subaru outback in the outback?

As Kevin suggests, the Outback will tackle most situation if driven carefully. The older Liberty with 'pump up' suspension is a better vehicle off road but .....!! I suggest you fit a sump guard (all the older Subarus have them)decent non standard shocks and more robust tyres. It is amazing to watch the jaws drop on the faces of 'real 4WD drivers' when you turn up in the bush in a little Subaru.

There you go Chris - thats one 'jaw dropper'.
On one trip I took with several Subarus and a Nissan Patrol, someone commented that the Patrol was there to recover a Subaru if it got into trouble - quite the reverse.
"don't knock it, if you haven't tried it"

I usually don't comment on some of the crap on this forum but I can't resist this one. I think most of the questions are genuine but some people just don't know the Australian roads we have. I for one have done the Oodnadatta Track with a VS Commodore Wagon towing a Camp-O-Matic camper trailer. The road was great but of course if wet then forget about it and you shouldn't go when it is wet even if you have a 4WD as all you do is rip up the road for the people who live out in these remote places. I have also done the Tanami (not in the Commodore) but would gladly take it on so long as it was not wet. People have to get real and realise that a lot of our outback roads are quite capable of taking a 2WD so long as you take it easy and keep and eye out for the rare 4WD who think they own the road and are the only ones who have the right to be there. Thankfully they are very few and far between but they are out there lurking around.

Chris - your reply suggests that you are thinking of crossing the Simpson Desert in a Subaru. Plan carefully if this is so. I crossed last year and one of the water crossings after Purni Bore came over the bonnets on fullsized 4wds. It would have been half way up your windows. Eyre Creek claimed a Disco for 9hours and 2 Landrover utes for an hour or so. Toyotas and Nissans had no problem while we were there but a Subaru would not have had the clearance or entry/departure angles needed to get into and out of or across the creek. Whilst you might manage much of the Desert, you could easily be stopped by difficult sections.
People who advise you to tackle off road conditions in non off road vehicles simply have not experienced what these roads can hand out at times. I saw a Commodore towing a full sized caravan near William Creek on the Oodnadatta Track when Lake Eyre had water in it. He was doing OK but had no idea what difficulties he could encounter if it rained or he hit a bad patch of road going a little too fast. On tracks such as the Oodnadatta, Birdsville and Strzlecki tracks I lock in 4wd to aid stability - imagine how much greater safety margin I have than a Commodore with a van behind!! I imagine he went home and told people that 4wds weren't needed in the outback as he had done it in his car.
DON'T even consider the Simpson unless you are accompanied by at least one full sized 4wd and of course take a HF radio or Sat phone and lots of recovery gear. Also keep an eye on the Desert parks bulletin website for road conditions. I was surprised at how often the desert was closed because of high water and/or mud between Dalhousie Springs and Purni Bore. Mind you if you cross these areas when they are dry it's a breeze but a few hours of rain makes them impassable. The actual desert conditions would play havoc with your lack of ground clearance. Discos which are allegedly full sized 4wds constantly scrape the sand because of poor departure angles. Imagine what a 4wd car such as a Subaru would do!! Good luck with your travels and I look forward to reading about them!

Chris - I should have mentioned B4, there are Subaru clubs in each state which do trips to destinations with varying degrees of difficulty. They will provide you with all the confidence and technical support you need. Good luck

But Donald you didn't go on any 4wd tracks!!! That's why you were able to do it in an HQ. Had you been on any 4wd tracks in your HQ you would have found out how quickly a 2wd stops. That carby came loose because it was designed to stay in place on roads. It is irresponsible to take a vehicle designed for road use into off road situations. I'm glad you didn't cause any 4wders any inconvenience by having to recover you and your vehicle though.

But Donald you didn't go on any 4wd tracks!!! That's why you were able to do it in an HQ. Had you been on any 4wd tracks in your HQ you would have found out how quickly a 2wd stops. That carby came loose because it was designed to stay in place on roads. It is irresponsible to take a vehicle designed for road use into off road situations. I'm glad you didn't cause any 4wders any inconvenience by having to recover you and your vehicle though.

But Donald you didn't go on any 4wd tracks!!! That's why you were able to do it in an HQ. Had you been on any 4wd tracks in your HQ you would have found out how quickly a 2wd stops. That carby came loose because it was designed to stay in place on roads. It is irresponsible to take a vehicle designed for road use into off road situations. I'm glad you didn't cause any 4wders any inconvenience by having to recover you and your vehicle though.

But Donald you didn't go on any 4wd tracks!!! That's why you were able to do it in an HQ. Had you been on any 4wd tracks in your HQ you would have found out how quickly a 2wd stops. That carby came loose because it was designed to stay in place on roads. It is irresponsible to take a vehicle designed for road use into off road situations. I'm glad you didn't cause any 4wders any inconvenience by having to recover you and your vehicle though.

But Donald you didn't go on any 4wd tracks!!! That's why you were able to do it in an HQ. Had you been on any 4wd tracks in your HQ you would have found out how quickly a 2wd stops. That carby came loose because it was designed to stay in place on roads. It is irresponsible to take a vehicle designed for road use into off road situations. I'm glad you didn't cause any 4wders any inconvenience by having to recover you and your vehicle though.