True lies about bogus towing capacity claims (feat. Subaru Outback XT)
Tow capacity limits specified by car manufacturers are ridiculous. Case in point with the new 2.4-litre turbo Outback, which Subaru has bravely upped the towing limit on. But here’s what they got wrong and why…
With the introduction of the new 2.4-litre turbocharged Subaru Outback, the towing capacity has been beefed up to 2400kg with that powertrain. And don’t they just love talking about it in the marketing material?
But if you think that it’s a good idea or - heaven forbid - you're actually planning on hooking up a 2.4-tonne trailer to this vehicle, we need to talk about, because there’s a serious problem with doing exactly as Subaru suggests in the brochure.
This report was published a couple of days before Easter, but it applies to any holiday period or long weekend, because shockingly, there are people out there right now gearing up to take their big dumb caravan into the Great Australian Bugger All. Many of whom might own the new 2.4-litre turbo Outback.
So exactly what is the problem here? Well, start by downloading the Subaru Outback Turbo brochure here >> so you can follow along…
The tow capacity of this vehicle 2.4 tonnes, as we’ve established.
The tare weight, which is vehicle plus all fluids except just 10 litres of fuel, and no people. That's the tare weight, which is 1730kg.
The Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM), which is the maximum permitted legal weight of the vehicle including passengers and cargo, is 2200kg (2.2 tonnes).
When you subtract tare weight from the GVM, you’re left with your maximum allowed payload, which is 470kg. And 470kg isn’t too shabby, at first glance.
But then you have to start subtracting additional weight you add, such as fuel, which we’ll conservatively measure at 50kg.
Then you've got to add a tow bar because it's an optional accessory not included in the tare weight. Let’s be conservative at 30kg for the towbar. That’s 390kg of payload we’re down to.
Then you've got to take away the towball download, because the towball has to press down on the towball and to do that for optimal stability, it needs to be 10 per cent of the aggregate trailer mass of 2.4 tonnes. That’s another 240 kilos on the towball, meaning 240 reduced from the 390kg of remaining payload, meaning you’re left with just 150kg of legal payload.
Some individuals who might buy an Outback weight 150kg. And you haven’t even packed a single bag or esky in that “large cargo space” with 522 litres of volume. Never mind taking the wife and kids.
If you have this expectation where you can hook up a 2.4 tonne trailer and put you and the misses and the kids in the car and go off on some odyssey you're dreaming that will be dangerous, overloaded and illegal - ultimately.
Yet Subaru makes such a big deal out of this 2.4-tonne tow capacity increase, even devoting quite the large double-page spread in the brochure, and almost 10 separate references.
Certainly in the mind of somebody perusing the brochure with the expectation of towing some single or double-axle box to the country, then they have all the reason to be misled into thinking they can ‘have it all’ in the new turbo Outback. Because it shouldn’t require being a specification code-breaker to figure out what you can and can’t do with your Subaru Outback.
Here's what Subaru says in the brochure:
Whether traversing mountain ranges or hauling the camper trail…
I wonder how much Subaru paid the PR agency to make that typing/proofreading mistake.
…hauling the camper trailer, the all-new Subaru Outback in these two variants has an increased 2400 kilo break tow capacity with the extra power, more torque and increased acceleration of the new 2.4-litre turbocharged boxer engine.
They go on to say that the base model Outback with the atmo 2.5 engine only tows 2000 kilos, which is not raved about in the Outback brochure. I’d suggest you’re going to be much safer towing under 2000kgs in the regular flavour Outback than trying to tow over 2000kg and closer to 2400.
The reason for this is because from an engineering and physics point of view, towing a trailer heavier than the vehicle towing it is a fundamentally dangerous proposition - and for Subaru to advertise in this regard a set of weight conditions so close to the limit of the Outback’s capabilities is a case of the marketing department dictating to the technical product planning side.
For a more comprehensive breakdown of this basic towing faux pas orbiting the Subaru Outback XT, watch the full report above. You can also read my detailed review of the new Subaru Outback here >>
Or check out some of my other in-depth safe towing reports. Such as:
The applied physics of heavy towing >>
How to do heavy towing in your SUV >>
Why towing 3.5 tonnes could kill you >>
Your ultimate towing guide: GVM, payload & safe load limits >>
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