Upgrade my Subaru Outback or trade it in?

[Markal]

I've got a '21 Outback Touring XT with minor mods (AT tires, skid plate, Ralitek rear springs). It has served me well towing a teardrop and exploring in Colorado and Utah. And it's absolutely fantastic as a daily driver (fast, pretty nimble, quiet on highways, good mpg). But there are definitely times when I'd like to go a little further up the road but I'm not sure the Outback can handle it so I turn around. Ever since I bought it, I've struggled with whether I should instead have a 4x4 (4Runner or the like).

I'm at that point again, obsessing over a potential vehicle upgrade.

I know there are Subaru fans here. Would you try a suspension upgrade on the Outback to get some more capability (e.g., Ironman 4x4 suspension) or save your money and trade it in for a more a capable SUV/truck? The two things keeping me from a real truck are daily performance and cost.

Thoughts?

 

[rruff]

The only way to know what the limit is, is to go beyond it...

I used this philosophy to good (and damn lucky!) effect with an overloaded '84 Toyota 2wd with no upgrades. I learned that I could bounce the undercarriage off rocks with abandon, use the clutch as my low gear... get a running start and just hang on. It looked like hell (especially underneath) and my fuel and oil capacity decreased a bit, but it never broke down in 250k miles of this.

I will also say that I'm very pleased with the Ironman FCPro shocks on my Tundra, and it's nice to have 4lo and more ground clearance, too.

 

[Ozarker]

I've got a '21 Outback Touring XT with minor mods (AT tires, skid plate, Ralitek rear springs). It has served me well towing a teardrop and exploring in Colorado and Utah. And it's absolutely fantastic as a daily driver (fast, pretty nimble, quiet on highways, good mpg). But there are definitely times when I'd like to go a little further up the road but I'm not sure the Outback can handle it so I turn around. Ever since I bought it, I've struggled with whether I should instead have a 4x4 (4Runner or the like).

I'm at that point again, obsessing over a potential vehicle upgrade.

I know there are Subaru fans here. Would you try a suspension upgrade on the Outback to get some more capability (e.g., Ironman 4x4 suspension) or save your money and trade it in for a more a capable SUV/truck? The two things keeping me from a real truck are daily performance and cost.

Thoughts?

Sounds like you're trying to turn wants into needs, you don't need a different ride, you're in the infancy of wanting one.

No offense, but could it be your driving skills that cause you to turn around?

I kinda miss my old Forrester, but an F-150 is much better pulling a 24' pontoon boat out of the water.

 

[phsycle]

I've got a '21 Outback Touring XT with minor mods (AT tires, skid plate, Ralitek rear springs). It has served me well towing a teardrop and exploring in Colorado and Utah. And it's absolutely fantastic as a daily driver (fast, pretty nimble, quiet on highways, good mpg). But there are definitely times when I'd like to go a little further up the road but I'm not sure the Outback can handle it so I turn around. Ever since I bought it, I've struggled with whether I should instead have a 4x4 (4Runner or the like).

I'm at that point again, obsessing over a potential vehicle upgrade.

I know there are Subaru fans here. Would you try a suspension upgrade on the Outback to get some more capability (e.g., Ironman 4x4 suspension) or save your money and trade it in for a more a capable SUV/truck? The two things keeping me from a real truck are daily performance and cost.

Thoughts?

I think it depends on what you mean by “further up the road.”

I’ve driven quite a bit of the Utah backcountry roads (and some west CO trails). Some are tame, some are burly, and some require something more than a Subaru. Nothing against Subaru’s. We had an Outback 7 years ago (bought new, put 80k on her). Loved it for road trips and tame dirt. There were some roads that made me question whether we were going to make it through. Something a stock 4WD truck would’ve breezed through.

So, in my opinion, if “further up the road” means driving past the well-manicured campgrounds with flushing toilets and well into the backcountry, I think you’d be much happier in a high clearance 4WD truck. Even a stock 4Runner, Wrangler, GX, Ranger, etc will open up 10 times the possible routes and destinations. Especially some of those amazing high-elevation places you’ve got in Colorado.

But you’ve got the Outback already. Spending $700 for a spacer lift isn’t an expensive experiment. Maybe give that a shot?

Best of luck in whatever you decide.

 

[ABBB]

Having gone through similar motions with a 2019 Outback, I say trade it in. Suspension mods may make some difference but it’s just not built to muscle through or up and over obstacles like other vehicles. It isn’t an SUV. I loved mine and I thought of it like a touring vehicle for all the reasons you love yours. At the end of the day though there’s more upside with another vehicle. The off road market is flooded with good options right now. If I were in your shoes, I’d hang on a few more months and trade it in for a new Land Cruiser. You’ll get the comfort and daily drivability and good mpg and durability/reliability like you would in a Subaru, but with lockers and more low end power and a motor and transmission designed to go that extra distance you hesitate to travel in your Subie. That said, like an previous poster replied, driving skills get many a humdrum vehicle out and back. You could go take a class or do. 1:1 training at an off road park and learn all the stuff you need to know about your Subie while you have someone there to help you recover and figure out it’s strengths and limits. I did this years ago and it was a blast. My wife and I learned stuff we use regularly and we have confidence in ourselves when traveling in backcountry and also know when it’s smart to stop and call it a day.


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[Markal]

Having gone through similar motions with a 2019 Outback, I say trade it in. Suspension mods may make some difference but it’s just not built to muscle through or up and over obstacles like other vehicles. It isn’t an SUV. I loved mine and I thought of it like a touring vehicle for all the reasons you love yours. At the end of the day though there’s more upside with another vehicle. The off road market is flooded with good options right now. If I were in your shoes, I’d hang on a few more months and trade it in for a new Land Cruiser. You’ll get the comfort and daily drivability and good mpg and durability/reliability like you would in a Subaru, but with lockers and more low end power and a motor and transmission designed to go that extra distance you hesitate to travel in your Subie. That said, like an previous poster replied, driving skills get many a humdrum vehicle out and back. You could go take a class or do. 1:1 training at an off road park and learn all the stuff you need to know about your Subie while you have someone there to help you recover and figure out it’s strengths and limits. I did this years ago and it was a blast. My wife and I learned stuff we use regularly and we have confidence in ourselves when traveling in backcountry and also know when it’s smart to stop and call it a day.


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The new Land Cruiser is exactly what got me interested in this again. On paper it seems about perfect for me. I’ve test driven just about every option and the only one I thought I could stand for daily driving was a GX. Seems like the LC would be somewhat similar but with much better mpg.

 

[phsycle]

To get your hands on a new LC or GX for a reasonable price (aka MSRP), you’re 2 years out, if not more.
Guess that gives you time to think about things.

 

[ducktapeguy]

I also think the best option is to trade it in. I also went through a similar decision, and if your goal is to tackle harder trails the Subaru will always be limited in its capabilities. The main drawbacks are always going to be the lack of low range, the independent suspension, and the limits on the tire size you can run, not to mention the market for off road upgrades is much smaller than for a 4Runner/Land cruiser. It’s great at what it is, a soft roader for fire roads and easy trails, but the more you modify it, the less road friendly it becomes. By the time you add lift, tires, rack, etc, everything you like about the subaru will have disappeared and you’ll end up with the handling characteristics and economy of a stock SUV without the off road performance or potential to upgrade.

 

[phsycle]

The main drawbacks are always going to be the lack of low range, the independent suspension, and the limits on the tire size you can run, not to mention the market for off road upgrades is much smaller than for a 4Runner/Land cruiser.

Honestly, if it came with lo-range, I would seriously consider one again.

 

[MontySquareo]

Go get your Subaru actually stuck on some rocks before you decide it's not capable enough. I've seen stock fwd cars do some good offroading where some people would be scared to take a truck

 

[Dougnuts]

I had a 3.6R for 145k miles. I lifted it near the end of its time with me, with 29.7" Falken Wildpeaks, Rallitek/Bilstein B6 all around. It looked amazing and was capable, but I always wished I had just got a 4Runner like I wanted.

If gas mileage isn't a huge concern, go get a 4Runner. If it is, just wait it out until the LC is available. That's what we are doing with our RAV4.

 

[ABBB]

I’m going to echo the sentiments of the previous poster and say that you’re going to find the limitations of the Subaru fast if you try. The lack of a low range and more ground clearance limits capability and creates a lot of opportunity to do expensive damage. Learn the lesson I did without spending $5k on a lift, wheels, tires, and a fancy loud roof rack. All that and I still couldn’t crawl up an 8-10” rock or get myself out of the mud. For all the branding and reverence (and I did like my Outback a lot) it’s really just a car that’s marketed well to outdoor types (or those that aspire). I thought it was a fantastic all around vehicle for commuting and dealing with most weather conditions when I lived in the mid Atlantic, but as soon as I started testing it off road I found out its limitations and wished I’d saved the coin and put it into a fatter down payment for something else. A 4Runner, GX, LC, Jeep all would let you play more and go further without worry, and even a Grand Cherokee has more upside than the Subie.

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[phsycle]

I’m going to echo the sentiments of the previous poster and say that you’re going to find the limitations of the Subaru fast if you try. The lack of a low range and more ground clearance limits capability and creates a lot of opportunity to do expensive damage. Learn the lesson I did without spending $5k on a lift, wheels, tires, and a fancy loud roof rack. All that and I still couldn’t crawl up an 8-10” rock or get myself out of the mud. For all the branding and reverence (and I did like my Outback a lot) it’s really just a car that’s marketed well to outdoor types (or those that aspire). I thought it was a fantastic all around vehicle for commuting and dealing with most weather conditions when I lived in the mid Atlantic, but as soon as I started testing it off road I found out its limitations and wished I’d saved the coin and put it into a fatter down payment for something else. A 4Runner, GX, LC, Jeep all would let you play more and go further without worry, and even a Grand Cherokee has more upside than the Subie.

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Agreed with what you posted. But I will say the Subaru is a great fit for 99% of the buyer base. None of them are going to take it offroad enough to warrant more capability. I’ll even say that for the majority of folks buying 4Runners and Jeeps.

I liked our old Outback as well. I always get a bit of nostalgia when one passes by. There is some lady in the neighborhood with a green lifted Outback with bronze method and KO2’s. Looks awesome. I’ll probably end up buying one for the kids to drive around in.

 

[calicamper]

I've got a '21 Outback Touring XT with minor mods (AT tires, skid plate, Ralitek rear springs). It has served me well towing a teardrop and exploring in Colorado and Utah. And it's absolutely fantastic as a daily driver (fast, pretty nimble, quiet on highways, good mpg). But there are definitely times when I'd like to go a little further up the road but I'm not sure the Outback can handle it so I turn around. Ever since I bought it, I've struggled with whether I should instead have a 4x4 (4Runner or the like).

I'm at that point again, obsessing over a potential vehicle upgrade.

I know there are Subaru fans here. Would you try a suspension upgrade on the Outback to get some more capability (e.g., Ironman 4x4 suspension) or save your money and trade it in for a more a capable SUV/truck? The two things keeping me from a real truck are daily performance and cost.

Thoughts?

I got rid of my Outback before that I had a Legacy GT 5spd. Don’t miss the OB one bit. The OB was my daily and typically road trip rig. I had a 2007 Sequoia which I used to haul 5+ people and took on occasional road trips when space / capacity was needed 15mpg 🤮. I had a cherry J80 (11mpg) when my Legacy GT was my daily. I still wish I kept the GT. Fantastic car.

Sold both OB and Sequoia got a 2019 Expedition (400hp) absolutely love it. I get consistently 2mpg less average than the OB 2.5i I had. 25 gallon tank I have very similar practical range as the OB.

I definitely have better road trip comfort than the OB. Far more confidence in the Ford regarding quality/ reliability over the OB especially the cvt. Basically? I’d go Ford and GM products today over Subaru. Better engines, better mileage vs power, far superior load carrying ability and Subaru parts quality has been absolutely crap for many yrs now..

 

[mountainsports2002]

Put a mountain bike on the back and use it when the trail gets to tough. Love Subarus but they are only off-road vehicles if your okay losing plastic body parts along the way.