Tow Test Subaru Outback 2015

The right car for the wrong job… That was my over-riding thought after hooking up almost 1600kg of caravan to the 3.6-litre petrol-powered Subaru Outback and hitting some highways and hills beyond Melbourne’s west.

Let me explain. As a family hauler and daily commuter in the few days prior to our half day tow test, the upmarket Japanese wagon driven ‘solo’ was hard to fault.

A significant improvement over the previous version, the latest five-seat Outback wagon offers the sort of silky smooth performance, interior comforts and refinement, and electronic trickery approaching the benchmark Euro models, especially in top-spec 3.6R form tested here.

As we’ve previously discovered, the updated and more spacious interior layout with its more lavish look, and genuine room for five adults, makes the Outback very easy to live with on a daily basis.

The extra features on the 3.6R Outback, while not entirely essential, certainly add to the enjoyment and safety, with highlights including the iPhone-style, 7.0in touchscreen display, 12 speaker Harmon Kardon stereo, power tailgate and sumptuous leather trim.

While no sports car, the decent steering feel and limited body roll in the corners allows for brisk driving, while the suspension is compliant enough to soak up the worst of Melbourne’s patchy bitumen.

Combining car-like manners with soft-roader-style 213mm road clearance and permanent all-wheel grip, means the Outback remains a good compromise for those who want something practical and stylish around town, yet capable of handling the odd, and not too challenging, off-road excursion.

The big boot and full size spare wheel are other ticks in the practicality category.

Going back to towing though, the high-revving nature of the 3.6-litre, six-cylinder petrol engine, and the lack of low-down torque essential for stress-free towing make it less suitable for hauling a decent-sized boat trailer or van, despite the range-topping Outback boasting the highest tow rating of all variants at 1800kg.

There are two things you appreciate when towing: effortless grunt when there’s a need to swiftly accelerate away in traffic or maintain a steady speed up a hill, combined with decent fuel economy, and the Outback 3.6R was disappointing on both counts.

While remaining mostly smooth and quiet, partly thanks to the excellent  CVT auto transmission, it really struggled up hills, dropping down to second gear on one particularly long and steep incline while pushing revs to a fuel-guzzling 5000-plus rpm.

The problem is a peak torque figure of 350Nm at 4400rpm, while peak power of 191kW is also achieved at a relatively high 6000rpm.

Even maintain a steady speed of 100km/h on the highway required constant shifts to fifth (2200rpm) or fourth gear (3000rpm).

A flick of the steering mounted paddle shifters enforced a higher gear to bring revs down to around 1500rpm, but only momentarily as the slightest demand on the engine prompted an automatic down-change.

As a result, at one stage the trip computer showed an average 22L/100km, although this settled around 19L/100km once we dropped to a less demanding 80-90km/h cruising speed – but that’s still around double what we were getting driving solo.

It was also considerably more than the 14.3L/100km achieved with the previous Outback 3.6R, albeit with a much lighter one tonne camper trailer.

It’s a shame, as the caravan tracked quite well behind the Subaru, with the van’s ball weight of around 155kg having little effect on the Outback’s rear suspension.

In the technology department, the reversing camera was a bonus when backing up to the caravan hitch, although there was some annoying beeping from the Outback’s radar-based vehicle detection system in sharp corners, as the caravan swung around. Fortunately, the Eyesight technology can be switched off when towing.

Another irritation when towing is that unlike a more conventional automatic transmission, the CVT gearbox provides no engine braking on steep descents.

It’s fair to say the $4500 cheaper 2.0D Outback with its smaller but more efficient engine and option of a manual transmission, is a much better choice for towing. Despite a slightly lower 1700kg towing capacity, the diesel Outback delivers a similar 350Nm but from just 1600rpm.

It's also more frugal with a previous test of a 2.0D Outback towing a 1346kg camper delivering an average 11.6L/100km.

That said, if you’re only planning to tow something light or undertake the occasional short towing trip, the 3.6R Outback is more than capable and will certainly get you to the caravan park in both style and comfort.

2015 SUBARU OUTBACK 3.6R

Engine: 3.6-litre six-cylinder petrol
Output: 191kW/350Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed continuously variable automatic
Fuel: 9.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 242g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP
Towing capacity: 1800kg
Towball mass: 180kg
Price: $47,990 (plus on-road costs)