2013 Subaru Outback
midsize car / 4-door wagon
Award applies only to vehicles built after August 2012
Small overlap front: driver-side
Rating applies to 2013-14 models built after August 2012
Tested vehicle: 2013 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium 4-door 4wd
The Subaru Outback was redesigned for the 2010 model year. Beginning with 2013 models built after August 2012, the side curtain airbags were reprogrammed to deploy in small overlap frontal crashes to improve occupant protection (note: information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on or near the driver door).
The small overlap frontal crash test ratings also apply to the sedan version of the Outback, known as the Legacy, also with the reprogrammed side curtain airbags beginning with 2013 models built after August 2012. The tested car was a Legacy built after the side airbag modification was in place.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Hip/thigh | |
| Lower leg/foot | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics |
Action shot of the Subaru Legacy taken during the small overlap frontal crash test.
The dummy's position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was not maintained well.
The frontal and side curtain airbags of the Legacy worked well together to keep the head from coming close to any stiff structure or outside objects that could cause injury.
Despite considerable intrusion into the driver footwell area, risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CEN1228 |
|---|---|
| Lower occupant compartment | |
| Lower hinge pillar max (cm) | 28 |
| Footrest (cm) | 20 |
| Left toepan (cm) | 12 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 17 |
| Parking brake (cm) | |
| Rocker panel lateral average (cm) | 0 |
| Upper occupant compartment | |
| Steering column | 8 |
| Upper hinge pillar max (cm) | 11 |
| Upper dash (cm) | 14 |
| Lower instrument panel (cm) | 13 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CEN1228 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 110 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.4 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 5 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.23 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 24 |
| Femur (kN) | |
| Left | 2.0 |
| Right | 1.0 |
| Knee displacement (mm) | |
| Left | 10 |
| Right | 5 |
| Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%) | |
| Left | 0 |
| Right | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index | |
| Left | 0.80 |
| Right | 0.59 |
| Tibia axial force (kN) | |
| Left | 1.5 |
| Right | 4.0 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 67 |
| Right | 114 |
Moderate overlap front: original test
Rating applies to 2010-14 models
Tested vehicle: 2010 Subaru Legacy 4-door 4wd
The Subaru Outback wagon was redesigned for the 2010 model year. Frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Subaru on the similar Legacy 4-door sedan, also redesigned for 2010,.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Leg/foot, left | |
| Leg/foot, right | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics |
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | VTF0904 |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 5 |
| Left (cm) | 7 |
| Center (cm) | 6 |
| Right (cm) | 4 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 5 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 0 |
| Right (cm) | 0 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | 0 |
| Rearward (cm) | -1 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 0 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | VTF0904 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 96 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.0 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 33 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.30 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 30 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force - left (kN) | 0.4 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 1.7 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 4 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 1 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.44 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 0.57 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 1.8 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 2.1 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 65 |
| Right | 51 |
Side: original test
Rating applies to 2010-14 models
Tested vehicle: 2010 Subaru Outback 2.5i wagon 4wd with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags
The Subaru Outback was redesigned for the 2010 model year. Two side tests of the Outback were conducted, one by the Institute and the other by Subaru. Ratings are based on both tests.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis/leg | |
| Driver head protection | |
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis/leg | |
| Rear passenger head protection | |
View of the vehicle and barrier just after the Institute's crash test.
View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment (Institute test car shown).
Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side airbags in the Institute's test.
Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | VTS0904 | CES0918 |
|---|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) | -15.0 | -17.5 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. | ||
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | VTS0904 | CES0918 |
|---|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 91 | 116 |
| Neck | ||
| Tension (kN) | 0.4 | 0.7 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| Shoulder | ||
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 19 | 36 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| Torso | ||
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 32 | 33 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 29 | 27 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 3.77 | 2.42 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.38 | 0.44 |
| Pelvis | ||
| Iliac force (kN) | 1.7 | 1.2 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 2.9 | 3.1 |
| Combined force (kN) | 4.6 | 4.2 |
| Left femur | ||
| L-M force (kN) | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 68 | 45 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | -12 | 15 |
Passenger injury measures
| Test ID | VTS0904 | CES0918 |
|---|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 128 | 144 |
| Neck | ||
| Tension (kN) | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Shoulder | ||
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 36 | 28 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.1 | 1.5 |
| Torso | ||
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 27 | 22 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 23 | 18 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 2.76 | 2.56 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.27 | 0.19 |
| Pelvis | ||
| Iliac force (kN) | 2.1 | 1.7 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 2.8 | 2.8 |
| Combined force (kN) | 4.8 | 4.2 |
| Left femur | ||
| L-M force (kN) | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 84 | 68 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 47 | -35 |
Roof strength
Rating applies to 2010-14 models
Tested vehicle: 2010 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium wagon 4wd
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Curb weight | 3,519 lbs |
| Peak force | 16,458 lbs |
| Strength-to-weight ratio | 4.68 |
Head restraints & seats
Seat type: All seats
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| Seat type | All seats |
|---|---|
| Geometry | |
| Backset (mm) | 38 |
| Distance below top of head (mm) | 14 |
| Seat design parameters | |
| Pass/fail | Pass |
| Max T1 acceleration (g) | 12.0 |
| Head contact time (ms) | 60 |
| Force rating | 1 |
| Neck forces | |
| Max neck shear force (N) | 1 |
| Max neck tension (N) | 323 |
About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.