2019 SUBARU OUTBACK

2019 ASG AWARDS: Best All-Around Performance and Best Environmental Performance in the Wagon segment.

NOTEWORTHY ASG FINDING: holds the smallest carbon footprint in its class, producing 10% less CO2-e emissions over the first 6.5 years in its life-cycle, as compared to the average vehicle in its segment.

ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE RATING: 100

  • ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE RATING: 100
  • ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE RATING: 97
  • SOCIAL PERFORMANCE RATING: 77


ASG’s annual study found the 2019 Subaru Outback to offer the best all-around performance in class, earning the distinguished BEST ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE Award for the second consecutive year. In ASG’s data-driven automotive assessment, the Outback outperformed all models in the competitive wagon segment to take the top honor. ASG’s all-around performance analysis is a comprehensive data-driven assessment, analyzing economic, environmental and social performance indicators across a vehicle’s life-cycle, and in relative comparison to all competitive vehicles in the market.

In ASG’s environmental performance assessment, the Subaru Outback furthered its winnings by holding the smallest carbon footprint of any model year 2019 wagon, earning the distinguished BEST ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE award in class. ASG found the Outback to produce 10% less CO2-e emissions over the first 6.5 years in its life-cycle, as compared to the average vehicle in its segment. With an EPA estimated 28 MPG combined, the Outback holds a 3 MPG advantage over the average vehicle in the segment, a group comprised of 38 wagon model variants that include the likes of the Audi allroad, BMW Sports Wagon, Volvo V60 and V90, VW Golf Alltrack among others.  


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RELATIVE RATING METHOD

The Automotive Performance Index (API) applies statistical methods to demonstrate each vehicle rating in relative comparison. For example, the vehicle that performs highest in environment performance in a given class obtains a rating score of 100. Each vehicle in its class is then compared relative to the top-performing vehicle with a rating score reflecting the statistical difference in performance outcomes. A score of 91 translates to a 9% environmental performance deficit as compared to the top-performing vehicle.  

Due to the API’s relative vehicle rating method, vehicle class divisions were identified as a critical input - these class divisions are detailed here.

While the Automotive Performance Index is indeed an exhaustive list of vehicles to trim level detail, with each vehicle assessment reporting over 200 unique data outputs (the culmination of thousands of data inputs), ASG has taken additional measures to ease the burden of sorting through all data points and all vehicle assessments. We have developed key performance categories and sorted all vehicles in each class according to Environmental Performance, Social Performance, Economic Performance and All-Around Performance. The vehicle in each class with the best score in each unique category is named the performance award winner (i.e. Best Environmental Performance Award winner). The vehicle in each class that scores highest combined scores in Environmental Performance, Social Performance and Economic Performance is named the ASG Best All-Around Performance Award winner.

One step further, we also name the Best 5 All-Around Performance Award winners in each class to provide consumers with a concise product comparison guide.