This has been my wife's car for closing in on 3 years and 45,000 miles now. We test drove the CRV, CX-5, Forester, and Rav-4 before purchasing, and we just liked this the best. The interior quality is excellent and it is a very comfortable ride. If you are looking for sports car like handling or acceleration, a 4 cylinder Outback is not it. For a highway cruiser/commuter/dog hauler/winter vehicle, it is an excellent vehicle. My wife regularly achieves around 29-30 mpg on her commute which is primarily a 55mph road with a couple stop lights. With 45,000 miles now we have had no issues except for replacing a battery after leaving a light on a couple times, but that is certainly not Subaru's fault. The seats are comfortable and we have had several 10+ hour car trips in it without any issues. The back seat and back hatch area are very roomy for passengers, furry or otherwise. The plastic protection available for the back of the rear seats is excellent for cargo hauling and pets. The only thing I don't like about this car is the acceleration, but I didn't buy it for that so it certainly doesn't bother me. It is adequate and not slow enough to cause a problem, just don't expect to win any races.
