Subaru promotes Outback as the first crossover sport-utility wagon to combine the convenience and comforts of a car with the raised suspension and beefy bumpers of a SUV. Subaru later worked up an Outback treatment for a Legacy sedan to spawn the Outback sedan series.
Outback wagons have been through two generational designs and today the series encompasses seven different versions with boxer-style engines of four and six cylinders. Subaru's horizontally-opposed six-cylinder plant displaces 3.0 liters and features an aluminum crankcase, dual overhead camshafts and four valves for each cylinder. It produces a robust 212 hp and slips into Outback H6-3.0 VDC sedan and wagon, the Outback H6-3.0 sedan and Outback H6-3.0 L. L. Bean Edition wagon.
The VDC sedan and wagon combine variable torque distribution (VTD) with Subaru's AWD system and a sophisticated stability controller that Subaru labels as Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC).
The Outback H6-3.0 L. L. Bean Edition wagon applies plush interior features, an air filtration system and vehicle security system, plus two-tone leather seating embossed with the insignia of outdoor outfitter L. L. Bean.
Three other editions -- Outback wagon, Outback Limited wagon and Outback Limited sedan -- tote the single-cam 2.5-liter Subaru four-cylinder boxer engine for 165 hp.
