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The engine braking works fine with Subaru's CVT. My gripe is the adaptive cruise control doesn't use engine braking on hill descents. It uses the brakes. I have to manually place the CVT in a simulated "gear" to make it engine brake.
I do a 1000+ vertical foot hill descent at least once per day most days in the winter. My brake pads would be toast if I didn't use engine braking. Considering the Outback has other hill descent features like X-Mode that use engine braking at lower speeds, it's something of an oversight that the hill descent part of their adaptive cruise control system doesn't do the right thing.
It's probably mostly attributable to the tires on the car. I run Nokians on my Outback as my winter tire. The Northeast sees a lot of black ice and the stock Bridgestones are pretty marginal in that condition. At high altitudes, you wouldn't see much of that. My FWD VW GTIs with Nokians were pretty good snow cars. AWD and some ground clearance is mostly a convenience so I don't have to shovel the car out.
My wife's 2010 Rav4 V6 4WD does quite well on ice and snow in the interior of Alaska where we live, even with the stock tires. However, you are quite correct that the best traction can only be possible with the right tires. I bought a set of Blizzak winter tires mounted on aluminum wheels (from TireRack), and these are nothing but amazing on the type of winter conditions we encounter in Alaska.
I had a 2009 Forester (MT), and this too did very well on snow on ice. But most vehicles in Alaska are FWD, perhaps because they are the most economical overall, and as long as the proper tires are used during the winter months, they are quite good relating to traction. To work and around town I drive several vehicles year round, but must times during the winter I drive a Toyota Corolla that wears a set of Blizzak tires, and the traction is nothing but outstanding. But it's very possible that for the winter conditions you encounter on your side of the pond, Nokian tires are the best. In here is just extreme cold temperatures, ice-covered roads, and dry snow.
New FWD automobiles also incorporate traction/stability controls. While the rear wheels aren't connected to the drive system, the traction/stability control uses the ABS to help with stability on turns and straightaways. Back in the years when such systems were not used on FWD automobiles, I pumped the brakes, and even used the handbrake to accomplish the same things. But nowadays nothing beats the speed of the traction/stability controls of new automobiles.
I bought a set of Blizzak winter tires mounted on aluminum wheels (from TireRack), and these are nothing but amazing on the type of winter conditions we encounter in Alaska.
I bought a Tire Rack Blizzak WS50 package on cheap alloys in 2007 for my VW GTI. It's a great tire when new. The ice grip gave up at 12,000 miles even though the tread depth was still fine. I went back to Nokian. I always ran their studded tire on my heavy body-on-frame SUVs. My VWs and now my Outback use their studless friction tires. The performance is similar to the Blizzak friction tire but they last much longer. I optimize for black ice. In Alaska, you probably don't see as much of the near-32F humid days when the water layer on the ice makes it so slippery. I see 15 or 20 days per year where you can't walk across the parking lot without wearing YakTrax on your boots.
If I weren't so brand loyal to Nokian, I'd probably try the Michelin X Ice.
I bought a Tire Rack Blizzak WS50 package on cheap alloys in 2007 for my VW GTI. It's a great tire when new. The ice grip gave up at 12,000 miles even though the tread depth was still fine. I went back to Nokian. I always ran their studded tire on my heavy body-on-frame SUVs. My VWs and now my Outback use their studless friction tires. The performance is similar to the Blizzak friction tire but they last much longer. I optimize for black ice. In Alaska, you probably don't see as much of the near-32F humid days when the water layer on the ice makes it so slippery. I see 15 or 20 days per year where you can't walk across the parking lot without wearing YakTrax on your boots.
If I weren't so brand loyal to Nokian, I'd probably try the Michelin X Ice.
Yes, most Blizzak tires wear the grip portion of the tread around 12,000 miles (around four seasons, I imagine). The tires on my wife's Rav4 are WS70. I believe that there is a Blizzak that's designed for high speed (European version), but the grip is not as good as the rest. Winter Tech Information - Bridgestone Blizzak FAQs
Since my wife does not drive very much, the Blizzak tires should last quite a long time. But I always wait until the snow falls before replacing tire sets, and replace them again toward the end of winter.
After living with it for 16 months, the CVT on a 6-cylinder Outback is fine. It's not like a boring suburban grocery getter like an Outback is ever going to be an engaging "driver's car" where you'd want a manual transmission. The paddle shifters work fine for hill descents and for winter driving.
I have a couple of gripes about those aspects of the car.
* The CVT has fake shift points if you put your foot to the floor. That's just plain stupid. It should put the engine at maximum torque and leave it there.
* My other nit is that the adaptive cruise control doesn't engine brake properly. I winter on a ski resort access road with enthusiastic speed limit enforcement. The town cops are fine but the state police and county sheriff are on the road all the time looking for easy pickings from the tourists. I want to set it at 35 mph and have the car engine brake for speed control. Instead, it uses the brakes. I'd eat through brake pads every 90 days if I did that so I use the paddle shifter for engine braking instead.
Other than hill descents or in heavy traffic, I pretty much always drive the car footless using the adaptive cruise control. I use the 1 mph/5 mph clicks on the steering wheel to change the setting as the posted speed limit changes. On a long drive, it certainly helps with fatigue since I can move my legs around to keep the circulation going. Caveat: you can't use adaptive cruise control in metro-Boston. Even configured for the minimum separation, you'll have endless people cutting in front of you.
The CVT used that way gives the car much better fuel economy than I could ever achieve with a manual transmission and my foot on the gas pedal. I see about 25 mpg combined and just shy of 27 mpg on long trips at speed limit + 9. If I want engaging, I go out in my sailboat or go skiing.
Half-joking, Subaru should come out with a "Boston" software update to the adaptive cruise.
My wife drove a friend's Forester in snow last year and was impressed with how well it handled compared to her AWD Vibe.
Note that you can get a Forester with a turbo that will have a lot more "go" than the V6 Outback. I tried to talk my wife into it, but even at 7000 ft she feels like the standard engine is enough. It is a pretty big improvement compared to the 1.8L Corolla engine in her Vibe.
Most cars with AWD gets you by light snow that any FWD car with right tires could. Subaru with the right tires goes through snow like butter with a hot knife.
It's no point buying any car with AWD that doesn't really work well in any condition. You want an AWD system can help you pull out of apex and turns not just show up when the rear gets loose.
Most cars with AWD gets you by light snow that any FWD car with right tires could. Subaru with the right tires goes through snow like butter with a hot knife.
It's no point buying any car with AWD that doesn't really work well in any condition. You want an AWD system can help you pull out of apex and turns not just show up when the rear gets loose.
The great majority of AWD vehicles work just fine on snow and ice. Traction depends on the tires used. Look around and see if all the automobiles you see on the roads are Subaru, and I bet that you will see a lot of FWD automobiles, and all kinds of AWD ones, not just Subaru. Now, on an ice racetrack Subaru, the Evo, and some Audi automobiles have an advantage over the rest.
The Outback is pretty much the only one in it's class that offers station wagon height but SUV cargo room.
Toyota Venza and Honda Accord Crosstour are pretty much the only ones with similar specifications, however you will have to buy one used or certified as they were both axed in 2015.
Besides that, there are plenty of small hatchback vehicles on the market that offer very competitive utility when matched against compact SUVs.
Besides that, there are plenty of small hatchback vehicles on the market that offer very competitive utility when matched against compact SUVs.
I remember when Jeremy Clarkson gave the Volkswagen Tiguan a very positive review -- then suggested that the prospective buyer just get a Golf instead and use the £4000 saved to take a nice vacation in the south of France.
Probably something a lot of prospective SUV or CUV buyers should consider.
If she wanted a Mini, get a GTI. More cargo space, better reliability, much more power (actually as much torque as the v6 Outback with much better gas mileage). Of course a Golf SEL will have a bit better ride with softer, non-sporty springs. Like others have said FWD with winter tires will out perform AWD with all seasons every time. The Outbacks do look nice though. I was comparing those also, not sure why the price jump to v6 is so much.
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