We could have used Paul Hogan’s help, probably. In Four Wheeler’s parking lot, we ran the Subaru up a steel ramp (see chart) to measure its suspension-travel index. This should have been painless. Instead, the Outback attempted to crush its front valance — frog-eyed driving lights and all. Of course, this modified automobile offered the least ground clearance of the eight vehicles here. Large surprise, right?
As it happened, we soon were surprised. After its shaky start, the Outback was magnificent in the sand. “The all-wheel-drive system is just terrific at apportioning power,” said Mark Williams. “On loose surfaces, I couldn’t trick it. Not an inch of wheelspin.” That traction, combined with the Outback’s relatively light weight, allowed it to float securely on unstable surfaces. Once, when the Land Rover became mired in a dune 300 feet high, we easily nudged the Outback up to its window and asked impertinently, “Need a shovel? A Diet Coke?” Even as its grille filled with grit, the Outback never threatened to strand us overnight in the dunes.
Part of the Outback’s competence can be attributed to its low center of gravity. “When I turn across a hill in it, I don’t feel the degree of mortal dread I feel in everything else,” said Barry Winfield.
Of course, loose surfaces suck power, and with no low-range gearing, the Outback was soon at a disadvantage. It proceeded only 150 feet up our loose-shale hillclimb, then not only ran out of guts but also bloodied its nose on a porpoise-shaped piece of granite. Then it lifted a wheel in the air. Then it threatened to dismember its exhaust system. Then seven editors shouted in unison, “Stop, oh sweet baby Jesus, stop!” The Subaru was the only vehicle to fail the hillclimb. “Those long overhangs — you can’t argue with approach and departure angles,” said Ben Stewart. “A car’s a car, even when it’s up on tippy toes.”
Unable to cross the trout stream — or, even if it could, this automobile would never have climbed the far bank — the Outback flunked Day Three completely. Off-road, it was a symphony of compromises.
That the Outback finished with the fewest points didn’t surprise us. To be fair, Subaru itself claims only that the vehicle has a couple of the attributes that make real SUVs practical — accelerative grip in snow, swell visibility, good cargo capacity. And, hey, the Outback did win our fuel-economy test, which is what cars do when they’re pitted against trucks. But when the National Park Service has marked the trail with those ominous up-and-down squiggles that look like Prince’s signature (you suppose he signs checks like that?), be sure your Outback is equipped with all of his CDs. That way, you can enjoy music while a friend goes for help.