More cladded-up, refreshed Subaru Outback revealed

With the New York International Auto Show set to end this coming Sunday (24 April), Subaru chose the Big Apple’s showpiece to unveil the facelift Outback that could well be coming to South Africa later this year.

Debuting three years after bowing at the same event originally, the sixth generation Outback, spun-off of the seventh generation Legacy sedan, benefits from a series of exterior and interior tweaks, as well as new or upgraded safety and driver assistance systems.

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Externally, the changes include a new grille and front bumper, extended plastic cladding around the wheel arches derived from the Wilderness, rounded LED fog lamps on the flanks of the lower air intake, and more cladding at the base of the doors and on the sides of the bumper.

Inside, the 11.6-inch Starlink touchscreen infotainment system gains wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while the flagship Touring receives gloss black detailing and black Nappa leather seats with contrasting stitching.

On the safety side, the EyeSight system gains steering assist as part of the standard Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Departure Warning, with another new addition being a wide-angle mono camera on the Touring.

Also reserved for the flagship is a digital rear-view mirror and Automatic Reverse Braking as part of the Rear Cross Traffic Alert system.

Unchanged are the choice of engines comprising the normally aspirated 2.5-litre flat-four outputting 136kW/239Nm and the 2.4-litre FA24 turbo-petrol that produces 191kW/376Nm.

Both are mated to a Lineartronic CVT with Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive system entrusted with sending the amount of grunt to all four corners.

Built alongside the Legacy, Impreza and Ascent at Subaru’s Lafayette Plant in Indiana, the Outback is expected to go on sale soon with a reported starting price of around $30 000 (R461,250). As mentioned, unconfirmed speculation points a South African market debut later this year.