The Subaru Legacy Outback diesel recently won our Towcar of the Year competition, so we know it’s capable as a towing vehicle.
We also know it has the power to surprise, because almost every member of the jury wasn’t expecting it to finish anywhere near the top.
I can’t personally comment on its towing abilities, because I wasn’t part of the Leisure Wheels team when the tests were conducted, but I now have the opportunity to spend some time behind the wheel to see how it fares as a day-to-day ride.
So far things have been going smooth, which is rather, as I have to ferry an almost nine months pregnant woman around this weekend. When attempting something like this, ride quality and refinement matter, and luckily the Outback has both in spades.
I’m also enjoying the diesel/CVT gearbox combination a lot more than I thought I would.
The CVT gearbox was designed to simulate the characteristics of a normal automatic gearbox. This means you don’t get that horrible whining noise normally associated with CVT boxes, which is a definite win for Subaru.
The engine has a decent amount of torque available low down, which makes the car quite nippy for a vehicle of its size. In terms of acceleration and keeping it at a steady 120km/h on the highway, I can’t complain.
I’ll be spending a lot more time in the Subaru in the coming days, so check in next week for a more thorough report on its capabilities. I’ll also be keeping a close eye on the fuel gauge to see if the engine/gearbox combination delivers on the fuel consumption promises made on Subaru’s website.