2024 Subaru Outback: Which Engine Should I Choose?

The Subaru Outback has a well-earned reputation as a safe, reliable SUV with off-road skills many rivals lack and a quirky ethos that stands out in a parking lot full of more conventional crossovers.

The 2023 Outback won our Best Resale Value Award for its class. The 2024 Outback is just rolling into dealer lots now but is largely the same vehicle and likely to contend for the award again.

The brand's famous 4-cylinder boxer engines are part of the Subaru formula, mounted low in the engine bay. The horizontally opposed boxers give the cars a low center of gravity despite the Outback's high ground clearance — an excellent combination for getting over off-road obstacles and still feeling planted and secure.

But Outback buyers this year have a choice of two engines. Base, Premium, Onyx Edition, Limited, and Touring models get a naturally-aspirated 2.5-liter version of the famous boxer-4. It puts out 182 horsepower. Onyx Edition XT, Wilderness, Limited XT, and Touring XT get a 2.4-liter turbocharged version making 260 hp.

Here's how to know which is right for you.

In 2024 you can pay as little as $28,895 for an Outback. That gets you the 182-horsepower engine. Higher trim levels add more creature comforts and cabin tech, and with this engine, push as high as the $40,345 Touring model.

You can't add the turbocharged engine to any trim level. It's included on some trims and not others.

The least-expensive Outback equipped with the turbocharged engine is the Onyx Edition XT, starting at $39,360. It's not truly equivalent to the Base model, having added style and luxuries like a moonroof, dual-zone climate control, and power-adjustable seats. The most expensive Outback, the Touring XT, starts at $42,795 and carries the turbocharged engine.

According to the EPA, the 182-horsepower engine should get 26 mpg in city driving and 32 on the highway, for a combined rating of 28 mpg.

The 260-horsepower turbocharged engine is rated for 22 mpg in the city and 29 on the highway, for a combined 25.

EPA estimates say the average driver will spend $200 per year less with the non-turbocharged engine.

The base engine makes 182 hp and 176 lb-ft of torque. Those are relatively low numbers for its class. A comparable Toyota Highlander, for instance, makes 265 hp.

The turbocharged Outback makes substantially more — 260 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque.

That's a significant difference; you can feel it on the road. Our test driver said, "The performance from the standard engine is, shall we say, relaxed." But "The enthusiast in us strongly prefers the optional turbocharged engine and its confident acceleration."

Many other 2-row midsize SUVs take a similar approach, offering a choice of engines with one geared toward those who care more about highway passing power. The Hyundai Santa Fe, for instance, comes with a choice of a 191-hp engine or a 281-hp model. The Mazda CX-5 offers a 187-hp or 227-hp (256 on premium 93-octane gas) powerplant.

But the standard engine's 182-hp rating is among the lowest in its class.

The key to deciding which engine is right for you is in our test driver's observation.

Is there an enthusiast in you? If so, you may find 182 hp to be frustrating. The turbocharged model will be more appropriate if you’re likely to care about power.

But it's OK to admit that many of us don't care much about horsepower. A 182-hp engine will get up and down hills, pass on the highway, and leave a few thousand dollars more in your bank account. That's the right call for drivers who don't think much about their car's performance once they stop cross-shopping.

And the joy of owning an Outback is its foul-weather grip and sure-footed off-road capability. Those things aren't dependent on engine power.

Subaru has done shoppers a favor by offering some well-equipped, near-luxury trim levels with either of the two engines. So you don't have to pay more at the pump to get leather upholstery and an upgraded stereo system.

So we recommend you only spring for the added power of the 260-hp turbocharged engine if that's your strong desire.

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