For my day job at Cars.com I recently reviewed the 2010 Subaru Outback. Since I own a 2008 I had a pretty good point of reference to judge the improvements and the drawbacks. To me the only drawback is that you give up a little bit of handling chops and being able to lower the rear seats from the hatch. Otherwise the new model is better in every way.
As a parent the biggest improvement is the height of the car. Getting Carter and Evie into their seats is now a bit easier because the child safety seats sit at hip level to adults standing outside. You're not dropping them down into the seat under the roofline, nor lifting them up like in some SUVs. The only problem is if you then lean in after them you might bump your head like Courtney did a few times.
LATCH connectors were a breeze and the added room in the back seat now makes the Outback ideal for two safety seats. Our model forces the passenger — usually me — to move so far forward that your knees are bent into your chest. The new model doesn't require any adjustments.
Check out my video above and the full review here.
