Japanese Car Auction Find – 2011 Subaru Outback

Earlier this week we learned that Subaru is trying to emulate the success of their Outback in the large crossover segment as they try to figure out how to replace the Tribeca in their lineup. In our opinion – and that of every other journalist in the automotive industry – the best thing Subaru could do is simply offer a three-row Outback. Today’s Japanese car auction find is a perfect example of why.

This 2011 Subaru Outback demonstrates why this station wagon is such a hot seller and proves that the Outback’s success is anything but short-lived. As a 2011 model, this would’ve been the second model year in the Outback’s fifth-generation, which lasted from 2009 (offered as a 2010MY) to 2014.

For the fifth-generation model, Subaru expanded the Outback’s cabin to offer more room for both driver and passengers, they improved fuel economy up to 22 mpg city / 29 mpg highway for the four-cylinder engine, and they did a great job of modernizing the exterior without losing that traditional Outback feel.

Looking at the auction sheet at the bottom of this post, you can see that this is a Subaru 2.5i. All fifth-gen Outbacks are AWD, and two engine options were offered for this model year – a 2.5L Boxer-4 with an emphasis on fuel economy and a 3.6L Boxer-6 with an emphasis on performance. Both are offered with Subaru’s Lineartronic CVT transmission.

As we said earlier, this is one of the 2.5L models, which means it outputs 170 horsepower. Again, this doesn’t hold a candle to true heavy-towing offroaders, but it’s more than enough for the average city driver.

Subaru made a number of other noteworthy improvements for the 2011 model year:

• An extra 4 inches have been added to rear seat legroom, and the driver will enjoy 3 inches of additional headroom
• Extra-wide front seats and reclining rear seats for maximum occupant comfort
• Steering wheel mounted paddle shifters for the automatic transmission (you can barely see them in the photo below)
• Electronic parking brake mounted on the center dash to allow more roam for cups and pocket storage between the seats

Of course, you can also see on the auction sheet that this Subaru Outback includes the EyeSight collision prevention system which originally debuted on the Subaru Legacy. Subaru EyeSight was awarded the “Best Technology” in 2010 by Japan Automotive Hall of Fame.

It’s easy to see why the Subaru Outback continues to be one of the best-selling wagons both in the US and internationally, and why it remains as the arguable crown jewel of Subaru’s lineup. To learn more about this particular Japanese car auction find, you can find a full translation of the auction sheet below:

“Grade 4, interior A, exterior B, first registered August 2011, DBA emissions code, 2.5 i-Sight SI Drive model, four-wheel-drive, FAT, AAC, original option navigation system with digital TV, black leather seats, power heated seat, HID lights, indicator door mirrors, i-Sight, cruise control, power steering, power windows, original alloy wheels, airbags, ABS, one owner, smart key, aftermarket alloy wheels, snow tires, light scratches, front windshield scratched, minor scratches and minor dents, marks as per map”