2017 Subaru Outback: Blazing a Dusty Trail

Features

The 2017 Outback brings many features buyers have come to expect of vehicles in this price range, as well as a few surprises. These features include:

• Steering responsive fog lights point where you steer, lighting the road ahead – before you get there.
• Blind spot monitoring flashes a light in your mirror if you engage the turn signal while another vehicle is in your blind spot.
• A power liftgate with adjustable height and memory settings safeguards the tailgate’s finish in low clearance areas.
• Darkened privacy glass tames summer heat, reduces glare, and stops curious passersby from seeing in.
• Subaru’s EyeSight front collision avoidance system detects distance and closing speed with cars ahead, sounding a warning or even applying the brakes when the system detects a risk of collision.

The Outback’s rear bench seat provides room for three passengers in the back with independent adjustments to recline the seats slightly. However, the split bench is better suited for two adult passengers due to the center hump transmission tunnel and shoulder-bumping proximity for larger passengers.

A large storage area in the rear is chock full of cubby holes for stashing goodies and hooks are provided for taming wayward grocery bags. Rear seats fold forward with a convenient pull handle located near the tailgate to add more storage. Thoughtfully, a 12-volt power supply is hidden in the trunk, useful for powering air pumps, lanterns, and other outdoorsy doodads. Subaru measures cargo capacity at 73.3 cubic feet with the seats folded down.

The Outback comes equipped with a full size spare tire where many other models have gone to a fix-a-flat can – which won’t help if a tire is sliced open – or with a temporary spare, which leaves you dubious of its durability.

To their credit, Subaru has avoided low-profile tires for the Outback. Instead, the Outback rolls with taller sidewall 60 or 65 series tires, which find a good balance between handling and comfort, mounted on tastefully understated 17 or 18-inch rims.

• P225/60R18
  5i Limited · 3.6R Limited · 3.6R Touring · 2.5i Touring
• P225/65R17
  5i · 2.5i Premium

The Luggage rack, which lends the Outback a taller profile, can be repositioned to carry rooftop cargo of all shapes and sizes, with included tools stowed under the floor mat in the rear hatch.

Image via Subaru Canada