Subaru recently unveiled that the 2022 Outback earned the best-possible rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for their side-impact test. As part of the IIHS’s role in improving overall vehicle safety, they introduced the new, more challenging side-impact test to address the higher-speed crashes that continue to cause fatalities around the United States. To evaluate current vehicle performances, the IIHS tested seven new midsize cars, including the 2022 Subaru Outback. The Outback was the only model among those tested to win the highest possible rating of “Good”.
For a vehicle to earn the top IIHS score of “Good” in either the old or new side test, the model’s occupant compartment has to maintain its shape well enough during the crash. Measurement data afterward taken from the dummies can’t indicate a high risk of severe injuries for human occupants. Additionally, the side airbags and seat belts need to prevent the dummies’ heads from making hard contact with the interior of the vehicle. All seven cars evaluated earn ‘Good’ ratings in the original IIHS side test, which will remain the requirement for the TOP SAFETY PICK and TOP SAFETY PICK+ awards until the updated test replaces it in 2023.
Beyond newly achieving the top rating in the updated side-impact test, the Outback also retains its previously earned 2022 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award, where it earned the highest possible rating for all crashworthiness and crash avoidance evaluations.
In order to win a 2022 TOP SAFETY PICK or TOP SAFETY PICK+ award, vehicles have to get ‘Good’ ratings in all of IIHS’s six crashworthiness tests. More specifically, that means earning ‘Good’ or ‘Acceptable’ headlight ratings, and available front crash prevention ratings that achieve ‘Advanced’ or ‘Superior’ scores in both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian tests. The ‘Plus’ is awarded to models that come exclusively with ‘Good’ or ‘Acceptable’ headlights.
The 2022 Outback delivers the optimal blend of SUV capability and car-like ride and handling with standard Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, Active Torque Vectoring, Vehicle Dynamics Control and X-MODE with Hill Descent Control. The 8.7 inches of ground clearance (9.5 inches for Wilderness) is greater than that of many SUVs, yet the Outback maintains a comfortably low step-in height for both front and rear passenger entry.
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