Outback XT: Talk me out of/into it, Oppo

"Dusty Ventures" (dustyventures) 11/06/2014 at 20:12 • Filed to: None

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Thanks largely to car cancer, and also-but-slightly-less to a number of lesser failures which individually wouldn't be a big issue to have fixed but together just aren't worth it, I'm getting rid of my '02 Outback. I knew from the start I wanted to replace it with a newer Outback (05-09), and started looking around. I found a couple Limited trim Outbacks and decided I really like the additional features they have (especially dat bigass sunroof), and that in turn lead me to the XT. The glorious, quick, ridiculous sleeper XT.

The irrational kid in me wants turbo goodness and thinks the idea of a 6.5 second wagon is hilarious/awesome, doubly so with the XT getting near identical fuel economy to the non-turbo Outback. The responsible [boring] adult in me feels like all that power would be needless (the "where would I use it?" argument) and just mean more expensive fill-ups (premium fuel) and extra maintenance costs. Plus more things that might go wrong? How is the XT for reliability anyway?

I keep looking at car ads and flip-flopping, and wouldn't mind some outside input. So what does Oppo think? Is the XT worth it? If I don't really have need for das boost should I just get the Outback Limited and enjoy paying regular gas prices instead of premium? Or, third option, forget about the sunroof, save a few grand, and get a lower trim Outback (and a kayak. I've always wanted a kayak). Anyone have any experience with this generation of Outback, turbo or otherwise?

Jack Does Cars > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 20:16

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It's a WRX for grownups, therefore it is a complete sleeper. If it were my money, I'd do it. It'd have to be a facelift, with a manual, for me. I see listings for them for about $13,000, which I guess is a good deal. In essence, I say do it.

'Wägen, EPA LOL > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 20:18

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Do it - you need the sunroof to make sure the Kayak is still there.

PatBateman > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 20:18

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Do you REALLY want me to talk you out of it?

bob and john > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 20:22

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remind me how old you are?

dogisbadob > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 20:25

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I didn't know there *was* an Outback XT!!!! You should also consider the Forester XT which also has a panoramic sunroof option.

Forget about the sunroof? pshht FUCK THAT!!! (to me, a sunroof is mandatory). For a few years the Outback had dual sunroofs available.

Other good options are the Matrix/Vibe AWD (automatic-only) or the XRS/GT version (manual-only).

The Mazdaspeed 6 is also worth looking at of AWD is a must. If it isn't, there's the Accord V6 manual sedan that was only made for a couple years, but even if you can't find one, the automatic is still fast as fuck as is the Camry V6. I'd point out how difficult transverse V6's are, but Subaru boxers are about the same in that regard.

I do wish Subaru sold FWD cars with engines smaller than 2L over here for the better fuel economy.

dogisbadob > 'Wägen, EPA LOL 11/06/2014 at 20:26

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and also to make sure you don't leave your coffee on the roof when getting in the car.

Dusty Ventures > PatBateman 11/06/2014 at 20:29

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I don't, but my wallet probably does

Dusty Ventures > bob and john 11/06/2014 at 20:29

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Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > dogisbadob 11/06/2014 at 20:29

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XRS/GT isn't manual only. Source: Slushbox GT 20ft from me.

coqui70 > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 20:30

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Do it ... do it ... DO IT!

bob and john > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 20:30

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you need a turbo because you are still young enough to justify ZUTUTUTUTUTU noises.

fuck the adult you. he can show up when you 30.

Dusty Ventures > Jack Does Cars 11/06/2014 at 20:31

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There's this one about an hour south of me, which is almost suspiciously cheap.

PowderHound > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 20:38

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Do it. Do it. Do it. You need the extra power for merging on the highway, fun, turbo noises, high altitudes, and general hoonery.

PatBateman > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 20:45

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Dear Dusty's wallet,

If Dusty buys this car, I will personally find him and he-bitch man-slap him.

Sincerely,

Pat

CB > dogisbadob 11/06/2014 at 20:54

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However, the gas mileage for a Mazdaspeed 6 is absolute shit, probably being worse than the XT.

Dusty Ventures > PatBateman 11/06/2014 at 20:54

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I just did the math, the cost of higher grade fuel would probably be $600-$800 per year. So I guess I need to decide if turbo goodness is worth an extra $600-$800 per year.

jkm7680 > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 20:55

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If you buy this, and create a RallyX car.

PatBateman > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 20:56

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It is if you can COMFORTABLY afford it.

Big Bubba Ray > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 20:59

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DO IT. If you find one with a stick, it's borderline unicorn. You'll definitely want the stick. It's a WRX for adults.

If you're debating getting the N/A or the XT, I'd strongly suggest the XT. I own an 05 OB but without the turbo BUT with a stick and let me tell you, the car is a dog. You'll get from point A to point B just fine, no matter the weather, but it won't be a fast or exciting journey. I've driven an XT with a stick and it was like night and day compared to mine.

You should be able to get pretty decent gas mileage outta the XT if you're able to stay off boost...which we all know isn't going to happen because turbos are a blast haha

Dusty Ventures > Big Bubba Ray 11/06/2014 at 21:00

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There be unicorns all up in this joint. I've found nearly a dozen manual OBXT's in the area.

Big Bubba Ray > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 21:04

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Holy shit that's a lot. I'm glad I couldn't find any when I was searching for mine because there's no way I could afford it but it would have been impossible to say no to it.

I say go for it. You'll like the car a lot!

HammerheadFistpunch > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 21:11

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point the 1st - this is not a 5.5 second car, closer to 6-6.5

Point the second - you will get 19-22 mpg with premium fuel

Dusty Ventures > HammerheadFistpunch 11/06/2014 at 21:16

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Is that city, highway, or combined?

HammerheadFistpunch > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 21:17

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combined, but youll be lucky to get high 20s highway

Dusty Ventures > HammerheadFistpunch 11/06/2014 at 21:20

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Based on my experience with my current outback that's not that different then. I usually get about 26 highway, 21-22 combined.

HammerheadFistpunch > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 21:21

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but with premium fuel....

WRXerFish - WRX-Wing pilot > bob and john 11/06/2014 at 21:22

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Turbo noises are a necessity at any age.

Dusty Ventures > HammerheadFistpunch 11/06/2014 at 21:24

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Right. That is one of my primary concerns. I ran some quick numbers and that would cost me an extra $500-$800 per year in gas

Jack Does Cars > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 21:24

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That's sketchy. I'd say that's too sketchy.

Okay, who am I kidding, I'd still buy it.

HammerheadFistpunch > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 21:28

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on the plus side, the turbo dohc motors are much more reliable than the single cam na engines

Dusty Ventures > Jack Does Cars 11/06/2014 at 21:29

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If I go look at it I'd want to see paperwork for all the parts he says have been replaced, and have my mechanic look it over thoroughly

Jack Does Cars > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 21:32

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Yeah, that makes sense. This one is about 15 minutes from me. It looks quite clean, but it does have an auto.

Mustafaluigi > Dusty Ventures 11/06/2014 at 23:22

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How many miles do you drive a year? Typically I see premium is $0.40 more a gallon. Even at $500 more a year and figuring about the same average gas mileage of 20mpg you are talking like 25K+ miles a year. If you drive that many miles you should get something that gets a lot better overall gas mileage than either the N/A or XT.

The last thing that should ever deter you from buying a specific car is that it take premium over regular. At a more normal 12K a year with a car that gets and average of 21mpg it would mean an extra $230 a year to use premium (93 btw) over 87. It only gets better as you get better gas mileage. To break that down even more that's less than $20 a month, or less than $1 dollar a day more to drive a car that is way more fun.

Even if you get slightly worse average in the XT the numbers aren't that bad.

Dusty Ventures > Mustafaluigi 11/07/2014 at 00:11

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I average about 20k miles per year. Rally trips and such.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > Dusty Ventures 11/07/2014 at 14:28

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Buy it with the manual, but even if you don't plan to modify it, find a tuner and get it Stage 1 tuned. If you hear someone say "ringlands" in response to a Subaru reliability query, it's mostly related to the stock tune on later STIs...the Outback isn't too susceptible, but a Stage 1 tune will net you

~20-30hp

mild fuel economy improvements

Potential reliability improvements

The Outback XT comes stock with a VF40 turbo, which is more robust than the TD04 used on WRXs until 2009 (that were known to blow a seal around 100,000 miles).

For reliability purposes, switch the car to synthetic if it isn't already. There is also a small filter in the oil feed to the turbo which gets easily clogged...a 3750 mile oil change interval with synthetic should prevent problems, but some remove the filter to prevent premature turbo failure. As I have an older WRX and already blew the turbo (TD04, see above), my personal opinion on this is of no use to you.

Outback XT > Dusty Ventures 11/13/2014 at 13:08

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I figured I'd continue here instead of thread jacking that James Bond post. Mine is an 07. It was right before they did a slight facelift, so no buttons on the steering wheel, which wasn't a deal breaker for me. The big ass sunroof is one of my favorite parts. The MPG estimates I found were all pretty high. If you keep it in Sport mode you should be able to get high teens city and around 22 highway. I usually get 20-21 mixed. When I'm really trying I can get around 25/26 highway, and when I do all city driving in Sport Sharp and enjoy the turbo too much I get around 13. I have a friend with an 08 non-turbo, who gets the same economy. The adjustable throttle response is a really nice feature. I usually keep it in Sport, Intelligent just sucks to much of the zip and Sport# encourages poor decisions. When your really need to get around someone on the highway though there's nothing like switching to Sport# popping it down to third and putting your foot down.

As far as getting a lower trim. The Outback XT and it's lower wagon/sedan brother the Legacy GT both only come in the premium trim. If it's your first time with a vehicle that takes premium gas, it does sting a little the first few times you fill up. Eventually you stop caring though. An extra .20 a gallon times the 14 gallons you're putting in makes the difference of a whole cup of coffee.

To me it checks all the right buttons between "should I get something sporty because turbo charger" and "should I get something responsible because grown up?" It has the same engine turbo set up as STI's from similar years (with more HP than the base WRX or the Forester XT) but insanely good crash test ratings, car seat anchors in the back for when babies start happening, airbags and safety features out the wazoo, and loads of cargo space. Not a lot of other vehicles on the market are going to fiIt's also the ultimate sleeper, drawing no extra ire or attention from fuzz the way it's younger brother WRX does.

Bottom line, I love mine and think it is the perfect blend of fun and practical. You should definitely get one.

Dusty Ventures > Outback XT 11/13/2014 at 16:46

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BABIES WILL NEVER START HAPPENING!

I appreciate the detailed review, you've pretty much sold me. Mine will end up being slightly less sleeper do to the requisite (for me) Nameless exhaust and skid plates I'll be bolting on ( yum ).

When I asked whether I should get a lower trim I meant something like the base, non-turbo (non-exciting) Outback. But if there's little difference in the fuel economy then fuck that noise.

How long have you had yours? Any mechanical issues or things you've needed to replace? Also, what climate do you live in?

Outback XT > Dusty Ventures 11/14/2014 at 10:54

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I live in the northeast. I've had the car for two years; the first year I lived in snowy Albany, NY, now I live in the Berkshires in western MA. I try to wash it regularly in the winter so there's no rust built up yet. I haven't had any mechanical issues, just the routine maintenance you can expect for a 8 year old car with 115k, like brakes or an occasional wheel bearing or ball joint. The dealership I bought it from put a new head gasket on right before I bought it as a precautionary measure.

Eventually I'll start adding some mods starting with an upgraded exhaust and a stiffer rear sway bar.

Dusty Ventures > Outback XT 11/14/2014 at 19:05

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Well hell, you're not that far from me. I'm over in Springfield.

Having the dealer do head gasket/timing belt/water pump if it hasn't been done already is on my "mandatory" list. I'm wondering if I should include the turbo in that as well.

Outback XT > Dusty Ventures 11/18/2014 at 09:05

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No kidding, I'm actually in Easthampton. I'm pretty sure this is the only part of the country that the XT ever sold in substantial numbers; they're definitely more common here than anywhere else I've been.

Dusty Ventures > Outback XT 11/18/2014 at 17:11

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Haha not substantial enough! The daily Craigslist/Auto Trader/Cars.com search is showing slim pickings, especially since I'm determined to find an 07-09 so it'll have the SI drive, catless up-pipe, and an aux jack. There are two in/near my price range in the entirety of New England, and the closest after that is in Baltimore.

Fair warning, considering how local you are I may ask to drive your car at some point for research purposes ;) Also if you have any interest in being an Oppo author I'd be happy to add you.

Outback XT > Dusty Ventures 11/22/2014 at 09:16

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I guess substantial is pretty relative. MA is the only place I ever see other ones on the road, and the only place I've ever parked next to another one (absolutely made my day). I think there are at least three other ones in Easthampton. There's two in the 05-06 range (you can tell by the rims) one is white and the other is two tone grey, and there's a red one that I'm pretty sure is another 07. You're probably still looking at a road trip to buy one. I found mine in Rochester NY, although it started life as a lease vehicle in Westford.

You seem a decent and trustworthy fellow. If you can't find one to test in the area let me know and we can arrange a meet up. As for making me an Oppo author, if you can, I'd love to be added.

Dusty Ventures > Outback XT 11/22/2014 at 18:06

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You are now an author

Dusty Ventures > Outback XT 12/02/2014 at 20:44

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Well, I went and did it. '08 XT manual in Newport Blue.

Outback XT > Dusty Ventures 01/08/2015 at 13:35

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Every time I see a blue outback in the Springfield area now I check for the telltale hood scoop.

Dusty Ventures > Outback XT 01/08/2015 at 18:44

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I didn't realize what a popular color that blue was for the outback. I'm at the Holyoke Mall right now, I saw three other blue 08/09 outbacks on the way here. Mine was the only XT though. I did see two XT's in other colors this week though. Remind me what year and color yours is?

Dusty Ventures > Outback XT 01/08/2015 at 18:48

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Derp. The year is in one of your older comments.

Outback XT > Dusty Ventures 01/16/2015 at 11:33

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Blue is really popular around here. Most of them are the two toned with grey though, I like the solid look of yours. Mines pearl white.

Dusty Ventures > Outback XT 01/16/2015 at 11:45

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In that case I definitely haven't seen it yet

Outback XT > Dusty Ventures 02/27/2015 at 09:07

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did I just see you on east street in Easthampton?

Dusty Ventures > Outback XT 02/27/2015 at 13:59

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Nope. I'm in Missouri, car's in western New York

Outback XT > Dusty Ventures 02/27/2015 at 23:28

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I used to live in central ny. Hope it's not under ten feet of snow. Passed a blue xt that looked like yours. Driver looked presently surprised to see my car.