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Subaru New Zealand has confirmed that its Outback XT – now the brand’s most powerful SUV thanks to the 183kW/350Nm 2.4-litre engine from the WRX – will start at $62,990, with a $5000 premium for the top-specification Touring variant. Currently, the most expensive Outback is the 2.5-litre naturally aspirated Touring at $59,990.
Just as importantly, the company has also confirmed that it will have cars on the ground before the end of the year.
“We will have limited stock arriving in December and we urge anyone interested in purchasing an Outback XT Turbo to get in touch with their local authorised Subaru centre to put down a deposit,” says Subaru NZ managing director Wallis Dumper. “The CCS [Clean Car Standard] fee will be introduced on January 1st, 2023, and it will add thousands of dollars to this model.
“We know many Outback drivers are business owners and can therefore work around the GST on the tax implications. However, we are also very aware that many private, passionate owners will want to avoid paying more tax than they need to, if it’s simply a matter of timing their purchase right to buy their Outback XT before the end of 2022.”
Even Outback XTs registered before January will likely be subject to a Clean Car Discount fee, courtesy of the “feebate” programme aimed directly at consumers purchasing vehicles that emit above 192g/km on the 3P-WLTP test. Final figures and fines for the Outback XT are not yet published (Subaru quotes an NEDC consumption figure of 9.0l/100km), but the WRX with the same engine (more powerful, but also in a lighter car) already attracts a fee.
The 2023 Clean Car Standard is additional and aimed at car importers and distributors who fail to meet average CO2 targets, but it’s likely the extra fines will be passed onto consumers – something Dumper confirms in his comments above.
Aside from an extra 45kW/105Nm over the current 2.5-litre engine, the XT models have 400kg-higher towing capacity: 2400kg braked.
Keyword: Price revealed for WRX-powered Subaru Outback - and yes, you can have it for Christmas