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Driving Impressions
The Outback Sport is a lot of fun to drive. We drove it down twisting two-lane roads in Utah's Bryce Canyon, across flat, four-lane stretches of the Southwest and through the mountains of New England. We raced around an autocross course complete with water hazards and sand traps. And we rallied through harsh weather to buy bread and milk. Everywhere we went, we found the ride quality, handling, and braking to be superb. Under normal conditions, the power from Subaru's horizontally opposed boxer engine is directed to the front wheels. But when traction is lost the viscous coupling locks up and sends up to 50 percent of the power to the rear wheels. This system reduces the chance of getting stuck, but it also dramatically improves handling by distributing traction to the appropriate tires. It's one sure-footed car on a dark and stormy night. Subaru's 2.2-liter flat four-cylinder engine spins out 137 horsepower at 5400 rpm. This is considerably more robust than the standard 1.8-liter Impreza models. The Outback Sport accelerates quickly off the line yet has plenty of power throughout the range, which makes passing a breeze. A five-speed manual transmission is standard, with a four-speed automatic available for $800. We tried both and recommend the sporty, smooth-shifting manual for closet rally drivers and anyone else who wants the best performance and fuel economy. Much of the Outback Sport's handling performance comes from lessons Subaru learned on the rally circuit. A combination of soft springs, stiff shocks and long suspension travel keep all four wheels planted on the ground when driving quickly around bumpy corners, a huge benefit on dirt roads. This long-stroke, four-wheel independent MacPherson strut suspension, along with Subaru's boxer engine and grapefruit-size center differential also help increase ground clearance without raising the car up in the air. We found the Outback Sport highly capable in all types of on-road driving conditions. On dirt roads, it handles extremely well and is a lot of fun to drive. It does a great job getting to favorite trout streams, but it's no Jeep Wrangler for extreme off-roading. Tackling the Rubicon Trail is not a good idea without skid plates and a low-range set of gears. But the Outback Sport runs away from off-road vehicles on twisty dirt roads, just like in the ads. Its power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering is tuned for precision in corners, while power-assisted four-channel anti-lock brakes do a good job of slowing things down.
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