2010 SUBARU OUTBACK 3.6R

There are always two sides to everything, right? Well, the truth is there are many more than that! To keep our car reviews innovative and well-rounded, we are providing you with not just one, but two points of view on the same exact vehicle – Her and His perspectives.
Her: Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate, women-drivers.com
His: Jason Oliver, Global Lifestyle Editor, Delta Sky magazine

Anne	Jason
Price
MSRP:$30, 995 Hands down, the best value in it’s class.	MSRP:Base $30,995 I like this price. It reminds me of Goldilocks when she gets into bed #3 and it feels just right. Not too high and not too low. This price says comfortable chic, like the perfect roast chicken without the mark-up for an overblown location and a waiter in a tux. A sublime roast chicken paired with a glass of a cool Sauvignon Blanc (and I am probably not supposed to talk about driving and drinking, but you know what I mean, right?)
Performance
A 3.6 liter engine carries 256 horsepower @ 6,000 RPM. The BOXER engine built with Symmetrical AWD for maximum performance. Lineartronic CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission). paddle shifters saves gas by monitoring rev-range.	The Volvo XC-60 comes equipped with a 3.0 liter six-cylinder engine with all-wheel drive and instant traction. Also included is an alloy engine with Continuous Variable Valve Timing. The engine produces 281 horsepower and 295 Lbs of Ft Torque at 1500 RPM, and is rated at 16 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway. The as-tested 0 – 60 time is 7.1 seconds. Acceleration is immediate and brisk when needed. The ride itself is comfortable, yet the driver doesn’t feel isolated from the road. The steering isn’t overly soft and feels controlled. The vehicle likes the twists and turns, and with the low center of gravity takes the bends in a surefooted, stable manner.
Fuel Economy
18 miles in city; 25 in city. A real opportunity for Subaru – whose corporate mantra and partnerships ooze a clean, green and healthy world – to get a hybrid to market.	18 miles in the city! I love it. That will take me from my home in Brooklyn, New York to lunch on Madison Avenue and then to the Flower District and down to the Meatpacking nabe to stock up on groovy sunglasses and jeans and home without hitting a pump. I might also stop in at Sephora en route for a spritz of fragrance and at J. Crew for flannel pants, too! And 25 miles in the country-that’s so Green Acres glam! I can jaunt from my pied-a-terre in the Catskills across the Hudson River with nary a visit to the gas station whilst popping in at the greenmarket and the local dairy for Painted Goat Farm cheese to pair with a simple arugula and pear salad. Maybe I will stop for an apple cider, too. Divine!
The Car
The Subaru mystic continues with the 2010 edition: A powerhouse vehicle built for outdoor ruggedness or urban hauling Ever so responsive steering performance, even when off-road driving at 11,000 feet elevation Confident acceleration and assured ABS braking Generous interior, as car interior is wider than LY; driver and front passenger seating room expanded. Rear passengers enjoy 4″ more leg room. Rear seats rear now recline making napping a cinch on longer trips LATCH system, lower anchors/tethers for three (3)children; also three individual head rests in back seat Spacious cargo capacity, 8 cup holders, door handle pockets 60/40 split folding rear seats make packing and transporting easier yet The cabin and instrument panel is attractive, designed well and easy to read. Had a slight human induced error with the NAV system getting started Dual zone temperature flow and heated cloth or leather seats allows for personalized climate control Lumbar support and multi- positioned seats for ultimate comfort Tows up to 3,000 pounds	I felt very stylish in my Outback-sort of like a get-up from L.L. Bean (you know, good salt-of-the-earth classic!) paired with a sweater from Agnes b. or a messenger bag with great details or the right stationery bordered in emerald green. Rugged, but chic, too. Driving up and down the mountain in Wyoming, I had no worries that I might spill off the 11,000-foot ledge immediately next to the car. Instead I cranked up the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs on the amazing sound system and focused on whether to bestow Fortnum & Mason hampers upon my co-workers and whether I had a torn cuticle instead of the vertiginous drop just beside. “That’s Not My Name,” I chirped, cliffhanger be damned! The Outback’s trunk could easily hold my stash of acid-hued Globe-Trotter luggage and maybe even a hamper full of delicious nibbles and champagne and perhaps my dog, Jasper, and certainly a few tennis rackets. I actually got out of the car and measured for all of the above, so I know of what I speak. And, besides, what more could you possibly ever need to carry in your boot? I love a good animal skin, and the Outback’s leather seats added a posh note to the interior styling. Comfortable, too, with a capital “C!” And while not quite Hermes caliber, the seats were certainly on par with a Coach or Cole Haan. Apparently, the Outback can tow 3,000 pounds, but I have no plans to attach a tractor or boat to the back bumper anytime soon. Still, if I ever grow an award-winning pumpkin or perhaps a giant gourd in my garden, I will have no qualms pulling it along behind the car and not fretting en route to the fair.
Safety
Awarded the NHTSA 5 Star for Safety, Front-Side & Side Curtain Air Bags, ABS, Ring shaped Reinforcement Frame provides maximum resistance to impact, VDC electronic stability detects a loss of control.	NHTSA 5 Star for Safety, what more can I say? I have no idea what the “NHTSA” is, but they sound like they know what they are talking about. “New Hampshire Traffic Safety Association?” “New Haven Transportation Star Awards?” Who knows. If they had only awarded 4 Stars to the Outback, I might not be so effusive in my effusiveness. Nice work, NHTSA: I felt snug as a bug in a rug-and that’s no joke.
Technology
Bluetooth®, a voice activated NAV system – need my readers to respond to visual queues. 440 watt powerful nine (9) speaker sound system ensures no one misses a beat.
Aesthetics & Styling
Why not take the exterior design to a more sleek, contoured look, like the Audi wagon? The sterile blueprint has a safe, universal appeal, but there remains an opportunity to get out of the bubble look and create a more stylized and fresh design for this leader. An improved transition between headlights and side offer a more open stance. The car has additional clearance height. Clean lines on the interior complimented with a black, chrome and tortoise trimmed panel. An outstanding combination of attractive and comfort – this model is competing toe-to-toe with features found in the luxury sector at luxury pricing, like Volvo.	H-O-T. I am smitten with the Outback’s smoking good looks, and I don’t like most outdoorsy-type anything unless it’s a hot tub in the Hollywood Hills or a catered dinner on the lanai. And forget the misconception that the Outback is a granola-mobile! Frankly, the Outback is everything I want in a car: The lines are spare and chic and whisper style (and they certainly don’t whisper the lyrics to “Galileo”). Frankly, I could care less about kayaking and canoeing, and I have no interest in living part-time with the pygmies in Africa or not flushing the toilet, and I still loved the Outback. I can easily see myself arriving at Fashion Week or the opening of a SoHo boutique in the Outback and looking damned good.
Warranty
3 years/36,000 & 5 years/60,000 Power train	Three years. And that’s better than many relationships I’ve had over the years.
Non-tangibles / Other
It’s a no wonder this company continues to have double digit increases in this extraordinary year. Their entire line-up offers tremendous value and relentless reliability. The average buyer has her vehicle 7 years, and the est. life of a Subaru is 10 years.	This is one of those sections that I never answer because I don’t know what they are looking for. So I will say “E. All of the above” and hope that’s what Anne wants here. Sounds like something you’d see on an IRS form to trick you up and then you end up owing money with interest.