Subaru customers know that the all-wheel-drive system of the Japanese automaker is one of the best in the industry, full stop. What’s even more curious is that a handful of owners prefer the Outback over the Forester or mid-size Ascent to fulfill the duties you’d expect from a camper van.
This is Sean’s Outback camper conversion, which she modified at Solid Wood Worx for a six-month climbing trip with her dog. The rear seats and spare wheel were taken out to make room for a lot of cabinets, drawers, a plastic jerry can acting as a reservoir for water, a slide-out kitchen with a camping stove, and barely enough room for a one-person foam mattress.
The build also includes a four-foot sliding drawer, storage for the climbing gear and dog food, a small fridge, and a solar panel next to the spare wheel on the roof rack to charge Sean’s laptop and the car’s battery. A clothes cabinet seals the deal, and given the tight packaging, we’re truly impressed.
A great setup through and through, we can only imagine what it would be like to live day in and day out for six months in an Outback. It’s certainly not the most comfortable basis for a camping vehicle, but nevertheless, all the creature comforts are there to make your bug-out dream come true.
Essentially a station wagon-bodied Legacy with raised suspension and plastic cladding on the fenders, the fourth generation of the Outback left us earlier this year with the introduction of the 2020 model year. The most powerful engine offered was a 3.6-liter boxer with natural aspiration and the Lineartronic continuously variable transmission. Lesser models rely on a 2.5-liter boxer with four cylinders instead of six, rated at up to 170 horsepower.
Like the Legacy, the Outback for 2020 is manufactured in Indiana along with the Impreza and Ascent. The sedan retails at $22,745 in the United States while the Outback is a bit more expensive at $26,645.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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