A slow-to-open but handy powered tailgate provides access to the cargo bay, which itself is basically a box: square, flat, wide and deep, and every inch of it usable. In fact, Outback will fit more of your stuff in its rear than, say, a Santa Fe Sport or Chevrolet Equinox.

Feature content abounds – high-end audio by Harman Kardon, xenon lights, touchscreen navigation, heated leather, dual-zone climate control, memory seating, push-button start and plenty more are all at your disposal. Ditto some classy LED approach lighting that picks up the keyfob and activates as you near the Outback at night.

Notable is the ride height: passengers enter with a sideways and downwards shift-and-plop into their seat. It’s car-like, and easy for small passengers, older, limited-mobility adults, and even smaller canines, who can jump in the back with ease. One (human) passenger, who recently underwent knee-replacement surgery, suggested that the wide door opening and seating position made it easy for him to board, swinging his hips and legs inside with minimal painful bending.

I noted no issues with headroom or legroom, front or rear. Rear seats are particularly generous, and your 5’11 writer could sit behind someone of the same proportions with inches to spare. Unless LeBron James was sitting up front, you won’t need to move the front seats ahead to fold the rear ones down, either.

Up front, look for cubbies, a deep bin, and two proper cupholders, as well as two USB ports, within the driver’s reach. The layout looks smart, tidy and upscale, though individual details fail to generate a completely cohesive look, taken as a whole. Mainly, this relates to a mish-mash of colours, fonts, on-screen display themes and trim materials, depending where you’re looking.

The tester included the EyeSight safety system, which gives the Outback the gift of self-awareness via a pair of cameras that let it see the world ahead in 3D, like a person. The system constantly analyzes the traffic situation ahead, and the Outback’s position between lane markings, and can alert drivers of a lane departure, self-steer to help magnetize the car to the centre of its lane, auto brake to prevent a low-speed collision, and even kill the throttle pedal should it be pressed while there’s a car in the way. Slight steering adjustments as you cruise the highway will become tiresome for some drivers, though this function can be turned off. As the cameras are tucked away safely behind the windshield, there are no external sensors to sign off when they get frosted with snow and ice. After 1,700 km at the wheel, your writer found the EyeSight system largely agreeable, effective, and consistent in its operation.

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