Subaru Marks 60th Anniversary With Outdoorsy Outback X-Break In Japan | Feature

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. More specifically, 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 (173 hp) and 235Nm (173 lb-ft) 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 (about $30,500), including Japan’s consumption tax.