2022 Outback Interior

Subaru's exterior design may be lacking flair, but the Japanese brand has worked on its interiors in the last couple of years. The result is better quality and better design, but still not to the same level as a brand like Mazda. The 2022 Outback delivers a quality interior that can be equipped with high-quality trim materials, including durable cloth and leather. Not forgetting the type of buyers who stay loyal to the brand, a selection of rugged materials can also withstand whatever you're likely to throw its way.

The interior design feels grown-up, and the build quality is up there with the class leaders. Getting in and out of the Outback requires no major hassles, and even tall adults won't find any problem entering or exiting this car. Once inside, the Outback cradles front seat passengers in a six-way manually adjustable driver's seat and a four-way manually adjustable passenger's seat in base trim, while Limited cars and above get a ten-way power-adjustable driver's seat with power adjustable lumbar support and an eight-way power-adjustable front-passenger's seat. The seating position is commanding and gives a good view of the road ahead. Rearward visibility is also impressive.

2022 Outback Interior Photos

Seating and Interior Space

Though its overall dimensions are vastly different from the majority of compact crossovers, the Outback remains competitive with these vehicles when measuring interior volume. Front seat passengers receive a roomy 40.1 inches of headroom and 42.8 inches of legroom. The Outback seats five, with plenty of space for three adults in the rear. Rear seat passengers have an adequate 39.1 inches of headroom and a generous 39.5 inches of legroom. The Honda CR-V's back seat is slightly larger but the Outback holds a big advantage over the Toyota RAV4, proving that maybe crossovers aren't all as practical as they're made out to be.

2022 Subaru Outback Interior Dimensions:

Interior Colors and Materials

With such a massive selection of trims, new customers have a wide array of upholstery choices. The base model ships out with Slate Black cloth seats and a polyurethane steering wheel, but from the Premium you can also select Titanium Gray or Warm Ivory - exterior paint-dependant - and a leather-clad steering wheel is standard. The Limited trims mimic these colors but upgrade to leather, while the two Touring trims only have access to Nappa leather in Java Brown. Exclusive to the Onyx Edition XT is Gray StarTex with green stitching, a vinyl-like upholstery that wipes down easily and resists mud and other elements. The Wilderness also gets this material but has unique Wilderness logos embossed on the headrests and orange stitching.

2022 Outback Trunk and Cargo Space

One of the most significant benefits of going with the Subaru station wagon is the fact that it provides tons of cargo space. Behind the rear seats, the Outback provides 32.5 cubic feet of space. This might be eclipsed by traditional crossovers like the Honda CR-V's 39.2 cubic feet, but it has more than other similar-sized vehicles like the Mazda CX-5. You'll be able to fit enough camping gear for four behind the rear seats. If more space is required, the reclining 60/40-split rear seatbacks fold flat to unveil a generous 75.7 cubic feet - on par with the best compact crossovers and more than enough space to squeeze in a pair of mountain bikes. Onyx models also get crossbars on the roof rack for even more storage space, while the Wilderness gets model-specific roof rails with a 700-pound carrying capacity.

In the cabin, small items can be stored in the small front overhead compartment, glovebox, center console bin, and underfloor cargo-area storage compartment. Subaru has also included eight cup and bottle holders throughout the cabin.

2022 Subaru Outback Trunk and Cargo Space Photos

2022 Subaru Outback Trunk Size:

2022 Outback Infotainment and Features

Features

There's a healthy number of standard features spread out across the Outback trim lineup. Lower in the lineup, manually adjustable seats, automatic headlights, adaptive cruise control, and automatic climate control are standard. But from just one rung up, the front seats gain power adjustment (passenger power adjustment only from the Limited) and heating and the cabin benefits from dual-zone climate control. Keyless access, a hands-free power tailgate, heated rear seats, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror are standard from the Limited-badged trims, while the Touring options get a heated steering wheel, power sunroof, and ventilated front seats. Every model gets some form of the Subaru EyeSight driver-assist suite comprising adaptive cruise control, pre-collision auto-braking, lane departure warning, and lane-keep assist. Reverse automatic braking and blind-spot monitoring are standard on Limited-badged models, while the Touring and XT Touring get a driver attention warning, too. From the Touring trim, a 180-degree front camera is added.

Infotainment

Subaru offers the Outback with two different infotainment setups. The base arrangement, which is the rarer option, includes dual touchscreens with the top unit handling radio and infotainment duties and the button one showing the climate controls. Our Onyx Edition XT tester packed the optional 11.6-inch Starlink infotainment system, which pairs a massive touchscreen with a few surrounding physical controls for the temperature, volume, and radio tuning. In terms of design, the Starlink system looks a bit cartoonish and the response times could be quicker. Some controls, like the fan speed settings, are finicky to use but overall we found the system to be mostly intuitive. Navigation is available - standard on the Touring - but all trims get access to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Lower trims receive a lackluster four-speaker audio system, and the six-speaker audio system isn't much better. The available Harman Kardon 12-speaker surround-sound system is the one to get if you are an audiophile, with 572 watts for a decent punch.