A week in the 2010 Subaru Outback: Day 7 (comparison to the 2009 Outback, and fuel economy update)

The 2010 Subaru Outback (left) is improved in nearly every way over the 2009 model, but some Subaru loyalists prefer that the old version looks more like a traditional station wagon. See more photo comparisons of the 2009 and 2010 Outbacks in today's slideshow. (photos by Brady Holt)

Subaru loyalists aren't big fans of change. Stereotypically, they run their old car into the ground and turn up at the dealership only reluctantly, looking for the closest thing to their beloved 1997 Legacy wagon.

And those loyalists aren't happy to see that with the redesigned 2010-model Outback (the bottom photo below) -- which just spent a week with the DC Car Examiner -- the closest thing to an old Legacy just got more dissimilar. 

Their biggest complaint, according to longtime Herb Gordon Subaru salesman Charles Bulow (seen modeling the Outback here), is the new car's shape. Not as long as before, but wider and taller, the new Outback's proportions are a bit more like an SUV's than the old car had been, and some have said they want to avoid the image they feel an SUV conveys.

Those loyalists can always hunt for a used Subaru, but they're apparently hard to come buy. Subaru owners hold onto their cars -- for an average of more than eight years, Bulow says -- and dealerships in mountainous areas tend to snap up the used ones that do appear. Herb Gordon can sell these luddites a low-mileage 2009 Outback that it had used as a loaner car, but other Subaru fans should embrace the 2010's many upgrades. 

 The two most obvious upgrades don't require a test drive of either car. Replacing the 4-cylinder Outback's old 4-speed automatic transmission with a new continuously variable unit boosted the car's EPA fuel economy ratings by two miles per gallon in the city and three on the highway, to 22 and 29 respectively.

(In its weeklong loan, the tested 2010 Outback needed 15.5 gallons of gasoline to travel 460 miles, working out to an observed 29.7 mpg.)

The other obvious improvement to the Outback is its passenger space, particularly in the rear seat. What had once been a serious weakness is now a key strength; where there had previously been room for just four adults in a pinch, five now fit easily. 

But what's further interesting to note is that despite some Subaristas' howls that the car had been softened up from a character-laden fun-to-drive car into another anonymous blandmobile, the Outback's driving dynamics have not suffered under the redesign. The steering is actually quicker and firmer on the new model, and loses only a bit of road feel to the fuel-saving electric assist. It doesn't handle with sports-car precision, but neither did the 2009. The new CVT helps the 2010 Outback deliver much quicker acceleration than the 2009 even as it improves gas mileage, and this is with a carryover 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. 

The interior of the previous generation Outback -- which came out in 2005 -- was already suitably upscale, and the 2010 continues that while fixing some ergonomic glitches like power window controls tucked behind the interior door pull and greatly improving the steering wheel-mounted cruise controls. Subaru also shed its quirk of frameless windows with the 2010 Outback. (See full details on the 2010 Outback's interior)

One small step back is that the front seats lose a bit of their old bolstering from the 2009 to 2010 model year, which makes them easier to slide in and out but which let occupants slide around more going around a curve. The difference is not extreme; the 2009 Outback (top photo) hardly had sport seats, but the change does lend a rare sliver of credence to the complaint that the car was softened up for 2010. 

See more photo comparisons of the old and new Outbacks inside and out in today's slideshow.

The other change is a question of preference rather than good versus bad. Although this reviewer would continue to call the Outback a station wagon, the driver does have a higher, more SUV-like perch in the 2010. And the proportions, while still wagony, have inched closer to a boxy SUV from the lower, longer Outbacks of old. 

See a full comparison of features and specs of the tested used 2009 Outback 2.5i at Herb Gordon Subaru, a comparably-equipped base-model 2010 Outback, and the loaded 2010 Outback 2.5i Limited driven for a week.   

But is that a reason to choose this used 2009 Outback over a new one? Hardly. Take the upgrades in acceleration, fuel economy, interior space, and ride quality, and learn to love the higher seating position over the next eight years or more. 

Of course, the 2010 Outback isn't competing against the rare 2009 you might still find. It competes against other new 2010-model vehicles, mostly SUVs. How does it compare to those? Check back Sunday for a full review.

Day 1: Introduction
Day 3: Highway driving
Day 5: Interior details
Day 7: Comparison to the 2009 model
Full review

Vehicles tested: 2010 Subaru Outback / 2009 Subaru Outback
Vehicle base price (MSRP): $22,995 / $22,295 (when new)
Version tested: 2.5i Limited / 2.5i base
Version base price (MSRP): $28,295 / $22,295 (when new)
Vehicle price as tested (MSRP): $28,990 / N/A
Estimated transaction price as tested: $27,017 / $19,921 (used)
Odometer at beginning of test: 8,422 miles / 7,700 (approx)
Odometer at end of test: 8,885 miles / 7,700 (approx)
Test vehicles provided by: Subaru of America / Herb Gordon Subaru of Silver Spring, Md.

Key specifications (2010): 
Length: 188.2 inches
Width: 71.7 inches
Height: 65.7 inches
Wheelbase: 107.9 inches
Weight: 3,564 pounds
Cargo volume behind rear seat: 34.3 cubic feet
Cargo volume behind front seats: 71.3 cubic feet
Towing capacity: 2,700 pounds
Ground clearance: 8.7 inches
Engine (as tested): 2.5-liter H4 with 170 horsepower
Transmission: CVT automatic
EPA city mileage: 22 miles per gallon
EPA highway mileage: 29 miles per gallon