Compare the2023 Subaru OutbackVS 2022 Jaguar E-Pace

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Outback are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Jaguar E-Pace doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Outback are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The E-Pace doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Subaru Outback has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The E-Pace doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Outback (except Base/Premium) offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The E-Pace doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Outback and the E-Pace have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Outback its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 81 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The E-Pace has not been tested, yet.

There are over 3 times as many Subaru dealers as there are Jaguar dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Outback’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Outback’s reliability 75 points higher than the E-Pace.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Jaguar vehicles. With 19 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Subaru higher than Jaguar.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Jaguar With 7 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Jaguar.

The Outback XT/Wilderness’ standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 14 more horsepower (260 vs. 246) and 8 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 269) than the E-Pace P250’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Outback XT/Wilderness 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the E-Pace P250 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Outback lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The E-Pace doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

On the EPA test cycle the Outback gets better mileage than the E-Pace:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Outback uses regular unleaded gasoline. The E-Pace requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Outback has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The E-Pace doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Outback stops shorter than the E-Pace:

The Outback Wilderness/Onyx XT has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the E-Pace; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Outback’s wheelbase is 2.5 inches longer than on the E-Pace (108.1 inches vs. 105.6 inches).

The Outback Wilderness executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the E-Pace SE (27.2 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Outback’s turning circle is 2.1 feet tighter than the E-Pace’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.2 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Outback has a greater minimum ground clearance than the E-Pace (8.7 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Outback to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Outback Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is 1.5 inches higher than on the E-Pace (9.5 vs. 8 inches).

The Subaru Outback may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 300 pounds less than the Jaguar E-Pace.

The front grille of the Outback 2.5i uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The E-Pace doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Outback has 1.7 inches more front headroom, 2.2 inches more front legroom, 2 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 5.2 inches more rear legroom and 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the E-Pace.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Outback’s rear seats recline. The E-Pace’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the E-Pace with its rear seat up (32.6 vs. 22.4 cubic feet). The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the E-Pace with its rear seat folded (75.6 vs. 49.5 cubic feet).

The Outback’s cargo area is larger than the E-Pace’s in almost every dimension:

The engine in the Outback is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the E-Pace. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Outback’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Outback Base). The E-Pace doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its SOS Emergency Call can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Outback has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The E-Pace doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Outback has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The E-Pace doesn’t offer cornering lights.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Outback has standard extendable sun visors. The E-Pace doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Outback to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The E-Pace doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Outback Touring keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The E-Pace doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Outback, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Jaguar E-Pace isn't recommended.

The Subaru Outback outsold the Jaguar E-Pace by over 59 to one during the 2021 model year.