Recommended Class III Hitch for 2015 Subaru Outback Wagon with Kuat NV Bike Rack

Question:

I was watching your videos covering hitch racks for the 2015 Subaru Outback. In particular, Im interested in a Küat NV rack but Im having trouble deciding which hitch brand/style will provide the best fit. I had a Curt class 3 hitch on my old outback and it seemed to protrude more than other brands might. Because of this, my ball tensioner on the NV would sometimes drag when exciting my driveway or going up something steep. Any thoughts on hitch brand/style compatibility with the Outback? Thanks in advance and well done with your reviews!...

asked by: Marty S

Helpful Expert Reply:

The 2-inch Class III hitches offered for your 2015 Subaru Outback Wagon are shown on the linked page. All will fit so long as you do not have the Sport edition.

I compared the installed positioning of the three hitches to help you decide on which will give you the most satisfactory fit with your Kuat NV.

For Draw-Tite # 75673 will have the top if its receiver tube 15-inches above ground and it's hitch pin hole will be 5-inches forward of the rear edge of the bumper.

For Curt hitch # C13206 the hitch pin hole is 2-1/2-inches closer to the rear of the car's bumper. This means more clearance between the rack's anti-rattle knob and the bumper but it also means that the NV rack will sit that same 2-1/2-inches further back. This will not improve your ground clearance; it may it fact make it worse when you're entering your driveway.

We do offer hitch adapters like # D210 that can give you an extra 3-9/16-inches of height for the rack, but these also tend to add more random motion to the loaded rack. You might care to add a support strap #18050 to help steady the rack if you choose to use the adapter.