2022 Subaru Outback consumer reviews

MY XT is the 12th Subaru Outback that I have owned in the last 30 years. It is safe and reliable. I have had no issues with the battery or the screen. I know how to shut off the annoying warning sounds and keep the car updated with the latest software. The headlight system is heads above the system in my 2017 Outback and gives me great sight lines down the road on dark highways. I get 28 to 32 miles to the gallon on the open highways and 25 to 27 in the city. I find the seats to be very supportive and comfortable. I have back issues and the seats in all of my Subarus have been great. I drive my Subarus into the 254,000+ range before I consider moving into another Subaru. They are a safe vehicle and we have had three totaled in accidents with only minor injuries. I like the safety of the eyesight unit and have had no issues with phone connecting in this car. I camp in it and haul up to 35 rabbits in their carriers to shows in state and out of state. I can keep the rabbits cool with the air while I stay warm with the heated seat and steering wheel.

I custom ordered a 2022 Subaru Outback Touring XT and traded in a 2017 Toyota 4Runner. I bought this car thinking it would be my last full gas vehicle, but it may not be. This was also my 4th Subaru having owned an Outback, Impreza Sport, and Forester. I bought the new Outback as a safe, reliable, and efficient family car to haul kids around in and not worry about. While my prior cars have all been reliable, my newest and most expensive Subaru has been a challenge. I love the design, interior, space and safety technology. My concern is that the vehicle, made in Indiana, has had a litany of reliability issues. 1) 2022 touchscreen barely responded so the dealer needed 3 visits to do a 2023 software override. That’s right, my car now has the 2023 layout instead of the 2022. For months, my screen was barely usable and couldn’t not sync via USB(after multiple cords) or Bluetooth. 2) Subaru had to pull my engine out at 18k miles for a series of oil leaks from several gaskets. Apparently this is a silent recall but is a fairly regular occurrence on the 2022 XT engines. 3) While I have ventilated seats, I’m pretty sure they don’t actually work. Summary : I bought this car believing it would be the ideal, safe, and reliable family cruiser that would do 100k without flinching, but it has been a regular pain making me want to go back to a 4Runner or just cut bait and go full electric. I am hopeful they return the Outback to being a long haul vehicle that is safe and dependable.

I have owned my Subaru Outback Premium since May 10, 2022. So 1 year and 4 months and 39,000 miles later it is still one of the best Cars I have ever owned. This was my first new car purchase ever and I am glad I did. I will owned another on absolutely!! So fun to drive.

They over thought this thing, what used to be reliable transportation is now a hit or miss ride. The Auto off feature that turns off the engine at red lights or in traffic has your car doing 15 or 20 starts per drive. Unless your driving 100 miles a day your going to kill your battery in year and get stuck. The stupid useless starlink will also do a parasitic drain on the battery to report everything your car has done back to Subaru. If you park in an area with low cell signal it will drain your battery in a week. again stuck, don't park it at the airport. Your only option is a portable battery pack and/or a solar trickle charger in your new car. They lost a class action law suit for the 2015-2020 model years for these issues but it must have been cheaper to settle then fix the problem.

I purchased a 2022 Outback Touring and love some things but not others. First of all the gas mileage is great, 29+mpg overall, and the ride comfort is very nice. However, there are some glaring issues. The electronics are painfully slow to respond to user input. Also the speech recognition of the navigation system is so bad it will not recognize any address. Even the dealer couldn’t get it to work. Seats bottoms are too hard and not comfortable for long trips. Lastly the backup camera is very low resolution, must have been designed in the 1990’s. Car is over priced. Safety features like adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning work ok but are not as refined as Honda.

The monitor is entirely too big and takes up space for a cubby hole. Also it doesn’t have wireless AppleCarPlay, very disappointing. Starlink subscription is a ripoff!

2022 Outback XT Likes: Easy cruise control setting. Push steering wheel mounted tiny lever up or down...easy 5mph adjustment. Turbo gives good acceleration. 26mpg + overall. Easy steering wheel heater on/off. Blind Spot Monitor..Large, inside of side mirrors very visible. Nice interior...great fit and finish..classy. Comfy seats. Easy drop down passenger seats from opened rear hatch. Dislikes: Very annoying seat belt chime. This is an Outback, a sporty, take your car camping vehicle..so one would anticipate many in and out scenarios...like adjusting the kayak on the carrier, etc...yet EVERY time you have to clip on your seat belt or it will loudly drive you bonkers! Our two other vehicles (Toyota and Ford) do have the chimes, but not obnoxious at all). What was Subaru thinking? No high beam headlight override...go down a country road, and if it switches to low beam, you cannot override it as I can with our other two vehicles...it seems to be tied to vehicle speed, but is inconsistent. Setting the seat heater is unnecessarily complex (strangely for the front seats only). It is like a 3 or four step process, which takes your eyes off the road...at which time the car buzzes you to keep your eyes on the road...which are off the road because of this complex maneuver ...every other car we've ever owned just has at the simple button to push, as with the rear seats. AND...even on the lowest setting, the seat gets hotter and hotter, unlike our other two vehicles...till u have to turn it off. On entry, I hit my head on the door sill...I am 5'9", and yet.. Driving, the Subaru feels light; not firmly planted. The front end feels to want to wander...my wife thinks it is ok...maybe I am used to our front-heavy diesel truck. Heater or A/C is NOT automatic.... you have to monitor the fan..taking your eyes on the road ...with every other vehicle we have or ever had, you set the temp and theater/A/C adjusts the fan as needed. Finally...this may be just a "my car only" problem...one crossbar is loose...which gives me concern when hauling our kayak. Subaru looked at it and said it was within limits...yet, going through the parking lot, I have never found one other that is loose like that. This is mostly my wife's car, and she (5'2") likes it. She likes how it drives, gives her good vision all around, dislikes the obnoxious seatbelt chime and unnecessarily complex seat heater. Overall, it seems to be a well-built car, though our daughter, who has the same,(Touring XT) has had transmission problems at 40K miles, that she feels has never been totally fixed. We have had no engine or tranny problems, with 27k miles so far.

This vehicle is complex, don’t kid yourself. Instead, learn how to use it wisely and you will be justly rewarded. Leave the second level cruise control as the manual says to freeways and stick to the less involved one for easier drives and the neat adaptive cruise control. What you will find is an auto that drives with a solid and comfortable feel. This puppy has all the power one needs on occasion. Learn how to manage its features to be rewarded with useful features such as lights that turn with you and dim automatically. Well finished and comfortable interior. In my many years, this has been one of the most comfortable vehicles I have ever owned.

Poor mileage and driving it constantly pulls left and right dealers say nothing they can do makes driving very tiring this car was our 12th Subaru in 42 years and is our last

Electronic NIGHTMARE. Subaru driver recognition works sometimes and in a repair order they say it’s designed to fail. Multiple problems with Bluetooth. No clue how to repair. Try going around a corner using driver assist to get a idea of how a ping pong ball feels. Heads up display that was current in the late 90s in the Smithsonian in 2015 and new on a Subaru in 2022. Pathetic design and even more pathetic implementation. Destined to fade away. They have NO clue how to handle electronics.