What’s quicker, the new Subaru Outback Sport XT with the 2.4 turbo or a 2005 Outback with the old 3.0L flat-6? Let’s find out.
Using a well-used but well-maintained 2005 Subaru Outback 3.0R, featuring just under 210,000km on the clock, we ran some tests with a Racelogic Vbox on the usual private road that we use for all performance testing to see what it could manage.
In factory form, this particular model specification consists of a 3.0-litre naturally-aspirated, flat-six engine that produces 180kW at an ear-tickling 6600rpm, and 297Nm at 4200rpm. It comes matched to a five-speed auto and all-wheel drive system. Subaru claimed 0-100km/h in 8.5 seconds back in the day, but with this example’s relatively high kilometres, we aren’t expecting much of that.
This got us thinking, what would it be like in a drag race with the new Outback and its 2.4 turbo engine? Well, we figured it’s a bit dangerous to run a side-by-side drag race on the strip, but we’ve come up with a ‘virtual drag race’ method which could provide just as much insight.
The latest Outback, in Sport XT configuration, features a 2.4-litre turbo flat-four engine producing 183kW between 5200-6000rpm, and 350Nm between 2000-4800rpm. This is matched to a CVT automatic, with all-wheel drive of course.
Subaru claims 0-100km/h takes 7.5 seconds, and the best real-world result we’ve achieved is 7.3 seconds. Does the old model stand a chance? Well, the old model is 203kg lighter in weight (1500kg vs 1703kg), but torque is down by 50Nm. You might be surprised by the result. Click play below to check it out.
If you’d like us to do more of these ‘virtual drag race’ videos, feel free to let us know in the comments below or on the YouTube channel. Stay tuned for our ‘top 10 good/bad things’ video on the new Outback Sport XT, coming soon.
