2023 Subaru Outback Hybrid Model, Redesign, Price – Since the Subaru Outback was redesigned last year, so for this year the Outback comes with minor changes that include seat belt reminders, adaptive LED headlights, and rear-seat reminders. The Outback sports the same two engine choices as the last year. The standard one is a 182-hp, 2.5-liter flat-4 engine and the XT trim exclusive is a 260-hp, 2.4-liter turbo flat-4 engine. Both the engines are mated to a CVT gearbox and come with a full-time AWD as standard.
The Premium trim priced below thirty grand is the best bet here among the trim options. We say so because it is well stocked and has a decent set of safety features. Another reason for recommending this trim is that you can additionally add the available driver-assist features like blind-spot monitoring, lane change assist, rear cross-traffic alert for a few extra dollars. Thus making it a well-specced and safe trim.
2023 Subaru Outback Hybrid Redesign
Exterior
The looks of the Subaru Outback are best described as deceptive. The overall design of the Outback is done like a wagon which gives you an impression of it being a docile family hauler and luggage mover. But the chunky body-cladding all around its body and the higher 8.7-inches of ground clearance says otherwise. The overall design and looks of the Outback are nothing special and have remained mostly unchanged except for minor headlight and taillight design changes. Thus the design is more of a love it or hates it kind of type and to be honest, the Subaru Outback sticks like an oddball in the mid-size SUV segment.
Dimension-wise the Subaru Outback is really a big car. It might not be the tallest and the widest car but it is the longest car in this comparison measuring 191.3-inches. The nearest one is Santa Fe which is 2.9-inches shorter than the Outback. The Outback is shorter by 0.4-inches than the tallest Nissan Rogue (66.5-inches in height) and less wide by 1.8-inches in the widest Santa Fe (74.8-inches in width). But the most surprising aspect is that the Outback even after being the longest car in this comparison doesn’t have the longest wheelbase and it loses out to the Santa Fe by 0.8-inches.
Interior
The Subaru Outback underpins the same platform which is found in the Legacy sedan and not only this the cabin is also heavily inspired by the Legacy sedan. Both of these means that the Outback gets an accommodative cabin, spacious seats, and good quality material used throughout the cabin. The cabin is spacious and the dashboard features an uncluttered look. Prominent touchpoints are covered in soft-touch plastic and the infotainment screen is well integrated into the dash. The only nitpick we have here is that Subaru went overboard to get that uncluttered look and ended up removing physical buttons.
Except for that minor nitpick, we have all praises for the Outback’s cabin. The seats are big and comfortable with good back support. The lower trims get fabric upholstery, the higher trims get leather-trimmed upholstery, and the XT trims come with a special StarTex water-repellent upholstery finished in grey color. Seats offer manual adjustment as standard while they can be had with power adjustment and memory function in the higher trims.
2023 Subaru Outback Hybrid Engine
The 2023 Subaru Outback trots around with a 2.5-liter naturally-aspirated flat-4 BOXER engine under its hood. The flat-4 is married to a CVT gearbox that mimics an eight-speed gearbox to minimize the rubber-band effect of a CVT. The CVT gearbox channels 182 hp and 176 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels via Subaru’s symmetrical AWD system. Other than this there is one more engine option that is a 2.4-liter turbocharged flat-4 BOXER engine that gets the same gearbox and drivetrain but produces 260 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque.
The standard engine has a towing capacity of 2,700 lbs while the optional turbocharged engine can tow up to 3,500 lbs. The standard engine and the CVT gearbox combo won’t win you races but is sufficient to pull off a 0-60 mph in 8.5 seconds and cover the quarter-mile in 16.7 seconds. While the turbocharged flat-4 not only produces more power and can tow more but also is quicker than the standard unit. The turbo-four does 0-60 mph in 6.3 seconds flat. That said, we feel both the engines aren’t able to realize their full potential due to the sluggish CVT gearbox.
2023 Subaru Outback Hybrid Price and Release Date
Similar to the previous year, one can expect that Subaru will sell only Outback units worldwide this year as well, out of which only about 30 to 40 percent will make their way to the United States & will be available only by the end of 2022. The only exception here is the Onyx Edition XT trim that is based on the Premium trim. That said, the prices for the base trim starts at $26,795 and go up to $39,945 for the top-end Touring XT trim, AWD is standard across all trims.
