January 11, 2002

Subaru's flagship, the Outback H6-3, has taken top honours as Caravan & Outdoor Life’s Towcar of the Year in the new 4x4 category against tough competition from Audi’s Allroad and Volvo’s Cross Country, which were second and third respectively.

The publication's experts evaluated 64 vehicles during 2001 and said the Outback H6-3.0 scored heavily on its self-leveling feature, driveability and value for money.

The Outback H6 also won two major awards in the Towcar of the Year 2002 competition organised by the Caravan Club in Britain - the 4x4 category and the 'Over 25 000 Pounds' Class against 46 competitors. Vehicles were tested over three days for their town performance, traction, stability, braking acceleration and hill starts.

Competitors in the UK competition include the Audi A6 2.5 TDI quattro, the Volvo V70 AWD S and the new Jeep Cherokee.

The Outback H6 has a six-cylinder Boxer engine that pumps out 154kW at 6000rpm and 282Nm at 4000rpm. This, along with all-wheel drive, “means effortless and comfortable towing ... whether a caravan, boat or glider, in the safest possible conditions”, says Subaru.

Caravaners, as well as people towing boats, gliders and other heavy loads, find the self-levelling system a great asset. Rear-end drop is one of the major causes of instability when towing heavy loads but the problem is eliminated by the Subaru system.

The wagon costs R343 500 and has a 100 000km/three-year warranty. It is available from Subaru dealers' in all major centres in South Africa with technical support in Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe.