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So, you're interested in going off road,
or you want to explore the great outdoors.
Maybe you want to camp a bit.
Tie some kayaks to your roof racks,
or even spend a week in the woods where
you couldn't find a cell phone signal if you tried.
Well, I don't blame you, because it's beautiful out here.
But what's the best vehicle for the job?
Something with hardcore rock crawling chops?
Or something with a bit more daily driving credibility that
can hack it on most trails?
That's what we're here to find out.
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Hi, I'm Travis from Edmunds.
We painstakingly test and review hundreds of cars, trucks,
and SUVs each year.
At the same time, CarMax buys, sells and expertly appraises
thousands upon thousands.
We've combined forces to help you make the right choice
for your next car.
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for more videos like this.
And if you want all the information
on the Subaru Outback and the Toyota 4Runner,
click the link in the description below.
We've brought out two midsize SUVs today, the Toyota 4Runner
and the Subaru Outback, to see how far these adventure
vehicles can go, and to see what the differences are
between a body on frame SUV and a car based crossover.
These two have different missions
and they're priced differently.
The Subaru Outback has a CarMax average price
of around $34,000, while the Toyota 4Runner
sells for CarMax average prices of around $42,000.
That's a big difference in price,
so the 4Runner is going to have to justify it with performance.
Before we get into the nitty gritty of off roading,
let's take a closer look at both of these vehicles
and rewind a bit and see what they're like on road first.
The Toyota 4Runner is powered by a four liter V6
and it has an EPA estimate of 18 miles per gallon combined.
[SCOFFS] It's not great.
This 4Runner engine hasn't changed in 11 years.
And while they can chew up most anything you throw at them,
the dated five speed transmission
means you're burning more dino bones in this T-rex
than you would in other class options.
The Subaru Outback and this Onyx Edition XT trim
uses a turbocharged four cylinder engine
and receives an EPA estimate of 26 MPG combined.
The turbocharged engine is peppy.
The CVT simulated shifts are well tuned,
and overall, it's more nimble than larger competitors
like the 4Runner.
So with these two vehicles, you get similar levels of power.
But the Subaru is much more efficient
thanks to its state of the art transmission and its lower
design compared to the 4Runner's heavy truck
based design and the older five speed transmission.
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The 4Runner just feels old inside.
None of these buttons or knobs feel sleek or modern.
Sure, they're straightforward.
They're easy to learn, which is a plus,
and they're all within arm's reach.
But this stuff is seriously dated.
I mean, the 4Runner has been around for quite some time.
It also is lacking in terms of tech.
So stuff like adaptive cruise control, lane
keep assist, blind spot monitoring,
those weren't added until 2020.
So on this 2019 model you just don't have them.
Another thing missing from the 2019 model, Apple CarPlay
and Android Auto.
The 4Runner didn't get the smartphone integration,
like the Subaru, until 2020.
So if you're looking to avoid that kind of tech,
sure, go 2019 or older.
But if you want more tech in the interior,
you want to go 2020 or newer.
The 4Runner seats five passengers totally comfortably.
And there even some trims you can get with a third row
to accommodate up to seven passengers.
But that third row is really tight.
Cargo wise, it does have more room than the Subaru,
but the 4Runner has a higher trunk.
So if you're lifting heavy items,
you're gonna have a harder time getting them into the back.
The Outback's interior is much more modern.
It's got nicer materials and it's
loaded to the teeth with tech.
There's stuff like Subaru's optional eyesight system, which
actually pays attention to you to see if you're
paying attention to the road.
Then there's stuff like adaptive cruise control, which
works really well on the highway,
and optional equipment like lane keep assist.
The center touchscreen is one of my favorite parts of this car.
It's got really crisp, high resolution graphics.
And it's easy to see in any light.
Problematically though, it's a little bit difficult to learn.
So if you aren't tech savvy, it won't feel super intuitive
right out of the gate.
For passenger space, there's plenty of room in here
and seating for five passengers, just like in the 4Runner.
Out back in the trunk, there's plenty of cargo space.
But it does fall behind the 4Runner in terms of cargo space
measurements.
Now let's take these two out on the road.
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The 4Runner feels pretty old on the inside, too.
The steering and handling are pretty light and vague,
and that's pretty truck-ish, which makes sense.
But then there's the ride quality.
It's not exactly uncomfortable, but you
do feel most of the road imperfections
working their way into the cabin.
You notice all the potholes on the road.
Thankfully, there are comfortable seats
in the 4Runner and there's a good driving
position with good visibility.
So it helps make this an easy daily driver.
One more thing, it's a bit noisy out on the highway.
Tire noise combined with the five speed
transmission and the big V6 means you'll
get a lot of engine noise.
And you're probably going to have
to speak up if you want your passengers to hear you out
on the highway.
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Overall, the Subaru has much better ride quality,
much better steering and much better handling.
Combine that with the super comfortable seats
and the quiet-as-a-mouse interior,
it's got a driving experience that's pretty hard to beat.
Now all that comfort does come at a cost,
though, which is in the form of towing capability.
The Subaru Outback, even though it's a mid-size SUV,
can only tow 3,500 pounds, while the 4Runner can
tow a maximum of 5,000 pounds.
That's a big difference.
So if you've got a car trailer or if you're
towing your boat to the mountains for the weekend,
the Subie's going to have a hard time with it.
The Subaru's really good on fire roads,
in shallow ruts or big potholes.
It's even good in tough weather and it's
got plenty enough ground clearance for mild stuff
like this.
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Any tough trail though, and it's the 4Runner
that's the real champ.
It has real four wheel drive, locking differentials,
and all sorts of off road tech.
It might be old, but this thing is smart,
and it knows exactly how to get it done.
There are approach, departure and break
over angles that are all a part of being good at off road.
And what those are is the measurement between your tires
and the parts of the vehicle's body or undercarriage
that might hit the ground.
And to have better approach, departure and break
over angles, you've got to have more ground clearance, which
the 4Runner has.
And because it's higher off the ground,
you're less likely to hit obstacles, scrape it or hang it
up on things as you're off roading,
which gives you more confidence and lets
you have a bit more fun.
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So when it comes to hardcore off roading,
it's the 4Runner that gets the win.
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In many departments, these two SUVs are pretty evenly matched.
But they both excel at certain things.
The Outback will be more comfortable and more
entertaining to drive on a curvy road,
but it's not going to climb up the face of any big rocks.
The 4Runner, while it's getting more modern,
still has a few significant drawbacks.
But its robust undercarriage helps
it excel at towing and off road tasks.
Which one would you choose?
Drop us a line in the comments below.
And for more videos like this, click like and subscribe.
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