Around ten years ago, it was a very cool thing to toughen up already existing cars. That's why you could get a raised...
Hyundai Getz up to a Seat Altea. They all had a little bit more ground clearance and an 'X' or 'Cross' in their name.
That trend has long gone, but there are a few manufacturers who are holding on. Take Subaru and Volvo for example.
And that's funny, because Subaru and Volvo are the manufacturers who practically invented this type of car.
The first Subaru Legacy Outback was released in 1994, whilst Volvo presented their first Cross Country-model in 1997, which was a V70.
Later on, it became the XC70. Nowadays however, it's all different again. You can now choose between a V60 Cross Country and a V90 Cross...
Country, with this being the V60. The Subaru Outback was always based on the Legacy,
but the story is a tad more complicated. There is no Legacy anymore in Europe. In other places in the world you can get a Legacy,
but that isn't available as a wagon. Having said that, this Outback is becoming more and more of a standalone model in Europe.
In the USA, Subaru has presented a new Legacy and a new Outback, but that won't be coming to Europe in the near future.
It's kind of an insult to compare this Subaru Outback or the Volvo to a raised Hyundai Getz Cross or the Seat Altea Freetrack,
because these cars are actually able to go off-road. But basically, they're meant for exactly the same thing.
Especially when it comes to this specific Outback, because this is the relatively new X-Explore-version. And as we all know, the more X's...
in the name, the tougher the car. And this is no exception. You can recognize the X-Explore by the plastic wheel arches, which aren't...
standard on an Outback. Also, you've got protection plates at the front and back and it comes with rubber floor mats. Very handy...
if you're really into stepping in mud. It looks pretty tough, but it's made very clear that function has gone...
before shape. That's not a bad thing, I could even commend it, but it's very clear that the design isn't really modern anymore.
The windows are very high, big tires, big lights, big mirrors, and so on. I can imagine you like the look of the Volvo a lot better.
At the same time, all of the things I mentioned come with a lot of advantages. The line of sight is very clear, and you can easily curb...
it with these wheels. Nothing will break.
Function-before-shape comes back in the interior as well, because it's not really up to date.
Also, I have to say it's a slightly older car already. On the other hand, the Outback was never meant to be hip or progressive.
The design is very traditional, with a lot of buttons around you. It might be a bit too much really.
I usually like a car with a lot of buttons, compared to cramming all of the functions into the touchscreen. However, if I look at this steering...
wheel, I can imagine you'll be overwhelmed. However, if you get used to it, it won't be as bad.
Also, there are several details which look pretty old-fashioned. If I look at these door handles, it reminds me of the door handles...
in my old Impreza from 1995. The same goes for the window controls and the prongs on the steering wheel; not very modern.
On the other hand, it does look like it's made for eternity. The quality is incredibly good. The dashboard feels solid, there are no rattles,
so the build quality is really good. The same goes for the equipment. I mean, there's a reason you've got so many buttons.
It has all kinds of features. That's because you can only get the Outback in one trim level: the Premium. Besides the X-Explorer-pack, of course.
That means you get heated seats in the front and back, a heated steering wheel, Subaru's EyeSight-system, that scans the road ahead,
you name it. Everything Subaru has to offer is on here. Even a multimedia screen.
What car can live without? It works decently, but it's not the best screen ever. The responses could be quicker and it feels like...
a separate system that doesn't have anything to do with the rest of the car. Also, there are a lot of colors in the system,
so it kind of looks aftermarket. You do have Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
Because of the function-before-shape-approach, I really like Subaru. They just won't follow the herd, and you can see that in the front.
Because of course, a real Subaru has a boxer-engine. And this Outback is no exception. It's a 2.5-litre flat-four. No turbo, no mild-hybrid system,
just a traditional flat-four. It's connected to a CVT-automatic gearbox and of course it has permanent four-wheel drive.
So both axles are driven all of the time.
For the photography, we went into the mud, and it immediately became clear that it can easily go off-road. It'll just keep going, no matter what.
You can actually hear you're driving a flat-four. Don't expect it to sound like the Impreza GT Turbo from your yobbo-neighbour from...
back in the day, but there's a small rumble coming from the exhaust. And I like that.
Luckily, the engine stays on the background. That's mostly because of the tuning of the gearbox.
It's a CVT, which some people are allergic to, but Subaru has tuned it in a way that it acts like a regular gearbox.
There are pre-programmed gear changes, which dips the revs. That way, it feels like a regular automatic gearbox.
And it all goes very smoothly. Only when you put your foot down, it starts revving loudly. It'll sound very raw then.
That's when you notice it isn't as refined as a Volvo or something. However, I only put my foot down twice. It just doesn't invite you...
to do so. It has a very gullible personality, which makes you feel relaxed. Everything is aimed at comfort, everything feels easy, but it's...
not a car which invites you to race it around. It's not communicative enough, so the car won't be happy. Just like the driver won't be.
That means the 175 horsepower this car produces is more than enough. It's not really quick, 0-100 km/h in around ten seconds which is...
the minimum nowadays. However, it never feels slow, because you're never tempted to put your foot down.
If you get out of the Outback and into the Volvo, it's quite the culture shock. Design is incredibly important in here, and it shows.
It's tight, minimalistic, modern and the finishing is very good. It helps that this particular car has a leather dashboard and the...
nicest upholstery that Volvo has. But even when you think that away, it's clear that Volvo has put a lot more effort in their interior.
That's not at the cost of practicality however. There's a lot of stuff in the screen, like climate control and heated seats,
but Volvo has made sure that those features are always visible on the screen. No matter what you're doing on it.
They've thought that through, just like the rest of the digital environment. We've known it for years now,
but it's still quick and it still works incredibly well. You can always find what you need without too much looking around,
and if you can't find it, you'll probably be able to change the tiles so you can personalize your system.
So it's still a very good system.
The seating position is completely different than in the Outback as well. You're a lot lower, with higher windows. So you feel...
a tad more closed in. However, the seat itself feels more active. I would call it cozier than in the Subaru.
It's been a while since I drove a Volvo without a plug in the left-front fender. Nowadays, pretty much every Volvo is a plug-in hybrid.
Not the V60 Cross Country though. It's only available as a B5, which used to be the T5.
That's the most powerful petrol-version available. It produces 250 horsepower, which is a lot more than the 175 horsepower in the Subaru.
And you'll notice. It accelerates much easier and it's just faster than the Subaru. The drivetrain is more refined as well.
However, it's not as big of an improvement as you'd expect, because refining a drivetrain isn't Volvo's strong suit.
That's mostly because of the gearbox. When you're almost at a full stop, the gearbox will change down in a relatively unpleasant manner.
You clearly feel the gear changes, and the same goes for when you suddenly put your foot down. It's shocky, it's not comfortable.,
and that's not something you should expect in a car like this.
Other than that, the Volvo is just as smooth as the Subaru, only more refined.
It's more quiet, there's less noise from the outside coming in, the chassis processes imperfections even better,
so you're being spoiled even more in this car. But maybe you expected that when you looked at this interior.
With the straight rear, the V60 actually looks like a traditional Volvo. However, there isn't as much space as you'd expect.
Both on the rear seat as in the boot, the V60 isn't as spacious as the Outback. When you fold down the seats, the difference goes...
up to around 400 lites. That's a whole Volkswagen Golf. A Volvo V90 Cross Country is much more similar when it comes...
to interior space, but the price difference would've been even bigger. Like I said, the Outback is available in one trim level, with a price tag...
of around €60.000. The Volvo is also available in one trim level, but you still have to equip all kinds of optional extra's.
With those, you can end up with a price tag of over €70.000, like we did here.
You can see why there's a price gap. The Volvo has a much nicer interior and it's much more refined.
On the other hand, the Outback is much more versatile. If I had to go across mud a lot of the time, or if I had to go on a long trip,
I'd go for the Outback. And you might think; 'how often do I need to go through mud anyway', so let me answer with a question.
The whole reason for these cars existing has always been the fact that they're able to go through mud and such, right?