below is power/torque curves for 2.5L engine (pt cruiser and dodge neon - not outback, but close : ) combined with your ac-12 ( sorry for being power freak : ))))
you can see after spike at 2000 rpm torque goes down (chart in right corner)
if you gear it up (1:2.5) - you'll have constant torque increase up to 5000+ rpm (and more power near readline)