Great car, fun to drive. Had a 2000 Outback 2.5l w/ manual gearbox. In the SW USA: for example mountain passes of up to 8000' and grades of 6% on the freeway, temperatures of over 100F possible in the summer.
The Outback towed:
LS-6 in Cobra perfectly.
ASW27 in Cobra perfectly.
Nimbus 3 in Pfeiffer extremely well (better than Chevy Tahoe V8 or Holden Commodore V6), but only after replacing the trailer axle with one having functional brakes.
ASH26E in Cobra extremely well. BUT this heavy trailer tore up the viscous coupler in the AWD.
If it wasn't for the viscous coupler being unchanged in later and even more powerful models, I'd have bought another Outback.
Get the extended warranty if only for the AWD and the infamous head gaskets. (blew the head gaskets twice in mine)
Now waiting for the popular Audi Allroad 2.0l TDI to be brought into the USA, "only" twice the price of the Outback.
Jim