2001 Subaru Outback review from North America

Leaky A/C compressor.

I love this car! Have not had it very long, but know my way around cars and this one is very nice!

I was impressed with the power of the small 2.5L motor, but being a gear head I'm sure I'll be changing the pulley and adding a better air intake in the future. It has good get-up-and-go, although a little unresponsive in the mid-range once you get past that "flat spot" it runs like a champ.

The stock stereo is great, and I don't even have the McIntosh unit. Comfortable, love the ground clearance and looks, fun to drive.

I read all of these reviews before I bought the car, and a lot of the problems seem to be typical wear issues that you would expect to have problems on any vehicle...tires, brakes, clutch, etc. I think people don't realize that cars do wear out, and wear out more quickly if ridden hard and put up wet.

My only complaint would be that the brakes do tend to be undersized for the car, and it requires some familiarity to use them effectively. I think a lot of drivers out there don't put the brakes on until they are about 10 feet from the stop, which overheats the rotors, causes them to warp, etc. I will probably replace my rotors with slotted/cross-drilled ones shortly to try to help with heat dissipation.