The Subaru Outback has a long history of safety, reliability, and awards. Now Subaru is adding tech to the list with a completely redesigned interior. 

If you’re interested in buying a 2020 Subaru Outback, here are some juicy details that might help make your decision easier.

Apple CarPlay

If you’re thinking of upgrading to a Subaru Outback and haven’t had a new car in recent years, you may not know much about what Apple CarPlay is. If so, you aren’t alone.

Essentially, Apple CarPlay is a simplified version of your phone. According to How to Geek, “Basically, CarPlay is iOS for your car.” With Apple CarPlay, you can listen to your music, use navigation, answer phone calls, and use your voice to send text messages. 

Some other perks you can use with Apple CarPlay include Audiobooks and Podcasts. 

What you won’t get on the Apple CarPlay that you get on your iPhone is games. While some third-party developers have created games that can be controlled using only your voice, the developers of Apple CarPlay have declined to create games for Apple CarPlay.

According to CarPlay Hacks, “Once a person is in his car and just after fastening his seat belt, then he should pay his fullest attention on driving. Just a single second with attention loss might cause in dangerous endings. So due to the security concerns, the official CarPlay developers have not introduced CarPlay games.” 

This seems to be a good call since this would fall under the label of distracted driving. According to the NHTSA, 3166 drivers were killed in 2017 due to distracted driving. 

Thankfully there are plenty of things you can do while using Apple CarPlay that keep your focus on the road.

11.6-inch STARLINK Multimedia touchscreen

If you have Apple CarPlay, you know that you’re getting a touchscreen with it, and STARLINK is one of the best. 

On top of Apple CarPlay, you get Android Auto and Pandora Integration. 

With an 11.6-inch screen, you’re sure to notice all those important messages that you need to respond to. You can also listen to news updates, as well as all your favorite songs. 

You also don’t have to touch the screen every time you need to do something. STARLINK offers voice control so that you can respond to text, use Siri, or even control the climate in your Outback. 

There’s also a load of great apps. With STARLINK you get Yelp, Aha, Sirius XM, Magellan, and many more.

TomTom

If you miss the days of TomTom and its trademark drumbeat every time you booted up your system, you’ll be pleased to know that it may be making a comeback. Forbes reports that after nearly going extinct thanks to Google Maps, TomTom is making a comeback, and Subaru is helping with that.

Of course if you prefer apps like Waze, you can always skip TomTom and go to your favorite navigation app. 

Safety features

While apps are great, what’s more important is the safety of you and your loved ones, and Subaru has not skimped on this. 

According to Consumer Reports, the 2020 Subaru Outback comes with the Subaru EyeSight system. It has been available since 2012, and uses two cameras to monitor vehicles in front of you. 

It’s standard on all models. Some of the safety features you get includes automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, forward collision warning, and adaptive cruise control.

Other safety features that are optional include rear cross-traffic alert with automatic braking and blind spot warning. 

Most of these features aren’t available standard on new vehicles, especially the base models, so this is just another example of how Subaru manages to stand out from the crowd.