Subaru Outback tow vehicle ??

Kathy

Thanks for adding me. I have a 2014 Outback 4 cylinder. Do any of you tow a T@B with one ? Any info will be appreciated.

Cyclonic

Welcome aboard. The Outback 2.5i has a capacity of 2700 pounds, so you should be good with it as a tow vehicle. I know others here do tow with them, so they should be more informative on performance.

Wanderoo

Hi, Kathy -- I don't think you will have a problem towing with an Outback.  However, Subaru owners who tow with a T@B do have to be more careful about the weight of the stuff we carry with us.  I tow with a Subaru Forester, and it tows just fine although hills are a  little slow.  Another Forum member tipped me off about using the "manual mode" (I have an automatic transmission) when towing to avoid the annoying overdrive "roar."  I tried using that method when I towed last weekend, and it is amazingly easy and there is no roar.  I don't know if the Outback has that capability or not.  I think it's also referred to as the Sport Mode.  In addition, I added an external transmission cooler.

I feel my Forester is stable pulling the T@B, and with the electric brakes I feel safe.  I would have no hesitation towing with an Outback.   

:-h

[Deleted User]

Beth,  I don't mean to be contrary here, but just an FYI  .... the roar you hear is not "overdrive" but rather the tranny shifting to a much lower gear which raises the RPM. "Overdrive" is actually the tallest gear set used for cruising on flat ground and generating the least amount of RPM.  >-

Wanderoo

Thanks, Neil.  I really do want to use the correct terms as I learn about all this stuff.  In my next life, I'm going to be a guy.  And if for some reason I can't pull that off, I'm going to listen to my dad more and pick his brain about cars, engines, batteries, pumps, water pipes, plumber's putty, etc. 

stanm

Kathy,
We just got back from a weekend trip with our 2014 T@B Q. We have a 2013 Outback, 4 cyl (no transmission cooler) and it tows like a dream! We have made several trips over the Cascades and along the Columbia River here in Washington State. This last weekend we went over Snoqualmie Pass (3,022 ft) on I-90 and then over Blewett Pass (4,124 ft) and back again on the return trip. It's a pretty steep climb over Blewett but Snoqualmie is a freeway so the climb isn't quite as steep. Over Snoqualmie I am able to set the speed control to 55 or 60 and the Outback just goes. Over Blewett, I also set the speed control, but only 50 or 55 and I did use the manual shift over the steepest parts. We averaged ~15 MPG for the whole 350 mile trip. Generally when I don't have passes to go over, I get closer to ~19 or 20 MPG with the T@B. (25-30 MPG when not towing the T@B) I like towing with the Outback because we live in the city and it's our primary vehicle. I couldn't be happier with the Outback as my tow vehicle.

As an aside, the Subaru service guys at Chaplin's (my dealer) have no concerns with towing the T@B and when I was first introduced to T@Bs and the Seattle RV show, Chris, the LG marketing director pointed out that they use Outbacks as their tow vehicles.

Enjoy...stan

TABoo

You should look up tow capacity. It was 2700 for the regular 4 cylinder outback and 3000 for the H6. I looked at outbacks and foresters, but at 1760 dry weight for an s model, the forester that I looked at didnt have the tow capacity (though it seems some people here tow with them so maybe they have been upgraded), and the outback was too close for me personally considering that I carry a lot of stuff in the tow vehicle and also plan to do a fair amount of camping without hookups. So, my advice would be it can tow, but depends on how much weight you'll have in the tow vehicle (people and cargo).

Kathy

My 4 cylinder Outback has a tow capacity of 2700 lbs. I would be camping solo, St Parks and packing light.

TABoo

More than fine, imo.

Kathy

Thank you all for your info.  Stan, do you use extension tow mirrors on your Outback to get better viability behind T@B ?

XPADREX

Are these Foerestrii all Cvt transmissions?

Wanderoo

Xpadrex -- My 2013 Forester does not have CVT.  I do not know about the Outbacks.

Kathy -- I do use extension tow mirrors that I bought from Camping World.  They are "okay" but not that great.  RZRBUG and I had a discussion thread about tow mirrors, which I think you can search in this Forum.  Larry bought some different tow mirrors, and I would like to hear how he likes them following his Gulf tour.  I feel better having the extension mirrors.  The ones I bought have little gripper feet on them that seem to slip, but if I adjust them periodically, they do the job.

stanm

Kathy,
I do not use towing mirrors. The T@B seems to be about the same width or just a little narrower than the Outback so I feel like I can see just fine with the stock Outback mirrors.

tabasco

Hi kathy,

              I tow with a 2005 forester automatic and have no problem, I did instal an external oil cooler to prevent trans overheating.We have taken the T@B over some pretty high and steep passes in the Rockies, a fair amount of gear work involved,                              

     ( sometimes leaving it up to the trans in D. other times selecting the gear I want if its very steep.) I do not have mirror extensions and really cant say I need them. An old saying is- if you cant see  somebody behind you, they are too damn close!

      Seem to average 15 mpg in the mountains and 20 on the level highways, mostly  cruising at 55 or 60, anything faster creates and awful lot of aerodynamic drag and affects fuel consumption, although I have towed at 70 plus on occasion quite safely.

      Our T@B is a 2005 and is a bit lighter than the later models (1450 lbs ) with a tongue weight of about 150 lbs when loaded, and tows like a dream. Hope this helps a little, enjoy the adventure. Bern.

mazamabill

I just purchased a 2014 T@B model S and hauled it from Spokane to the Methow Valley with our 2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i. It actually handled fine, but did have to go into pretty high rpms to get up some of the hills and I found that 55 is a better speed than 60 or 65. I was dismayed by the reduction in gas mileage (from 28 mpg to about 17 mpg!), but from the other posts on the forum, it appears that this is normal. 

TomStephens1

I bought a 2016 Outback to tow my new t@b CS-S late last year.  We've been on two extensive trips with no problems.  In fact, I'm very excited about our next adventure from the SF area to Oregon and back to see my daughter and son in two weeks. We don't expect any issues.  Subaru and T@B's were are a perfect fit!

vito

I use my 2011 Outback, with the 6-cylinder engine, to tow our Tab S-Maxx. With the 3,000 pound towing capacity we don't have to be overly careful of what we leave in the T@b while traveling. However, even with the 6-cylinder, we have to keep the speed down to around 60 or 65 at most. Above that, although the Outback can certainly tow at a faster speed, we had the a/c cut out because it was just too much strain on the engine. I think the Outback is an acceptable tow vehicle, but certainly not ideal. But then again, we bought the T@b in the first place because it allowed us to NOT have to buy a bigger vehicle as the tow vehicle. And as a rough estimate, you can expect your mpg to drop by 50% when towing, and even more if traveling at real Interstate speeds. 

cbarnhill

Kathy: I pull my 2015 MaxS with a 2015 4-cylinder Subaru Outback and if tows fine. I hardly notice it back there. On some major hills, it slows some, but that is to be expected. Like Mazamabill says, mpg averages 17 mpg,

Hans111

Kathy said:

Thank you all for your info.  Stan, do you use extension tow mirrors on your Outback to get better viability behind T@B ?

Kathy:
I use these tow mirrors on our Subaru Outback. They are very stable and a speedy on/off. They aren't absolutely necessary but they sure gave me more confidence when I was new to towing.
http://www.amazon.com/JR-Products-2912-Towing-Mirror/dp/B0095TC6I6/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1460658168&sr=1-1&keywords=JR+Products+2912+Grand+Aero+Towing+Mirror+-+Pair

bigskybound

Our first tow vehicle was a 2004 Forester manual 5 speed.  Towed great.  Then tried a Nissan Frontier 6 cyl. automatic.  Not as good.  Now it is an 8 cyl F150.  Trailer? What trailer?

vito

I use the same extension mirrors that Hans111 mentions above. I find them more than helpful to get a better view of what is behind the trailer. 

Allie

I had a 2009 4 cyl. Forester.  I should have listened to those who said to get the external transmission cooler.  Going thru CO I could smell the transmission oil burning.

duncanmarla

We picked up our new MAX-S last weekend, quickly packed it up, hooked it up to our 2007 Subaru Tribeca and headed off to the ocean. About 100 miles later the radiator split a seam, by the time I was able to find a safe spot to pull over the engine overheated. Our auto insurance towed the car to the nearest Subaru dealer in Olympia WA and this good Samaritan at a nearby used car lot loaned us a pick-up for nothing to get our shiny T@B home.

The dealer told me the engine was toast, he assured me it was nothing to do with me towing. We now have a shiny new 2016 Outback V6, after that experience my wife and I wanted the security of the additional towing capacity, yeah the gas mileage is not as good as the 4 cylinder but we always had somewhat underpowered cars so it was time for a change (no more kids at home with lead feet!).

So lesson learned from all that for me we will be buying the AAA RV Plus for our next road trip.  Standard car insurance towing coverage on the car is only 29 miles and the trailer only gets towed if its damaged (we do have RV insurance for it too).

We need to get a hitch added to the new Scubie so we get out again, can't wait.

keithp

I bought a 2016 3.6l outback after my Odyssey transmission died. Torklift hitch and Hopkins Insight brake controller with the display and control mounted in the center console and the box hidden up under the dash.

TomStephens1

Headed out next week for an eight day excursion with out T@B and 2016 Outback.  This will be our third. No issues.  Great car. Great T@B!