In this video, I discuss the 2021 Subaru Outback’s Reliability and Resale Value and see how it stacks up against the competition.
The Subaru Outback is really an amazing success story. It’s pretty much the only wagon that Americans buy these days. Look at the competitors that have tried to dethrone the Outback. Remember the Buick Regal TourX or the Volkswagen Alltrack? Both good cars but were discontinued due to lack of sales.
Subaru consistently sells 180,000 of these Outbacks every year. The reasons that the Outback does so well are that it’s highly practical, exceptionally capable, drives like a car, and reasonably priced. Subaru definitely has a loyal following.
Reliability: The Outback got completely redesigned in 2020. It’s riding on the Subaru Global Platform which makes it quieter and stiffer than its predecessor. According to Consumer Reports, the Subaru Outback is expected to have better than average reliability. That is a pretty good rating for a brand new redesign. Let’s compare them to some competitors. Subaru’s own Forester has average expected reliability. The Honda CR-V also has average expected reliability. The Toyota RAV4 also has average expected reliability.
Resale Value: Subaru has historically had excellent resale values and the Outback is no exception. The 3 year expected resale value of the Outback is 70.4% of the original price. That is about the same as the Honda CR-V and better than the RAV4.
As for the 5 year predicted resale value, the Outback is still good at 54% of its sticker price. That does trail the RAV4 and the CR-V which have around 59% retained value. While this chart may make it look like the Subaru Outback isn’t doing well, let’s put it in perspective.
The Kia Sorento will only retain 39% of its value at the 5 year mark so the 54% for the Outback is actually really good. Just the RAV4 and CR-V have outstanding resale values.
The 7 year predicted resale value for the Outback is at 39.5% which trails the RAV4 and the CR-V. Again, Toyota and Honda best the Outback here but they also beat most cars out there. For comparison, the popular Chevy Equinox has 31% resale value at 7 years.
I want to touch on the Subaru Outback and why you may want to buy it over the competition. First , the Outback rides better than the RAV4 or the CR-V since it’s essentially a wagon and it has a longer wheelbase. Secondly, the Outback comes standard with all wheel drive and none of the competition offers standard all wheel drive. Most companies charge around $1500 extra for all wheel drive.
Finally, it’s pretty off-road capable right out of the gate with class leading 8.7 inches of ground clearance. It’s not a rock crawler but you’ll feel right at home in dirt trails and light off-roading with Subaru’s X-Mode which incorporates hill descent control and traction & throttle management.
Lastly, I will make my recommendation for the best trims of the Outback. For my money, the 2021 Outback Premium is my favorite trim. It starts at $28,895 and adds a power driver seat, heated front seats, leather steering wheel, 11.6” infotainment system, dual zone climate control, 6 speaker stereo, and LED fog lights.
If you want power, the Onyx Edition is my pick at $34,895 since it has a turbocharged engine that makes the Outback much quicker and more fun to drive.