Subaru Outback 2022 wait times: three month delays on some grades in Australia

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Buyers of the 2022 Subaru Outback wagon in Australia are facing delivery delays of between two and three months on their new vehicle, Subaru Australia has told Chasing Cars.

The company says wait times vary depending on factors such as the variant and colour chosen – and directs buyers to speak to a dealer to determine specs and colours that may be able to be delivered faster.

Despite the delays, the Outback actually has a shorter wait time than its chief rival the Volkswagen Passat Alltrack which quotes an estimated delivery date of June 2022, while the Volvo V60 Cross Country has been forced to delete its power tailgate to ensure a steady flow of supply. 

It comes after Subaru reported a shutdown of its Japanese factories in February that supply vehicles to Australia, with the blame laid on a critical shortage of parts available.

Extended delays have become the norm across the industry due to the semiconductor shortage and other supply chain disruptions brought on by the pandemic.

The Outback officially sits in the large SUV segment inhabited by the Toyota Prado but competes more closely with raised wagons such as the Volkswagen Passat Alltrack.

Since its launch late last year, the Outback has become the third best-selling car in its segment, prompting Chasing Cars to run one on a long term test over six months and 10,000km to investigate the real-world ownership experience.

What is the Subaru Outback?

Subaru offers the Outback in a choice of four grades with the entry-level grade known as the Outback AWD, followed by the AWD Premium, AWD Sport and the top-spec AWD Premium. 

Prices start from $40,690 (before on-roads) for Outback AWD and top out at $48,990 for the AWD Touring.

The Outback includes a range of features as standard including an 11.6-inch portrait touchscreen, cloth upholstery, LED headlights and fog lights, as well as a raft of safety equipment that saw it earn five stars under ANCAPs stringent 2020 testing protocol. 

Buyers who step up to higher grades net features like an electric sunroof, a nine-speaker Harman Kardon sound system as well as Nappa leather seats equipped with heating, cooling and power adjustment.

All variants of the Outback use a 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated flat-four petrol engine that sends 138kW of power and 245Nm of torque to CVT automatic and Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel-drive system.

Subaru has been working to bring a strong 2.4-litre turbo-petrol flat four to Australia that could see outputs boosted to 194kW and 376Nm.

The information provided on the Outback’s wait times is likely to change as the situation develops so stay tuned for more updates.

Subaru Outback 2022: prices in Australia

All prices listed are before on-road costs.

• Outback AWD: $40,690
• Outback AWD Premium Special Edition: $44,190
• Outback AWD Sport: $45,190
• Outback AWD Touring: $48,990