Estate 2.5i SE Premium Lineartronic 5dr

Excellent car

Now at 38,000 miles and running well. At 30,000 miles replaced original Dueler tyres with Yokohama BluEarth-4s which have given better grip in winter and off-road. No noticeable effect on mpg. Recent 1,000 mile round trip to Devon showed 41mpg. The local driving in Devon lanes sc***ed just over 30mpg.
At 36,000 mile service replaced front discs which seemed early. An omission that, despite all the electronics, there is no warning light for break pad wear. With hindsight should have replaced pads sooner to get more life out of discs. That said the garage commented that disc quality had diminished.
The other problem that almost made me sell the car was battery failure. Now on the third battery after two failures. Replaced under warranty - thank you Ian Grieve of Falkirk - and the higher capacity battery now fitted is so far faultless.
There is a lot of online chat about battery drain caused by complex digital systems not fully shutting down. Another comment suggests that the alternator settings are minimised to improve mpg figures. I have no idea if any of this is correct. I’ve only experienced the end result.

It is so frustrating to return from holiday to a dead battery. Should an isolator switch be fitted or can you disconnect the battery without disrupting systems?
Despite the battery problems - now hopefully sorted - the Outback is a good car that drives well, has capacious load space and leg room. I have no plans to change for a while yet.

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