Subaru Outback Wilderness 2 year review - the GOOD and the BAD

I've put almost 19k miles (~30.5k KM) on my 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness so figured I had enough experience with the car to provide an honest review of the good and bad of this vehicle.

Note: I am not a professional YouTube creator so please forgive the crude editing and my often awkward and unpolished voiceover. I'm just a regular guy sharing my POV and so if you find this review of value then I would appreciate a comment and like. If not, sorry.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:22 Driving & MPG
03:06 Storage, Roof, Towing
05:26 Interior, Seats, Tech, Details
10:28 Options
12:32 Overall Summary

A few things I forgot to mention in the video that are helpful to know:

- Turn off the Rear Automatic Braking (RAB) functionality if you have something in the trailer hitch such as a bike rack or the car will freak out when you put it in reverse
- The touchscreen only works with certain gloves so perhaps bring the gloves you drive in during the winter to your test drive to determine if that will be annoying for you or not
- The car interior is roomy enough to provide comfortable seating for 4 regular sized adults. Yes, it seats 5 but I do not think that 3 regular adults would be comfortable for extended trips in the back seat.
- I live in Massachusetts and so that's good to know for context of the geography I'm primarily using the car in.
- I have the following Subaru options, I forgot to mention some of them. This car came new with them already installed and so after two years of use this is my take on whether I believe they are worth it.

Cargo Net: nope
Cargo Sidewall Protector: yes (if you need it)
CD player: nope unless you really like CDs
Door cladding (exterior): maybe
Door scuff protector (interior of door): nope
Exterior Auto Dim Mirror: nope
LED map and dome lights: yes
Footwell lighting: a nice to have but I do enjoy it
License plate bracket: yes
Rear seatback protector: yes (if you need it)
Remote engine starter: nope
Splash guards: yes
Trailer hitch: yes (if you need it)
Wireless charger: nope (I REALLY dislike this option)

The vinyl overlays for the orange details on vehicle exterior:

[lillo]

Great job! I've watched every Subaru outback YouTube video and you managed to keep it interesting.

[carmenmarcinkiewicz]

That is a mighty fine looking car!
Im an "older" widow, and I'm in need of a new im looking at Subaru, Toyota, and Honda. I appreciate videos such as yours, in trying to educate myself as much as possible. Thank you for taking the time an effort to make this!

[timflaherty]

Really liked this video. Very straight forward and informative. Currently researching different Subaru models so these types of videos definitely help narrow it down.

[michaelbrown]

You can turn the chime off for seat belts! The dealer will do it for you … I forget the ridiculous formula, but it’s something like (with my 2021 Crosstrek Premium trim that has regular key)
1. Sit it driver seat
2. Set key to aux
3. Insert, detach, insert the driver seat belt 20x (I know🙈) in less than 30 seconds.
Done. The chime leaves you alone! When you get a new battery you will have to do this again.

[kevinsterling]

You can very easily turn off that seatbelt alarm.
All you have to do is put the car in accessory mode and push the seatbelt clip into the receiver 20 times in under 30 seconds. This will turn off that alarm.

[anthonyng]

The non-permanent seatbelt chime disable only works for the front 2 seats. If you try the 20 in 30 seconds method, make sure you keep trying if the first time fails because I did it identically three times with a timer and it only took hold after the 3rd. They also come back on after a head unit reset or battery disconnect. The rear seats need to be disabled through disconnecting the wires. A truly obnoxious system that Subaru implemented. When it chimes incessantly with increasing volume, it's no longer a friendly reminder. It's like I'm getting scolded by my own car. If it didn't void my warranty I would've ripped out the entire wire by now.

[MaxwellBenson]

Fellow Massachusetts resident here, thanks for sharing your experience with us all. I live in the hill towns and have a mixed terrain commute to work. The first 5 miles are minimally maintained dirt / gravel the next 20 or so are a mix of rural paved roads and the pike. I think that this subaru would be the perfect commuter car for me. I hope you are enjoying the great weather we've been having lately!

[markdamon]

Traded up from a 23 to a 24. Love the heated steering wheel and HK stereo. My 2023 had a faulty Eye-Sight

[du]

Great review. I have a 2023 OBW. I pretty much have had the same experience as you. I also blacked out the copper but the film on my roof rails bubbled after the summer heat. I’ve had the wireless charger replaced twice and it still does nothing but heat up the phone.

I have two issues that concern me long term. First, the paint is very delicate. It’s like it was painted with a sharpie. Second, I’ve had to replace the sway bar bushings twice. First time it had just 700km on the clock and the second time it was at 15, 000km less than a year later.

It’s otherwise a great all round vehicle. I’ve had it on a road trip to Newfoundland, it takes me wherever I need to go for my volunteer gig on a search and rescue team and it’s been awesome through two Canadian winters.

[lisamesicek]

Great insights! Thanks for sharing your experiences

[EnsignLeeDS]

Am shopping for a 2022 Wilderness right now, THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO!

[teddyshreddy]

Great review! Your videos make reviews interesting to watch!

[Ksport]

do you know if the wireless charger has its own fuse? can you pull it so it doesn't charge a phone but can still be used to store/place a phone?

[kjj_photos]

I have a 2023 Outback Wilderness and the Infotainment screen is my least favorite feature. I wish the climate control functions had physical buttons since the touch screen can be laggy and slow when the car first starts. (The safety disclaimer that shows up on the screen blocks out the climate controls and the slowness makes it hard to dismiss so the climate controls can be used).

Sometimes the wireless Android Auto won't connect and I have to use the USB cable but I don't know if that's a problem with the car or my phone.

The seatbelt chime is annoying, especially when I just want to move the vehicle to another spot in my driveway or yard real quick.

Otherwise, I love everything about the car. I've taken it on 13 hour road trips and was super comfortable the whole time. I've taken it up rough forestry service roads in Colorado and it had no problem. I can't wait to take it out on some more challenging roads/trails but there aren't any publicly accessible ones near me. The best I can do are some rough Missouri backroads which my old sedan could handle just fine so I don't really get to push my outback to the limit.

I'm 5'11" and can sleep comfortably in the back with the seats folded down. If I move the front passenger seat all the way forward, I can fit 7 ft boards in the car without needing them to go between the two front seats. I've pulled utility trailers to move furniture with it too.

Overall, I agree with everything in this video and I am glad I purchased the OBW.

[deathmetal]

I would cover up those orange arrows as well, doesn’t look right. Also the wilderness tag on the door I would clip off, other than that it looks great.

[AGLIA]

Quick question when the safety pre-collision feature activate, does make a spooky sound like a strong vibration or is defective issue. Thanks!

[tarynmiller]

Does the 22 Wilderness have the built in / retractable cross bars?

[BusterKitten]

got the '22 Outback Limited, and love it but I wish I would have bought the wilderness... just because it looks cooler.

[fishingandflyingwithtolley]

I am getting 26.6 mpg on a 2024 outback wilderness

[AGLIA]

3:03 my response to just fine : buy extended warranty my CVT start to make some buzzing noise, at 90k then at 70k my ac compressor blew, also at 55k my right head axle transmission make big noice when I backing up.and I never went off-road so they replaced. I love this car look the seats and turbo, only Toyota/Lexus can reach 6 year or 120k on 4 cylinder turbo engine.
Again buy the extended warranty or you will regret it. 🤞