I personally love mine. I put in aftermarket fog lights and put more powerful reverse bulbs in. My buddy used to be a Subaru tech and said as long as you don’t tow the maximum capacity all the time and get the fluids replaced every 50k miles the CVT should not have any problems. I do agree that it would be nice to have more factory options to personalize it, but there are so many aftermarket things you can do it’s not that big of a deal. It is a perfect vehicle if you need your daily driver to have a little more off-road capability. That’s why I got mine anyway
@@fastmover0 my wife got them for me for a Christmas present so I don’t know the exact model number but they were from diode dynamics…that’s where I got the fog lights from as well and later ditch lights. The factory reverse lights are like 250lm the DD ones are 1000lm I believe
@@fastmover0 I will note they are expensive, but they are very much worth it, lights up everything very nice for the back up camera and mirrors. Visibility is easily 10x better
Thanks, I will try to find them. I think I'm going to put the light bar in the bottom of the front grill too , like the one @AutomotiveAnonymous208 did in his other video. @@stephenbyrne3778
Adaptive cruise control and lane assistance are two totally different things and they have different buttons for each function. I agree the lane assist is a bit aggressive, I personally will only be using it on highway driving, as on smaller roads with curvy lines it can throw you in weird directions. But overall, the adaptive cruise control is wayyy better than they were in 2017 versions. I just upgraded from 2017 to 2024 and the adaptive cruise control is way more smooth and fluid and actually slowly gets you close to the car in front of you if you're in bumper to bumper traffic, when the 2017 version would just stay a pre-programmed distance and didn't adapt.
Great insight! Thanks for watching and sharing your experiences and how they relate to the 2017. If I said adaptive cruise in this video I’m pretty sure I definitely meant the lane keep assist! Of all the benefits the CVT styled tranny provides I do have to agree with you and say it does a really good job of maintaining distance and getting up to speed in a smooth fashion.
I really enjoy my OBW over my 21 TXT Outback. Only thing I miss is the cooled seats. The CVT is much smoother and I think much of that is due to the lower gearing and it taking less effort to get up to speed.
Just picked up a 24 Ascent Onyx edition. I was told by the service manager that the 19 and 20 Ascents had the same CVT as the Outback. They had some issues so starting in 21 the Ascent got a larger or upgraded CVT and that seems to be working much better.
Ive been looking at the 2023 Forester and Outback Wilderness and what you mentioned about the steering being very sensitive is my only real concern. I think the cars should have a better neutral spot feel in the steering wheel.
I’m excited for you, they’re great! If that’s your only concern that’s not to bad. But you’re right, a neutral spot would be better, or just decreased sensitivity. Thanks for watching! 🙂
We have a 22 Outback Wilderness and a 23 Outback Onyx Edition. They’re great. Steering feels fine to me but I’m used to driving trucks, etc. Love the versatility of Subarus.
How do you overfill the gas tank? Doesn't the gas pump turn off when it's full? Or are you referring to manually filling it from a canister? If manually filling it, I doubt you'd be topping off the last gallon of an 18.5 gallon. So just wondering what you're referring to.
Good question. I’m referring to when you’re filling at the pump and it clicks and auto shuts off the first time when the pump senses it’s full. I’m unsure of what percentage of the total 18.5 gallons that would be. Sometimes people will wait a moment for the fluid to settle and keep filling to the point it fills up the neck and almost splashes out. That is what is not advised. I’m sorry I didn’t make it more clear.
The fuel click off,happens,when you still can put in 2 gallons,this means a lot when you are on the open road,and also have had a 2006,2015,and now a 2220 outback,great cars,please stop with all that uglycladding,hard to keep from graying out,let us buy or order without it!Way to much,a Old,Old,Old Guy!
This isn’t a Subaru issue either though. All modern cars have a vent system built into their fuel tank. Overfilling any of those, that is filling beyond the automatic cut off (the first click) can cause issues with them.
Thank you for your candid video on the Wilderness. I have a Limited and agree with your assessment of start/stop. Unfortunately, I suspect it is a feature to enable them to get the mileage that EPA requires. Fortunately, they allowed a painless way for aftermarket alteration to set the disable/enable. Being new to the infotainment system in my '24, I like it. Although, it is clumber some to wade through the screens at times. Oddly, I like the factory TomTom slightly better than the Google Maps via Android Auto app. Thanks again for the video.
Dude...this vehicle is badass...these issues are ridiculous. Complaining just to Complain. I love mine. If you don't like yours, let me buy it off you. I could use another one.
These are great vehicles, you’re right! But I wanted to share some of the little issues or concerns that myself and other people have to provide that insight to any potential buyers considering one of these. I’ve had mine (~2.5 years) which is about as long as I keep anything, so it might be about time to sell and move on the next experience, lol. 😂
Sorry but I find this article to be very nit picky and the reviewer would complain about a brand new Ferrari or any other car. My recommendation is "don't buy one if you don't like it". Personally, I have the 2024 Outback Touring XT and the only things I found to be undesirable is the auto start stop and the absence of a "Car Wash" mode on system features that could cause problems when getting the car cleaned. Pre-collision, rear brake auto, etc. They can be turned off manually but it is a little concerning. The alternative is to manually wash the car or use a self car wash facility. The auto stop/start feature fix is a one time installation cable that allows the driver the option of having it on or off and not need to fiddle with it. The fix is $99.00 and installation which varies by model. We are very satisfied with our purchase of the car.
The issues seem to be considered by some Subie acolytes as "features", but the good news is there have been improvements with time. I had a 2021 OB Onyx XT under lease, just got a '24 Crosstrek Sport. The auto start-stop override you showed on the big screen used to be buried as a toggle in the car menu, so the "button" at least is accessible and easy to use. The seat heaters on the Xtrek are controlled with toggle switches in the console as opposed to be being buried in a popup menu on the screen as was the case with the Outback. Another major improvement. Finally, the rear camera image, which I wish would at least be bigger on that big screen, is at least much sharper on the '24 XTrek, so I'm guessing it's improved on the other models too. I miss the enormous rear space and power liftgate on the Outback, but as a driver the Xtrek is great - same smooth ride and quiet demeanor as the Outback (the biggest surprise of all), but more tossable handling even if the steering is not exactly Porsche-accurate. The Outback was a great snow and ice car, the Xtrek has the same clearance. I've only had it a few days so I've not tested in ice and snow, but my friends in Montana have had Crosstreks for years. Relative to CVT, I feel like there are both benefits (smoothness, essentially you don't even think about it as you drive it day to day) as well as drawbacks. Mainly, the CVT is almost a crapshoot in terms of where the "shifts" occur (i.e., RPM adjustments to get into the torque band), but at least it doesn't groan like a Nissan. The CVT operation seemed worse with the 2.4T than it is with the less powerful 2.5L. I always thought the CVT was the biggest drawback of the Outback XT powertrain (slow start up, then it would rubber band forward, which is fun but not necessarily safe in traffic). CVT actually seems smoother and more controllable with the 2.5L in the lighter Xtrek Sport (plus you get the S-I drive which allows either "intelligent" or "Sport", which the Outback did not have). It seems like with less power and torque to play with, the CVT is more predictable (meaning safer). S mode keeps the engine higher in the power band and fairly responsive if a tad louder (not too different than the 2.4T in that regard), while I mode is pretty focused on economy though it will get you to speed just fine in normal driving.
One thing I noticed is the Wilderness floor mat doesn't cover the carpet under the gas pedal. It leaves about 10 square inches of carpet exposed under the gas pedal and in the area between it and the brake pedal. I think I will check who sells a floor mat that covers the area under the gas pedal better. I hope Subaru fixes this.
I had a 2017 Forester that had the Dynamic Cruise Control. It was very good a recognizing a threat and stopping but couldn't stay in the lane without wandering out of the lane. The other safety junk worked mediocre at best. I eventually traded for a Ford Escape hybrid that had much better safety stuff and stays in the lane even around curves. It does not have the head watching stupid electronics, just the hands on the wheel. Subaru should have figured out the hybrid which would resolve your engine shut off issue.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Definitely go test drive one! They’re pretty awesome. And if you haven’t driven a Subaru in snow, once you do you’ll understand the cult like following these things have. 🙂
Got rid of mine, forester with manual. Burned more oil new than a Honda with quarter million miles. Never bought one since. Lost me a lot of money. Was plenty quick with manual transmission. TFL tested the cvt. Was worthless, would pull up nothing. They got mad and wouldn’t let them test after that. Fixed on wilderness. Won’t buy one again.
I see a crap-ton of Wilderness models being driven by little old ladies and gents around southeastern PA. Me thinks that Menonite Grandma ain't going off-roading in her Wilderness!
I wish Subaru would reintroduce the Legacy Wagon. No roof rack simple dedicated anchor points like the Legacy sedan currently has. Manually equipped would be great too.
I fully agree with the camera gripes. The quality on those is horrible. And if you get a little water on them from the rain it makes it even worse. I came into my 24 outback wilderness from a 2021 f150 and the camera quality was leaps and bounds better on the truck. But it's 3 years older than my Subaru
That’s a good question. I haven’t looked closely to the 24 Wilderness window stickers but I’m assuming it’s an option or part of a package, rather than standard equipment for this new model year. But I can’t say for sure. Thanks for watching! 🙂
Subarus have head gaskets fail routinely along with the fancy stuff like those cameras. I’ll never own another one of these pos. If their engineering was as good as their advertising they’d be way ahead.
To my understanding the mainstream head gasket issues ended about 10 years ago, and with an older generation or family of boxer engine. These new FA series engines have been way better. With the silly exception of the 2.4 BRZ engine in which the assemblers put the wrong amount of oil pan gasket silicone and so some did have engine problems from that getting into the oil, lol. Otherwise I think modern boxers are basically as reliable as anything else, I say this because I’ve not heard of failures in any of the forums I follow, only rare and random (very expensive) CVT failures. Personally, I never would have owned an older Subaru, but the modern ones I trust. Sorry this was lengthy, thanks for watching and providing your insight!! 🙂
I stayed clear of the Subaru vehicles because of male barroom talk, "Subarus are for Woke people". I purchased a dealer 2022 Outback Touring XT loaded for my wife. Glad we did too. I've read and heard that Subaru will be releasing in the middle of 2025 the Baja. Thoughts on this? If true I will be ordering my mid-life pickup from Subaru.
I think if they made a Baja Wilderness that would be sweet! There’s a photoshop rendition of one from April Fools day recently, it looked awesome. But the original one did not sell well. And I’m not sure the Maverick and Santa Cruze sales numbers to know if theres much market for those vehicles. 🤷♂️🙂
We have our wilderness for a little less than 2 years, its our worst car ever, Subaru dealer will do absolutely nothing if you complain about the transmission, we have a weird belt slipping noise when in drive the car drive like someone is pushing the car when braking, don’t buy that crap guys horrible car
you dont buy these for gas mileage . im over folks whining about the mileage. didnt you do your research first. love mine the power and ride are just the best
Makes me wonder if many of these owners knew that it wasn’t that long ago that Subaru vehicles had half of the engine power and mixed driving mileage in the teens. A full time AWD system with 200+ hp, etc and getting the mileage that the OBW gets is pretty stellar. The gearing on this model trim is more aggressive than the other trims due to being more off road focused.
Most of the 7 listed issues are not an issue for me. I strongly agree on the auto-stop feature needing to be configurable, that’s the only real issue. The other two are the camera’s quality and the choice of wheels, but those are more of a desirable improvement than issues. Otherwise Wilderness is a really great vehicle
I actually remembered one more issue - Subaru really should have added the memory seat option, especially since the other trims have it. I am sharing Wilderness with my wife and readjusting seats all the time is a real pain
The start-stop coming on with the ignition is a legal requirement for emissions testing. Many govt inspections specify that the vehicle must comply from the moment you start the car. It's the same reason a lot of sport/track modes are deactivated when you turn the car off.
I was given a base outback 2024 as a courtesy car and I must agree that the camera image quality is poor. My 2020 forester has a much, much more better quality display. The CVT is also a bummer but it's better than having an EV without any transmission. Other than that I can't wait for my 2024 outback limited XT I ordered in the past weeks. I don't really care about the infotainment system because I don't really use it in my forester. All I do is put on the radio and then adjust the HVAC. The comfort in the outback is outer worldly. The seating position is just perfect, the transmission lever is placed just at the right place and the feeling when you shift gears is perfect. A lot more confident inspiring than when I shift gears in my forester anyway. Leg extenders, 2 seat memory setting, nav system, 2.4l turbo engine, integrated turn signals in the mirrors, auto dimming rear view mirror, harman and kardon sound system are all features my forester doesn't have.
They will throw in the skids plates of you ask when buying (got mine in Canada with front, transmission, and rear diff skid plates). I also got them to swap out the plastic black door handles (they cheaped out and used the ones from the base model). I got them to swap in the chrome ones that are common to all other outback models (2022 & 2023 have chrome door handle pulls). Couldn't really belive that they cost cut in such a silly area....maybe they didn't in the US. I had a 2022 OBW before the 2024. The upgraded stereo to harmon kardon 12 speaker system and wireless android auto is what makes the car basically as good as it currently can be in Canada. I have already swapped out the springs for the Ralitek 3/4" overlpad springs. They are so much better, and provide such an improved ride and do not sag with bikes and a heavy load in the back.
Pretty much agree with all of them. The one that gets me is not having a manual transmission option. Subaru of America stated the reason they were dropped in 2015 from the outback and Legacy, is that there wasn’t a demand for them. I remember going to multiple lots between 2012-1015 trying to find one to purchase to no avail. So how can you say there wasn’t demand when there was no supply?
I’m 41 and have been driving a manual transmission car since I was 16. First car was a 1963 VW bug. I’ve only had 1 automatic and I traded it in after a few weeks. Can’t stand them. They’re pretty much phasing them out all across the board. So many people on forums and people I’ve met irl are upset that their car will longer have a manual transmission option in the next generation. Ridiculous
b/c you and a few thousand others were specifically wanting them means nothing when Subaru is trying to selll hundreds of thousands of OB's to the USA. USA is general does not choose MT over auto. Been that way for a long time. Heck, not even Honda offers MT on the Accord anymore in the US
I don't think I'd say those things "ruin" it, as that's such an absolute that there's no room for "yes, those things are bad, but they don't outweigh the things that are good." I think that, while those concerns are valid (I especially share the one about climate controls being in the touchscreen, which causes major distractions while driving), the overall bang-for-your-buck of the Outback Wilderness is still excellent, and anyone looking for a solid, comfortable, and reliable daily driver who also wants a solid, comfortable, and reliable road-tripper and off-roader should strongly consider it. I traded in my 2020 Outback Premium, which had the same general issues being from the same generation, for the 2024 OBW, and I have no regrets. I learned to live with the quirks in exchange for the perks, which are far more numerous.
We’ll said, I appreciate you watching and sharing your perspective! I’m hoping this video is informational to some potential buyers who may appreciate knowing the typical gripes before committing. Although the biggest reason I hear people not choosing Subaru is due to the CVT. The validity of our concerns, only time will tell I’m sure.
@@AutomotiveAnonymous208 I've come to appreciate the value of the '24 OBW even more since building similar rides from other manufacturers on their websites, only to discover they can cost many thousands, even tens of thousands more than this car, and even then some of them still lack some of the features that come with this model. For example, when building a Volvo XC40 with as close as I could get to the features of the OBW, it came to well over $51,000, and it's still not as capable or even as comfortable and quiet (I drove one for comparison just to be sure). And its climate controls are also in the touchscreen. To top that off, the XC60 is actually the closer model to the Outback, and it's even more expensive still. Way more expensive. You also have to step up to this model to get ventilated front seats, which come standard with the Outback Touring that costs only marginally more than the Wilderness when optioned with the turbo. Subaru somehow manages to offer so much more for so much less than their competitors without sacrificing durability and overall reliability.
It's a fixed icon on the screen, so what difference does it make if it's on a touchscreen or a physical button? Perhaps it wasn't always this way, idk.
Why a CVT Subaru WHY!?!? That is the only thing keeping me from buying one. If they offered a decent 6 or 8 speed AT, I would be a proud owner. CVT's are still not as reliable as a decent AT.
Absolutely agree! And it’s a shame, especially since they now make reliable turbo engines unlike the old EJs, which I personally would have never bought.
I was the same way, but figured they’ve been out long enough that I’d give it a try. And well, I really like it. I went from a 2012 forester touring to a 2024 wilderness and I feel the power is much more responsive and less laggy. And it’s actually an 8 speed CVT, if you didn’t know. The only big difference I see is, it doesn’t lose power when shifting. It’s basically the same engine I had in my 2012 and yet it feels a lot snappier. Still, to each their own. Maybe you’d hate it 🤷🏻♂️
About the AS/S business... the boxer-type engine causes the roughness of the on/off process. If it REALLY bothers you that much, you can buy an Auto Stop/Start Eliminator (for less that $100) that does NOT plug into your OBD port - it installs up in the overhead console (for map lights/sunroof switch/etc.). Works just fine.
I can’t believe how many people complain about the auto engine shutdown. You control it with the brake pedal. If you hold it gently the engine want turn off, press a button harder and it does. You are welcome.
You’re totally right. Not meaning to bash, just inform anyone who might be interested what an owners perspective of disappointments might include. There really are a lot of people who have commented on my dozens of Subie vids saying that don’t want to own a CVT or the large touch screen. So if this video helps even a few people it’s worth it to me.
I agree with your early comment in the video, this is a vehicle that has brought new customers to Subaru. Never thought about buying one until I purchased a 2023 Outback Wilderness late last year, since then I added a 2023 WRX to the collection. I'm loving both vehicles and never would have considered them without stumbling over the Wilderness and discovered how good Subaru was!
As a long time, former Jeep and 4Runner driver, overall, really happy with mine. Little thirsty for short trips but travelling from Philly to Myrtle Beach at 75-80mph average, getting around 26.5 MPG. Yeah, not great compared to other Subarus but awesome compared to 4Runner and Jeep. More comfortable. Subaru also is able to go to 90% of places those two vehicles go. DO NOT like infotainment center. Also, would be nice if AC/Heat and heated seats were knobs and switches. Just installed Cooper Road and Trail ATs. Same size and weight of OME tire (which weren't horrible). Much improved handling and performance on and off road.
I'm thinking of buying the Outback wilderness and will be doing lots of driving, potentially from California to Michigan and take off the beaten path for some camping/mountain biking. How does ride and is it confident off road for being a light duty off road vehicle? I don't want to buy a jeep or 4runner for my daily driver.
@@TheDirthound Get one, you won't be disappointed. Solid road manners and I have run mine off road along muddy fire lanes, on the beach and mountain snow. I loved my Jeeps and 4runner but quite honestly this vehicle is much more applicable for the reality of most of us as opposed to the "image" of the others.
Thankyou. Very helpful and hands on to hear from someone who has owned one of these for a couple of years. Unlike hearing someone's thoughts after driving one for a month or 2. I think you and I are the only people I've heard saying a manual transmission for the OBW would be nice if they offered that option. Not a fan of the CVT but I understand most people don't have a problem with it. Thanks again.
I’m not sure what more to do with auto start/stop, most modern cars have that feature. It’s definitely not just a Sub issue. And after owning the 23 model for a while now, none of the things mentioned are actually a problem.
@@AutomotiveAnonymous208lmao, so passive aggressive. It's a button you can push right after starting the car...by pushing the ignition button. Soooo inconvenient ;)
Hi there thank you for your content. My feedback about complaint number two is as follows; it’s government regulated. Subaru, unfortunately has no control over this. They have to have it turned on every time the car starts for government regulations in order to keep up with emissions rules. It’s not a Subaru thing it’s a government regulation thing.
@@AutomotiveAnonymous208 I do like it for the backup camera-- but that's it.. I'd never look at it otherwise- and most of the time not then either.. I drove truck for too long and never use backup stuff..
Non of these issues are a problem As far as auto start Last month engine off was 4hours 10 min Saved 2.5 gal of gas I like watching the minutes off add up
I’ve been seeing more and more failures on older CVT Subarus unfortunately, and the issue is that on most/all models the CVT and the front differential are one single unit, making the replacement VERY expensive. Hopefully the newer ones don’t end up doing the same.
The tittle to this post is click bait. Not one thing you mentioned will "Ruin the 2024 Outback Wilderness and other Subarus." And thank you for allowing me my opinion sir.@@AutomotiveAnonymous208
Lame list of dislikes , as for the CVT I have a 2015 Outback 3.6R that I had to replace the CVT and the dealer ask if I want a rebuild one or new of course I choose the new one and the total replacement around 3 thousand dollars . Compared to buying a new Outback I think was good idea since my is paid and still running good . Very rare to buy a new car that we totally like unless you order it with what you want .
I bought a White 2024 OBW a couple of weeks ago, and just had new speakers installed and it made a huge difference in the sound quality. I called Crutchfield and they recommended the Infinity Reference for the doors and a Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-8 Subwoofer. I'm really happy with the way it sounds and it works with the stock electronics. It no longer sounds like the sound comes from the front because with the stock speakers if you used the fader to move the sound towards the back the sound quality went down quite a bit. You had to keep the fader centered front to back to hear any bass at all. Now you can move it back and it sounds great.
I have a 2020 Ford Escape Titanium and the auto start/stop also has to be turned off every time I start it. It annoyed me at first but I’ve had it almost two years now, and like you said it just becomes muscle memory.
I love my 2024 OBW, smooth comfortable drive, i have a trailer hitch on the back and just bought the CAtuned front brush bar to protect the front from bad drivers who cant park without bumping me. GAs mileage could be better but it is very quick.
Other commentators have suggested that if you plan on towing on a regular basis, this may not be the best combination of engine/transmission for that use case. I live in Canada and when our Mitsubishi RVR's CVT started to slip, the dealer replaced it under warranty, and they told me it would cost $11K to replace it if I was paying for it. And I don't use the RVR for towing. Moral of the story, if your vehicle doesn't have a 10 year warranty on the engine/transmission then either buy an extended warranty, or reconsider your choice of vehicle.
I personal experience about my 2023 wilderness with 11k miles: flimsy Windshield, floaty drive "my 1999 Camry was smoother", stock tires are mediocre, and more. I have been thinking about getting another vehicle, waiting for 2024 models to come out.
I have a 2022 and I below I will comment on each of the 7 points, and add a few of my own. 1.) CVT. I never really had a problem with the CVT. I have owned earlier models, including Outbacks, and even a Legacy Wagon, with classic non CVT Auto's. The Paddle Shift is useful sometimes. 2.) AUTOP START/STOP. Yeah, turning it off is the first thing I do, and sometimes I forget and this car has such a sloppy Trans mount (there are upgrade kits for this) that the car lurches when it starts, half the time my Starlinjk based remote start sets my car alarm off. I know that the reason Subaru HAS to do this, is because making it default allows them to advertise the MPG values that they use in marketing. I can't blame them too much. 3.) Lane Keep Assist. I used to be against this, and in fact I bought a 2020 which I opted out, which I wrecked. If I would have had the then optional eyesight system, it likely would have saved me a lot of pain in the specific scenario that caused my accident (a stopped vehicle I did not see and did not react to in time). So I have mixed feelings. I don't trust it. But I do make myself use it under certain scenarios because I feel it does reduce risk overall and keeps me on my toes. Nice that you can set it to be as invasive as it can be, all the way down to being fully off. Subaru did that right. If you hate it, shut it off. Unfortunately (or fortunately) it is no longer optional. 4.) MPG I have oversized wheels and tires on my OBW, and initially whenn I was doing a 20 mile commute twice a day, I was reasonably happy with MPG. It wasn't great, but with care it could be in the low 20's. Now that I am not doing a lot of highway, I am LUCKY if I get as much as 17. And my wheel tire upgrades are not that heavy, I shopped lightweight stuff. It is more the ratio, but initially I felt that the ratio actually HELPED the MPG, because it was acting like a slightly higher overdrive. The flip side is that it SUCKS for around town. MPG is not a feather in the hat of the OBW, especially with taller tires. 5.) INFOTAINMENT I haven't DL'd the software upgrade yet. I plan on it at some point. I don't spend a lot of time on the screen. I set it and go. It is occasionally sluggish, but most of the time it's fine. A few times a year it may freeze up which is quickly fixed by a restart. It doesn't bug me, provided It doesn't poop out on me, because you NEED the infotainment in this car, which leads me to my OTHER additional complaints down below. 6.) CAMERA Quality sucks. Not only the lack of detail, but more advanced fisheye lens designs can compensate for distortion much better, allowing you a super-wide perspective without so much fisheye. This is just a bottom tier camera I would expect in the bargain aisle of Walmart Auto. The backup is useless at night unless you upgrade the backup lights to super bright LED's, which is a MUST DO upgrade for modern Outbacks anyway. It really helps these poor light gathering cameras to have backup lights that actually light up the world behind your car. The stock backup lights aren't even good enough for my eyes and mirrors beyond a few feet. 7.) CUSTOMIZATION I can't say this bothers me much since I immediately deleted the exterior bronze highlights (I kept the badge) on my exterior, and after that and putting new wheels and tires, which many people do, the car doesn't really look like a Wilderness, or even a Subaru. It has a unique sort of look. And an under the radar kind of look, which fits my sleeper temperment. If you want your car to look different, there are a lot of ways to get there. I don't want to spend thousands extra for constant modeling tweaks that don't matter. 8.) Factory Sound.. The 2022 didn't offer high end sound (newer models offer better sound and you SHOULD GET IT), and I have NEVER IN MY LIFETIME owned ANY car that had CHEAPER factory speakers in it. They are postage stamps with magnets the size of tic tacs. In fact after seeing them out of the car, and weighing them in my hand (careful not to let the wind blow them away) I was impressed that the crappy sound was as good as it was. And on top of this, when you do look into upgrading sound, you realize that integrating with the factory infotainment system is not recommended, and not supported or easy aftermarket. Crutchfield warns that Subaru Starlink systems are tied into the Front end speakers, and it is sensitive to aftermarket Amplifiers being used (most likely because Starlink is a RADIO, and was not built with enough isolation circuitry, and everything is on the same board). Additionally the ECU of the infotainment system is entertainment, mixed with informational screens, mixed with touchscreen controls, all of which is comingled with the ECU of the whole damn car, so you can't just swap in an aftermarket headunit unless you put it somewhere else, or want to deal with a lot of headaches like load simulating capacitors to make the car think it is wired as it was at the factory. I finally settled for doing a Speaker only Upgrade. I replaced the corner dash tweeters with Alpines, and also both front and back doors with Alpines as well, and the sound is a LOT better, but it deserves amplification that I decided not to give it because of all the warnings and integration problems, and now I am worried that the higher draw aftermarket speakers will eventually blow out the low powered China Cheap stock audio amp in the infotainment system one day, which will screw up everything, and require me to replace the entire assembly (because it would cost the same as replacing the one component). But at the end of the day I AM a lot happier with the Alpine aftermarket speaker sound, tho It's not super loud it's loud enough to enjoy with all the windows and sunroof opened up(better than stock by far), and although I had to make some sharper EQ settings than a superb system would have required, I like the improvement that resulted in once I smoothed it out the response. I love my Outback Wilderness. There are a lot of things I really like about it. I share many of the same criticisms as AA does. But I think we both like it more than we are annoyed by aspects of it, many of which there are fixes for.. But it's good to be honest about the ugly aspects of any car, and to share those faults with perspective buyers.
Awesome write up! I really appreciate your elaborate explanations to each topic and that you took the time to provide insightful and at times amusing responses! 😂 You’re right, overall it’s a fantastic vehicle and I hope this video and everyone else’s comments are beneficial to potential buyers. 🙂
Oh that’s good to know! Only the Touring and maybe the limited trim (I can’t remember) had that 3 camera gen 4 system in the U.S. thanks for watching! 🙂
The 2024 Outback Wilderness should be a 6-speed manual. However, its CVT seems good for a CVT. The Auto-Stop-Start lacking a memory of being turned off is the biggest pet peeve. That aftermarket work-around product doesn't just plug-in under the dash as you suggested. Instead you have to drop the Eyesight camera housing to install it. I printed a label & stuck that label over the gold at the bottom of my steering wheel (label: STOP-START). The label reminds me to turn off the STOP-START after starting the Outback each time. The sound system is great but after turning the ignition off & then, back on, the vehicle doesn't consistently restart my bluetooth iPod set up. It's annoying to manually renew that connection. An issue you missed are the gaps between the front seats & the console. It's hard to fish dropped items out of that abyss. I installed pieces of 1/2 inch rubber water-pipe insulation in those gaps to combat gravity. Cut an oval hole in the rubber insulation to accommodate the seatbelt receiver. That hole pushed over the seatbelt receiver keeps the piece from moving to the front or to the back. Another issue: the Outback Wilderness should come with a factory-installed hitch receiver.
The inside lights are small and narrow not bright No heated steering wheel No hook / towing connections to tie boats luggage on to Cross bars not included price of the car
I hear you, and understand that it seems like I’m contradicting myself. The Outback, especially the XT models are really sweet vehicles, especially at their price point. But the issues I mentioned in that other video are common issues or inconveniences that myself and other owners have noticed and wish Subaru would improve upon. A lot of people actually don’t buy these only due to the CVT and 11.6” screen compared to the previous generation offerings. It’s still a great vehicle but I make these videos occasionally to voice mine and others concerns hoping Subaru will catch on. I hope this makes sense, I’m also going to post this on the other video in hopes that you’ll see it. Thanks for watching and asking a good question. 🙂
I have 2023 limited Crosstrek and haven't even tried the Adaptive cruise control and have real control for the heating system and easier to turn off the auto start stop and a real emergency brake. And have a cd player. the Harmon kardon system sounds way better with a cd i have noticed than usb or bluetooth way louder as well. I thought the seat belt charm was so annoying so I turned it off. I had hickory nuts hit the hood and a bunch of dents and didn't even park directly underneath. And wasn't park there all the time. Cheap hoods that for sure.
Didn’t touch on anything off road wise. The front skid plate is an absolute JOKE for a car that is billed in every promo vid as an off road capable car that will take you off beaten path. I was literally able to bend the factory “skid plate” (more like aluminum foil) with kids hands. It only covers the approach, and not full engine. Took mine off-road, it was dented to hell with rocks and I laughed how and it was. Replaced it with a proper skid from RalliTek and now it’s actually capable. Every other gripe I agreed with you on. My MPG is shit in my opinion, I installed the auto stop eliminator day TWO of ownership because it drove me mad, but I never use any of the self driving or correcting features because I don’t trust tech. Tires could have been a better choice but all decisions from auto manufacturers cater to the 99% of the driving time, not the small fraction of fun time. It has to be quiet and capable, and push their nonsensical emission standards (bye bye STI) due to the global push for “carbon emissions” and “climate change”.
That’s a good point, it’s likely they included the bare minimum factory skid plate just to allow them to advertise that it’s a thing. Why did you go with Rallitek over Primitive or any other brand? Thanks for watching!
No doubt. It just borders on false advertising to say a thin piece of aluminum foil mounted on top of plastic is going to do anything. @@danielfair4675
Oh lord we must have a boomer here folks. Afraid of new tech. At what point in your life did you stop accepting new tech? It's just like boomers at some point in their life, stopped listening to new music. They literally picked a year like when they are 50 and said screw it. No more new stuff for me. I'm gonna listen to the same old shit over and over again. It's pathetic. Change with the times. Embrace change. Stop being loser with opinions because you are afraid it will hurt whatever image you conjured up about yourself. Ps. If you are not a boomer. Then you were imprinted with these ideas from your boomer parents and didn't move out till you were 30 years old. We call your kind the Imprinted boomers.
The autos start stop is a federal requirement as far as I am concerned because of emissions for this particular vehicle. Also I get 18mpg in the city with tons of start and stop. Best mpg I’ve gotten is 26! n the freeway here in SoCal
I might be in the minority but the extended plastic cladding on the exterior looks cheap and is the hardest material to keep dard and looking new. the cut out around the fuel fill door is stupid and makes it look like an after thought.
Ouch. I’m sorry to hear that, but at least you’re hopefully good to go for another 150k miles! So they rebuilt it? I’ve mostly just heard of the CVTs being replaced not rebuilt.
All auto start stop systems are terrible..just wears out the starter..stupid idea..cvt is not great either.. wish it had standard transmission. Tesla screens are way silly..cars are even worse..
Their CVT is said to be a good one. Have you heard otherwise? The drive assist for lanes, I understand can be disabled. The Auto Stop/Start is an ill of all new cars, just turn it off each time. I have come to the conclusion if you want simpler cars, you will have to go used -- maybe 1990's or early 2000, or just live with the complexity. Toyota RAV4 may have a longer lasting transmission and engine, but is it not more noisy on the road? The seats not as good. Compromise is the word of the day.
Absolutely! Everything has its pros and cons. I’ve also heard that the Subaru CVT is one of the most reliable and more failures are due to this valve body component rather than the entire transmission.
In my opinion, the irregular and excessive black plastic cladding makes the vehicle look cheap and ugly. I like some of the older Outback designs but not this one.
The new Crosstrek Wilderness even has an optional 2” thick cladding that runs the length of the front and real doors about 1’ above the regular wall of cladding to help against door dings. It looks horrible 😂
The idea is to pry your control of vehicle one baby step at a time so your conditioned to accept giving up all control in the name of safety. Really it will just give government complete control over your movements in the future is my hypothesis/guess.
It’s not that noticeable unless you’re not paying attention…. It doesn’t even work all the time, they got a long way to go…. It’s more like it’s trying to protect your ass if you’re fuck up but only 30% of the time…..
After watching this video I just ordered one. I remember driving a car and reversing without a camera so no big deal to me. Nothing in the video made me think twice, there are so many more positives then negatives.
I’m glad to hear that, these are awesome vehicles! I made this video because for some a combination of these characteristics of it have been a deal breaker, but none of them are truly that big of a deal IMO compared to similar vehicles. 🙂
You’re welcome to your opinion, and I’m glad you like yours! But it’s just a car, it’s a good one, but not perfect. And those areas mentioned are some of the reasons why people who consider one of these choose not to buy it over its competition.
Not to call you out on few of the things you’ve called issues, however I will; -The CVT isn’t really an issue if you know how to maintain it, generally speaking people who change transmission fluids every 60,000 km are still running their old Subarus past 200,000 km with no real complaints! That’s why Subaru builds simplicity in transmissions, for most part! - Two, the lane keep assist actually works well for the most part on longer trips, it directs me back in lane on sharper turns on highways. (There is one actual complaint to talk about, which you did not mention to in the video) *you probably should have* -And lastly, Subaru doesn’t offer much customization for two reasons, because they aren’t necessarily a luxury brand and aren’t focused on that kind of BS! They mainly focus on providing a reliable and interesting vehicle to sell to the public, while remaining fairly simple to use inside and out! They also know for the majority of people who buy aftermarket accessories to their vehicles, hence the fact they don’t offer much!. I will agree with few of your complaints however; - the touch screen on mine i do find tad bit laggy at times when connecting music and so on. -the auto stop feature I prefer to have off and is kinda annoying to keep pressing the button to set it, every time I restart the vehicle. - The fuel economy on my cross trek is worst than what Subaru claims for most from my drives. I owned a MINI before buying a new Crosstrek, my MINI puts this to shame in fuel economy. Best I got out of this Subaru so far is 26 mpg city and 34 mpg highway. (My MINI did roughly 29 mpg city and 43 mpg highway) *And the problem you should’ve mentioned, or from what I’ve actually noticed, is the fact that Subarus camera system and forward collision warnings would sometimes turn off during certain weather. Which could cause major accidents, that’s a real concern*
I have a 2024 Outback XT. Twice the car went to take the off ramp at 75mph. As for MPG, I have 1600 miles so far and most of those are highway at 75mph. MPG is around 27-28mpg. But it is a turbo charged brick. Agree with the screen, HVAC controls and auto shut off. Above all else, I hate the auto shut off.
@@AutomotiveAnonymous208 It was indeed startling. Not sure which was worse, the sudden turn or the destination if it had taken the turn - the Mississippi Delta. Drove through there once, which was one time too many.
FUN FACT: Your Mazda was designed to look happy because psychology 101 teaches us people will buy a "happy looking" car. They are subconsciously drawing you to that smiling car. Well played automakers.
Our other car is a RAV4 hybrid limited. I really miss the Birdseye camera from that. You’re right Subaru has a long way to go in the camera department. I also lament the lack of storage that is part and partial of the full-size spare tire.
@@AutomotiveAnonymous208 I absolutely love it, to me it remains the perfect vehicle 8.1” of clearance, 40 MPG, 500 mile range, digital rear view mirror, birdseye camera. Actually, as I type this I would be unable to rationalize the purchase of the wilderness. Yes it has an additional 1.3” of clearance and the full sized spare (double edged sword that it is)but those are the only wins I can see. I’ve never pushed the RAV too far off road but from what I’ve seen on the net (yeah, take that for what its worth, no offense) it seems almost as capable as the wilderness so long as you don’t high center it.
As I’m sure you can tell, by my channel name and the way I film, I value maintaining as much privacy as I reasonably can. But it’s fun to every once in a while sneak in a minimal glimpse of personality or background such as this. 🙂
My 2023 outback onyx is really bad in gas 😢, 16.2 or when I get lucky it goes up to 16.3..I drive like normal ppl, so wonder why and to be honest it’s pretty disappointing 😢
My 2023 Wilderness Outback has absolutely horrible interior lighting, super annoying chimes for seat belts, distracting/ unsafe monster screen replacing safe manual controls, very counterintuitive. Dumb armrest double lever for a un-needed flat space, too small of storage in armrest & glovebox. Had to spend $99 to fix auto stop/ start. The worst interior lighting ever !!!
@@christopher6895 Yep.... I did it several times.... but only lasted a day here, and a day there. I got tired of plugging in the seatbelt rapidly for 30 seconds only to have it last a few cycles of driving here n there, restarting the car... I bought a pair of seatbelt extenders and plugged those in, problem solved, and easier access too !!! $12 dollar fix. $99 dollars for auto/ start stop eliminator was an excellent purchase as well.
I own a base..the price of the wilderness is ridiculous. I am happy with the base. The eyesight goes out alot in the rain more often than my Hyundai. The space under the infotainment is insufficient. It is slow but you dont need fast. At 28k is fine unless you need all the extras 43k is a waste.
My mechanic, who I trust, says buy a Toyota or Subaru. Now, I’ve always owned Toyota’s so that is high praise. He doesn’t recommend current Honda’s or Mazda’s etc… for long term reliability he recommends Subaru’s and Toyota’s. I’ll most likely give Subaru a shot because Toyota’s are pricing themselves out of my comfort zone.
I personally love mine. I put in aftermarket fog lights and put more powerful reverse bulbs in. My buddy used to be a Subaru tech and said as long as you don’t tow the maximum capacity all the time and get the fluids replaced every 50k miles the CVT should not have any problems. I do agree that it would be nice to have more factory options to personalize it, but there are so many aftermarket things you can do it’s not that big of a deal. It is a perfect vehicle if you need your daily driver to have a little more off-road capability. That’s why I got mine anyway
I really appreciate your insight and perspective, it’s reassuring to hear from your friends remarks as well. Thanks for watching! 🙂
What bulbs did you use for the reverse lights?
@@fastmover0 my wife got them for me for a Christmas present so I don’t know the exact model number but they were from diode dynamics…that’s where I got the fog lights from as well and later ditch lights. The factory reverse lights are like 250lm the DD ones are 1000lm I believe
@@fastmover0 I will note they are expensive, but they are very much worth it, lights up everything very nice for the back up camera and mirrors. Visibility is easily 10x better
Thanks, I will try to find them. I think I'm going to put the light bar in the bottom of the front grill too , like the one @AutomotiveAnonymous208 did in his other video. @@stephenbyrne3778
Adaptive cruise control and lane assistance are two totally different things and they have different buttons for each function. I agree the lane assist is a bit aggressive, I personally will only be using it on highway driving, as on smaller roads with curvy lines it can throw you in weird directions. But overall, the adaptive cruise control is wayyy better than they were in 2017 versions. I just upgraded from 2017 to 2024 and the adaptive cruise control is way more smooth and fluid and actually slowly gets you close to the car in front of you if you're in bumper to bumper traffic, when the 2017 version would just stay a pre-programmed distance and didn't adapt.
Great insight! Thanks for watching and sharing your experiences and how they relate to the 2017. If I said adaptive cruise in this video I’m pretty sure I definitely meant the lane keep assist! Of all the benefits the CVT styled tranny provides I do have to agree with you and say it does a really good job of maintaining distance and getting up to speed in a smooth fashion.
I really enjoy my OBW over my 21 TXT Outback. Only thing I miss is the cooled seats. The CVT is much smoother and I think much of that is due to the lower gearing and it taking less effort to get up to speed.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the new OBW, kinda interesting how a different gear ratio can do that. Thanks for watching and sharing your experience! 🙂
No gears in a cvt bro lol
I just wish they've added couple more colors for exterior and right turn camera on screen, would be cool feature like in honda..
I want a white one, that’s my top pick colour but I do like the OBW in dark colours too. And I’d like to see the OBW in dark mahogany pearl 🤔
Just picked up a 24 Ascent Onyx edition. I was told by the service manager that the 19 and 20 Ascents had the same CVT as the Outback. They had some issues so starting in 21 the Ascent got a larger or upgraded CVT and that seems to be working much better.
Is that true? Great news!
Ive been looking at the 2023 Forester and Outback Wilderness and what you mentioned about the steering being very sensitive is my only real concern. I think the cars should have a better neutral spot feel in the steering wheel.
I’m excited for you, they’re great! If that’s your only concern that’s not to bad. But you’re right, a neutral spot would be better, or just decreased sensitivity. Thanks for watching! 🙂
I also wish they had more knobs and buttons instead of everything in the massive display. It's a safety thing as much as convenience
We have a 22 Outback Wilderness and a 23 Outback Onyx Edition. They’re great. Steering feels fine to me but I’m used to driving trucks, etc. Love the versatility of Subarus.
@@edwardponton2579 Which do you like better, Wilderness or the Onyx
Glad I got the 2023 Crosstrek Premium with the 6 speed manual. A simple inexpensive car that's AWD.
I drove one of those last year, the most fun Crosstrek I’ve ever driven, lol.
How do you overfill the gas tank? Doesn't the gas pump turn off when it's full? Or are you referring to manually filling it from a canister? If manually filling it, I doubt you'd be topping off the last gallon of an 18.5 gallon. So just wondering what you're referring to.
Good question. I’m referring to when you’re filling at the pump and it clicks and auto shuts off the first time when the pump senses it’s full. I’m unsure of what percentage of the total 18.5 gallons that would be. Sometimes people will wait a moment for the fluid to settle and keep filling to the point it fills up the neck and almost splashes out. That is what is not advised. I’m sorry I didn’t make it more clear.
@@AutomotiveAnonymous208 thank you that makes sense. I never do that personally but I could see others doing it. Good to know
The fuel click off,happens,when you still can put in 2 gallons,this means a lot when you are on the open road,and also have had a 2006,2015,and now a 2220 outback,great cars,please stop with all that uglycladding,hard to keep from graying out,let us buy or order without it!Way to much,a Old,Old,Old Guy!
This isn’t a Subaru issue either though. All modern cars have a vent system built into their fuel tank. Overfilling any of those, that is filling beyond the automatic cut off (the first click) can cause issues with them.
Thank you for your candid video on the Wilderness. I have a Limited and agree with your assessment of start/stop. Unfortunately, I suspect it is a feature to enable them to get the mileage that EPA requires. Fortunately, they allowed a painless way for aftermarket alteration to set the disable/enable. Being new to the infotainment system in my '24, I like it. Although, it is clumber some to wade through the screens at times. Oddly, I like the factory TomTom slightly better than the Google Maps via Android Auto app. Thanks again for the video.
I’m glad you’re enjoying your new Limited! My pleasure in making this video, thanks for watching and sharing your perspective! 🙂
Dude...this vehicle is badass...these issues are ridiculous. Complaining just to Complain. I love mine. If you don't like yours, let me buy it off you. I could use another one.
These are great vehicles, you’re right! But I wanted to share some of the little issues or concerns that myself and other people have to provide that insight to any potential buyers considering one of these. I’ve had mine (~2.5 years) which is about as long as I keep anything, so it might be about time to sell and move on the next experience, lol. 😂
Sorry but I find this article to be very nit picky and the reviewer would complain about a brand new Ferrari or any other car. My recommendation is "don't buy one if you don't like it". Personally, I have the 2024 Outback Touring XT and the only things I found to be undesirable is the auto start stop and the absence of a "Car Wash" mode on system features that could cause problems when getting the car cleaned. Pre-collision, rear brake auto, etc. They can be turned off manually but it is a little concerning. The alternative is to manually wash the car or use a self car wash facility. The auto stop/start feature fix is a one time installation cable that allows the driver the option of having it on or off and not need to fiddle with it. The fix is $99.00 and installation which varies by model. We are very satisfied with our purchase of the car.
If you go easy on the throttle you can get 26 mpg in town. I do it all the time. Up to 32 on the highway.
Nice!!
The issues seem to be considered by some Subie acolytes as "features", but the good news is there have been improvements with time.
I had a 2021 OB Onyx XT under lease, just got a '24 Crosstrek Sport. The auto start-stop override you showed on the big screen used to be buried as a toggle in the car menu, so the "button" at least is accessible and easy to use. The seat heaters on the Xtrek are controlled with toggle switches in the console as opposed to be being buried in a popup menu on the screen as was the case with the Outback. Another major improvement. Finally, the rear camera image, which I wish would at least be bigger on that big screen, is at least much sharper on the '24 XTrek, so I'm guessing it's improved on the other models too. I miss the enormous rear space and power liftgate on the Outback, but as a driver the Xtrek is great - same smooth ride and quiet demeanor as the Outback (the biggest surprise of all), but more tossable handling even if the steering is not exactly Porsche-accurate. The Outback was a great snow and ice car, the Xtrek has the same clearance. I've only had it a few days so I've not tested in ice and snow, but my friends in Montana have had Crosstreks for years.
Relative to CVT, I feel like there are both benefits (smoothness, essentially you don't even think about it as you drive it day to day) as well as drawbacks. Mainly, the CVT is almost a crapshoot in terms of where the "shifts" occur (i.e., RPM adjustments to get into the torque band), but at least it doesn't groan like a Nissan. The CVT operation seemed worse with the 2.4T than it is with the less powerful 2.5L. I always thought the CVT was the biggest drawback of the Outback XT powertrain (slow start up, then it would rubber band forward, which is fun but not necessarily safe in traffic). CVT actually seems smoother and more controllable with the 2.5L in the lighter Xtrek Sport (plus you get the S-I drive which allows either "intelligent" or "Sport", which the Outback did not have). It seems like with less power and torque to play with, the CVT is more predictable (meaning safer). S mode keeps the engine higher in the power band and fairly responsive if a tad louder (not too different than the 2.4T in that regard), while I mode is pretty focused on economy though it will get you to speed just fine in normal driving.
One thing I noticed is the Wilderness floor mat doesn't cover the carpet under the gas pedal. It leaves about 10 square inches of carpet exposed under the gas pedal and in the area between it and the brake pedal. I think I will check who sells a floor mat that covers the area under the gas pedal better. I hope Subaru fixes this.
GORL LOL
I had a 2017 Forester that had the Dynamic Cruise Control. It was very good a recognizing a threat and stopping but couldn't stay in the lane without wandering out of the lane. The other safety junk worked mediocre at best. I eventually traded for a Ford Escape hybrid that had much better safety stuff and stays in the lane even around curves. It does not have the head watching stupid electronics, just the hands on the wheel. Subaru should have figured out the hybrid which would resolve your engine shut off issue.
Like the video. Thinking of buying one.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Definitely go test drive one! They’re pretty awesome. And if you haven’t driven a Subaru in snow, once you do you’ll understand the cult like following these things have. 🙂
Got rid of mine, forester with manual. Burned more oil new than a Honda with quarter million miles. Never bought one since. Lost me a lot of money. Was plenty quick with manual transmission.
TFL tested the cvt. Was worthless, would pull up nothing. They got mad and wouldn’t let them test after that. Fixed on wilderness. Won’t buy one again.
You are correct but I can live with it.
I see a crap-ton of Wilderness models being driven by little old ladies and gents around southeastern PA. Me thinks that Menonite Grandma ain't going off-roading in her Wilderness!
Hahaha 😂
I was hoping in the garage you had a restored 82 hatchback gl with the center light... oh well
Haha 😛
I'm interested in the outback wilderness but i want a 4runner but hate the mpg..😢😢😢😢
I wish Subaru would reintroduce the Legacy Wagon. No roof rack simple dedicated anchor points like the Legacy sedan currently has. Manually equipped would be great too.
That would be sweet!
I fully agree with the camera gripes. The quality on those is horrible. And if you get a little water on them from the rain it makes it even worse. I came into my 24 outback wilderness from a 2021 f150 and the camera quality was leaps and bounds better on the truck. But it's 3 years older than my Subaru
take the plastic cover off makes a lot of difference
I had a 2023 subaru forester wilderness and it broke down in 4 month very disappointing
I’m sorry to hear that, what happened? 😢
What’s the deal with the copper nylon behind the rear side windows? I think I’ve only seen that on your channel?
That’s a good question. I haven’t looked closely to the 24 Wilderness window stickers but I’m assuming it’s an option or part of a package, rather than standard equipment for this new model year. But I can’t say for sure. Thanks for watching! 🙂
@@AutomotiveAnonymous208 thx for the snappy reply, homie!
Not a fan of the look. Hate it. I’m sticking with the Forester.
Subarus have head gaskets fail routinely along with the fancy stuff like those cameras. I’ll never own another one of these pos. If their engineering was as good as their advertising they’d be way ahead.
To my understanding the mainstream head gasket issues ended about 10 years ago, and with an older generation or family of boxer engine. These new FA series engines have been way better. With the silly exception of the 2.4 BRZ engine in which the assemblers put the wrong amount of oil pan gasket silicone and so some did have engine problems from that getting into the oil, lol. Otherwise I think modern boxers are basically as reliable as anything else, I say this because I’ve not heard of failures in any of the forums I follow, only rare and random (very expensive) CVT failures. Personally, I never would have owned an older Subaru, but the modern ones I trust. Sorry this was lengthy, thanks for watching and providing your insight!! 🙂
12.000 $ in Québec Canada
I stayed clear of the Subaru vehicles because of male barroom talk, "Subarus are for Woke people". I purchased a dealer 2022 Outback Touring XT loaded for my wife. Glad we did too. I've read and heard that Subaru will be releasing in the middle of 2025 the Baja. Thoughts on this? If true I will be ordering my mid-life pickup from Subaru.
I think if they made a Baja Wilderness that would be sweet! There’s a photoshop rendition of one from April Fools day recently, it looked awesome. But the original one did not sell well. And I’m not sure the Maverick and Santa Cruze sales numbers to know if theres much market for those vehicles. 🤷♂️🙂
You want some cheese with that whine?
I’d love some if you’re offering. ☺️😉
Auto STOP/START should be OUTLAWED on every vehicle-- it's just STUPID...
We have our wilderness for a little less than 2 years, its our worst car ever, Subaru dealer will do absolutely nothing if you complain about the transmission, we have a weird belt slipping noise when in drive the car drive like someone is pushing the car when braking, don’t buy that crap guys horrible car
Dang, I’m really sorry to hear that. Do you think you’ll sell it soon?
@@AutomotiveAnonymous208 yes as fast as possible lol
I get that! I drove an 09 Tacoma today with 220k miles and it felt so solid I miss the Toyota trucks I use to own lol.
you dont buy these for gas mileage . im over folks whining about the mileage. didnt you do your research first. love mine the power and ride are just the best
Makes me wonder if many of these owners knew that it wasn’t that long ago that Subaru vehicles had half of the engine power and mixed driving mileage in the teens. A full time AWD system with 200+ hp, etc and getting the mileage that the OBW gets is pretty stellar. The gearing on this model trim is more aggressive than the other trims due to being more off road focused.
Most of the 7 listed issues are not an issue for me. I strongly agree on the auto-stop feature needing to be configurable, that’s the only real issue. The other two are the camera’s quality and the choice of wheels, but those are more of a desirable improvement than issues. Otherwise Wilderness is a really great vehicle
I put in the auto start stop illuminator only cost me 110 bucks in a little bit of work
I actually remembered one more issue - Subaru really should have added the memory seat option, especially since the other trims have it. I am sharing Wilderness with my wife and readjusting seats all the time is a real pain
What is the user profile for if it doesn't include the seat settings?
The start-stop coming on with the ignition is a legal requirement for emissions testing. Many govt inspections specify that the vehicle must comply from the moment you start the car. It's the same reason a lot of sport/track modes are deactivated when you turn the car off.
Start-stop is on by default in my Porsche 718, even. I just turn it off.
I was given a base outback 2024 as a courtesy car and I must agree that the camera image quality is poor. My 2020 forester has a much, much more better quality display. The CVT is also a bummer but it's better than having an EV without any transmission. Other than that I can't wait for my 2024 outback limited XT I ordered in the past weeks. I don't really care about the infotainment system because I don't really use it in my forester. All I do is put on the radio and then adjust the HVAC.
The comfort in the outback is outer worldly. The seating position is just perfect, the transmission lever is placed just at the right place and the feeling when you shift gears is perfect. A lot more confident inspiring than when I shift gears in my forester anyway.
Leg extenders, 2 seat memory setting, nav system, 2.4l turbo engine, integrated turn signals in the mirrors, auto dimming rear view mirror, harman and kardon sound system are all features my forester doesn't have.
Only thing I don't like is lack of true skid plates. I can deal with the other stuff.
Thankfully the flimsy stock skid plate is easily interchangeable! 😎
Subaru was getting their skid plates from a factory in Russia, but they dropped doing business with them when they invaded the Ukraine.
They will throw in the skids plates of you ask when buying (got mine in Canada with front, transmission, and rear diff skid plates). I also got them to swap out the plastic black door handles (they cheaped out and used the ones from the base model). I got them to swap in the chrome ones that are common to all other outback models (2022 & 2023 have chrome door handle pulls). Couldn't really belive that they cost cut in such a silly area....maybe they didn't in the US. I had a 2022 OBW before the 2024. The upgraded stereo to harmon kardon 12 speaker system and wireless android auto is what makes the car basically as good as it currently can be in Canada. I have already swapped out the springs for the Ralitek 3/4" overlpad springs. They are so much better, and provide such an improved ride and do not sag with bikes and a heavy load in the back.
Right!? Those skid plates are cheap
Pretty much agree with all of them. The one that gets me is not having a manual transmission option. Subaru of America stated the reason they were dropped in 2015 from the outback and Legacy, is that there wasn’t a demand for them. I remember going to multiple lots between 2012-1015 trying to find one to purchase to no avail. So how can you say there wasn’t demand when there was no supply?
I’m 41 and have been driving a manual transmission car since I was 16. First car was a 1963 VW bug. I’ve only had 1 automatic and I traded it in after a few weeks. Can’t stand them. They’re pretty much phasing them out all across the board. So many people on forums and people I’ve met irl are upset that their car will longer have a manual transmission option in the next generation. Ridiculous
b/c you and a few thousand others were specifically wanting them means nothing when Subaru is trying to selll hundreds of thousands of OB's to the USA. USA is general does not choose MT over auto. Been that way for a long time. Heck, not even Honda offers MT on the Accord anymore in the US
I don't think I'd say those things "ruin" it, as that's such an absolute that there's no room for "yes, those things are bad, but they don't outweigh the things that are good." I think that, while those concerns are valid (I especially share the one about climate controls being in the touchscreen, which causes major distractions while driving), the overall bang-for-your-buck of the Outback Wilderness is still excellent, and anyone looking for a solid, comfortable, and reliable daily driver who also wants a solid, comfortable, and reliable road-tripper and off-roader should strongly consider it. I traded in my 2020 Outback Premium, which had the same general issues being from the same generation, for the 2024 OBW, and I have no regrets. I learned to live with the quirks in exchange for the perks, which are far more numerous.
We’ll said, I appreciate you watching and sharing your perspective! I’m hoping this video is informational to some potential buyers who may appreciate knowing the typical gripes before committing. Although the biggest reason I hear people not choosing Subaru is due to the CVT. The validity of our concerns, only time will tell I’m sure.
@@AutomotiveAnonymous208 I've come to appreciate the value of the '24 OBW even more since building similar rides from other manufacturers on their websites, only to discover they can cost many thousands, even tens of thousands more than this car, and even then some of them still lack some of the features that come with this model. For example, when building a Volvo XC40 with as close as I could get to the features of the OBW, it came to well over $51,000, and it's still not as capable or even as comfortable and quiet (I drove one for comparison just to be sure). And its climate controls are also in the touchscreen. To top that off, the XC60 is actually the closer model to the Outback, and it's even more expensive still. Way more expensive. You also have to step up to this model to get ventilated front seats, which come standard with the Outback Touring that costs only marginally more than the Wilderness when optioned with the turbo.
Subaru somehow manages to offer so much more for so much less than their competitors without sacrificing durability and overall reliability.
Totally agree, I went through the same exercise. Glad I am not the only one the came to the same conclusion.
AS/S is mandated in the US for all new cars, not Subaru's fault. Although should be a physical button and not in the touch screen
It's a fixed icon on the screen, so what difference does it make if it's on a touchscreen or a physical button? Perhaps it wasn't always this way, idk.
Why a CVT Subaru WHY!?!? That is the only thing keeping me from buying one. If they offered a decent 6 or 8 speed AT, I would be a proud owner. CVT's are still not as reliable as a decent AT.
Absolutely agree! And it’s a shame, especially since they now make reliable turbo engines unlike the old EJs, which I personally would have never bought.
I was the same way, but figured they’ve been out long enough that I’d give it a try. And well, I really like it. I went from a 2012 forester touring to a 2024 wilderness and I feel the power is much more responsive and less laggy. And it’s actually an 8 speed CVT, if you didn’t know. The only big difference I see is, it doesn’t lose power when shifting. It’s basically the same engine I had in my 2012 and yet it feels a lot snappier. Still, to each their own. Maybe you’d hate it 🤷🏻♂️
About the AS/S business... the boxer-type engine causes the roughness of the on/off process. If it REALLY bothers you that much, you can buy an Auto Stop/Start Eliminator (for less that $100) that does NOT plug into your OBD port - it installs up in the overhead console (for map lights/sunroof switch/etc.). Works just fine.
I can’t believe how many people complain about the auto engine shutdown.
You control it with the brake pedal. If you hold it gently the engine want turn off, press a button harder and it does.
You are welcome.
Sell your Subaru and buy a ten year old high mileage Nissan Munro …maybe then you will appreciate how subies are …Subie bashing is not cool
You’re totally right. Not meaning to bash, just inform anyone who might be interested what an owners perspective of disappointments might include. There really are a lot of people who have commented on my dozens of Subie vids saying that don’t want to own a CVT or the large touch screen. So if this video helps even a few people it’s worth it to me.
I agree with your early comment in the video, this is a vehicle that has brought new customers to Subaru. Never thought about buying one until I purchased a 2023 Outback Wilderness late last year, since then I added a 2023 WRX to the collection. I'm loving both vehicles and never would have considered them without stumbling over the Wilderness and discovered how good Subaru was!
I’m glad you’re enjoying your sweet turbo Subaru’s! 😎
As a long time, former Jeep and 4Runner driver, overall, really happy with mine. Little thirsty for short trips but travelling from Philly to Myrtle Beach at 75-80mph average, getting around 26.5 MPG. Yeah, not great compared to other Subarus but awesome compared to 4Runner and Jeep. More comfortable. Subaru also is able to go to 90% of places those two vehicles go. DO NOT like infotainment center. Also, would be nice if AC/Heat and heated seats were knobs and switches. Just installed Cooper Road and Trail ATs. Same size and weight of OME tire (which weren't horrible). Much improved handling and performance on and off road.
I'm thinking of buying the Outback wilderness and will be doing lots of driving, potentially from California to Michigan and take off the beaten path for some camping/mountain biking. How does ride and is it confident off road for being a light duty off road vehicle? I don't want to buy a jeep or 4runner for my daily driver.
@@TheDirthound Get one, you won't be disappointed. Solid road manners and I have run mine off road along muddy fire lanes, on the beach and mountain snow. I loved my Jeeps and 4runner but quite honestly this vehicle is much more applicable for the reality of most of us as opposed to the "image" of the others.
Thankyou. Very helpful and hands on to hear from someone who has owned one of these for a couple of years. Unlike hearing someone's thoughts after driving one for a month or 2. I think you and I are the only people I've heard saying a manual transmission for the OBW would be nice if they offered that option. Not a fan of the CVT but I understand most people don't have a problem with it. Thanks again.
You’re welcome, I’m glad we’re on the same page! 🙂
Agree about CVT's. and no manual transmission option? That is bad. My old Forester still works. 180K , with the original head gaskets.
I’m not sure what more to do with auto start/stop, most modern cars have that feature. It’s definitely not just a Sub issue. And after owning the 23 model for a while now, none of the things mentioned are actually a problem.
I’m glad the inconveniences I’ve noticed with the platform aren’t a concern for you! Thanks for watching. 🙂
My understanding is that the Auto Start/Stop "feature" is a requirement from the Federal government for "Environmental" reasons
@@AutomotiveAnonymous208lmao, so passive aggressive. It's a button you can push right after starting the car...by pushing the ignition button. Soooo inconvenient ;)
Auto stop / start eliminator is wired into the overhead console and works perfect. It's not OBDII. I have it and love it.
@@ericbeauchea8526 We all know you can buy kits to keep it disabled. His point is he wishes he didn't have to in the first place.
All those empty whinings only convinced me to BUY this car ASAP 🎉
Hahaha 😂
Hi there thank you for your content. My feedback about complaint number two is as follows; it’s government regulated. Subaru, unfortunately has no control over this. They have to have it turned on every time the car starts for government regulations in order to keep up with emissions rules. It’s not a Subaru thing it’s a government regulation thing.
I’m glad you chose to watch my video. And good insight towards to root of the reason! 🙂
I couldn't care LESS about that damn SCREEN---I'd love to take that out and throw it away... I hate tech-- but can't avoid it any more..
Lol, amen. Now that it’s 0-30 degrees in my area it’s even slower to operate.
@@AutomotiveAnonymous208 I do like it for the backup camera-- but that's it.. I'd never look at it otherwise- and most of the time not then either.. I drove truck for too long and never use backup stuff..
Non of these issues are a problem
As far as auto start
Last month engine off was 4hours 10 min
Saved 2.5 gal of gas
I like watching the minutes off add up
Very nice! 🙂
Clean your wheels and then put a Ceramic coating on them.
When the engine is idling you are getting 0 mpg!
True! 🙂
I’ve been seeing more and more failures on older CVT Subarus unfortunately, and the issue is that on most/all models the CVT and the front differential are one single unit, making the replacement VERY expensive.
Hopefully the newer ones don’t end up doing the same.
1- CVT
2 - CVT
3- CVT
4- CVT
5- CVT
6- CVT
7- CVT
Well the click bait deal worked. Thumbs down. This is a great vehicle, especially for the price.
Not click bait, but you’re welcome to your opinion. These are common concerns or disappointments regarding modern Subarus that many owners share.
The tittle to this post is click bait. Not one thing you mentioned will "Ruin the 2024 Outback Wilderness and other Subarus." And thank you for allowing me my opinion sir.@@AutomotiveAnonymous208
Lame list of dislikes , as for the CVT I have a 2015 Outback 3.6R that I had to replace the CVT and the dealer ask if I want a rebuild one or new of course I choose the new one and the total replacement around 3 thousand dollars . Compared to buying a new Outback I think was good idea since my is paid and still running good . Very rare to buy a new car that we totally like unless you order it with what you want .
It really is a lame list, which is a wonderful thing. Your CVT replacement out of warranty was only 3k? That’s awesome!
Everyone with Outback 2.5 should be paying attention to the long/short term TCV issues....Subaru removed it in Forester for 2025.
Not having a Cd 💿 player and no manual transmission is the
reason I won’t buy a 2024
You can have a single disk CD player installed in the center console, but that’s not a convenient fix for the smaller of those issues, lol.
@@AutomotiveAnonymous208 that’s a plus but the main thing is the manual trans
For sure!
I bought a White 2024 OBW a couple of weeks ago, and just had new speakers installed and it made a huge difference in the sound quality. I called Crutchfield and they recommended the Infinity Reference for the doors and a Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-8 Subwoofer. I'm really happy with the way it sounds and it works with the stock electronics. It no longer sounds like the sound comes from the front because with the stock speakers if you used the fader to move the sound towards the back the sound quality went down quite a bit. You had to keep the fader centered front to back to hear any bass at all. Now you can move it back and it sounds great.
Thanks for sharing this!! Glad you’re enjoying the upgrade!
I have a 2020 Ford Escape Titanium and the auto start/stop also has to be turned off every time I start it. It annoyed me at first but I’ve had it almost two years now, and like you said it just becomes muscle memory.
I love my 2024 OBW, smooth comfortable drive, i have a trailer hitch on the back and just bought the CAtuned front brush bar to protect the front from bad drivers who cant park without bumping me. GAs mileage could be better but it is very quick.
I wanted to like the Outback but between the CVT and the Infotainment System, it's a Hard Pass!
Other commentators have suggested that if you plan on towing on a regular basis, this may not be the best combination of engine/transmission for that use case. I live in Canada and when our Mitsubishi RVR's CVT started to slip, the dealer replaced it under warranty, and they told me it would cost $11K to replace it if I was paying for it. And I don't use the RVR for towing. Moral of the story, if your vehicle doesn't have a 10 year warranty on the engine/transmission then either buy an extended warranty, or reconsider your choice of vehicle.
Great insight and thank you for sharing that experience! 🙂
Amen 6 speed manual brother!
I personal experience about my 2023 wilderness with 11k miles: flimsy Windshield, floaty drive "my 1999 Camry was smoother", stock tires are mediocre, and more. I have been thinking about getting another vehicle, waiting for 2024 models to come out.
Flimsy windshield?
I have a 2022 and I below I will comment on each of the 7 points, and add a few of my own.
1.) CVT. I never really had a problem with the CVT. I have owned earlier models, including Outbacks, and even a Legacy Wagon, with classic non CVT Auto's. The Paddle Shift is useful sometimes.
2.) AUTOP START/STOP. Yeah, turning it off is the first thing I do, and sometimes I forget and this car has such a sloppy Trans mount (there are upgrade kits for this) that the car lurches when it starts, half the time my Starlinjk based remote start sets my car alarm off. I know that the reason Subaru HAS to do this, is because making it default allows them to advertise the MPG values that they use in marketing. I can't blame them too much.
3.) Lane Keep Assist. I used to be against this, and in fact I bought a 2020 which I opted out, which I wrecked. If I would have had the then optional eyesight system, it likely would have saved me a lot of pain in the specific scenario that caused my accident (a stopped vehicle I did not see and did not react to in time). So I have mixed feelings. I don't trust it. But I do make myself use it under certain scenarios because I feel it does reduce risk overall and keeps me on my toes. Nice that you can set it to be as invasive as it can be, all the way down to being fully off. Subaru did that right. If you hate it, shut it off. Unfortunately (or fortunately) it is no longer optional.
4.) MPG I have oversized wheels and tires on my OBW, and initially whenn I was doing a 20 mile commute twice a day, I was reasonably happy with MPG. It wasn't great, but with care it could be in the low 20's. Now that I am not doing a lot of highway, I am LUCKY if I get as much as 17. And my wheel tire upgrades are not that heavy, I shopped lightweight stuff. It is more the ratio, but initially I felt that the ratio actually HELPED the MPG, because it was acting like a slightly higher overdrive. The flip side is that it SUCKS for around town. MPG is not a feather in the hat of the OBW, especially with taller tires.
5.) INFOTAINMENT I haven't DL'd the software upgrade yet. I plan on it at some point. I don't spend a lot of time on the screen. I set it and go. It is occasionally sluggish, but most of the time it's fine. A few times a year it may freeze up which is quickly fixed by a restart. It doesn't bug me, provided It doesn't poop out on me, because you NEED the infotainment in this car, which leads me to my OTHER additional complaints down below.
6.) CAMERA Quality sucks. Not only the lack of detail, but more advanced fisheye lens designs can compensate for distortion much better, allowing you a super-wide perspective without so much fisheye. This is just a bottom tier camera I would expect in the bargain aisle of Walmart Auto. The backup is useless at night unless you upgrade the backup lights to super bright LED's, which is a MUST DO upgrade for modern Outbacks anyway. It really helps these poor light gathering cameras to have backup lights that actually light up the world behind your car. The stock backup lights aren't even good enough for my eyes and mirrors beyond a few feet.
7.) CUSTOMIZATION I can't say this bothers me much since I immediately deleted the exterior bronze highlights (I kept the badge) on my exterior, and after that and putting new wheels and tires, which many people do, the car doesn't really look like a Wilderness, or even a Subaru. It has a unique sort of look. And an under the radar kind of look, which fits my sleeper temperment. If you want your car to look different, there are a lot of ways to get there. I don't want to spend thousands extra for constant modeling tweaks that don't matter.
8.) Factory Sound.. The 2022 didn't offer high end sound (newer models offer better sound and you SHOULD GET IT), and I have NEVER IN MY LIFETIME owned ANY car that had CHEAPER factory speakers in it. They are postage stamps with magnets the size of tic tacs. In fact after seeing them out of the car, and weighing them in my hand (careful not to let the wind blow them away) I was impressed that the crappy sound was as good as it was. And on top of this, when you do look into upgrading sound, you realize that integrating with the factory infotainment system is not recommended, and not supported or easy aftermarket. Crutchfield warns that Subaru Starlink systems are tied into the Front end speakers, and it is sensitive to aftermarket Amplifiers being used (most likely because Starlink is a RADIO, and was not built with enough isolation circuitry, and everything is on the same board). Additionally the ECU of the infotainment system is entertainment, mixed with informational screens, mixed with touchscreen controls, all of which is comingled with the ECU of the whole damn car, so you can't just swap in an aftermarket headunit unless you put it somewhere else, or want to deal with a lot of headaches like load simulating capacitors to make the car think it is wired as it was at the factory. I finally settled for doing a Speaker only Upgrade. I replaced the corner dash tweeters with Alpines, and also both front and back doors with Alpines as well, and the sound is a LOT better, but it deserves amplification that I decided not to give it because of all the warnings and integration problems, and now I am worried that the higher draw aftermarket speakers will eventually blow out the low powered China Cheap stock audio amp in the infotainment system one day, which will screw up everything, and require me to replace the entire assembly (because it would cost the same as replacing the one component). But at the end of the day I AM a lot happier with the Alpine aftermarket speaker sound, tho It's not super loud it's loud enough to enjoy with all the windows and sunroof opened up(better than stock by far), and although I had to make some sharper EQ settings than a superb system would have required, I like the improvement that resulted in once I smoothed it out the response.
I love my Outback Wilderness. There are a lot of things I really like about it. I share many of the same criticisms as AA does. But I think we both like it more than we are annoyed by aspects of it, many of which there are fixes for.. But it's good to be honest about the ugly aspects of any car, and to share those faults with perspective buyers.
Awesome write up! I really appreciate your elaborate explanations to each topic and that you took the time to provide insightful and at times amusing responses! 😂 You’re right, overall it’s a fantastic vehicle and I hope this video and everyone else’s comments are beneficial to potential buyers. 🙂
FYI, Canadian version has the latest eyesight with three cameras...
Oh that’s good to know! Only the Touring and maybe the limited trim (I can’t remember) had that 3 camera gen 4 system in the U.S. thanks for watching! 🙂
The 2024 Outback Wilderness should be a 6-speed manual. However, its CVT seems good for a CVT. The Auto-Stop-Start lacking a memory of being turned off is the biggest pet peeve. That aftermarket work-around product doesn't just plug-in under the dash as you suggested. Instead you have to drop the Eyesight camera housing to install it. I printed a label & stuck that label over the gold at the bottom of my steering wheel (label: STOP-START). The label reminds me to turn off the STOP-START after starting the Outback each time. The sound system is great but after turning the ignition off & then, back on, the vehicle doesn't consistently restart my bluetooth iPod set up. It's annoying to manually renew that connection. An issue you missed are the gaps between the front seats & the console. It's hard to fish dropped items out of that abyss. I installed pieces of 1/2 inch rubber water-pipe insulation in those gaps to combat gravity. Cut an oval hole in the rubber insulation to accommodate the seatbelt receiver. That hole pushed over the seatbelt receiver keeps the piece from moving to the front or to the back. Another issue: the Outback Wilderness should come with a factory-installed hitch receiver.
Great insight and good points! Thanks for watching. 🙂
The inside lights are small and narrow not bright
No heated steering wheel
No hook / towing connections to tie boats luggage on to
Cross bars not included price of the car
I’m so confused by your reviews of the outback. The XT is the perfect wagon while the wilderness is ruined.
I hear you, and understand that it seems like I’m contradicting myself. The Outback, especially the XT models are really sweet vehicles, especially at their price point. But the issues I mentioned in that other video are common issues or inconveniences that myself and other owners have noticed and wish Subaru would improve upon. A lot of people actually don’t buy these only due to the CVT and 11.6” screen compared to the previous generation offerings. It’s still a great vehicle but I make these videos occasionally to voice mine and others concerns hoping Subaru will catch on. I hope this makes sense, I’m also going to post this on the other video in hopes that you’ll see it. Thanks for watching and asking a good question. 🙂
The Onyx is amazing. I love mine!❤
I’m glad you’re enjoying it!! 🙂
Why do you bother wallboarding, then mudding the seems, and not painting the walls to protect them???
I have 2023 limited Crosstrek and haven't even tried the Adaptive cruise control and have real control for the heating system and easier to turn off the auto start stop and a real emergency brake. And have a cd player. the Harmon kardon system sounds way better with a cd i have noticed than usb or bluetooth way louder as well. I thought the seat belt charm was so annoying so I turned it off. I had hickory nuts hit the hood and a bunch of dents and didn't even park directly underneath. And wasn't park there all the time. Cheap hoods that for sure.
Didn’t touch on anything off road wise. The front skid plate is an absolute JOKE for a car that is billed in every promo vid as an off road capable car that will take you off beaten path.
I was literally able to bend the factory “skid plate” (more like aluminum foil) with kids hands. It only covers the approach, and not full engine. Took mine off-road, it was dented to hell with rocks and I laughed how and it was. Replaced it with a proper skid from RalliTek and now it’s actually capable.
Every other gripe I agreed with you on. My MPG is shit in my opinion, I installed the auto stop eliminator day TWO of ownership because it drove me mad, but I never use any of the self driving or correcting features because I don’t trust tech. Tires could have been a better choice but all decisions from auto manufacturers cater to the 99% of the driving time, not the small fraction of fun time. It has to be quiet and capable, and push their nonsensical emission standards (bye bye STI) due to the global push for “carbon emissions” and “climate change”.
That’s a good point, it’s likely they included the bare minimum factory skid plate just to allow them to advertise that it’s a thing. Why did you go with Rallitek over Primitive or any other brand? Thanks for watching!
Most factory skid plates are not up to par with what folks expect.
The same could be said with Side x Side's .... Polaris RZR's to be more precise.
No doubt. It just borders on false advertising to say a thin piece of aluminum foil mounted on top of plastic is going to do anything. @@danielfair4675
Oh lord we must have a boomer here folks. Afraid of new tech. At what point in your life did you stop accepting new tech? It's just like boomers at some point in their life, stopped listening to new music. They literally picked a year like when they are 50 and said screw it. No more new stuff for me. I'm gonna listen to the same old shit over and over again. It's pathetic. Change with the times. Embrace change. Stop being loser with opinions because you are afraid it will hurt whatever image you conjured up about yourself.
Ps. If you are not a boomer. Then you were imprinted with these ideas from your boomer parents and didn't move out till you were 30 years old. We call your kind the Imprinted boomers.
The autos start stop is a federal requirement as far as I am concerned because of emissions for this particular vehicle. Also I get 18mpg in the city with tons of start and stop. Best mpg I’ve gotten is 26! n the freeway here in SoCal
I might be in the minority but the extended plastic cladding on the exterior looks cheap and is the hardest material to keep dard and looking new. the cut out around the fuel fill door is stupid and makes it look like an after thought.
After 150k I had to pay to have the transmission completely rebuilt, so sad. It was a 2011 tho. 8k from the dealer.
Ouch. I’m sorry to hear that, but at least you’re hopefully good to go for another 150k miles! So they rebuilt it? I’ve mostly just heard of the CVTs being replaced not rebuilt.
All auto start stop systems are terrible..just wears out the starter..stupid idea..cvt is not great either.. wish it had standard transmission. Tesla screens are way silly..cars are even worse..
Their CVT is said to be a good one. Have you heard otherwise? The drive assist for lanes, I understand can be disabled. The Auto Stop/Start is an ill of all new cars, just turn it off each time. I have come to the conclusion if you want simpler cars, you will have to go used -- maybe 1990's or early 2000, or just live with the complexity. Toyota RAV4 may have a longer lasting transmission and engine, but is it not more noisy on the road? The seats not as good. Compromise is the word of the day.
Absolutely! Everything has its pros and cons. I’ve also heard that the Subaru CVT is one of the most reliable and more failures are due to this valve body component rather than the entire transmission.
Excessive black mounding is ugly
Infotainment system and cvt trashmission were deal breakers.
In my opinion, the irregular and excessive black plastic cladding makes the vehicle look cheap and ugly. I like some of the older Outback designs but not this one.
The new Crosstrek Wilderness even has an optional 2” thick cladding that runs the length of the front and real doors about 1’ above the regular wall of cladding to help against door dings. It looks horrible 😂
hands free should not only not be an option, it should be illegal.. keep YOUR dam hands on the wheel at all times...
Agreed!
The idea is to pry your control of vehicle one baby step at a time so your conditioned to accept giving up all control in the name of safety. Really it will just give government complete control over your movements in the future is my hypothesis/guess.
@@sterlingsequoia5932 nah, it's not big goverment. It's the humans from Wall-E... our species is so dam lazy..
It’s not that noticeable unless you’re not paying attention…. It doesn’t even work all the time, they got a long way to go…. It’s more like it’s trying to protect your ass if you’re fuck up but only 30% of the time…..
It’s not illegal. It’s undocumented! 😂
After watching this video I just ordered one. I remember driving a car and reversing without a camera so no big deal to me. Nothing in the video made me think twice, there are so many more positives then negatives.
I’m glad to hear that, these are awesome vehicles! I made this video because for some a combination of these characteristics of it have been a deal breaker, but none of them are truly that big of a deal IMO compared to similar vehicles. 🙂
I strongly disagree I absolutely love mine. This was click bait
You’re welcome to your opinion, and I’m glad you like yours! But it’s just a car, it’s a good one, but not perfect. And those areas mentioned are some of the reasons why people who consider one of these choose not to buy it over its competition.
The lower gear ratio kills the mpgs as well as the increased lift.
Not to call you out on few of the things you’ve called issues, however I will;
-The CVT isn’t really an issue if you know how to maintain it, generally speaking people who change transmission fluids every 60,000 km are still running their old Subarus past 200,000 km with no real complaints! That’s why Subaru builds simplicity in transmissions, for most part!
- Two, the lane keep assist actually works well for the most part on longer trips, it directs me back in lane on sharper turns on highways. (There is one actual complaint to talk about, which you did not mention to in the video) *you probably should have*
-And lastly, Subaru doesn’t offer much customization for two reasons, because they aren’t necessarily a luxury brand and aren’t focused on that kind of BS! They mainly focus on providing a reliable and interesting vehicle to sell to the public, while remaining fairly simple to use inside and out! They also know for the majority of people who buy aftermarket accessories to their vehicles, hence the fact they don’t offer much!.
I will agree with few of your complaints however;
- the touch screen on mine i do find tad bit laggy at times when connecting music and so on.
-the auto stop feature I prefer to have off and is kinda annoying to keep pressing the button to set it, every time I restart the vehicle.
- The fuel economy on my cross trek is worst than what Subaru claims for most from my drives. I owned a MINI before buying a new Crosstrek, my MINI puts this to shame in fuel economy. Best I got out of this Subaru so far is 26 mpg city and 34 mpg highway. (My MINI did roughly 29 mpg city and 43 mpg highway)
*And the problem you should’ve mentioned, or from what I’ve actually noticed, is the fact that Subarus camera system and forward collision warnings would sometimes turn off during certain weather. Which could cause major accidents, that’s a real concern*
I have a 2024 Outback XT. Twice the car went to take the off ramp at 75mph. As for MPG, I have 1600 miles so far and most of those are highway at 75mph. MPG is around 27-28mpg. But it is a turbo charged brick.
Agree with the screen, HVAC controls and auto shut off. Above all else, I hate the auto shut off.
I bet that was scary! I’m always hesitant at lane divides, lol. Thanks for watching and sharing your insight! 🙂
@@AutomotiveAnonymous208 It was indeed startling. Not sure which was worse, the sudden turn or the destination if it had taken the turn - the Mississippi Delta. Drove through there once, which was one time too many.
It’s hilarious how many “critics” are out there on boob tube.😅
Lol
FUN FACT: Your Mazda was designed to look happy because psychology 101 teaches us people will buy a "happy looking" car.
They are subconsciously drawing you to that smiling car. Well played automakers.
It would have been fun to be a fly on the wall when they talked about its front fascia and the proportions of its smile, lol.
@@AutomotiveAnonymous208 😄😄😆
Our other car is a RAV4 hybrid limited. I really miss the Birdseye camera from that. You’re right Subaru has a long way to go in the camera department. I also lament the lack of storage that is part and partial of the full-size spare tire.
Yeah, I could imagine! How do you like your hybrid Rav4?
@@AutomotiveAnonymous208 I absolutely love it, to me it remains the perfect vehicle 8.1” of clearance, 40 MPG, 500 mile range, digital rear view mirror, birdseye camera. Actually, as I type this I would be unable to rationalize the purchase of the wilderness. Yes it has an additional 1.3” of clearance and the full sized spare (double edged sword that it is)but those are the only wins I can see. I’ve never pushed the RAV too far off road but from what I’ve seen on the net (yeah, take that for what its worth, no offense) it seems almost as capable as the wilderness so long as you don’t high center it.
Cool glimpse into the homestead. I spent some time in the magic valley, During my youth. But I don't think we are talking about the same place.
As I’m sure you can tell, by my channel name and the way I film, I value maintaining as much privacy as I reasonably can. But it’s fun to every once in a while sneak in a minimal glimpse of personality or background such as this. 🙂
My 2023 outback onyx is really bad in gas 😢, 16.2 or when I get lucky it goes up to 16.3..I drive like normal ppl, so wonder why and to be honest it’s pretty disappointing 😢
That is strange and disappointing, I’m sorry to hear that. 😥
I am surprised also, long term average with my 2015 OB Premium 8.0L/100kms 210,000Kms
My 2023 Wilderness Outback has absolutely horrible interior lighting, super annoying chimes for seat belts, distracting/ unsafe monster screen replacing safe manual controls, very counterintuitive. Dumb armrest double lever for a un-needed flat space, too small of storage in armrest & glovebox. Had to spend $99 to fix auto stop/ start. The worst interior lighting ever !!!
😞
Disabling the seatbelt chimes is easy
@@christopher6895
Yep....
I did it several times.... but only lasted a day here, and a day there. I got tired of plugging in the seatbelt rapidly for 30 seconds only to have it last a few cycles of driving here n there, restarting the car...
I bought a pair of seatbelt extenders and plugged those in, problem solved, and easier access too !!! $12 dollar fix.
$99 dollars for auto/ start stop eliminator was an excellent purchase as well.
I own a base..the price of the wilderness is ridiculous. I am happy with the base. The eyesight goes out alot in the rain more often than my Hyundai. The space under the infotainment is insufficient. It is slow but you dont need fast. At 28k is fine unless you need all the extras 43k is a waste.
My mechanic, who I trust, says buy a Toyota or Subaru. Now, I’ve always owned Toyota’s so that is high praise. He doesn’t recommend current Honda’s or Mazda’s etc… for long term reliability he recommends Subaru’s and Toyota’s. I’ll most likely give Subaru a shot because Toyota’s are pricing themselves out of my comfort zone.