Outback 2.5i, 2.5i Special Edition & 2.5i Limited

For the best mileage, the 2.5i manual is your best bet, rated at 20/27 mpg city/highway. Along with 1 mpg better highway mileage, the five-speed stick will help you get better acceleration out of the base horizontally opposed four-cylinder. The automatic has enough oomph for grocery-getting and other errands, but it quickly gets winded when pushed hard. The transmission could use a fifth gear; in many cases you can press the gas pedal halfway down without inducing a downshift, which doesn't help your passing confidence.

Outback 3.0 R Limited

On the other end of the spectrum is the 3.0 R Limited's normally aspirated 3.0-liter H-6 engine, which shaves another city mpg in exchange for ... not much. As the table shows, it brings a negligible horsepower increase and much lower torque — at higher rpm, where you don't want it. This option is the key to towing 3,000-pound trailers, rather than 2,700 pounds with the four-cylinder. If you're not planning to tow, I just don't see the point of this engine.

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    Operation during cold weather
    Carry some emergency equipment, such as a window scraper, a bag of sand, flares, a small shovel and jumper cables. Check the battery and cables. Cold temperatures reduce battery capacity. The ba ...

    Play file
    NOTE - Copyright protected MP3/WMA/AAC files will not be played by the system. The player will automatically skip to the next file (track). - WMA9 Lossless, WMA9 Professional and WMA9 voice ...

    Security ID plate
    1) Key number plate 2) Security ID plate The security ID is stamped on the security ID plate attached to the key set. Write down the security ID and keep it in another safe place, not in the vehic ...