Best Recreational 4WD

Subaru has done it again with the new Outback – created a class leading ‘soft-roader’ that drives like a car and yet performs more than adequately off-road.

Based on the newly revised Liberty, fourth-generation Outback boasts much more space than the previous model, a refined drivetrain and additional equipment. Remarkably, this has all been achieved without a price increase. 

And fuel consumption is a commendable 1 litre/100 km less than the previous model.

Outback’s exterior has become a little fussier on the way to being bigger and better. Key changes, however, are on the inside, particularly in the rear where the amount of leg room and headroom is exemplary. 

It shares the competent ‘car-like’ characteristics of Liberty on-road, yet is also impressively capable off-road thanks to a combination of sufficient power, CVT transmission and 213 mm of ground clearance.

Safety has been one of Subaru’s core brand attributes for years, and the maximum five-star ANCAP rating has helped it stay at the top of the rankings in a category where the other manufacturers are rising to the challenge.

The use of DataDots to assist with vehicle security has helped it achieve a perfect score for this criterion.

In any good family wagon, storage and a functional interior are vital and Outback provides numerous cargo boxes and storage trays as a solution.