2001 Subaru Outback review from North America
"I'ts a cheap AWD car for the price, but has small quality issues"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The car clutch would shudder in the morning and go away when engine was warmed up. Brought the car to the dealer and the dealer replaced the clutch. The newly replaced clutch was OK for about two weeks then started to shudder again. We also noticed a burnt tranmission oil smell, in fact this smell would make my wife sick. I brought the car back to the dealer and the dealer replaced the clutch a second time. The dealer also found that the transmisson seal was damaged from the first time the clutch was repaired. The seal was repaired. I have driven the car for six weeks and have not had any issues with the clutch shudder.
Radiator hose was leaking due to debris around the hose, this was fixed by the dealer-not a big deal.
Burning one quart of motor oil every one thousand miles! This is a big deal. Subaru says that this is within there specifications. I can't believe this. I have never had a car that burnt that much oil except my 240D which had 240K miles on it! Subaru offered to do an oil consumption test, bring the car in every one thousand miles and have the oil level checked. What a pain. When I first bought the car I chagned the oil at one thousand miles using a good conventual motor oil and then every 3000. I started using Mobil 1 SYN 10-30WT oil.
General comments?
The car is safe, fun to drive and gets great gas mileage-27 mpg average.
The seats and interior are not the most comfortable, but they work.
The sound system is nice.
The air conditioning and heater work well.
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| Great car, I'd buy another next time! |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Year of manufacture | 2001 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.5 litre Manual |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 7 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 10 miles |
| Most recent distance | 31300 miles |
| Previous car | Nissan Maxima |
| Date of Entry | 5th August, 2002 |