2020 Subaru Outback vs Mazda CX-5

What's the difference?

When the Subaru Outback first arrived in the mid-1990s it was an all-wheel drive station wagon with extra ground clearance for the occasional adventure… and it still is.

That the Outback never morphed into a fully-fledged SUV makes it a rare species in a world that’s fallen under the spell of big, tall, boxy machines.

Being a bit different isn’t the only reason for buying an Outback, however, and the 2.5i Premium I tested could be the pick of the model line-up.  

During my week with the car I drove hundreds of kilometres, did the daily commute and the preschool drop off, had some dirt road fun and even intentionally locked myself out of it.

The result is this: everything you need to know about the Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium.

I think it's fair to say the Mazda CX-5 has done about as much a single model line could have done for the population explosion of SUVs. The car is still selling like crazy when the economy isn't crippled by a global pandemic and that's despite the second-generation shuffling itself into more upmarket territory.

The CX-5 Akera is not the car people tend to go into Mazda dealers to buy without first doing their homework. Despite hardly anyone (relatively speaking) buying the Akera, you have a choice of three engines, the naturally aspirated petrol, the turbo-petrol and the turbo-diesel (in ascending price order).

The latter two both start at over $50,000. You can't spend that much on a Tucson or a Sportage, or even a RAV4. So you're going to want to know what you're getting yourself into, right?