Still a good car, except for "intelligent" systems
This is our third Outback, and fifth Subaru. It has served reliably. We liked the older H6 engine, but it was no longer available, so we opted for the turbo-charged H4. The turbo helps with lane changes on freeways.
We *never* use the glass sun/moon roof feature, and wish there were a way to get the turbo engine without buying into the whole package that includes the roof windows. At least, so far, they have not developed any leaks.
Our main annoyances are with the unreliable "intelligent" electronic systems:
(1) driver recognition (video) fails about 75% of the time, so it is more trouble than help
(2) video driver assistance features drop out frequently (bright low-angle sun, rain, snow, and apparently random other times). The warning beeps and flashing messages about the failure adds a distraction for the driver when driving is already difficult.
(3) blind-spot warning is mostly useful, but you can't trust it entirely, as it has failed to catch vehicles in several cases
(4) auto-start-stop feature has saved essentially zero fuel, but causes wear on starter system, and distracting delays at intersections; typically stops engine and immediately restarts it, at every stop sign and red light, but does not stop engine when stuck in long traffic stoppages for accidents and roadwork on Interstate; overall, seems pretty random; disabling has to be done every time car is started
(5) driver attention feature is constantly nagging, with distracting beeps drawing attention to display, whenever the driver's eyes go right or left to follow a planned turn
(6) lane departure generates beeps whenever the separator line disappears, and at lane splits/merges
(7) controls on flat panel display are unsafe, because they require the driver to focus on the console, away from the road; compare to older electro-mechanical controls with knobs and buttons that could be operated by touch.
(9) too many different conditions cause similar sounding beeps, requiring driver to focus on small icons on dash display, to figure out what the car is complaining about -- i.e., whether it is something serious or just a false alarm or minor complaint; this takes requires the driver to take eyes off the road; this is ironic, especially when the most frequent message is the false-alarm messageto keep your eyes on the road!
Only other complaint is that the "leather trimmed" upholstery tore at one of the seams, within the first few months of use. The vinyl material seems to have been weakened by needle holes of too-close stitching.
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