Subaru Outback Named 2010
Sport/Utility of the Year. Subaru
First Automaker with two consecutive MOTOR
TREND Sport/Utility of the Year Titles
The Subaru
Outback's victory follows the Subaru Forester's win for the 2009 award,
making Subaru the first automaker to win two consecutive MOTOR TREND
Sport/Utility of the Year® awards.
MOTOR TREND editor-in-chief,
Angus MacKenzie, said "The 2010 Subaru Outback offers a unique
combination of comfort, efficiency, versatility and value. It boasts
car-like refinement, drivability and gas mileage on the road, yet is as
capable in the rough stuff as all but the most off-road focused sport
utilities. Thoughtfully engineered, cleverly detailed and competitively
priced, the Subaru Outback is a terrific all-rounder with broad appeal."
"We
are doubly proud and honored to receive the MOTOR TREND 2010
Sport/Utility of the Year® award for the second consecutive year" said
Thomas J. Doll, executive vice president and chief operating officer,
Subaru of America Inc. "To win the 2009 award for the Forester was
wonderful enough, but to have won for the 2010 Outback this year is
truly an outstanding achievement. The Subaru Outback is an icon of
performance and capability and was the original SUV alternative. Now
with its improved power, economy and increased dimensions it is the
complete package."
Speaking to Subaru of America's sales success
as the top performing automaker of 2009, Doll noted, "The success of our
business is founded not only on our outstanding products, but also on
the commitment and dedication of our retail sales network and great
sales and marketing programs. We are absolutely thrilled that MOTOR
TREND has added their validation to the Subaru brand."
Priced
from $22,995, and produced at Subaru's zero-landfill plant in Lafayette,
Indiana, the all-new Subaru Outback is available with either a 170-hp
2.5-liter four cylinder boxer engine or a 256-hp 3.6-liter six-cylinder
boxer engine. The 2010 Outback is built on an all-new platform featuring
a 2.8-inch longer wheelbase (now 107.9 inches) that improves ride and
interior space, especially rear seat legroom. The 2010 Outback also
features increased hip and shoulder room.
Living up to Subaru's
legendary safety record, the Outback offers cutting-edge safety
technology, including Subaru's ring reinforcement safety system, front,
seat-mounted side, and side-curtain airbags and ABS. Subaru Vehicle
Dynamics Control (VDC) system, which incorporates stability and traction
control systems with a roll-over sensor, is also standard equipment.
The
Subaru Outback was recently named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance
Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS).
To judge contenders for the
award, MOTOR TREND's editorial
staff conducted an exhaustive three-phase testing process. Phase one of
the process includes a full tech check and weigh-in, then full track
testing to establish baseline data for acceleration, braking, and
handling. Phase two involves three days of road loops offering a range
of road surfaces and traffic conditions to evaluate ride and handling,
engine and transmission smoothness and responsiveness, wind and road
noise, and ergonomics. A dirt-track section tests traction, stability,
and braking control systems. In phase three the judges debate and
deliberate. This year, the editors updated and expanded the judging
criteria to six new categories:
Design Advancement - well-executed exterior and interior
styling; innovative vehicle packaging; good selection and use of
materials.
Engineering
Excellence - total vehicle concept and execution; clever
solutions to packaging, manufacturing and dynamics issues;
cost-effective tech that benefits the consumer.
Intended Function - how well the vehicle does the job its
planners, designers, and engineers intended it to do.
Efficiency - low fuel consumption and carbon footprint,
relative to the vehicle's competitive set.
Safety - a vehicle's ability to help the driver avoid a
crash, as well as the secondary safety measures that protect its
occupants from harm during a crash.
Value - competitive price and equipment levels, measured
against those of vehicles in the same market segment.
MOTOR TREND's Sport/Utility of the Year® is not a
comparison test and is only open to all-new or substantially upgraded
vehicles that have gone on sale in the 12 months from November 1 of the
previous year. MOTOR TREND looks for the pick of each year's crop of new
SUV's, and does not revisit vehicles that have been on sale for the
past few years.