Subaru Outback Off Road
I recently learned of some decent trails just minutes from my home. Looking for something to get my kids out of the house, I loaded them up and headed out to do some off-road adventuring!
Primarily known as the Tahitian Village subdivision, this once-prominent development was a victim of the 2011 Bastrop forest fire. While there are many homes that survived and several other connected subdivisions, many people stopped building for fear that another fire could happen at any time.
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| The Lost Pines area of Bastrop, TX offers scenic views |
As we left the pavement, it became quickly evident these roads have been neglected for years. Unfortunately, the remoteness is also a haven for illegal dumping.
After traversing through a couple of junk piles and mounds of mulch, the trail became void of garbage and very scenic.
Running on my BF Goodrich KO2 tires, the rock and gravel road is not the smoothest by anymeans! Luckily Subarus have a decent suspension which really evened out the ride.
We arrived at our first obstacle as the road went into a dry creek bottom. The steep inclines made it great to test X-mode and its down hill descent feature. As advertised, the car began braking on it's own to maintain the 2 mph speed I began with.
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| The 2017 (Gen 5) Subaru Outback is well mannered on some of the roughest terrains. |
Traveling up the embankment on the other side, the KO2 tires and X-mode did its job and scrambled up the loose gravel like a billy goat and without dragging the front or rear of the car.
We then began venturing through the various old roads cut through the forest. Signs reading "water meter" are the only thing that reminds you this land was originally slated for development.
The rough, easy trail, ended up intersecting a power transmission line right-of-way. With my 9 and 12-year-olds as my co-pilots, I was told to turn right.
Ascending up the hill we stopped on the peak to enjoy the scenery as we overlooked Bastrop. The boys then spied a huge dip straight ahead and ordered me to start forward again. Like the initial obstacle, this dip also was traversing a dry creek, and X-mode did its job.
After topping the next rise, it soon became evident that the terrain was becoming more challenging as the road narrowed, and rain had created some uneven and somewhat deep ruts!
Since we were alone, I was not going to chance getting stuck or sliding down a hill and crashing! At this point, there were only two options: Back up or go forward!
The boys decided they felt like living on the edge and opted for option #2! I felt this was a good time to teach them about reading the terrain! We hopped out of the car and began looking at the ruts and reading the road. After a few minutes, I became confident we could safely make it through, but only at a snail's pace!
As we hit the uneven rut, which immediately turned into about a 6-inch drop, the Outback began to teeter-totter side to side. I had anticipated this, but it was a total surprise to the boys! At one point the front driver's side and rear passenger's side tires were only making contact and my boys were wanting me to quickly terminate this operation! Too late! We were committed!
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| Even in X-Mode, Subaru's AWD system limits tire spin. |
When Subaru's asymmetrical AWD has X-mode engaged, it directs power only to the tires that have traction, meaning I was able to power through with only two points of contact (oh, and downhill descent made sure I was still at snail speed!).
We made it down safe and sound and continued or trek!
My navigators were blindly leading me down various roads, which is why I had my GPS app on (and why I didn't get many good pictures!)
We finally met our match as we came down into a slope between two hills. The road became less rocky and transformed to red dirt. It was obvious this area holds water after a rain and is popular for 4x4 enthusiasts as ruts were nearly 3 feet deep. Obviously, tread lightly doesn't apply to these folks!
As I attempted an Austin Power's 23 point turn, I miscalculated a nearby rut and slid to the side a bit causing a high-center incident. Once again X-mode (and the kids rocking side to side) did the trick!
After that adventure, my boys decided they had enough and we began our way back out.
Stopping at the very first obstacle we began with, my kiddos wanted to try their hand at video journalism! Since GPS was no longer needed, I handed my phone over and had them record the last climb out before we hit the pavement.
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| X-mode allows for hill descent control, allowing you to maintain a slow and steady pace. |
Engaging X-mode for the last time, I crawled down the hill and began my ascent on the other side, only to be stopped by a root!
Since I was crawling, the root acted like a wheel chock and prevented me from going any further. Giving it full-throttle in X-mode, the car did absolutely nothing, other than a bit of rear tire spin, and there we sat! Backing up and getting a bit of momentum caused the root to be traversed without issue!
This apparently is a common issue with the AWD system in Subarus. A YouTube video showing a Subaru going up a mountain pass was stopped in its tracks by none other than a pesky tree root running across the road!
After getting back on the pavement, we decided to escape the 101-degree temperatures and head home!
After a 2,000 mile round trip to the Colorado mountains and my off-road adventure, I have found my 2017 Outback to be a very capable station wagon!
Marketed as a vehicle for outdoor adventures, the Outback delivers. Drivers need to keep in mind that Subaru never intended this vehicle to compete with Jeeps, Tacomas, and 4-Runners, thus it is not for extreme off-road adventures! With that said, my Outback has already taken my family places my old minivan would never dream of going!
If someone from Subaru is reading, take note! Find some way to keep the tires turning when you come up against an obstacle acting as a wheel chock! We would be much obliged!
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| The author's 9 and 12-year-old battle over the camera, while the Outback battles against a root in the road, preventing forward momentum! |
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