Subaru Outback 2022: entry price jumps to $41,490 due to rising costs of production

Rising manufacturing costs have pushed prices up across the car industry and the Subaru Outback is no exception

Subaru Australia says it has been forced to increase the price of the popular Outback wagon, with prices now starting at $41,490 before on-road costs.

The price of the Outback, as well as the Impreza small car and XV small SUV, has been increased by $800 across all grades, with the blame attributed to the increased costs of production and logistics.

Subaru Australia says it has been forced to increase Outback by $800 across the range

Price hikes across the industry

It comes after sources told Chasing Cars a price increase for the Outback was imminent but thankfully the forecasted jump of $1000-$1500 has not come to pass in the latest price hike.

Subaru is far from the only manufacturer to increase prices, with brands such as Toyota, Volkswagen and Audi all pushing prices on some, if not all, vehicles without adding any extra equipment, thanks to supply shortages and other global issues.

Representing somewhat of a unique offering in the Australian market, the Subaru Outback competes primarily with raised wagons such as the Volkswagen Passat Alltrack and Volvo V60 Cross Country, but is considerably cheaper than both.

Chasing Cars has recognised the popularity of the Subaru Outback in Australia and is testing one over the next six months and 10,000km to evaluate the ownership experience.

Price increases have been across the industry

What does the Subaru Outback include?

The Outback is offered exclusively with a 2.5-litre petrol flat-four engine producing 138kW of power and 245Nm of torque which drives through Subaru’s well-known ‘Symmetrical’all-wheel-drive system via a CVT automatic transmission.

Subaru Australia says it is in negotiations with its headquarters in Japan to introduce the 194kW/375Nm 2.4-litre turbo-petrol flat-four to Australia which could add some much-needed gusto to this relaxed family wagon.

Subaru offers the wagon in a choice of three grades: the simply-named ‘Outback AWD’ followed by the Outback Sport and range-topping Outback Touring.

The Outback AWD comes with a range of features as standard including LED headlights, roof rails with built-in racks, 18-inch wheels and privacy glass for the rear seat.

An 11.6-inch touchscreen is fitted as standard

Inside the cabin, the driver benefits from 10-way power adjustment and an 11.6-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a six-speaker audio system and a raft of safety equipment including adaptive cruise control, and forwards and reversing AEB.

Stepping up to the Outback Sport adds water-repellant upholstery plus an eight-way power-adjustable seat for the front passenger and seat heating for the front row and rear outboard seats.

The top-spec Outback Touring is fitted with Nappa leather upholstery and gains seat ventilation in the front row, a nine-speaker Harman Kardon sound system and an electric sunroof.