Subaru Outback (or similar) towing an expo trailer? Warning - philosophical rambling

[djsixbillion]

This was my setup for deer camp last fall. The camper is a custom camper I built, it weighs 1360 with the propane tanks and rv battery on board. I stowed my gear in the back of the subaru so there wasn't so much weight behind me since the camper doesn't have brakes on the axle.

I had a 2" receiver hidden hitch installed that exceeds the rating of the vehicle, but I'm still well below the tow rating and tongue weight of the fozzie trailer brakes notwithstanding.

It towed great on the road and I just put it in 1st gear when it was time to drive back down the trail into the woods. It did great with the snow tires zipping right through the little bit of mud I encountered.

I did miss having the torque of the turbo off the line however. The 3.6 outback would probably be a great tow vehicle!

Very nice, is yours the 2.5 CVT or manual? I like the steel wheels as well, can you share the source?

[96discoXD]

Very nice, is yours the 2.5 CVT or manual? I like the steel wheels as well, can you share the source?

That is just the 2.5 NA motor with the standard 2010 4-speed automatic transmission.
The steel wheels came from Tire Rack with the snow tires mounted on them but they can likely be sourced sans tires as well. Hope that helps.

[Marc1904]

here's mine:


2011 2.5i CVT. Great car. Towed a 1200-1300lb trailer from San Diego to Black Rock City, NV, about 1500 miles round trip. Kept my mpg right at 25mpg. Stick something on the roof though and that drops a LOT faster.

Big negatives: rear camber NON adjustable. You lift it any, you get + camber. I ended up pulling the 2.5" lift off and keeping it around 1".
The AWD isn't as strong as I'd like. It gets in and out of some pretty sticky situations (for a wagon) but I've been stuck with 3 tires fully pressed in to the ground and all the power going to the one wheel that was spinning.

positive: the steel wheels came on the base model Outbacks. I ordered a spare from eBay for $50 so I could maintain a full size spare since the factory spare is rendered useless upon a tire change.

---Let me know if you want to trade rigs for a weekend.

[djsixbillion]

Nice looking rig, Marc1904. Your build thread was actually one that inspired me to start looking at the Subies. Next time I'm heading down to the Mojave or Anza Borrego I'll have to look you up!

[Marc1904]

Nice looking rig, Marc1904. Your build thread was actually one that inspired me to start looking at the Subies. Next time I'm heading down to the Mojave or Anza Borrego I'll have to look you up!

Please do! Can't wait till it starts cooling down... I've gone through a ton of Anza Borrego, but haven't really explored the Mojave yet...

[2Shoes]

I'm building my Outback to handle a small trailer with a roof top tent on it. Right now the roof top tent is on my Outback and my ARB 60L fridge freezer is in the back.

[Sleeping Dog]

The 2010 and newer OB has a tow rating of approximately 2700# with the 2.5 and 3000# with the 3.6. A couple of considerations for the 6 speed manual, in dry conditions power is deployed 50-50 front to rear, with the CVT it is 90-10 front to rear, the 5 speed auto of the 3.6 is 85-15 front to back. The manual is only available with the 2.5L four. If your towing mostly on paved or graded soft roads the OB will be fine, but I'd be concerned if you were towing through mud, deep ruts and rough trails. The car alone could handle it but adding a trailer could be a problem.

Jim

[Trailpsycho]

My understanding with my 05 Outback XT is that it has a towing capacity of 2700 lbs. An M416 should be fine. I do notice a 1-1.5 mpg diffference around town witht he RTT and the awning mounted on the roof rack. I get 23-24 around town in my 5 spd manual XT. I get 25-27 on the interstate...not sure what that will translate to with RTT or with pulling my M416...but I am guessing it will still be double of my 76 Bronco on 35"s with 5.5" of SL, a 5 L EFI engine and a NV4500 5 spd. For cruisng back highways, the bronco can see 14-15, but for interstate its 12-13+...I am hoping that getting rid of the MTs and going to some ATs will help a little with rolling resistance next year.

To the point, a 5 spd manual should serve you well as it is really a 50-50 split. My turbo makes amazing power, not sure how that would translate to climbing a steep pass with 1500 lbs of trailer and RTT in tow. I would guess that it would do well, though. I love my Subaru. But I will always be in love with my Bronco...even though she is a thirsty *****.

[tacksman]

Not to regenerate a kinda old thread, I've towed 2250 with my 2011 Outback 2.5 CVT from Bisbee AZ to Ventura CA with no issues. My fuel mileage averaged 25 mpg.
I was very reluctant about the weight, so i checked with my Dealer and he reassured me it would be fine. The trip went off good and i was surprised how well the Outback did.
I am currently building an expo trailer although no an M416 it will be in the same weight range. I say go for it, use the outback for your new rig.

[joshjan]

White Jeep 101.jpg

This is our 2012 Outback with a m416 trailer in full vacation mode. We do not travel light! Two adults, two little boys, 85 pound retriever inside the car and all of our stuff for the week on top and in the trailer. We managed 21 mpg going about 70-72 all interstate. Having stuff on the roof is the deal breaker for great mileage but the little 2.5 pulled the load ok. We have the cvt and I shifted it manually most of the way just so it would get out of it's own way. We actually had a 2011 outback with the 6 speed before this one and I think I would prefer the cvt to the manual for any towing. The manual seemed like it had a tall first gear which would make it tough on the clutch for any towing.