by Subaru Australia, and ate brekky next door while they patched it.
Drive: Would you recommend the Subaru Outback?
MK: No doubt. It’s a great combination of safety, gadgets, and room. Drives like a car, space of a SUV. I spent considerable time reviewing Outback release in the USA 6 months earlier; I’m glad I waited. My next car will be the update of this in a few years and it’s the car my kids will learn to drive in.
Thank you to Michael for sharing his owner story.
Do you have a unique car or ownership story you would like to share? Reach out at contactus@drive.com.au
The post 2021 Subaru Outback Touring: Owner story appeared first on Drive.
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