Fans of turbocharged Subarus, rejoice: the Subaru Outback XT has finally landed in the Philippines. After our sources revealed to us its imminent launch last December, it has been spotted at one of the Motor Image dealerships, this gives us our first look at the new top-of-the-line trim for the Outback in the country.
Although the Outback has been a steady seller for Subaru, its positioning in the segment has been threatened by the Mazda CX-60 which happens to pack a turbocharged and hybrid (coding exempt) 3.3-liter inline-6.
To counter that, Subaru is tapping into its performance-oriented heritage by offering it with a 2.4-liter turbocharged flat-4. The powertrain, shared with the Evoltis and WRX bumps up the Outback’s outputs to a meaty 260 horsepower and 375 Nm. This is mated to a Lineartronic CVT with paddle shifters.
The Philippine market Outback doesn’t get the controversial North American refresh (thankfully) and with that, it’s visually the same as the current Outback 2.5i-Touring. That said, both variants (the 2.5 will continue) sport new front fog lamps with a hexagonal pattern. Features include ventilated powered nappa leather seats, a 11.6-inch infotainment screen, a Harman Kardon sound system, and of course, the Subaru Eyesight 4.0.
So far, Subaru hasn’t indicated the Outback XT’s pricing but given that the current 2.5i-Touring is priced at P 2.5 million expect the Outback XT to be priced at around P 2.7 to 2.8-million (a source said it to be around P 2.88-million). This puts it pretty close to the CX-60 and its P 2.79 million price tag.
The official market debut is slated for April 2, while the public launch will happen at the Manila International Auto Show from April 4 to 7.
Too late and too expensive. For that price the Cx-60 is FTW. inline 6 with 3.3L, better interiors and finish. The drivetrain though is a bit of a let down but coding exemption and better fuel consumption trumps the Outback XT. wake me up in 2 years or so when the Strong Hybrids of Subaru are offered in the market.
ReplyDeleteikaw yung dati pa nagrereklamo na wala na masyadong turbo subaru, tapos ngayon na meron na, reklamo ka pa rin. cannot be satisfied.
DeleteBTW, may issues sa transmission daw ang CX 60.
Not me, I rather have a Subaru over Mazda anyway.
DeleteThe Outback XT has been available in the US since 2021. I'm ok with complaining about Subaru since I've owned 2 since 2014. I've been wanting to upgrade but they have had no turbos available for the outback until now which they have missed the mark with the pricing.
DeleteOn the Mazda Cx-60, the transmission is not just refined and the multi plate clutch shrudders/grinds at low speed not knowing what to do but if you can live with that unrefinement then it's still heaps loads better than the XT in terms of features and performance.
Agreed on the pricing, but I've got this feeling that the P 2.880M will come with discounts right off the bat so getting one for the same price as the CX-60 might be possible.
DeleteAs for the CX-60 transmission, yeah I have to agree with that one. So far, Mazda has rolled out its third transmission software update which has lessened it, but not completely. I've got a feeling that, eventually, Mazda will be able to get how to tune that gearbox right.
I also agree how the CX-60 is the gold standard when it comes to features and specs versus price.
For me, I would rather choose CX-9 over CX-90.
DeleteCX-9 is already established kaya ayos na yung mga bugs and issues (dati it was the cracks sa cylinder head back in 2019).
Pero for CX-90, while it has new tech and coding exemption, marami pa bugs sa transmission implementation.
Need to wait for MMC facelift para maayos yun
What does "The official market debut is slated for April 2" mean? Available for purchase na by then?
ReplyDelete