Considering the pricing and list of standard features, we believe that the Premium trim is value for money. It offers many features like power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, leather wrapped steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, 4G LTE mobile hotspot and a 11.6-inch infotainment display as standard. For an additional price of $2,250 over base trim, you get many desirable features. 

The 2021 Subaru Outback is available in seven different trim configurations: Base, Premium, Limited, Touring, Onyx Edition XT, Limited XT and Touring XT. The above-mentioned trims go on sale for a starting price of $26,795, $29,045, $33,595, $35,145, $37,495, $37,995, and $39,945 respectively. The first four trims get a 2.5-liter boxer engine as standard, while the remaining three trims get a turbocharged 2.4-liter boxer engine as standard. 

Subaru has been generous with standard features. Some features like 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels, auto on/off LED steering responsive headlights with high beam assist, 7.0-inch multimedia screen with support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, rear vision camera, automatic climate control are standard. Climbing up the ladder trim, features like dual-zone climate control, power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, leather wrapped shift knob, 11.3-inch infotainment display are added.

The higher trims like Limited XT and Touring XT get leather upholstery, power/sliding-tilt sunroof, and heated steering wheel. Some other features like blind spot detection with lane change assist, rear cross-traffic alert, power moonroof, hand-free power gate, multimedia system with navigation support and keyless entry with push button start are available on the Premium trim. Also, a moonroof, navigation, driver distraction monitor, and heated steering are available in Limited trim for $2,045.

Of course, all Outbacks have standard all-wheel drive, which is a Subaru staple- Car and Driver 

The 2021 Subaru Outback trots around with a 2.5-liter naturally-aspirated flat-4 engine under its hood. The flat-4 is married to a CVT gearbox that mimics an eight-speed gearbox to minimize the rubber-band effect of a CVT. The CVT gearbox channels 182 hp and 176 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels via Subaru’s symmetrical AWD system. Other than this there is one more engine option that is a 2.4-liter turbocharged flat-4 engine that gets the same gearbox and drivetrain but produces 260 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque.

The standard engine has a towing capacity of 2,700 lbs while the optional turbocharged engine can tow up to 3,500 lbs. The standard engine and the CVT gearbox combo won’t win you races but is sufficient to pull off a 0-60 mph in 8.5 seconds and cover the quarter-mile in 16.7 seconds. While the turbocharged flat-4 not only produces more power and can tow more but also is quicker than the standard unit. The turbo-four does 0-60 mph in 6.3 seconds flat. That said, we feel both the engines aren’t able to realize their full potential due to the sluggish CVT gearbox.

With a higher ground clearance, this raised wagon closely mimics a rugged midsize SUV. With AWD as standard, the 2021 Outback is capable of dealing with unfavorable climatic conditions and poor roads with ease.The CVT gearbox leaves you asking for more but the pliant suspension setup tries to make up for it. Even the steering is accurate and allows the driver to navigate the Outback with ease on highways and in urban areas. 

All the rivals come with an inline-4 engine and except for the Kia Sportage that gets a 2.4-liter engine all the cars in this comparison have a 2.5-liter under their hood. The standard drivetrain configuration on all the rivals is FWD while the Hyundai Santa Fe produces the highest 191 hp and 181 lb-ft of torque from its engine. Still, the Nissan Rogue is the fastest in 0-60 mph clocking a time of 8.1 seconds while the powerful Santa Fe and Kia Sportage covers the fastest quarter-mile and beats the Rogue by 0.4 seconds, Rogue took 16.9 seconds to cover the quarter-mile.

The 2021 Subaru Outback with the base 2.5-liter engine is more fuel efficient than the peppier turbocharged models. With an EPA-estimated fuel economy of 26/33/29 mpg in city/highway/combined conditions, the Outback is reasonably efficient. However, with the turbocharged engine, the efficiency drops to 23/30/26 mpg in city/highway/combined conditions. With a fuel tank capacity of 18.5 gallons, the combined range is 536 miles and 481 miles with the standard and turbo engines respectively.

The Nissan Rogue with gas mileage of 27/35/30 mpg in city/highway/combined respectively is the most frugal in the lot but comes with the smallest fuel-tank capacity of 14.5-gallon. The Hyundai Santa Fe has the largest fuel tank capacity of 18.8-gallon but the lowest gas mileage of 28 mpg and 26 mpg on the highway and combined respectively. The Kia Sportage on the other hand has the lowest gas mileage of 23 mpg in the city.

While Subaru's cabin design borders on boring, it's functional and has a high seating height- Car and Driver 

The Subaru Outback underpins the same platform which is found in the Legacy sedan and the cabin is heavily inspired from the same too. The 2021 Outback gets an accommodative cabin, spacious seats, and good quality material used throughout the cabin. The cabin is spacious and the dashboard features an uncluttered look. Most touchpoints are covered in soft-touch plastic and the infotainment screen is well integrated into the dash. The driving view is good and even passengers will enjoy the outside view with ease.

The interior color options are Slate Black, Titanium Gray and Warm Ivory (available with cloth and leather upholstery). The Java Brown Nappa leather upholstery is reserved for Touring trims. The lower trims get fabric upholstery, the higher trims get leather-trimmed upholstery, and the XT trims come with a special StarTex water-repellent upholstery finished in gray color. Seats offer manual adjustment as standard while they can be had with power adjustment and memory function in the higher trims. 

The Outback offers 32.5 cubic feet of cargo storage area behind the rear row, which is a very impressive figure to boast. The rear seats can be folded in a 60/40-split to open up 75.7 cubic feet of cargo storage. In-cabin storage solutions are also plenty, with seatback pockets, door pockets, and other cubbies for small-item storage. Other convenience features include heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, etc. 

As for the rivals the Hyundai Santa Fe boulders ahead with the most spacious cabin and the biggest cargo capacity of 36.4 cubic feet. While the Kia Sportage has the least spacious cabin and the smallest cargo area of 30.7 cubic feet. The Outback follows Santa Fe for the second best rear seat legroom. The Nissan Rogue offers about 1-inch less rear seat legroom and 1 cu-ft less car space as compared to the Outback. 

The 2021 Outback features a 7.0-inch multimedia display with the base trim, while the higher trims feature a 11.6-inch touchscreen display. Subaru’s StarLink interface is reasonably intuitive and offers quick response times. The large infotainment display features rotary volume control knob and there are some physical buttons for climate control. Some features like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, SiriusXM, Bluetooth audio streaming and hands-free phone connectivity are standard. Some other features like WiFi hotspot, wireless charging and built-in navigation are optional. 

Some key features of the interior are:  

• 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat (available)
• Heated and ventilated front seats (available)
• Heated rear seats (available)
• Dual-zone automatic climate control (available)
• Leather-wrapped and heated steering wheel (available)
• 12-speaker Harman & Kardon sound system w/ 576-watt amplifier (available)
• StarTex water-repellent upholstery (available on XT trims)

Behind the Subaru Outback's evolutionary exterior design is a crossover-wagon that blends all the virtues of a traditional car with the ruggedness of an SUV- Motortrend 

The 2021 Subaru Outback is best described as a raised wagon in midsize SUV demeanor. The higher ground clearance, raised roof rails and bold black cladding all around its exterior body lend the Outback a rugged appeal. The headlights with all the cuts and angles look modern. The grille is kept restrained and not too huge with the Subaru logo in between. However, more or less, the design is similar to its predecessor. 

The side is tall, owing to the higher ground clearance. The rear profile also looks rugged, with the angular taillights and the tough-looking and muscular body lines. Subaru offers multiple exterior color options like Blue Pearl, Bronze Metallic, Black Silica, Silver Metallic, Gray Metallic, White Pearl, Green Metallic, Red Pearl, Brown Pearl, and Geyser Blue. For a more sportier exterior styling, Subaru offers 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels with black finish with the Onyx Edition XT. 

The Outback has a footprint of a midsize SUV. It might not be the tallest and the widest car but it is the longest car in this comparison measuring 191.3-inches. The nearest one is Santa Fe which is 2.9-inches shorter than the Outback. The rugged wagon is shorter by 0.4-inches than the tallest Nissan Rogue (66.5-inches in height) and less wide by 1.8-inches in the widest Santa Fe (74.8-inches in width). But the most surprising aspect is that the Outback even after being the longest car in this comparison doesn’t have the longest wheelbase and it loses out to the Santa Fe by 0.8-inches. 

Some key exterior features are: 

• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Auto-on/off LED Steering Responsive Headlights
• High Beam Assist
• Roof rails
• Moonroof (available)
• 18-inch alloy wheels (available)
• LED foglights (available)

The 2021 Subaru Outback is based on the latest Subaru Global Platform which offers more rigid and tougher chassis. It is among the safest cars as it gets the highest safety ratings of five stars from the NHTSA and was named the ‘Top Safety Pick+’ by IIHS. As for the safety features the 2021 Outback comes with a bevy of advanced safety features along with driver-aids. Subaru offers Eyesight driver assistance technology as standard on all the trim levels. 

The advanced suite of safety features includes features like adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, pre-collision braking, and pre-collision throttle management. Some other features like high beam assist, brake assist, rear-vision camera, and vehicle dynamics control are also standard. Also, keyless entry system, multiple airbags, and anti-theft security system are included for enhanced safety

Some key safety features are:  

• High Beam Assist (HBA) 
• STARLINK Safety and Security 
• Forward pre-collision braking
• Lane departure and sway warning
• Blind-Spot Detection with Lane Change Assist (available)
• Rear Cross-Traffic Alert (available)
• DriverFocus Distraction Mitigation System (available)
• Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) (available)
• Reverse Automatic Braking (available)

2021 Subaru Outback vs 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe

The Hyundai Santa Fe kind of reigns over the mid-size SUV segment with its performance, features list and cabin space. Except for the low fuel economy, there is hardly anything to nitpick against Santa Fe here and it looks very modern.

The Subaru Outback on the other hand has better fuel economy, cabin space, and safety but lacks on the performance part. As both the SUVs are priced very close, going for either one of these will be dictated by your requirement and personal preferences.

2021 Subaru Outback vs 2021 Nissan Rogue

The Nissan Rogue is lighter compared to the Subaru Outback, the immediate effect of this is that the Rogue is faster than the Outback and delivers an impressive gas mileage. When it comes to cabin space we can say the Rogue is slightly less spacious than the Outback but in terms of comfort, the Rogue is no less than the Outback.

The Subaru Outback comes with AWD as standard, while the Rogue gets FWD as standard. With a higher ground clearance and AWD, the Outback is definitely more off-road compatible. So unless you plan on frequenting trails and off-road patches thus needing the extra ground clearance the Rogue is the better choice between the two.

2021 Subaru Outback vs 2021 Kia Sportage

The Kia Sportage offers similar power, torque, and performance figures as compared to the Outback.  However, it is It is not as fuel-efficient or spacious as the Subaru wagon . Except for some fancy features list and gizmos, this Kia car has nothing to offer that can help it beat the Outback.

The Outback offers hogher ground clearance and AWD as standard, making it more off-road-ready than the Sportage. So the picture is very clear here and until and unless you have a bias towards Kia cars, the Outback is the better choice here without any doubt.

Except for the love it or hate it wagon-ish design and underwhelming performance, the Subaru Outback is a well-sorted and mature offering. The car rides well, is comfortable and spacious, and returns good gas mileage numbers. The Outback is highly practical and when equipped well can also double as an occasional off-roader. The AWD configuration is a boon but the CVT gearbox is a bane for the Outback. Had it got better gearbox options then it could have probably been a well-sorted car with top-class safety ratings. So if you can live with the CVT gearbox then definitely the Outback is worth putting your money in.