Family car review: 2021 Subaru Outback Sport

How big is the boot of the 2021 Subaru Outback?

The boot of the new 2021 Outback is still enormous! It really doesn't look like it would, but it fitted 17 shopping bags in the boot from empty! That's two more than the Skoda Superb and the Mazda6 Atenza wagon.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Bub’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

With the twin pram in the boot, underneath the retractable roller blind, eight shopping bags can fit beside it.

With a tandem stroller in the boot, I could fit ten shopping bags.

With a single pram in the boot of the new Subaru Outback, I could fit ten shopping bags around it.

With a compact stroller in the boot of the new Outback, I could fit fourteen shopping bags.

Or you could transport a very large dog in the boot!

The boot floor of the Outback is nicely carpeted and flat and would be perfect for an emergency nappy change.

There are two plastic indents, one on each side of the boot, that are good for separating wet or dirty items from everything else you are carrying. On the right of the car, it is netted and there is a 12V socket beside it too.

There is a spare wheel under the boot floor.

The retractable roller blind has unfortunately not been changed, it covers most of the boot but there is a gap between the bar and the rear seatbacks for which there is an extra flap of blind than grips in place with a rubber stopper on each end of a rod. I just find this method really fiddly and time-consuming and they rarely stay in the right position and flap around and fall in the boot!

How good is storage in the New 2021 Subaru Outback?

Storage inside the cabin was good too. In the front are two cup holders in the central console that can hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup and a large refillable water bottle fitted in them too.

The central console box is a good size…

…and it has a shelf in the top too.

In front of the gear lever, there is a rubber-lined well for your phone and there are two USBs and an AUX socket in there too.

On the side of the central console is a shelf handy for the passenger to store their phone.

The glove box is felt-lined but quite small, I could only fit my wallet in there with the manual, my iPad wouldn't fit. There is also a shelf across the dash above the glove box which we loved for popping little things the kids passed through from the back while driving.

There is a lined sunglasses case in the ceiling and lit vanity mirrors in both visors.

The front door bins are a more practical size and will hold a refillable water bottle and an iPad or wallet.

In the back of the new 2021 Subaru Outback, there are two cupholders in a fold-down central seat backrest. They are a good size to hold a re-usable or disposable coffee cup and a refillable water bottle fits in them too.

The rear door bins will now hold a refillable water bottle which is fantastic and there are storage wells in the handles too.

There are map pockets on the back of both front seats that will hold an iPad but not conceal it.

So… How noisy is the new 2021 Subaru Outback?

With the latest version of Subaru's Eyesight safety technology in the new 2021 Outback, it is pretty beepy! It beeps every time a car goes in or out of the lane in front of you which is frequent when driving on a busy highway, you are most likely to be using the cruise control and you are most likely to be hoping your kids are asleep!

The new Subaru Outback has this updated media screen which is now in portrait layout. The system is simple to navigate and they have moved a lot of the features that used to be buttons on the dash to be within the media screen…

…like heated and cooled seats as fitted to this Sport version.

The air-conditioning controls are now within the screen which I found a bit tricky to use while driving because I had to look at the screen while doing it.

You can adjust some of the warning noises within the media system…

…as well as turning on and off some of the driver-assist functions.

The media system does have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and it fills the portrait screen which is nice compared to that in the Volvo XC40.

Also like the Volvo XC40, the reversing camera image only fills half the screen.

You can have various different angles which help when parking and manoeuvring to see the kerbs etc.

There is a button in the central console that allows you to turn the rear camera on while driving which is really handy when vision in the rearview mirror is blocked by child seats and a boot full of stuff.

The Outback has lane departure warning which beeps to alert you when you are drifting out of a lane and flashes a warning up on your display too. You can turn lane departure warning off with a button on the steering wheel on the right.

The indicator sound is not too loud in the new Outback and would not disturb any sleeping passengers.

In the new Outback the windows and doors aren't too bad for noise. Closing both the windows and doors is not baby-waking!

The tailgate of the Outback is silent to open and close which is a great BabyDrive feature so you can access the boot while bub is asleep without waking them up!

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

The road and engine noise were really good in the new Subaru Outback, I found it quiet and smooth to drive!

How many child seats can you fit in the new 2021 Subaru Outback?

Like the previous model, installing child seats in the Subaru Outback is quite simple. There are ISOFix points in the two outer seats, they were not within plastic guides and are behind big flaps of the seat fabric (which I worry will get full of fluff and other kids' mess).

There are top tether points in each of the rear seatbacks, they are within plastic guides and easy to connect to. I found I could just reach them through the boot, or you can bring the seatbacks forward.

Three child seats fit nicely in the back of the new Subaru Outback, I installed two forward-facing and a rear-facing child seat. The central child seat is using the seat belt which comes from the ceiling and that's not ideal for the angle compared with ones that come directly from the seat itself.

With just two child seats installed there was space for me to sit in between them comfortably (I am 162cm). The central seatbelt does come from the ceiling though, which I found a lot less practical and easy to use than a shoulder seatbelt.

Legroom in the Outback is very good. With a forward-facing child seat on the driver's side, there is room for a 184cm driver and with a rear-facing child seat installed behind the front passenger seat, there is enough legroom for a 184cm front passenger.

With only one child seat installed there is plenty of room in the back to feed Bub. Posting Bub into their child seat from inside and outside the car was fine in the Outback too.

Australia being a country of weather extremes- blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!

So… How comfy is the New 2021 Subaru Outback?

The front seats in the new Outback are very comfortable, both front seats have electric adjustments on the side and are heated! You can adjust the seat temperatures through the media screen.

I found I couldn't wear a ponytail in the front seats because the headrests are not fully adjustable.

I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!

I found the rear seats comfortable too when I sat in the central seat between the two child seats. It does have a firmer backrest due to the cup holders but the hump in the footwell is not too high and easily straddled.

The steering wheel is fully adjustable up/down and in/out and the cruise control buttons on the right of it were simple and easy to use.

I did find the cruise control was better on motorways on straight roads and at faster speeds than on undulating roads at slower speeds.

There are four air-conditioning vents across the front of the dashboard, one either side of the large media screen and one at either end of the dashboard.

The air-con controls are within the new media screen and I found them a little harder to use while driving than real buttons and dials.

There are also two vents on the back of the central console box for the rear passengers and two USB points.

There are no built-in window shades in the Subaru Outback so I did have to add my own window shades. The side windows are nice and big, square and deep giving great visibility for all passengers forward and rear-facing. The third windows also give an extra view for kids in rear-facing child seats.

I found visibility very good out of all the windows when driving even with three child seats in the back. I found the Outback didn't feel big to drive around town and when maneuvering and parking. The large windows meant I could see out well and the different cameras, rear, front and side, helped where I couldn't see.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Bub has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually, I dread parking long cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Subaru Outback wagon was fine to reverse park!

The rear interior lights are in the ceiling just behind the sunroof and I found them easily reachable when driving which was great!

I have found Bub does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.

Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a five minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!

It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.

There are handles above both back doors, which I found were well located for hanging baby toys from.

The interior of the New 2021 Subaru Outback has been modernised slightly, there is still a lot of shiny black plastic all over the dash and central console, which makes it feel a bit cheap and lets the car down for me.

So… How safe is the New 2021 Subaru Outback?

The New 2021 Subaru Outback is yet to be given an ANCAP safety rating.

Eight airbags come as standard; there are dual frontal, dual front side, dual curtain rear airbags, driver's knee and front passenger seat cushion*

The New 2021 Subaru Outback comes with Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist, Traction Control System (TCS), Active Torque Vectoring system, Distraction warning, Drowsiness warning, Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB), Blind Spot Monitor (BSM), EyeSight® Assist Monitor, Lane Change Assist (LCA), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), Reverse Automatic Braking (RAB), Side View Monitor (SVM), Adaptive Cruise Control, Emergency Lane Keep Assist, Lane Centring Function, Lane Departure Prevention, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Sway Warning, Lead Vehicle Start Alert, Pre-Collision Braking System, Pre-Collision Brake Assist, Pre-Collision Throttle Management, Autonomous Emergency Steering, Brake Light Recognition, Intelligent Speed Limiter, Speed Sign Recognition, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System and Post-Collision Brake Control.

Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Bub’s asleep!