When I first heard people talk about the visibility of the Outback, I got it immediately.
At first, I thought it was just me. But then, the more I mulled it over, the more the chatter made sense.If you drive an SUV like the Outback, youwantto be seen. Deep in the places that tickle your fancy, youve suspected folks like to pull up at the lights next to you and have a gawk at the duderockin the family wagon. And there you are, snugly seated between the roof railsand themuscled upwheel arches.
Stuff like that never seemed to happen in the Magna.
In a moment ofweakness,I did mention something about it to my wife, who said (again) that I was a buffoon (worse) and the visibility was a safety feature.
Stifling agiggleI said, Jeez Louise (her name is not Louise), it was a joke.
Ah, no it wasnt, smirked Jacquie.
Of course, shes right. As much as I like the idea of people looking into the wagon, its the looking out thats the kicker. There is, without question, excellent visibility in all directions from the cockpit of the Outback. Blind spots are minimized as are line of sight obstructions. Theres this marriage of vehicle safety and vision maybe its the vision of safety - where the body pillar widths are minimized for maximum access to the world outside the vehicle.
Just on the driver visibility, whilst the family car safety aspect is paramount for the dudesrockin the family wagon (or is it an SUV?) theres another bonus. That is the free, old-fashioned entertainment for the co-travelers. Also known as windows, on family drives to holidays and memories, there is no greater show on earth than what scoots past once were off the highways and into an Aussie detour.
I love the way the countryside changes without us even knowing, from bush to beach to farmland to isolated country towns theres always something to see. And most definitely things to imagine you justhave tofree your mind. Theres an empty small-town oval with a white picket fence and thats you trundling in from the northern end, a fresh cherry in your hand, seam pointed for the slips. Hooowzat!
Kangaroos under trees, emus in the sun. Do you reckon the bulls talk to the cows across those fences, Mum? Do you reckon the bulls a bit boring, and thats why the cows are way over the other side of the paddock? What about the shops youhave tostop at? The views you havent got time to pull over for and the clouds that look like something theyre not?
What good are games like eye-spy with silly little windows you cant enjoy the view from?
The vision is serious, too. Subaru have a commitment to ensure the driver can see a child of an averageone-meterheight from a certain distance from every front,sideand rear window. Its about family and safety and being around for family adventures. Its things that highlight how important car safety is to them.
The rear cameras a savior for parking, but theres more at play here, as well. Did I tell you we got a puppy? Shes called Sunday because she arrived on a Sunday, and shes quicker than our dog Spud, who looks like a potato. We love the dogs and want to keep loving them. And the skateboards and bikes andfootysand netballs and everything else that gets left out and laid about in the obstacle course of life. And obviously, the kids everyones kids - whether it be driveways or shopping centers or busy school zones.
When you look at the dude in the Outback, you can be certain he can see you, too.
Andrew Daddo
Subaru Ambassador
18 May 2021
