I tow a 1600 pound T@b camper, tongue weight 155 lbs. I am looking at a 2014 Outback with a 4 cylinder, 2.5L. Will the Outback tow this? Is this a good idea?

I must add there is an ** by the 2700lb rating. ** When adequately equipped, which may require engine and/or other drivetrain upgrades. But he 3.6l engine is only 300lbs more. They are likely talking about an aux. transmission cooler, which is a good thing to have anyway

JVTP - be very careful here; I contacted Subaru of America and my local dealership about a transmission cooler which I thought about as well. Apparently, the CVT transmission on this car already has a transmission cooler built in and adding another one will create another single point of failure. If your cooler hose breaks or leaks, you're going to have a major problem on your hands. My advice is, just drive and enjoy your car and know that the engineers at Subaru have figured this out. I have a teardrop trailer and have towed it to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and to Sequoia with no problems and temperatures were near 95 plus.

JVTP - One more thing, the 2.5 Four cylinder will definitely be OK for your TAB, I've seen and talked with other people that have your trailer, but, with the extra weight it might slow you down a bit on mountain roads or steep climbs. Not to worry though , the Boxer engine is strong enough to pull this off. The main difference between the Four and Six in this case is acceleration. Of course, the H6 engine has 70 more horsepower and will more easily takeoff, but, it takes a few beats to get going. The really big difference is the fuel mileage. I'm getting 21 to 22 mpg towing with my rig overall and I just came back from Sequoia Kings Canyon. My trailer is only 900 pounds fully loaded, so, even if you get 18 mpg , you should be fine. And for 2014, only the Four is offered with the CVT transmission. In 2015, all Outbacks Four cylinder and Six cylinder engines have the CVT transmission. As far as I'm concerned, the Four is adequate for this car. I'm sure that you're not towing all the time anyway and you can only drive 55 towing in California, so, why would you need fast acceleration. I imagine that you do have electric brakes on your trailer coordinated with the car? Even so, you can downshift with the CVT paddle shifters on the steering column. You do have the CVT transmission, correct or do you have the manual?

Have 2015 6 cylander subaru outback , tows the t@b really well. One problem with the outback subaru it has a donut tire. Can not tow a t@ b with a donut tire so looking now where to put the full size spare. Will not fit in /or on the car....

I have a 2014 Outback 2.5i. I just drove 275 miles from Fort Lauderdale to Ocala to pick up a 5x8 V-nose aluminum cargo trailer. The empty trailer weighs 850 pounds. Almost all Turnpike driving. I got 32 mpg on the way there and 14.6 mpg on the way back! Had to use Paddle shifters for the best mileage. 5th gear would allow acceleration up to 70mph at about 10 mpg, Then shifting to 6th getting close to 16 mpg as the speed would bleed off at full throttle. As it slowed into the low 60's I'd have to shift back to 5th again to accellerate back up. I didn't expect the mileage to be that bad. Empty trailer and empty car (just me and gas). Just leaving it in 5th gear was getting me around 13 mpg. I towed a 2500# boat last year and got 7 mpg. Won't try that again!

Guzzler2014- WOW, that "utility trailer" must not be very aerodynamic, because I'm getting 21 mpg towing my teardrop trailer. See the picture above with my car. I just let it shift automatically and didn't bother with paddle shifters even though I have them. Why exactly did you think that you would get better fuel economy by shifting manually??

Guzzler2014- one more thing, I got this fuel efficiency going between 55 and 60 mile per hour. That's the legal limit for pulling a trailer in California. YES, you certainly can go faster in other states and that's entirely your pregrogotive, but, I can certainly tell you that it won't be as safe and you're just burning extra fuel.

Post a picture of your trailer..... Yeah, I can certainly see how towing a 2500 pound boat would make your gas mileage tank. The tow capacity of the 2.5 Four is 2,700 pounds. I'm sure that this had a dramatic effect on performance... Generally, I would not recommend towing more than 75 percent of the total capacity. And, the tow vehicle should always be the heaviest vehicle for safety. Just my opinion.

Yes, I think 55-60 mph would have helped a lot but with 70 mph speed limit and most cars and trucks exceeding that I wanted to average at least 65. In automatic it would never get above 5th gear and even go to 4th for slight inclines. Florida is pretty flat. Manual showed much better on the mpg gauge. I know it's all aerodynamic drag and not the weight. Anybody know how much one of those cartoons wind deflectors would help? Here's a photo of the trailer.

Sorry. "Cartoons" is supposed to be "car top".

Thanks, it's much less aerodynamic than my teardrop... but,. I've seen worse situations with "canned ham" styled trailers. The problem with all trailers including mine, but certainly less of an issue since it's almost the same height as the car, is that they become giant wind sails, putting more of a drag on your car, burning extra fuel and if they're tall can become unstable easily. I'm lucky that my trailer is no more than 6 to 8 inches or less taller than the rear height of my car and narrower in the back. SO, the wind drag is pretty minimal.

No, maybe, I'm wrong, probably 12 to 18 inches, but it's still pretty low compared to most trailer heights in the back.

I have a 1971 Roadrunner that I want to tow with my 2014 Subaru Outback. Any tips/ideas on making it less of a wind sail? My folks are worried it would be unsafe for me to tow the trailer with my car instead of the gas guzzling 1967 pickup. I'd like to be in the Subaru for a little better handling or modernity.

Just did 9000 km trip towing T@B with 2015 4 cyl Outback. Over all fuel consumption was 15 l / 100 kms, with coincidentally is 15 mpusg. Typically 2200 rpm at 100 kph (60 moh), but on upgrades, kicked off the cruise and paddle shifted keeping revs below 4500. Never slower than 85 kph (50 mph even on long 7% grades, Was 35 C (100F?) some days, no issues with overheating, temp gauge was steady. But, I used 91 octane as it seemed to me the engine was knock limited with the load of the trailer, Much better with 91. The T@B handles extremely well, got forced onto the shoulder once by an unheralded extra wide load in Nebraska at about 90 kph (55 mph) in a curve. No drama, In crosswinds of 20 knots gusting 30 knots, played hell with fuel consumption (25 l / 100 some days), but never an issue with stability. Was rock steady, could drive with one hand easily at 100.

GuruDQG52-. GREAT, good job. YES, I hope you towed the 1,670 pounds TAB dry weight pretty much without extra fluids on board... I'm sure it was fine.. Question-. Did you even try it with 87 octane? Should have worked fine on 87... I think? The Subaru Outback is rated to tow 2,700 pounds and you were well below that. I've seen lots of people tow the TAB with the Outback.. Gusty winds can cause extra fuel consumption for any vehicle.. especially headwinds... The electronic stability control of the Subaru Outback is EXCELLENT.... never had any issues towing my teardrop... I got 21 MPG with my teardrop... but, it only weighs 1,000 pounds...SO, for you to get 15 MPG....I think you did well.... Of course my 2010 is 5 years older..... Outbacks got more fuel efficient with each successive year... I would suggest that you have the transmission fluid serviced at some point... good insurance against failure.... especially when towing... I see that you referred to everything in kilometers...even though you're in the United States... Good luck and travels. -- -MARK

Can anyone chime in on the fact that Subaru we are discussing 2700 pound capacity, but for a trailer with brakes? I am at the dealer looking at one now, because my old 2002 Subaru , and towing of my T@B trailer is of huge importance to me... Any help possible on this?

Buy something else if you plan on doing a lot of towing.

My tow vehicle is a 2000 4-cylinder Subaru Outback wagon with automatic transmission. I've towed a 13' Scamp travel trailer, front bathroom layout, total weight, loaded:1390 lbs, for a great 10,000 mile road trip, full-timing, over the past three years. Average gas mileage has been 21-25 mpg. I've towed on two-lane highways, on dirt forestry roads, and interstate highways & over the steep Continental Divide & mountain passes. At a usual paved highway speed of 55-60 mph. Pay attention to Subaru engine oil/brake fluid/tranny fluid/coolant fluid levels, and remember to check hitch & axles & tire pressure & trailer lug nuts regularly. Keep updated on weather forecast, especially high wind warnings. Go for it! There's so much beauty in this world, and wonderful fellow travellers to meet! It'll be one of the best experiences of your life!!!! P.S. How do I know my trailer's total weight? Commercial truck stops have a weigh-in station. Also, I never tow with full water/waste tanks. Even some highway rest areas have dump stations.And o be aware of total weight of your tow vehicle when gas tank is topped off. When driving in areas where gas stations are frequent, I'll run with 1/2 gas tank to save weight & improve fuel economy.

I am a newbee to towing. I have bought a 2011 Aliner 122 which has a dry weight off 1800lbs. I would like to tow it with my 2014 Subaru 2.5L. I have installed trailer break electric wiring. My question is can my car tow this. The Aline 122 is rated for a tongue weight of 240lbs and the Subaru says 200lbs. If this going to be problems? I can pack l very lightly. I was thinking of installing a bike rack to the back bumper and loading two bikes to even out the load.

Hi, I have a very similar situation. A 2014 Outback, 2.5i engine and looking to pull an 1800# trailer. Wondering about total load which will be closer to 2300lbs when we are in the car with gear, bikes, etc... thanks for your thoughts