Subaru Outback XT Turbo vs Non-Turbo Compared: Fuel Economy, Power, Refinement & Value Tested

Yeah Tom if I had my way I would bring back the 3.6 Ltr six Cyl but after your review I ll have no problem upgrading to the Turbo model thx mate your the best

Very strange. The North American 2.4 turbo makes 260HP (vs your 245) and only requires regular 87 octane fuel.
Also plenty of automotive journalists testing that quote my '24 Outback Wilderness at 5.8sec to 60mph....although the Wilderness does have a bit shorter gearing.

The turbo is a cool car held back by a boring suspension package and CVT

Subarus have higher maintenance once they cross 100k miles... Toyota is the one that has better quality.. Sorry to say, I lost my faith on Subarus

Never needed a turbo on any of the 5 I've owned.

I bought a '22 Outback Premium for my wife and a '24 OBXT Onyx for myself. They both have their merits, but neither gets as advertised gas mileage. 24 combined, mostly around town on the Prem and 22 combined on the XT. The CVT feels better mated to the 2.5 NA and that car is more eager and smooth off the line. Between the CVT and turbo lag, the acceleration on the XT can be quite choppy. It's fairly easy to sort out as the driver by rarely using more than 60% throttle but it's never quite as smooth as the 2.5 up to 30 mph. However the 2.5 doesn't get you much more from there and that's when the 2.4 turbo just gets going.
My wife drove my car for a day while I drove hers to get an oil change, we were both remarking about how different each others cars felt. Overall the 2.5 will suffice for most drivers and is just fine at the standard Outback. But if you're any kind of enthusiast the XT is the way to go. The turbo actually has the ability to put a smile on your face and get you up to passing speed with relative ease, while it just ain't there with the 2.5.

I bought a new 2023 naoutback for my wife. We traded in our 2018 Impreza. Impreza much more fun to drive and about 8-10 MPG better economy. Wife died and after several months I realized her car had to go. Traded it in for 2024 Onyx XT. Now I smile every time I drive it. More fun than the 2023 or the Impreza and doesn't remind me of my beautiful wife.

I ordered an XT TOURING on Saturday and cant wait to get it, turbo is the way to go, drivability is far better.

Didn't compare similar models, look at their ride height alone, way to waste a ton of time

I prefer NA to turbos. My 2.5 NA does 0-60 mph in the low to mid 8 sec range, which is entirely acceptable to me. Neither my old (2003) Chevy Blazer nor my two old MR2's (MK1 & MK2 - both NA) did any better with 0-60mph than that, and it was never an issue. I'm not taking the thing to the drag strip.....so many other dynamics to consider.

2.5 is the best Subaru Engine.

185hp and 180ftlb torque is inadequate?? That used to be V8 power numbers in the 80s dude. That is loads of power for a car!!

I know it's a very very good car... even the perfect car for me on paper... but it's so unappealing to look at. It's the hiking sandals and cargo shorts of cars.

I've had my 2022 outback limited turbo for 3 years and I'm very happy with it. I got the turbo that has a 3500 towing capacity to pull my 16 ft aluminum power boat and my 10' utility trailer and the turbo does the towing with no problem.

They need to give these a proper hybrid

Thanks so much, I was leaning towards the non-turbo, you’ve convinced me otherwise. I’m waiting for you to uncover the next gen outback for 2026, looks like it’s worth the wait

So what's the case for buying Turbo ? Turbo is 2 sec faster lol ! give me a break. who is racing in a Outback. Its made for off roading. If You are the Turbo kind of person. Go buy a WRX !

Anyone watching this and wondering, yes, if you can, get the XT. Its a far more fun ride than the 2.5NA. It has power on tap, and just fun.

Experience, 2 years with a 2.5NA and 6 months with an XT.

Just wish it wasn't detuned from the US version.

I’m amazed Subaru sell any non-turbo outbacks at all. The XT is a no-brainer.

how reliable is the turbo engine compared to the non turbo?

Yes! If you get one of these definitely get the turbo. The naturally aspirated engine is a dog. There’s no passing power and it just feels like shit.

That was a great review and test. Particularly relevant to Australian conditions.

My 2.5 has a hole in the gas tank in the tank, and in the city during the winter. I want an Outback hybrid.

Living in the mountains of Canada, I am looking at upgrading to the turbo so this was a convincing presentation. 🇨🇦

I got 2023 outback XT , very happy with it , we did a trip from brizzy to Sydney, certainly having an XT worth every dollar we paid for.

Can anyone confirm the 0-60? Says its 5.8 on the turbo.

I’d love to have the turbo 4 in my 22 BUT simplicity is good. My Subaru is incredible in the winters of 🇨🇦. I sold my 3.6:Canyon for the Subaru, easier to buzz around town and sticks to snow roads incredibly. I swear in the winter around town there is a hole in the gas tank!
The 2.5 is tough because it is dead too. My Canyon 3.6 got about 16l/100. the Subie high 13’s. Summer, just over 11. Where it shines a bit is summer on the highway with about 8.4l/100k.
I drove Firebirds in the 70’s and I’ve always enjoyed power but the Outback is the bees knees for grocery running for my Wife, much less cumbersome around town than the 17 Canyon.
Awesome car 2.5 with a weak motor and poor gas mileage that I take out for fun in snow storms.
I remember long ago, I was,”why does anyone need cruise control”. Now I can’t live without adaptive cruise control.😂😂

I've had my xt for a week, awsome!!

I'm looking at my first family car - have a 6 month old. My hatch just isn't cutting it with all the child stuff.
I have short-listed to a Rav and and Outback. Toyotas are boring but slightly cheaper and way better fuel economy. The Outback is really thirsty and over 5 years/100,000km I'll be out of pocket by up to 10k. Subaru really needs to figure this out - I'm likely to go Toyota down to fuel usage. I'm torn between them both for various reasons but fuel use is just too high which is a shame.
Rav4 is 5.3L/100 combined which is close to realistic (friends getting about 6L real world). The subaru is double this so over 100,000km it could be 10 grand.
Are Toyotas too boring though? Anyone own a Subaru? Is it worth ignoring the fuel usage for the driving pleasure etc?

I'm looking at my first family car - have a 6 month old. My hatch just isn't cutting it with all the child stuff.
I have short-listed to a Rav and and Outback. Toyotas are boring but slightly cheaper and way better fuel economy. The Outback is really thirsty and over 5 years/100,000km I'll be out of pocket by up to 10k. Subaru really needs to figure this out - I'm likely to go Toyota down to fuel usage. I'm torn between them both for various reasons but fuel use is just too high which is a shame.
Rav4 is 5.3L/100 combined which is close to realistic (friends getting about 6L real world). The subaru is double this so over 100,000km it could be 10 grand.
Are Toyotas too boring though? Anyone own a Subaru? Is it worth ignoring the fuel usage for the driving pleasure etc?

I ordered then received my '22 Onyx in Aug '21. It currently had 41k miles in it. Not a single regret.
Its slightly less MPG than the 2.5. It has the get up and go whenever it's needed. So worth the purchase.

Why wouldn't you want noisy? The engine revving is one of the most beautiful sounds ever heard apart from last night with your mother.

The simple answer is yes the xt is worth it!

I’ve been driving Subarus for over 20 years. I have always steered clear of the turbos…they bring with them a host of troubles that the non turbos do not have. You get that great Subaru quality but none of the turbo issues. Those issues crop up as the car ages. If you keep you car five years or more that’s when those issues crop up.

I had this decision two weeks ago. I went with the 2024 Premium non-turbo. My last car was a 4 cyl turbo, and so was parents (different make and model). It seems every turbo (at least the ones I’ve seen) conk-out at 100K miles, and has downstream effects.

It also makes servicing more expensive as they have to remove the turbo to access other parts of the compartment. I got the Premium with an Optional Package 15 (sunroof, heated mirrors, etc.) for $3.5K more, and in my opinion will be a better quality of life upgrade then a $5K “upgraded” engine. I’m a never turbo engine guy now.

Here in NZ subaru charge an extra 10K for the turbo, making it quite hard to justify.

In the states most of the recent Outbacks out there are non-turbos. I live in a hilly town and my 2.5 doesn't have issues on the hills. My 2013 Crosstrek with a 2.0 did search for the right gear ratio so I would shift it to manual and hold a lower gear longer and paddle shift it. My 2024 Outback has decent acceleration on the highway.

Just the review I was looking for, thanks.

I’ve owned three subies..2001 forester 5mt, 2010 outback 2.5
2011 forester 5mt
Now been driving a 2016 Volvo xc60 3.0 turbo 6cyl.(300hp/325# torque)
I test drove both the xt and 2.5 outback, maybe my 300hp Volvo skewed me but the 2.5 was painfully sluggish. The xt seemed great but I didnt push it on my test drive (I will tomorrow) the numbers say the subie is as fast 0-60 as my Volvo without using premium fuel.
I got a deal on a loaner car, 2024 limited xt with 3000 miles… 6k off sticker and 7 year 100000 mile power train warranty.. so a 10k savings as that warranty is a $3,000 add on

Coming from a turbo bmw, turbo Subaru was the only choice!

I'd definitely purchase an XT!!! It is WAY faster than the N/A Outback and the engine never has to work as hard due to max torque @ a low 2000 rpm👍🏽👍🏽 Great vid bud👊🏽

I had a 23’ outback and recently upgraded to a 25’ oynx XT. Best decision I made. It’s fun to drive and imo you get some of the performance from WRX but a comfy ride

Europe doesn't have turbo version :(

Depends on reliability, turbo better car -- standard last forever.

I live in the US. I just bought an Outback Onyx XT last week. It’s smooth. Fast. Comfortable. Great trim choice.

That was a great head to head review. I like the detailed focus on the differences between the engine variants.

Great video, i have been driving Subaru's since the Tribeca and i now own the WRX TS wagon suburb car in every way and the wife gets the Outback XT as a work car soon. in the WRX wagon the wife likes comfort mode and gets 8.7/100 i drive all different speeds and mainly use individual mode set up how i like it and i get 9.7/100 so the turbo does get good fuel economy not what some reveiwer will lead you to believe just saying.

Why not in the forestor 😑