A 2020 Subaru Outback Onyx Is Ours for One Turbocharged Year: Will It Impress?

My epiphanic Outback moment happened in a very ordinary restaurant parking lot. When the server delivering our food asked what type of car I was driving, I couldn’t bring myself to say SUV. Because no matter how rugged Subaru makes the Outback look, no matter how many inches of ground clearance it has (8.7), this is an SUV-ified wagon. And for the next 12 months, a turbocharged 2020 Subaru Outback Onyx is ours to commute, run errands, and adventure with. Will the charm of this 2020 SUV of the Year finalist sway us, or will it spend tons of time in and out of the dealership for fixes and updates? Join us as we daily-drive Subaru’s best-seller, experiencing the Outback’s first turbocharged model in over 10 years in the never-before-offered Onyx trim.

For a Subaru not wearing a WRX badge, the Outback Onyx is quick. With a 0–60 time of just over 6 seconds, the Outback Onyx moves with more authority than any Outback MotorTrend has ever tested. That’s thanks to a 2.4-liter turbocharged flat-four producing 260 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque. The 2.4T engine under the hood of the Onyx and two other trims has another fantastic bonus: significantly increased EPA-rated fuel economy (23/30 mpg city/highway versus the 2019 3.6R’s 20/27) and more than 70 additional miles of driving range. For drivers interested in the Outback’s unique appeal but turned off by a base 2.5 engine we’ve described as “gutless,” this could be a real option.

Regardless of which engine you choose, the Outback offers great value if you compare it to two-row midsize SUVs. Although the Onyx does add a few cool visual upgrades (black exterior details and two-tone water-repellent seats), think of it more as the least expensive way to get that 2.4T engine. Like all Outbacks, our 2020 Onyx uses a CVT automatic and standard AWD. For about $36,000, the Onyx already includes the 2.4T engine as well as an 11.6-inch touchscreen, a power liftgate, a full-size spare tire, dual-function X-Mode (it helps when you’re off-roading), two 2.1-amp USB ports front and rear, comfortable seats, LED headlights, and the knowledge that you’ve picked something different than every other SUV on the block. Well, unless your neighbor also owns an Outback.

We opted for the only package Subaru offers on the Outback Onyx, which adds a moonroof, a TomTom-based built-in navigation system, and reverse automatic emergency braking. Finished in the classic-Subaru Autumn Green Metallic color, our $37,995 Outback looks good. By going for the turbocharged engine instead of the 182-hp base engine at this price point, however, we miss out on steering-responsive headlights, a driver’s seat-bottom cushion extension, ventilated front seats (in addition to the Onyx’s heated function), power-folding side mirrors, and Nappa leather seats.

Then again, maybe we won’t miss fancy leather seats after experiencing the Onyx-specific StarTex upholstery. Really, an Outback is no less an Outback if its seats have cloth, StarTex, or premium Java Brown Nappa leather. In a time when a few SUVs are offered without AWD available at any price, it’s ironic that a lifted AWD wagon with easy-to-use retractable crossbars exemplifies one of the original purposes of SUVs: high functionality with some space for people and their stuff. Yet the Outback’s promise is more than that; this Subaru marries capability with comfort. I’ve already appreciated the abundance of soft surfaces almost everywhere I can touch or dig my elbows, and certain potholes in my neighborhood feel like mere road imperfections.

How well the wagon will wear its welcome is something I’m looking forward to discovering. We’ll evaluate our new one-year fleet car as a midsize SUV alternative, as a Subaru, and as a newly turbocharged model. Depending on how you define it, 2021 may be the year you don’t need two full hands to count the number of new wagons for sale in the U.S. The Outback’s otherness and value have been part of the model’s success from the beginning, and we can’t wait to find out if it still has that Subaru magic.

2020 Subaru Outback XT (Onyx Edition)
BASE PRICE	$35,905
PRICE AS TESTED	$37,995
VEHICLE LAYOUT	Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV
ENGINE	2.4L/260-hp/270-lb-ft turbo DOHC 16-valve flat-4
TRANSMISSION	Cont variable auto
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST)	3,900 lb (MT est)
WHEELBASE	108.1 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	191.3 x 73.0 x 63.9 in
0-60 MPH	7.0 sec (MT est)
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON	23/30/26 mpg
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY	147/112 kW-hrs/100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB	0.75 lb/mile

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from MotorTrend https://www.motortrend.com/cars/subaru/outback/2020/2020-subaru-outback-onyx-review-one-year-arrival/