2017 Subaru Outback 6cyl

DCF

Hi everyone. Thanks in advance for your feedback. We are really interested in the 2021 tab 320 S Boondock, but are concerned that we are pushing it with the towing (2700 lbs) and hitch (200 lbs) capacity. We live in the Pacific Northwest and will be traversing mountain passes.  Does anyone have any experience or recommendations.  We definitely want a travel trailer but don’t want to buy a new vehicle just to get one.

VictoriaP

Strong disrecommend. The 200 lb tongue weight limit is almost impossible to stay below, and 2700 lbs overall is just *barely* adequate for a 320. I took my 2015 3.6r out twice with my Tab, over Snoqualmie and Blewett Passes, and I’m shopping for a better tow vehicle. 

Going overlimit on tongue weight with the unibody construction of the Outback can seriously damage your car. The 200 lb tongue weight limit is a nightmare. It means you can’t carry a bike on the hitch while towing, can’t have a second battery or extra propane or the spare tire or a generator on the a-frame of the tongue, can’t load up the cargo area of the car instead with all the gear you can’t carry in the trailer. With the extra weight of the Boondock, it can even mean you can’t carry your groceries in the fridge because it ends up too front heavy. Even with the trailer absolutely empty (which, BTW, doesn’t tow as well), you can’t get to the ideal of 10-15% of trailer weight on the tongue.

If you decide you truly want a Tab, the 2020 Subaru Outback XT trims can handle a 350 lb tongue and 3500 lbs overall. They are the ONLY Outback that is adequate, and the Ascent is still a much better choice for towing. If you can’t give up the current car, you need to stick with trailers that don’t go above around 100 lbs dry tongue weight, to give you room to load your own gear, and you need to weigh that tongue every time you load to be sure you don’t end up overlimit.

If you live somewhere totally flat, never travel over a pass, and basically pack like you’re backpacking, you can get away with it. Otherwise, it’s a bad idea. Yes, people do it and claim it’s fine. You’ll find most of them do not live near mountain passes, and rarely do they know how much weight they’re carrying when asked.

DCF

Hi VictoriaP

thank you for your thoughtful and thorough reply.  It was incredibly helpful and appreciated.  

VictoriaP

DCF said:

Hi VictoriaP

thank you for your thoughtful and thorough reply.  It was incredibly helpful and appreciated.  

You’re very welcome, I only wish it was better news. I honestly wish I’d listened to my instincts and not to fellow Outback owners who said it was a non issue. Buying into that idea was a costly lesson.

If you do decide you still want a Tab, this forum has tons of posts on recommended tow vehicles. The bare minimum towing limit you want for a new 320 is 3500 pounds, mid sized SUVs with a 5000 lb limit are pretty ideal as that will allow you to carry nearly anything your heart desires. But we have a pretty large contingent who will argue that you’re still best off with a mid size pickup or larger.

schout

We just switched out our 2015 Subaru Outback 3.6r for a Toyota Highlander  (5000 lb towing) because of  this issue.  We never towed our new T@B with the Outback,  We just did our first trip with the T@B and we're glad we didn't have to carefully manage tongue weight.  

Sharon_is_SAM

I will add there are several of us towing with minivans.  No problems, even out west.

Homebodyatheart

@schout congratulations! I've got the 2015 Highlander, bought gently used while my 2017 320S was on order. It's a great TV, comfy ride and lots of cabin space for all those outside extras I drag along!

elbereth

@DCF, we’re on our third year (and somewhere north of 10,000 miles) towing a 320 CS-S with the regular 4-cyl Outback and we and the car are doing just fine.  We’ve carefully measured tongue weight and I think it helps with the CS-S that the kitchen is behind the axle. 

That said, we’re in Minnesota and so we’re not doing mountain passes at all.  I would expect a struggle if we were trying to go up any real hills, so for anyone who’s regularly traveling real mountains I think the Outback would be underpowered.

We have also not moved the spare tire up to the tongue from under the back, because of the tongue weight issue.  So for folks from the flat midwest who are thinking about the Outback, there is definitely some limitation.  OTOH it’s been worth it to us to keep the Outback as a daily driver.