In sporting circles it’s called sandbagging – when a competitor tactically hides his strengths as part of a strategy to lure his competitors into a false sense of security, only to deliver a decisive winning blow when your competitors least expect it. Subaru do not call it sandbagging – instead they refer to it simply as… Outback.
The Spektakel Pass, Northern Cape.
The smooth black top is complemented with beautiful turn after turn. Snaking its way through the barren Northern Cape mountains, this is a road custom-made for a high performance vehicle, a road that can slingshot you out of the slow bends with sharp corners to consistently haul you down from high speeds.
It’s a 20km stretch of motoring nirvana if you have the right tool. And oh boy, do I have the right tool.
It’s a Subaru Outback 3.6R-S. It has 191kW of flat-six power, and 350Nm of torque. It has Subaru’s famed Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (A-WD) system. It has a torque vectoring system. There is a button for ‘SportSharp’ (S#), which turns the Subaru into an even more focused performance machine.
It even has paddle shifters to stir the six-cylinder engine’s soul, with no less than seven ‘steps’ for the continuously variable transmission (CVT).
Oh, and it’s a station wagon.
It is also packed with luggage, two bicycles and a family of four.
In the backseat the kids are watching a Monsters Inc DVD. In the passenger seat the missus is trying to catch a bit of shut-eye after an early departure from Upington.
Deary me. There will be no tyre scrubbing this morning in the Spektakel Pass. Responsibility can be such a drag.
Mission 101
Colleague Jannie Herbst and I are on a 3 500km mission. The plan is to drive two Subaru Outbacks from Johannesburg to the three-horse town of Hondeklipbaai (directly translated as dog stone bay).
This little hamlet, with its crayfish and diamond mining boats and a beautiful little bay that looks like it comes straight out of a tourism brochure, is situated about 25km south of Koingnaas, and about 120km from the regional Northern Cape hub of Springbok.
After our sojourn in Hondeklipbaai, I would return to JHB and Jannie will continue to Paternoster for some additional festive adventures.
We are in two Outbacks – and they look… well, identical, both replenished in the same ‘ice silver’ and the same 18-inch alloys wheels shod with high performance Bridgestone rubber.
Subaru do not do traditional nomenclature depicting engine size on its vehicles. So there is no ‘2.0’, for example, for casual onlookers to determine they are looking at this or that derivative.
But even though they may look 99,5% identical, the one is powered by that 3.6-litre flat-six engine, and the other is equipped with the four-cylinder, 2.5-litre boxer mill.
The well-proven 2.5-litre flat-four produces 129kW of power and 235Nm of torque, and although it obviously has less bite than the 3.6-litre six, it has more than enough ammunition to satisfy most drivers.
Importantly, it does share that inherently sporty driving experience with its bigger-engined sibling, with the Symmetrical A-WD system providing excellent grip in all conditions.
The specification levels are virtually identical between the two derivatives too, and the ‘entry-level’ 2.5-litre model matches its ‘high-end’ sibling – selling at a R55 000 premium – blow-by-blow in the creature comfort and safety departments.
This includes an electrically operated rear door, full leather coupled to powered seats up front, sunroof, climate control, an excellent 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, an entertainment interface in the centre console with Bluetooth, phone system and various other gadgetries, the CVT gearbox, the X-Mode ‘off-road’ system, keyless entry system, as well as a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating.
There is also a 512-litre boot (which swallowed the two bicycles and all our luggage, as mentioned previously), and up to 1 801 litres with the second row of pews folded flat.
Only the most observant will spot the small differences in the cabin: the ‘SportSharp’ button on the beautiful three-spoke, leather-covered steering wheel of the 3.6R-S versus the ‘Sport’ option on the 2.5i.
And on the outside, the 3.6RS has silver roof bars instead of the 2.5i’s black ones.
Gravel travel
After using up my entire reserve of self-control on the Spektakel Pass, we tackle the last stretch of gravel road to Kleinsee. This dirt road is okay in places, but there are sections that are heavily corrugated.
Many years ago I drove a Toyota Hilux double cab 2.7i with the independent front suspension on this very road. With no load on the ‘bak’ the bakkie’s tail was all over the show. I did not dare do more than 80km/h, even after deflating the tyres.
In the Subaru, it’s a completely different ball game. It can happily cruise at 100km/h, the family oblivious to the corrugations on the back seat.
And with the Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system going about its efficient business, and the Active Torque Vectoring system doing its trick in the corners, the ride is so comfortable and composed, I could just as well have set the cruise control at 100km/h and focused on finding the best tunes on the sound system.
In Kleinsee we hook a left, and travel down the coast, back on tar, the Atlantic Ocean in places but a rock’s throw to our right. The town of Koingnaas, 60km south of Kleinsee, is slowly awakening from an economical slumber after a new diamond mine came into operation near the town. But it’s hardly a tourist attraction, with the nearest beach 10km from the town (a most splendid beach it is though).
So we head to Hondeklipbaai, another 22km of gravel trekking to the south.
The bay of, er… less
If you get lost in Hondeklipbaai, you probably should not be in charge of a motor vehicle. The town is tiny, with the main street leading right past the bay with its two restaurants and the bottle store (there’s only one).
The ‘suburbs’ are right next to the main road. There are not many houses, and the dusty roads snaking through the houses all lead, eventually, back to the main road.
Of particular interest to us though, is a little twee-spoor road leading to the town’s lighthouse. The track starts off in compact form, but as it continues alongside the Atlantic Ocean, winding its way to the lighthouse, it turns sandy. A perfect proving ground to test both the Outback models’ 4×4 abilities.
Okay, so an Outback is not your typical 4×4 weapon. It has an electronic gadget Subaru calls X-Mode, which essentially alters the electronics for slow-speed off-road driving, including steep ascents and descents, but it really is more about showmanship than ultimate 4×4 ability.
On the plus side, the Outback has 213mm ground clearance, but this is offset by long overhangs, resulting in less-than-ideal-for-4×4 approach and departure angles.
The first track is a steep, soft business. We watch a Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.6 V6 take a few runs at the hill before finally conquering it with plenty of momentum. In the Outback 3.6R-S I select that ‘SportSharp’ mode, and manually select first gear via the paddle shifters.
I decide to go up slowly first, just to see how soft the sand is – but the Subaru doesn’t get very far. So back down we go, and for my second run I employ the well-proven storm and conquer method… with the flat-six engine clearing its throat and my foot flat on the accelerator, the Scooby powers its way quite impressively to the top of the dune.
The Jeep driver did seem a bit surprised by this.
Plenty of horses is clearly key here, so the Outback 2.5i and this dune will not make good bedfellows. We stick to the more mundane sand tracks closer to the ocean with it – and it manages just fine, never getting bogged down.
So the Outback is quite capable in sand if you switch off the stability and traction control. But ultimately its form limits its function, those long overhangs not suited to more hardcore off-road applications.
The X-Mode system works well enough for slow crawling and descents but – truth be told – most Outback owners will never use it.
After some snaps in the sand we retreat to Sam’s Restaurant, situated on the ‘waterfront’… it really is right next to the Atlantic Ocean. Colleague Jannie had used a different route to get to Hondeklipbaai and we compare notes on the open road cruising ability of the Outbacks while we tuck into Sam’s freshly grilled hake and really good slap chips.
I had used the 3.6R-S Outback’s cruise control system as often as I could. Cruising at an actual 120km/h, it was interesting to watch the rev counter hover between 1 800 and 2 500r/min, as the CVT gearbox and the engine’s 350Nm of torque compensated for hills and dales.
Not that you could hear the engine making those adjustments – the cabin is too well insulated. Driving like this we managed a best consumption figure of 8.9litres/100km on the flat Northern Cape roads.
Jannie did not use his Outback’s cruise control, preferring the right-foot regulation system, driving at the same 120km/h. He still managed a best consumption of 8.1 litres/100km – which is also rather splendid going for a petrol-sipping four-wheel drive station wagon.
We were both impressed by the Subaru Outbacks’ comfort too, the independent suspension soaking up any undulations with aplomb. And there’s always that sporty, ‘we-are-one’ feeling when you drive a Subaru – it just feels right.
This is topped off with the comfortable seats, the effective climate control and the acoustic talents of the Harman Kardon sound system. Long distance travelling is really easy in an Outback.
After our fish ’n chips stop, we head to Koingnaas, and our abode. The next day we will spend exploring Hondeklipbaai – and what a cool little tourist town it turned out to be (see sidebar for cool places and things to do there).
On that 22km dirt road back to Koingnaas there are a couple of 90 degree turns. And you can see cars approaching for miles ahead.
I approach one such turn and there are no cars as far as the eye can see. With my ‘be responsible!’ resolve depleted in the Spektakel Pass, I switch off the stability and traction control, press the ‘S#’ button on the steering wheel, and use the paddle shift to gear down to a more appropriate gear, the engine now singing a much more entertaining tune as it spins near the red zone.
“Oh daaaaad!”
In the backseat my daughter knows all too well what is about to happen.
“Go, go, go!” encourages the lad next to her.
I flick the Subaru sideways before the turn – not recklessly so, but just enough to get a discreet four-wheel drift started. I boot the flat-six engine, and the Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system and the torque vectoring slingshots the Subaru through the corner, very, very briskly but also rather unspectacularly.
That pretty much sums up the Subaru Outback station wagon. It’s as unassuming as a suited Clark Kent working as a reporter at the Daily Planet newspaper, yet also as ‘super’ as a Superman when it comes to all-round performance.
This is the Outback: The ‘Jacques Kallis’ of station wagons – the consummate all-rounder of its ilk.
Subaru Outback 2.5i-S Premium
Engine Horizontally opposed four-cylinder, DOHC, 16-valve
Power 129kW @ 5 800r/min
Torque 235Nm @ 4 000r/min
Gearbox Lineartronic CVT
4×4 drivetrain Symmetrical A-WD, active torque split, Torque Vectoring
4×4 driving aids X-Mode, hill descent control
Ground clearance 213mm
Average fuel consumption (actual): 8.6 litres/100km
Range (60-litre) 697km
Maintenance plan Three-year/75 000km
Price R499 000
Subaru Outback 3.6R-S
Engine Horizontally opposed six-cylinder, DOHC, 16-valve
Power 191kW @ 6 000r/min
Torque 350Nm @ 4 400r/min
Gearbox Lineartronic CVT
4×4 drivetrain Symmetrical A-WD, active torque split, Torque Vectoring
4×4 driving aids X-Mode, hill descent control
Ground clearance 213mm
Average fuel consumption (actual) 9.6 litres/100km
Range (60-litre) 625km
Maintenance plan Three-year/75 000km
Price R557 000
Hondeklipbaai – small in size, big on character
The town’s name comes courtesy of a large gneiss rock near the police station, on the outskirts of town. Thomas Grace landed here in 1846, and the shape of the rock – which resembled a dog – inspired him to name it Dog Stone Bay. Since then the dog’s ‘ear’ was removed and its ‘nose’ was blasted off by a lightning strike. But the name stuck, albeit in Afrikaans.
Here’s a list of cool places to visit and things to do in town
* Sam’s Restaurant: The menu is limited, but the food is great. Sam is a former diamond mine employee who got retrenched in 2009. Instead of drinking his troubles away – like many of his fellow miners do – he started up this restaurant. It has awesome views too, but it is only open for lunch. The Rooi Spinnekop and DopEnKreef restaurants offer a dinner service. Tel. 082 382-0422 / 084 244-0102
* Hondeklipbaai Caravan Park: Basic setting, but within a few metres of ‘the bay’, and the Atlantic Ocean. Tel. 027 692-3066
* Eenstop Supermark & Slaghuis: For some of the best steaks on the West Coast. You can only eat so much fish ’n chips, after all. The shop’s well-matured rumps are highly recommended for a braai. Tel. 027 692-3031
* Villain & Madz Art: An arty coffee shop where you can enjoy ‘coffee & condensed milk’ while checking out some cool art, created in Hondeklipbaai. Tel. 079 908-0839
* The lighthouse: you really can’t miss it, as it towers above everything else. The tracks leading to and around the lighthouse not only take you to the edge of the Atlantic, but also provide some sand driving challenges.
Words: Danie Botha Photos: Jannie Herbst