Subaru Outback bulks up

SUBARU has added even more macho to its Outback crossover wagon with a number of rugged styling embellishments along with a slight price hike across the range.

The already chunky, American styling of the Outback is boosted by the inclusion of off-road touches such as front and rear under-body guard protectors, wheel arch guards, roof rails with integrated cross bars, side sills and cladding.

A greyed-out front grille, dark grey six-spoke alloy wheels, front mud flaps and aggressive sporty headlights with black background are also now standard, pushing the adventure angle even further.

While Subaru has upped the price of each variant in the range by $500, the Japanese car-maker's Australian arm says the inclusion of the extra features adds up to over $2500 worth of extra kit.

Pricing for petrol variants now starts at $38,990 plus on-road costs for the base 2.5i with continuously variable transmission (CVT) before moving up to $43,490 for the 2.5i Premium and topping out at $57,990 for the flagship 3.6R Premium with CVT.

Diesel variants now kick off at $40,490 for the 2.0D and $43,490 for the 2.0D Premium when matched with a standard six-speed manual gearbox, while these variants coupled with a CVT attract a $2500 premium.

The styling changes are standard on all variants, however buyers not interested in the entire body kit are free to request just the roof rails, grey grille and alloys, side sills and headlights with black background if they wish.

Subaru added an optional CVT to diesel versions of its Outback range in March this year to fill an obvious gap in its model line-up.

In January, the company replaced the existing petrol engine with a new 2.5-litre horizontally opposed Boxer unit for improved fuel efficiency, as well as including a revised version of its all-wheel drive system.

The 'Eye-Sight' collision avoidance system was also included as standard on all Premium-grade variants at this time. Outbacks fitted with Eye-Sight also include sat-nav, a sunroof, colour information display, a power driver's seat and rear air conditioning vents as standard.

Since the first generation launched in 1996, the Outback has been something of a hit for the brand in Australia and regularly outsells the Liberty mid-sizer on which it is based.

Subaru has sold 2750 Outbacks to the end of August this year which marks a 15 per cent drop on the 3220 units shifted in the same period last year.

2013 Subaru Outback pricing*

2.5i CVT (a)	$38,990
2.5i CVT option pack (a)	$40,490
2.5i Premium CVT (a)	$43,490
2.0D	$40,490
2.0D CVT (a)	$42,990
2.0D Premium	$43,490
2.0D Premium CVT (a)	$45,990
3.6R Premium (a)	$57,990

*Excludes on-road costs.