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Outback

The 2010 MotorTrend SUV of the Year. How far we've come since the day Subaru decided to add body cladding and a suspension lift to their Legacy and got Paul Hogan to hawk a vehicle as a capable and more fuel efficient alternative to larger, truck-based SUVS.  That vehicle "[the Outback] saved our company." according with Tim Mahoney, Senior Vice President of Subaru by exceeding Sales expectations. 

Coming off it's 2009 win for the Forester, MotorTrend stated that Subaru fought "fighting off several tough adversaries -- and undoubtedly some unspoken but very real bias among our judges against repeat winners -- Subaru's new, fourth-generation Outback scored a decisive 10-1 victory in the final voting" to take MotorTrends 2010 crown. (Read the full article here.)

 In pointing out that Subaru was successfully reshaping the very definition of "sport/utility vehicle" -- melding the multi-mission prowess of true SUVs with the driving refinement, fuel-frugality, and easy access of wagons and sedans MotorTrend highlighted:

  • At 34.3/71.3 cubic feet (back seat up/down), it's got more cargo room than the Terrain and Equinox twins." Maximum cargo capacity, in fact, tops both a "classic SUV" like the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota's big "it's-not-a-crossover-it's-a-car" Venza.
  • With a new found 8.7 inches of ground clearance, the 2010 Outback actually betters the SUV Grand Cherokee-yet the Subaru also offers a lower and more carlike step-in height. "A nice answer to the crossover solution of lowering an SUV to human size," notes Detroit editor Todd Lassa.
  • The Outback shines with bona-fide SUV prowess and versatility. Yet it does so without typical SUV penalties. Fuel economy with the six-cylinder is 18/25 EPA mpg compared with 15/20 for the V-6 Grand Cherokee 4WD. And while the purposeful 4Runner took dings for  "slobbery" on-road handling, the Outback drew applause.
  • Subaru has made significant upgrades to its tried and true 2.5 liter flat-4. Peak horsepower and torque are now realized 400 rpm sooner than before and is competitive within its class. A Honda CR-V EX-L AWD needs 9.5 ticks to reach 60 and 17.2 at 79 to nab the quarter. Thus, the 2.5 CVT is more about A-to-B impeccability than stoplight to stoplight bragging rights, and is perfectly happy leaving the pink-slip battles to the 3.6R.