Subaru is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a
special edition model offered exclusively in Japan. It’s called the Outback
X-Break and it targets customers who lead an active lifestyle.
On the outside, the updates are rather subtle and
include black mirror caps, piano black grille surround, yellow-green decoration
inside the grille, black rear badges, and yellow-green Outback lettering on the
front doors. The black roof rails with built-in movable crossbar and dark
metallic 18-inch aluminum wheels round off the exterior changes.
The interior gains a dedicated upholstery that is
more functional than the standard one as it combines water-repellent fabric and
synthetic leather. Yellow-green stitching is everywhere: on the seats, door
cards, dashboard, steering wheel, and gearshift lever gaiter. Other cabin
updates consist of a heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel, piano black trim,
and a large multifunction color display placed between the dials.
Besides these largely cosmetic tweaks, Legacy and
Outback models sold in Japan (including the X-Break) receive improvements to
the EyeSight driver assistance tech. The car will now brake
sooner when detecting a possible collision with a pedestrian or bicycle traveling
in the same direction. Furthermore, the pre-crash brake gets activated when the
system judges that the accelerator pedal was pressed accidentally with an
obstacle ahead.
As with other Legacy and Outback models, there’s a
single engine choice: a 2.5-liter four-cylinder Boxer unit rated at 175 PS and 235 Nm of torque. The power plant is mated as standard to a
Lineartronic CVT and Subaru’s Symmetrical AWD system. Prices start from
3,402,000 yen (US$ 30,500), including Japan’s consumption tax.
