The front seats are markedly improved over the previous-generation models. Deeper bottom cushions give better thigh support. Side bolsters do their job without being overly confining. Lumbar and height adjustment offer sufficient range to accommodate 'most every body shape and dimension. The Outlander competes with the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-7, and Toyota RAV4. Compared with those vehicles, the front seats of the Outlander offer headroom that's firmly in the upper half of the class and comparable legroom, though hip room is relatively tight.
The second row of seats are more like bench seats than bucket seats, but with much-appreciated, fore-and-aft and seatback recline adjustments. Second-row legroom in the ES and LS is among the best in the class. In the XLS, however, the presence of the third-row seat exacts a penalty of almost three inches, dropping second-row legroom into the lower half of the class. Headroom and hip room for second-row passengers is below average for the class.
Access to the third-row seat in the XLS model is surprisingly easy for a sport utility of this size. The second-row seat folds flat and then rocks forward against the back of the front seat, opening an expansive path to the rearmost seat; there's even a small courtesy light on the second row seat bottom that illuminates the floor when the seat bottom is released. Once back there, the third-row seats are not comfortable for adults. The seat bottom and seat back are mere inches in thickness, and the seat sits so close to the floor that adult occupants' knees come to about shoulder height. The Outlander's third-row seat comes up short against the RAV4 by a couple inches in every direction. The RAV4 seat is also a real one, with cushions instead of pads.
Collapsing the third-row seats into the cargo floor is relatively easy, requiring little more than pulling a couple straps and pushing where noted. Not so retrieving it. Even with the short tailgate, getting to a couple of the requisite straps and then leveraging the seat elements up out of the floor and locked into place makes for some awkward stretches and strains. Still, for kids or short jaunts, it fulfills its purpose.
In cargo room, the Outlander bests all the competition save the RAV4, and it loses to that one by less than one-half a foot-square box. Another note about that short tailgate: It incorporates a feature we've noticed only on high-end SUVs, a flap that folds down when the gate is open to bridge the gap over the gate's hinges. Thus, not only is there a short tailgate that eases loading and unloading cargo, but also it's a lot easier sliding awkward and heavy boxes into and out of the back. The tailgate helps prevent groceries and other cargo from falling out when you open the liftgate, something that sometimes happens with a one-piece liftgate.
Storage elsewhere is respectable. A bi-level glove box fills the top and bottom of the right side of the dash. All four doors have bottle holders, the front ones sharing space with maps and the like. The front console has four cup holders, the second-row fold-down center another two. Even the third-row seat has cubbies on the side. Atop the storage compartment in the center console is a padded cover that adjusts fore and aft a couple inches.
Sight lines from the Outlander's driver's seat are good most ways around. Front end extremities stay in view, easing parking and some maneuvers in close quarters. The rather robust D-pillars make slicing and dicing in fast-moving, heavy traffic a challenge. And as we're discovering as rear seat entertainment systems appear in more vehicles, the dropped-down screen obscures a most inopportune portion of the view out the inside rearview mirror.
The fabric upholstery feels durable, the optional leather on the XLS pliant. Trim panels have a texture that's pleasing to the eye and to the touch. The test vehicles were early production vehicles (built on the assembly line but to test and polish the process before final go ahead), but fit and finish impressed even so. Ergonomic knobs and buttons manage primary creature comfort functions. Buttons stacked along the sides of the LCD monitor provide basic access to the navigation system. A major plus with the nav system is that it and the sound system have separate on/off buttons. The tachometer and speedometer, while appreciably large with clear markings, are so deeply recessed that reading them with a glance is difficult unless you're precisely aligned with their surrounding tunnels.
The base stereo delivers better-than-average sounds. The speed-compensated volume and equalization help mask the low-level road noise and wind rustle from around the outside mirrors. The uplevel, Rockford-Fosgate stereo, with those 650 watts and eight speakers plus 10-inch subwoofer, flat convert the Outlander into a rolling boom box, but with more clarity in the treble notes than is common in such systems.
