MWest Blog

The 2017 Outback: A Driver's Perspective The author's 2017 Outback exploring backroads By and large, when you search the internet for a 2017 Subaru Outback, you will get numerous results on how off-road capable the Subaru is or how it compares to other vehicles in its class. Scattered amongst the videos and photos of Outbacks scrambling up mountainsides, through mud, and plowing through snow, there is very little on articles or blogs about how the Subaru does as a daily driver. About the only exception to this rule is joining a Subaru Outback or related internet forum. It has been a little over one year and 22,000 miles since I drove my pre-owned 2017 Subaru Outback off the lot. A majority of those miles involved highway driving during my 60-mile round trip commute to downtown Austin and back. This commute meant driving through numerous construction zones and crawling down the road at a snail’s pace. It also meant dealing with less than stellar drivers and construction vehicles...

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. The Lost Pines area of Bastrop, TX offers scenic views  This left the western portion of the subdivision undeveloped, neglected, and left to Mother Nature's doing. Despite the lack of maintenance, the forest on this side was untouched by the fire, making it full of dense growth and wonderfully scenic place! Another geographic curve ball that is thrown into this area is the hilly and very steep rocky terrain! As we left the pavement,  it became quickly evident these roads have been neg...