TrueDelta Reviews the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2015 Subaru Outback
2015 Subaru Outback Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
Year
Comment
2015
Through the 2009 model year, the Outback (and the related Legacy sedan) had a tight back seat. Though marketed as a midsize car, it was actually a compact. The 2010 redesign dramatically expanded the Outback's interior, especially in the back seat. The 2015 redesign added another inch of shoulder room, such that the Outback (and Legacy) are now not only truly midsize, but rank among the roomiest midsize cars. Rear air vents are offered--in Outbacks with leather. So the tested car lacked them.
Some compact crossovers, including the Cherokee, are about as roomy, but they achieve their specs through a more upright seating position. People in the back seat are closer to the front seats, so they don't feel like they have as much room even though they have just as much space for their legs. But they get rear air vents even in the lower trim levels.
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2015 Subaru Outback Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
Year
Comment
The front seats have an unusually high bulge just below my shoulder blades. This feels more odd than uncomfortable, at least to me. The driver's lumbar adjusts, but this affects the area below said bulge. Partly depending on your height your experience might vary. These seats also provide very little lateral support, which admittedly isn't much of an issue given the non-sporting character (and non-sporting tires) of the Outback.
I had no such qualms with the armrest on the door. It's wide and cushy.
In the front seats' favor, for 2015 Subaru has added fore-aft adjustability to the headrests, a rarity in recent moderately priced cars.
The Jeep's cloth seats are too squishy, but they're more form-fittting than the Subaru's, and I find them more comfortable.
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What Our Members Are Saying about the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2015 Subaru Outback
The front seats are very comfy, and the seat heaters are powerful and warm up quickly.
We compared the car to a 2014 Forrester, and we think the OB seats are more comfy-- they have more thigh support.
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The rear seats are much more comfy than in the old Outback. They took a couple of inches out of the cargo area to give the rear seat more room. The reclining seatback for the rear seats is a nice comfort as well.
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Minor complaint-- like every other Japanese car I've ever owned, this one also doesn't seem to understand that feet get cold. The heater is great- it provides lots of heat, and quickly. But when you you set it to floor, the hot air hits you in the lower calf, and then rises. The heat never makes it to your feet!
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TrueDelta Reviews the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle
2013 Volkswagen Beetle Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
Year
Comment
2012
Back in the 1960s VW entreated Americans to "think small." Lately, though, the German manufacturers cars have been getting bigger and bigger. The latest redesign added over two inches to the car's length (now 168 inches) and over two inches to its width (now a midsize-like 71.2 inches. Compared to the 146-by-66-inch, 2,822-pound Mini and the 140-by-64-inch, 2,434-pound Fiat, the 3,340-pound Beetle TDI convertible is a big, heavy car.
As noted earlier, solidity and ride quality benefit from this additional bulk. But rear seat room does not. Sure, the Beetle Convertible's rear seat is more viable than the MINI's, but bars to clear rarely come lower. The Fiat is in the same (adults-in-a-pinch) ballpark. In addition to the space shortage, the VW's rear seat back is uncomfortably upright.
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What Our Members Are Saying about the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle
2013 Volkswagen Beetle Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
Year
Body/Powertrain
Comment
2012
0
The rear seat is also surprisingly roomy. My 6'2" father was able to sit comfortably in the back for ~30 min hops around town.
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2013 Volkswagen Beetle Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
The back seat, if you could really call it that, leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe another 3 in. That being said it fits a car seat with my 6' frame in the front seat ahead of it, so it gets the job done. Once the top goes down the interior space seems adequate.
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I love my Beetle, but the rear seat legspace is not so good. For me its no problem at all, since normally only my wife and i drive the car, but when you normally have to drive with 4 adults, it can become crampy at the back. If the driver and front passenger are not that tall, the rear legspace is quite good. Even the headspace is ok.
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