What's the difference?
The Subaru Outback holds a special place in the hearts of adventurers everywhere. It’s long been regarded by its fans as a genuine mix of decent on-road manners, family-friendly practicality and sound off-road capability. Just right for light-duty off-roading.
Now, Subaru claims, it has made the Outback even better and a new off-road-focussed variant called the all-wheel-drive Wilderness now sits near the top of the line-up.
The Wilderness is equipped with a 2.4-litre turbo-petrol, four-cylinder, horizontally-opposed 'boxer' engine, 240mm of ground clearance, improved approach/departure angles and electronically controlled dampers.
But is this new Outback all it’s cracked up to be? Read on.
Once upon a time, not very long ago, there were tough choices to make when it came to buying a seven-seat SUV. Did you want lots of space? A hybrid? Or, for it to be affordable?
In a move that will no doubt horrify old favourites, Chery’s new Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid sets out to prove you can have all of these things at once.
Offering seven seats in an ideal upper mid-sized format, complete with a plug-in hybrid system at the price of a combustion rival, the Tiggo 8 ticks too many boxes to count.
Is it too good to be true? We went to its Australian launch to find out.
If you’re a Subaru fan chances are the Wilderness will float your boat. It’s an appealing mix of on-road refinement and more than satisfactory capability on bush tracks.
The Wilderness engine-and-CVT combination helps to make this Subaru well refined and highly responsive on-road and it benefits from punchier low-rev output in off-road scenarios.
Subaru has made a habit of producing practical vehicles and this new addition to the upgraded Outback line-up doesn’t disappoint.
Does anyone need a Wilderness version of the Outback? Probably not. Will anyone want a Wilderness edition Outback? I reckon a lot of Outback fans would fall over themselves to get their hands on one of these.
A bargain price, clever hybrid system, and a spacious interior with useful third row is a rare and potent combination which should continue to catapult Chery into a successful future.
Sure, the dull driving dynamics, sometimes befuddling software, and over reliance on touchscreens could and should be addressed, but at this price and with these ownership terms, the Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid is a tough proposition to argue with.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.