2020 Subaru Outback Onyx: A Stunner
(The review will focus solely on the Onyx Edition XT of the 2020 Subaru Outback, which is a stunning and fun edition to the already fabulous 2020 Outback.)
It’s the same ole reliable Outback that we have come to know. All-Wheel Drive is standard. Almost 80 cubic feet of cargo space with all the seats down. 260 horses and 277 pound-feet of torque, all from a BOXER engine (inline 4). It’s great for however your family was designed or built.
The key difference between the Onyx and other trims is basically inside / outside. When I think of ‘onyx’, I think black, like my hair color used to be. This car is really more like Midnight Battleship Gray with a touch of mystery thrown in. That mystery could be battleship of sturdy seamen. Who knows?
I loved it. The interior is also on the dark side and it really was a gem to drive, even in hot summer weather. There is still a pandemic out there; nothing has really change from a virology standpoint. Thus, I really could only take it so far, but it performed with all the heart and fierceness as a contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
If you can find one, this baby starts at $34,895 US. Mileage is 23 city / 30 highway. Did I mention All-Wheel Drive? It wouldn’t be a Subaru without it.
(To this day, I still think of Debbie Harry and Blondie singing about the Man from Mars who eats Cadillacs, Lincolns too, Mercury and Subaru. Ah, gay youth back in the dark ages of the pre-Reagan Bush era.)
The press materials tout a number of new features for 2020. Eyesight Assist, which is a pop-up display on the windshield just above the dash that warns the driver if he/she is literally falling asleep at the wheel. Better known as Driver Focus Distraction Mitigation, this special feature can help keep you in line – and in your lane.
The navigation / music / everything display is bigger, more like a tablet now. That, in and of itself, could be a distraction because it really is functional, informative and easy to use. (As always, adjust your settings before you put the car in R or D).
Along with AWD and what’s listed above, standard features on the Onyx include items like an electronic parking brake, Auto Stop/Start (which is always tricky for me but indeed a good thing to have), controls on the steering wheel, roof rails and Advanced Adaptive Cruise Control with lane centering. To name a few.
Particularly for the XT, you’ll also get 16-inch aluminum wheels, everything you could want in an audiophile system (like Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth), 10-way power driver’s seat, leather-wrapped steering and shifting, full-size spare tire (always a good thing) and touch-free cargo doors. This model is $37,750. A smidge more expensive, yes, but wow was it fun – and practical.
This was a fun car to drive and to use just to dot around town. It’s worth checking out if you are considering a Subaru Outback. No need to be ordinary if you don’t have to be.
But there’s really nothing ordinary about the Outback………
