Nokian might be a tire maker unfamiliar to many readers. Nokia, the Finnish phone company? I think I had one of their cellphones with that charming tonal ringtone like 20 years ago? “Duh-duh-duh, duh-duh-duh-duh, duh-duh-duh-duh-duuuhhh.” No, that’s Nokia. Nokian, also Finnish, is the 19th-biggest tire brand in the world, so, not really a household name. If you drive often on ice and snow, however, it should be. Nokian introduced the first dedicated winter tire more than 80 years ago, after first making boot soles designed for snow. Finns, and Nokian, know a heck of a lot about driving, period (ever see how many F-1 drivers are from Finland?), but especially so about driving in harsh winter conditions.
Their new Outpost APT, or All-Purpose-Terrain, shows that heritage masterfully in a tire you can (and should) run all year-round, if you drive in the dirt and on roads, which, of course you do. It’s essentially what you’d think of as a standard AT tire, just with the harshest edges rounded off so it’s more pleasant to drive on pavement. It’s designed for CUVs and smaller SUVs, with the road manners of an all-season, but with terrific grip when things get messy.
Now, tire reviews are almost ridiculously subjective and relative to the car, driver, day, location, temperature, wind, bird song, position of Saturn’s moons, how much coffee you had, what your favorite song is, etc. Your mileage may vary, in other words.
I’ve had the Outposts fitted to my 2016 Subaru Outback for about 3 months now. My Subie has the 2.5-liter engine, a mild 1.5″ lift kit, and heavy heavy metal skidplates, all of which add their own little wrinkles to my experience. They replace a set of Yokohama Geolandar ATs, the same tires you now get stock on Wilderness editions of the Outback and Forester. My gas mileage is exactly the same with the Outposts as it was with the Yokos. Those in turn replaced the stock all-season tires the car came with that I hated and replaced within two weeks. I did not take these Nokian tires to a dedicated winter tire testing facility. I did not switch them back and forth with the Yokos for comparison. I tried to drive on the same roads in reasonably the same conditions I typically encounter in the winter, but that’s not much of a control.
The Outpost APT is an all-new tire for Nokian, meant for adventuring, though not hardcore off-roading. (Nokian makes a tire called the Outpost AT for that, if you’re interested, though most of their passenger car and SUV tires are focused squarely on the road.)
The tire has what I would consider a blocky tread pattern, with hard-edged shoulders, large and tightly packed lugs, and deep grooves running through the center of the tire’s tread to channel out water. There are gravel guards—thick strips of protection between the grooves to prevent rocks from getting caught in the tread, then grinding through the rubber to the steel belts below. Nokian beefs up the sidewall with aramid fibers to resist punctures too. It has a symmetrical tread pattern though the sidewalls are different on either side; one has an aggressive-looking tread pattern on the wall, common to many AT tires now, while the other has a diamond, or maybe snowflake pattern. Speaking of, they are stamped with the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol (3PMSF), meaning they’ve satisfied the criteria for severe snow duty as stipulated by the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association.
My first impressions were these tires looked solid, rugged, and dependable, without being flashy. The Falken Wildpeaks are all the rage these days on Tacomas and Subarus, and many other vehicles that do plenty of dirt driving and they may be great tires, but they’re way, way too busy-looking for my taste. The Outposts look a lot like Michelin Defenders from the side—squared off lugs, without any “hey, look at me, I’m an off-road tire” bling.
From this angle, they’re just…tires. Nothing flashy.
Because we didn’t get our first snowfall in the Sierra until December, really, the first couple months I had these tires I spent most of my time testing them in mud. Because, boy, howdy has it rained in Northern California this year. For tires that skew toward the lighter side of off-roading, these puppies dig and claw very well in soft, wet soil. I spent a day testing my limits in a receded lake bed near Truckee, (legal driving) and every time I spun my tires through the muck, I expected to get stuck. Never did. During rainy driving on roads, they’re easily the most confidence-inspiring tire I’ve driven.
The tires have no problem at all climbing on rocky, rutted forest service roads too. They’re grippier than the Yokos off-road, in my experience. While they’re not built for serious off-road use, I think they’d serve you just fine if that’s your bag.
On snow: please. While I can’t remember ever being let down by the Yokos in snow in years past, the Outposts feel like you’ve gotten out and installed tire cables. Old snow, new snow, icy snow, slushy snow, muddy snow—it didn’t matter. There’s a burger place I like in Arnold, California, a little town at about 5,000 feet, in the northern Sierra, with a steep climb from the parking area. In winter, I’ve watched lots of 4x4s and cars with AWD spin their tires and reverse back down the slope, tail between their legs. A few weeks back I headed there to see how the Outposts did. A Ford Explorer with AWD and AT tires spun and struggled for grip getting up the hill ahead of me. I went next, and with no drama whatsoever climbed right up the road without so much as the traction control lighting up. Part of that is Subaru’s excellent AWD system, but I’ve spun wheels there before in the same car. Not with the Outposts.
Nice sharp shoulders for grip, with great siping for more bite.
Gripes? They are louder than the Yokos, that should be said. Not as loud a real-deal ATs or the plodding, whirring KO2s, but you can definitely hear these once you get moving at over 25 mph or so. I also had a hard time picking which side I wanted mounted outward, does that count as a gripe?
I don’t believe any cars in the U.S. can be had from the factory with Nokians, but Subaru should consider it. The road manners are excellent with the Outposts, and the off-road performance is great, especially when it gets cold and snowy, exactly why so many of us drive Subarus.
Again, relative. Subjective. I can’t possibly speak to what you drive or where. I’ve had my car for a few years now, and these are my favorite tires thus far. I liked the Yokos. I really, really like the Outposts. Oh, before I forget, Nokians have a built-in tire life indicator, which is the coolest thing. As the treads wear down, percentage symbols are worn away, showing you how much life the treads have left. Brilliant. (You can see it in the photo above).
Nokian is pushing hard into the North American market, and these new Outposts will be made in their Dayton, Tennessee, factory. We’re unsure about pricing at this point, but the tires these likely replace in the Nokian lineup, the Rotiiva, go for about $180-200 depending on tire size. Not cheap by any means, but the best tires never, ever are.
Nice. I put Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S on my 2016 OB (in lieu of my usual BFG AT/KOs for light trucks) and I love them! My impression of the Coopers matches a lot of what you described about the Nokians, aggressive tread but rounded shoulders for less noise. Lighter tire suitable for smaller SUVs. Absolutely eats snow and ice! And they are a bit less than the Nokians, though I suspect that has to do with the difference in sidewall construction, I don’t think the Copper’s have any extra armor there.
Great summary/ article! I agree, Nokians are a great tire. Ran them on my Silverado for years; grippy quiet. My buddy got them on his 09 FJ Cruiser “fabulous”.
I’ve been considering a second set of wheels for our outback with something like this on it. Just don’t want to have them on for my long freeway drives to the office once a month or two. But the rest of the time, they’d be fantastic.
I would not hesitate to run these even with long drives. They handle wonderfully on the road.
Nearly two decades ago I saw winter rally cars racing on sheet ice with a tire I never heard of- Nokian. I found the AT tires to be $20 more per tire then popular domestic brands and decided to try them. Ever since I have not purchased any other brand for the series of Montana vans, pick ups and Tahoe’s we have owned. When they opened a factory in the US I saw price and availability come into line with their competition. And with each series improment Nokian has taken only the best if the earlier series and built an even better tire. Only mishit was a set of HT I tried. Still great tires that were quieter and gave me several MPG better in a Tahoe, they just were not the tree climbing monkey gripper ice tires I was used to. So I went back to the higher grip and noise of the AT after the HT has worn. I also find Nokian wear excellent and often got 25% more miles on then beyond the manufacturer’s claims.
You won’t see any vehicles from the factory with these, Nokian doesn’t sell to OEMs
I’m a huge Nokian fan. We put WR G4’s on our Outback back in 2017. I wanted a year round, snow rated tire for our cold Minnesota winters and I was hooked the first time I drove with them on snow. We’ll be putting WR G4’s on our Ascent as well and our WRX has a set of Hakkapeliitta R3’s. I’ve also interacted with Nokian via email and social media and they’ve been very cool to talk to.
I wanted to like nokians after hearing so many positive reviews of their snow tires. We put some of their entyres on our car a few years back and they were great all around EXCEPT they only lasted half the miles the wear life warranty suggested they would.. I hope you have better luck with these.
I never run my tires for more than 20,000 miles anyway.
I got 40,000 on my Nokia WRG3 driving a 10,000lb van(empty weight) that normally has between 5-14 passengers in it. Could go 50k but not with the winters we have in Utah
If you want real snow/wintertyres you should get the Nokian Hakapelitta SUV 9
Very nice review, For me, the gold standard for winter tires – stopping distance. Spinning out on snow is affected by driving skill. Rapid stopping on snow or snow at 0*C is the test for me.
Love my Rotiivas. I’d can’t imagine these being better off-,road though but maybe the Outpost AT would be
On my second set of WRG4’S on my highlander – how good are they ??? When you can plow through 2+feet of snow ( mammoth lakes ) you know they are good. Also, great in the rain,, Nokian makes great 4 season tires
I had Nokian hakkapeliitta winter on my 2003 MDX for 18 years ( 2 sets) and 220,000 k .
Just installed hakkapeliitta 9 on my new 2021 4 runner .
Will never buy anything other than Nokian for winter
I am looking for a new set of tires for my RAM 3500 4×4 and was wondering if anyone has experience with these tires used in towing? I live in Wyoming and drive year round in the mountains with snow, ice, mud and pavement. In the summer I pull a heavy bumper pull trailer (11,300 lbs.) with a tongue weight of 860lbs. My Cooper AT3’s do well but wear out quickly, 35,000 to 45,000 miles. Please post if you have any input good or bad.
These JUST came out in the last month, so there won’t be any long-term towing reviews yet.
How’s the noise on them as compared to the Wildpeak A/T Trails? It’s pretty much a direct competitor to those (much lauded by Subaru owners) – I’m on the fence in between both..
They were a tad louder than the Yokohamas I had on before, but I definitely wouldn’t consider them loud. I haven’t had the Falkens so can’t directly compare.
In my experience the Wildpeak AT3W was no louder than the Nokian WR G4 on my Land Rover. It was a surprisingly pleasant tire on the highway for as aggressive as the tread pattern is although I did get 1-2 mpg less. I can’t recommend them highly enough.
Thanks for the review! Can you confirm if this was sponsored by Nokian in any way?
Just found this article on their website about your review: https://www.nokiantires.com/blogs/why-one-adventurer-thinks-the-outpost-is-the-ultimate-all-terrain-tire/
We don’t do sponsored posts, ever. They read my review and asked if I’d go on their podcast to talk about the tires–that’s where the quotes came from.
That’s awesome and good to know. Great review, I was looking into getting a set for my first gen Toyota RAV4.
We’re getting a set for our ’17 RAV4 when its current all-seasons wear out.
Thanks for the review. I am looking for tires for our new outback. We live in Washington state and get all four seasons, spending most weekends up on the ski hill, transiting rainy and snowy conditions along the way. Very interested in these tires.
Thanks in part to your review I ended up picking up a set of these for my Volvo adventure rig! I love them so far. Everything you’ve said I found to be true. I was initially attracted to them because “they’re not Falkens” and their sidewall design peaked my interest. I’ve only tested them in dirt and gravel so far but they were flawless. I felt very comfortable blasting these tires down a gravel road at speeds that would have been sketchy in the Continental all-seasons they replaced. Something I found that you didn’t really mention is that they’re fantastic on road!! Super comfortable, they take road imperfections great, and they handle surprisingly well in the twisties. I’m glad I hopped on it before the Outpost series gets more well known and their prices go up to match the rest of the growing “trail” tire segment.
Glad to hear it. I’ve since sold that Subaru to buy a 2016 Nissan Frontier 4×4 and first thing I did was get the beefier AT version of the Outposts. Love them too.