| Outback | Forester |
Dawg (and cargo) Space
See how Blue can stand up better in Forester because it's a little taller. He can lounge better in the Outback because it's longer.
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 34.3 cubic feet with seats up.
71.3 cubic feet with seats down.
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 34.4 cubic feet with seats up. 74.7 cubic feet with seats down. |
Power Tailgate Option
Not available on Outback, Standard on Forester Limited. Watch our instructional video here.
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Total People Space
Outback is slightly larger inside.
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105.4 cubic feet
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103.3 cubic feet
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Rear Legroom
About the same; both benefit from ingenious scooping of front seats so there's more room for knees.
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37.8 inches
| 
38.0 inches
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Price
Comparably
equipped,
Outback is about $1,500 more, which buys you a bigger and even more substantial-feeling vehicle.
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Image Perception
Outback
looks more like a station wagon; Forester more like a sport utility
vehicle. We have determined that there are Outback people and there are
Forester people. Which one are you?
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Towing Capacity
Forester can tow a small utility trailer but for a sailboat you'll need the Outback.
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2700 pounds with
six preset gear ranges
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1500 pounds with
two preset gear ranges
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Airbags
Both have the six listed below; Forester gets a bonus airbag that deploys
below the steering wheel to protect the driver's knees. - Two front airbags (deploy from the steering wheel or dashboard);
- Two torso airbags (deploy from the edge of the seats);
- Two curtain airbags
(deploy downward from the roof protecting all four outboard occupants)
|
 Both cars have the
six you see here.
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At some point, we expect
Subaru to invent the
Packing Peanuts Personal Protection Package,
which will fill the entire interior
with packing peanuts in an accident. |
Optional Moonroof
Only Forester offers an enormous panoramic moonroof big enough to eject unwelcome passengers.
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Regular Size
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super Size
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Engines and Fuel Economy
Standard mills in both cars produce 170 horsepower and displace 2.5 liters. Both run regular unleaded.
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Continuously variable
automatic transmission:
24 city, 30 highway
Six-speed manual:
21 city, 28 highway
| |
Fuel Tank and Max Range
| 18.5 gallons, 555 miles
| 15.9 gallons, 508 miles
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Go-go motor option
Most folks find the standard engine sufficiently potent, but we can oblige your power hunger.
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Optional 3.6 liter six cylinder
with five speed automatic transmission:
18 city, 25 highway
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Optional 2.0 liter turbocharged
four cylinder with
Continuously variable
automatic transmission:
23 city, 28 highway. |
Typical Competitors
Of course we don't think a Subaru has any competition. But the nice folks who buy cars here say that they drove these vehicles before they bought a Planet Subaru.
| - Volkswagen Passat
- Volvo XC60 and XC90
- Audi Allroad
- BMW 330Xi
- And other more expensive European imports
| - Toyota RAV4
- Honda CRV
- Hyundai Tucson
- Mazda CX-5
- And other Asian small sport utility vehicles
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Rooftop Cargo Solutions
Outback offers standard roof rails (the bars that run front to back) and integrated crossbars (the bars that run side to side). Rails are standard on all Foresters except base model; crossbars optional on all Forester models.
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Integrated crossbars are
posed partially open to
show how they work.
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Optional crossbars (not shown)
are easily bolted on to the rails shown here.
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Exclusive Planet Videos
|
Dave's Three
Favorite Things about the
Outback
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New Planet Inventory
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Used Planet Inventory
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Search Pre-loved Outbacks
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Search Pre-loved Foresters |
