Cars.com Reviews the 2009 Subaru Outback
Long a Cars.com favorite, this versatile Subaru wagon has a lot going for it in terms of safety, reliability and overall functionality. What has changed, as Cars.com reviewer Joe Wiesenfelder notes, is that the Outback now faces much stiffer competition than it did when it debuted. The 2009 Subaru Outback continues its favorable tradition, but does it still have the chops when other models like the Volvo wagons, the VW Passat wagon and the Toyota Venza are closing in on its territory?
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Cloth seat upper portion digs into your shoulder blades. Very uncomfortable. Carlatch difficult and not much legroom in back for kids in car seats.
Totally agree with previous post and can add to it.
I like the Outback. But I will never buy this car in its current form. If they are to compete with Volvo, they need to bring the comfort levels from torturous to normal. I will not put my kids into back seat of this car. I am their father after all and need to take care of them.
All Subarus are bad in the area of the rear passenger comfort. But Outback is the worst of them. There are multipple issues. The most obvious, there is no legroom and the back of the seat positioned too vertically and has no adjustment. This is enough for me to never buy this car.
Can't wait for Venza.
Tony, wtf? So you do not like the car, and want a Toyota...go talk on Toyota sites. If there were no legroom in the back, the car mag reviews would have stated such. As such, they use words like 'near-luxury', spacious, etc. Won't put the kids in one of the safest cars on the road, but will put them in the ugliest rebodied Camry? To each his own. Enjoy your Venza, and enjoy the Toyota hype.
In Tony's defense, the Subaru Outback has an incredibly cramped back seat and many reviews of the car point that out.
As far as safety goes, it doesnt have all the standard features other cars have, but it does have a trump-card, AWD standard. So, although it doesnt have 8-airbags, you can hope that in poor conditions you wont need any.
The "Near Luxury" reviews are always of the Limited or L.L. Bean trim levels. Anything non-limited and the outback is very stark, almost entry-level esque. Compare a base-subaru to a base toyota interior and the toyota will win. Compare top-of-theline trim levels and you've got a good battle.
Lastly, the Venza is not a glorified Camry. Infact it's a glorified avalon (arguably the better, but less popular car). It does have camry styling cues throughout, but if you're going to compare the venza to anything, call it an Avalon Wagon.
I wont buy a subaru outback because I think they are BUTT UGLY! But they are being redone for 2010, so we'll have to see what happens.
As an owner of a 2008 Outback I can tell you the entry level is at least on par with what toyota's entry level interiors are and I much prefer Subaru's cloth material to that of Toyota or Honda's which are fuzzy.
But yes, the back seats are very cramped and we usually state that when talking about the car.
The legacy is also a top safety pick so it's as safe as most other cars in the class can be.