2023 Subaru Outback vs Ram 1500

What's the difference?

The Subaru Outback AWD Sport XT has been a great car for my family this week. It was popular with everyone and for good reason. It has loads of space, it's easy to handle and now has the grunt under the bonnet to satisfy me as a driver. However, you are paying for that grunt with the thirsty engine and that could become tiresome with the rising costs of fuel. At this price point, I also didn't love the weird-feeling material on the seats but it still impressed with its practicality and the safety features.

My son enjoyed being in this and loved the green accents and cool 'army' green colour. It was also a great height for him to get in and out of unassisted.

Applying our usual measures of workhorse practicality and efficiency to the TRX is difficult. It's an extreme machine designed for those who want the ultimate in luxury, performance and pose value in a pick-up truck, regardless of how large, thirsty and costly it may be. And on that scorecard, it has no equal.

Subaru has been pushing for sharper robust shapes lately and this is no different. It's a large car being 4870mm long and 1875mm wide but it still feels like a station wagon with that 1670mm height!

Everything is proportional and well sculpted with a long nose being complemented by sharper accents, like the rear tail-lights that jut out.

There are some areas of interest, like the green accents on the roof rails and black plastic body moulding, that tie in nicely with the contrasting green stitching of the interior trim.

The interior is pleasing to look at with the two-tone synthetic leather trim throughout, tapered cutaways in the dash and doors, plus stacks of soft touchpoints.

The only thing I don't really like is the 'water-resistant' material in the middle of the seats. It feels very synthetic and I wonder how it will wear over time.

Overall, it's a very handsome car, inside and out.

The TRX rides on an expansive 3686mm wheelbase, is just under 6.0 metres in length, a snip under 2.5 metres in width and stands just over 2.0 metres tall, with a bus-sized turning circle of almost 15 metres.

Off-road credentials include 295mm ground clearance, 812mm wading depth, 30.2 degrees approach angle, 21.9 degrees ramp breakover angle and 23.5 degrees departure angle.

The robust body-on-ladder-frame design features twin A-arm/coil spring front suspension and a five-link/coil-spring live rear axle, all damped by high performance Bilstein remote-reservoir shock absorbers. There’s also electric power-steering and, as you would expect, enormous disc brakes.

It looks oh-so-tough from any angle, from its wide-track stance to its pumped-out guards and wheel arch flares to its conspicuous engine scoops and vents that hint at the force-fed Hemi V8 that lurks within.

The standard of finish, given its extensive local RHD re-manufacturing, is outstanding.

The trim stitching is arrow-straight and the contrasting visual mix of carbon fibre, brushed metal, satin chrome, piano black and acres of cowhide in a tasteful blend of light and dark grey tones exudes opulence.

The complex RHD dashboard module is particularly impressive in its OEM quality and attention to detail.

The front bucket seats with their multiple power adjustments offer superb comfort and support and the rear seating is of limousine standard, even for tall adults who can genuinely stretch out thanks to palatial leg, shoulder, hip and head room.  

Although at its most luxurious with two rear passengers, three adults can travel comfortably in the rear on long trips, with the flat floor devoid of a transmission tunnel and access to four USB ports, a/c vents, outer seat heating/cooling and deep-tinted privacy glass.

I love how roomy the interior is. Taller occupants will be singing its praises (from both rows).

The 213mm ground clearance also makes this the perfect height to get in and out of, for my six-year old all the way to my 72-year old father. No grunts or complaints were heard this week!

Individual storage is great with a large glove box, middle console with a shallow shelf, two cupholders and drink bottle holders in the first and second rows plus double-sleeved map pockets in the second row.

Boot storage is good with 522L of capacity and a level load space – perfect for sliding in a pram or luggage.

There's no underfloor storage because of the full-size spare tyre but there are little pockets on the side of the wheel arches for smaller items. You can bump up the storage to 1783L when the back row is folded flat.

Considering Subaru's sponsorship of the ski fields, I was surprised that the back row only has a 60/40 split fold configuration and not a 40/20/40, which would allow for internal stowage of longer gear… like skis. However, you do get strengthened roof racks with anchor points for bigger gear.

The amenities in each row are pretty good, too. The rear seats enjoy directional air vents, USB ports, reading lights and heated outboard seats.

I enjoyed using the tech this week, it's easy to use and looks good. My favourite combo.

The 11.6-inch touchscreen multimedia system has built-in satellite navigation and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It was ridiculously easy to connect my iPhone and I like the Bluetooth connectivity, too.

There is a USB-A and USB-C port and (unusually) an 'aux' port in the front row, but backseat passengers can also stay charged up with two USB-A ports. There are two 12-volt sockets for other charging options but basically, you're sorted with outlets.

With its 3057kg kerb weight (the optional sunroof adds 24kg) and 3800kg GVM, our test vehicle has a relatively small 743kg payload rating.

It’s also rated to tow up to 3500kg of braked trailer, but to avoid exceeding its 6878kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) the TRX’s maximum payload would need to be reduced by 422kg to legally tow that weight.

And that would leave only 321kg of payload capacity, which could easily be used up by a crew of four adults without luggage. A more practical solution would be to simply lower the trailer weight by that same 422kg to 3078kg (which is still a large trailer) and keep the full payload.

The big load tub, with its tough spray-in liner, measures 1711mm long, 1687mm wide and 543mm deep. It also spans 1295mm between the wheel housings, so it would comfortably take one standard Aussie pallet or two Euro pallets.

There are four load-anchorage points at floor level and sliding-track adjustable load anchorage at the top level, so all load heights are catered for.

The big tailgate features an easy-drop/easy-raise function and there’s ample load tub lighting from the rear of the cab and inner sidewalls.

A multitude of cabin storage options starts with the front doors which have deep lower bins with large-bottle/small-bottle/cupholders, plus smaller bins at mid-height. There’s also an overhead glasses holder and upper and lower glove boxes.

The huge centre console has two small-bottle/cupholders in the centre and behind them is a cavernous box with a classy padded and suede-covered lid, plus two bottle holders at the back.

Outer rear passengers get two-tiered bins and a large-bottle holder in each door, plus pockets on each front seat backrest.

The rear seat's centre backrest can be folded down to reveal another sizeable console, with two small-bottle/cupholders and a padded lid that accesses a shallow bin, ideal for storing slim devices.

The rear floor also has access to large underfloor storage boxes on each side and the 60/40-split seat bases can be raised to reveal more storage space beneath.

They can also be stored vertically if more internal carry space is required. You won't run out of places to put stuff.

Our 'Flame Red' test vehicle comes with the TRX's exclusive 6.2-litre supercharged Hemi V8, plus 'TorqueFlite' eight-speed torque converter automatic and full-time 4WD for the princely sum of $209,950, plus on-road costs.

Our example is fitted with the only option, a full-length panoramic sunroof, which adds $10,000 to the price.

So, we’re talking $219K, which is a lot of coin for an American pick-up truck. However, if you look beyond its high-performance capabilities, it’s largely hand-built at RAM Trucks Australia’s right-hand drive re-manufacturing facility in Melbourne, which is the only RAM-authorised RHD manufacturing facility in the world.

It’s also packed with features, luxury and tech. There’s 18-inch black-finish alloy wheels and chunky 325/65R18 Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tyres plus a full-size alloy spare, 3500kg towing kit with trailer brake controller, recovery hooks front and rear, underbody protection, 360-degree and reversing cameras and more.

Inside you get luxurious leather and suede upholstery, carbon- fibre trim elements, paddle-shifters, huge 12-inch multimedia touchscreen with multiple connectivity, 7.0-inch colour driver’s information display, 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio, wireless phone charging, heated door mirrors, heated steering wheel, heated/cooled front and outer rear seating, nine USB ports and on it goes. What you might call fully-loaded.

Our model has the new 2.4-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol 'boxer' engine with a maximum output of 183 kilowatts and 350 Newton metres of torque. That's a big step up in power from the previous non-turbo engine.

The continuously variable auto transmission is relatively smooth and the combo means this handles open-road and urban conditions well.

The 6.2-litre Hemi V8 is armed with an 11psi twin-screw supercharger. Together with the bonnet’s unique air-induction system, it produces an eye-watering 523kW (702bhp) at 6100rpm and 882Nm (650ft/lbs) of torque at 4800rpm.

The eight-speed torque converter automatic offers a choice of sequential manual shifting, and overdrive on the top two ratios ensures low engine rpm to optimise fuel efficiency at highway speeds.

There's also launch control (!) plus eight drive modes comprising 'Snow', 'Tow', 'Sport', 'Baja', 'Mud/Sand', 'Rock', 'Custom' and 'Auto', linked to performance pages on the centre touchscreen. The Borg Warner full-time AWD system offers high and low range and there’s a locking rear diff.

The official combined fuel cycle figure is 9.0L/100km. Real world testing saw my figure at 9.6L/100km but that was after heavy open-road driving this week.

Unfortunately, it's thirsty and urban-dwellers will feel that the most at the bowser, but the upside is getting the extra grunt from the turbo.

The Outback has a relatively small 63L fuel tank for its size and only takes premium fuel (95 or higher).

Because heavy vehicles are not required to report their fuel consumption or CO2 emissions to comply with the Australian Design Rules, RAM does not list official figures for the TRX.

Even so, our TRX’s dash display was claiming average combined of 20.6L/100km at the conclusion of our 315km of testing, which included some ‘spirited’ driving (well, someone had to do it) and a mix of city, suburban and highway work of which about a third was hauling its maximum payload.

The TRX’s figure was close to our own, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, of 21.6L/100km.  

So, based on our figures, you could expect a realistic driving range of around 580km from its enormous 125-litre tank. And this beast drinks premium unleaded.

I thoroughly enjoyed driving this. The engine is powerful enough to easily handle winding mountain roads, always a plus in a big family car, but the pick up is also good and you can zip across traffic or overtake when needed.

The cabin is delightfully quiet and the suspension creates a smooth ride without being floaty.

The tight 11m turning circle and accurate steering means cornering feels concise and controlled.

It's pretty easy to manoeuvre this around but you'll miss having front parking sensors in a tight car park because the nose is deceptively long.

I like how crisp the image is from the reversing camera but it's disappointing that it doesn't have a 360-degree view camera for where this Sport XT sits in the model range.

There’s the sweet smell of leather when you open the door and climb aboard. The Hemi V8 booms into life, with the big dual exhaust outlets releasing a pulsating rumble at idle which leaves no doubt about this engine’s intent.

It’s easy to find a comfortable driving position with the powered multiple seat adjustments, height/reach adjustable steering column and big left footrest, which together with the sizeable door mirrors, cameras and driver aids provide commanding visual coverage.

The TRX tends to shrink around you the more time you spend behind the wheel. Even so, there’s no escaping the fact this is a large truck that requires planning ahead for each drive in terms of accessing narrow streets, multi-storey carparks, drive-thru takeaways, automatic car washes, etc.

When you hit the throttle hard from a standing start, the acceleration of a vehicle weighing more than three tonnes seems to defy the laws of physics.

With a thunderous roar, it leaps forward with unrelenting force as four paws provide ample grip and the supercharger emits a high-pitched whine reminiscent of a destructive wind. There's some serious muscle under your right foot.

By contrast, its alter-ego is happy to cruise around sedately, with barely a big toe on the accelerator pedal given its enormous torque.

It’s also an effortless highway cruiser, requiring only 1600rpm to maintain 110km/h. Engine and wind noise are low at these speeds, with most noise coming from the tyres’ aggressive off-road tread patterns, but it’s far from intrusive.

The ride is supple and with this much sprung weight it flattens out bumps like a hot iron across a crinkled shirt.

For our GVM test we forklifted 650kg into the load tub which with driver just snuck in under the 743kg payload limit. The rear coil springs compressed about 80mm under this load but with such long travel suspension that still left ample clearance to avoid any bottoming-out on our test route.

It also scoffed at our 30 per cent gradient 2.0km-long set-climb with this load on board, easily reaching the summit in fourth gear while barely touching the accelerator pedal.

Engine-braking on the way down in a manually-selected second gear was equally competent, as we never needed to touch the brakes to stay below the 60km/h speed limit.

Given the TRX’s size and weight, it’s not eligible to be assessed for an ANCAP star rating.

Even so, driver and front passenger are protected by multiple airbags and rear passengers share in side-curtain airbag protection.

There’s also forward collision warning with active braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic/trailer detection and lane departure warning, plus tyre pressure monitoring, park assist, 360-degree and reversing cameras, trailer sway control and more.

On-going costs are always something to consider and the Outback comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is standard for the market.

You can choose either a three- or five-year capped-priced servicing plan, the services average on the more expensive side at $515 annually on the five-year plan.

Servicing intervals are pretty good at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.

Warranty of three years/100,000km (whichever occurs first) is comparatively short in the local dual cab ute market. There’s also three years/100,000km of roadside assist. Service intervals are also relatively brief at six months/10,000km, but then Toyota has been doing that for decades.