Subaru E-Outback: You can rely on it even with electric drive
Even without the boxer engine known for its smooth running and low center of gravity, but with powerful electric drive and 4x4, the new Subaru Outback cuts a fine figure - on and off the road.
Ski legend Bernhard Russi should actually be competing in the Dakar again next year, just like back in 1982 when he took part in the famous rally in a Subaru 1800 WD. Because with the new Subaru E-Outback, the Japanese all-wheel drive specialists are delivering the perfect car for ripping through anywhere, even with electric drive. A ground clearance of 21.1 centimetres and permanent all-wheel drive thanks to a 224 hp/167 kW electric motor on both the front and rear axles make the Subaru a powerful and spacious estate.
«We have spent 60 years building 23.8 million boxers to offer a low center of gravity, good responsiveness and smooth running,» says David Dello Stritto, Sales & Marketing Europe. «Our new Uncharted, Solterra and E-Outback models now offer all of this, but simply in combination with an electric drive.» Dello Stritto has not promised too much: On the former military site near Berlin, the 4.85-meter-long and 1.86-meter-wide Subaru E-Outback shows just how much power (system output: 375 hp/280 kW) it packs. However, it is not only the power delivery that impresses, but above all the good road holding and comfort on a wide variety of road surfaces.
Off-road, the spacious Japanese (619 to 1718 liters of storage space) then shows off all its all-wheel drive expertise. On the large sandy surface, you would probably have long since unpacked the shovel with the combustion engine to dig yourself out of the sand like on the Dakar - here you simply let the dual-function X-Mode do the work. Depending on the mode, the torque is optimally distributed, providing traction where there doesn't actually seem to be any - really impressive! Thanks to Grip Control in X-Mode, the E-Outback easily and safely works its way up or down the steepest passages at speeds of between 2 and 10 km/h - you just have to steer it yourself.
Another cool Subaru feature helps here: the «transparent» hood. Thanks to the images from the 360° camera, the central 14-inch touchscreen gives you a clear view of exactly what is in front of the hood and the position of the wheels - a huge advantage for off-road driving. However, the elegant electric estate not only demonstrates how well the engineers have mastered the balance between high ground clearance, high body height, low body roll and high stability during dynamic evasive maneuvers, but also on the road.
The new electric outback with three power modes and five-stage regenerative braking via the paddle shift control is also clearly more dynamic, faster and sportier (0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds) than its predecessor. The next Dakar Rally may not start until 2027, but the Subaru flagship with a 74-kWh battery and a range of up to 526 kilometers will be coming to us in July. Prices start at 48,500 Swiss francs for the E-Outback eV 4×4 ’Advantage«; a very attractive overall package, as the electric Subaru will also benefit from a 10-year or 200,000-kilometre service-activated warranty.
