Subaru isn't huge in the United Kingdom. According to SMMT data, the Subaru Corporation's automotive division moved 899 vehicles in this part of the world from January 2024 through March 2024, which puts it well below the likes of Porsche, Lexus, Jeep, Mazda, and the Dacia brand.
Despite being a small player in a market where new vehicle registrations totaled 1.9 million last year, the Tokyo-based manufacturer decided to launch a special edition of the Outback. Limited to 100 examples nationwide, Outback Touring X comes exclusively in Subaru Geyser Blue Metallic exterior paint over a black leather-wrapped interior.
£43,635 on the road means $54,035 at current exchange rates, including the first registration fee, number plates, and the first year of road tax. Otherwise put, Outback Touring X slots above the 2.5i Touring (£42,490 at the moment of reporting). Lower down the spectrum, the mid-sized crosswagon is available in either 2.5i Field (£40,990) or 2.5i Limited (£36,990) flavor.
Available beginning May 1, the Outback Touring X targets the outdoorsy customer who also cares about styling. It all starts with dark metallic 18-inch alloys and crystal black for the side mirrors, black-finished roof rails, gloss black for the lower fascias of the front and rear bumpers, and gloss black for the radiator grille. Unfortunately, the gloss-finish garnish is certain to get scratched rather easily.
In addition to Nappa leather on the front and rear heated seats, the interior of the Outback Touring X sweetens the deal with a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift lever boot, a reversing camera, a sunroof, and 11.6-inch touchscreen infotainment. As expected, the portrait-mounted infotainment system flaunts Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and satellite navigation. An 11-speaker audio system by Harman Kardon also needs to be mentioned.
Photo: Subaru UK
Similar to the Outback for the United States market, Outback Touring X for the United Kingdom is all-wheel drive by default. Based on the Subaru Global Platform of pretty much all Scoobies, with the notable exceptions of the rear-drive BRZ and the Toyota bZ4X-twinned Solterra electric crossover, this fellow boasts the X-MODE terrain system.
X-MODE is Subaru vernacular for limiting wheel slip and enhancing grip, with the system doing exactly that by working its magic on throttle response, the transmission, all-wheel-drive system, braking system, and the Vehicle Dynamics Control system. The Lineartronic transmission of the Outback is a chain-type CVT with paddle shifters and eight-speed manual shifting mode.
The reasoning behind those paddle shifters and the manual shifting mode is rather simple: maximum torque when driving uphill and engine braking when driving on a downhill road. As opposed to the Outback for the US market, which comes from the Lafayette plant in the state of Indiana, the Outback for the UK market is produced in Japan.
It also happens to differ under the hood, with Subaru offering the naturally aspirated 2.5er in the United Kingdom as opposed to said engine and a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-pot boxer in the US. Gifted with direct injection, the 2.5er belts out 169 PS and 252 Nm (167 horsepower and 186 pound-feet).
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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