Three Hidden Features on the 2024 Outback

Cars are quite sophisticated these days. Few will argue with that. Much of that sophistication goes into making cars more efficient, safer, more reliable, and more convenient. It is the convenience features we may be the most aware of since they are designed specifically to benefit the driver or passengers in some tangible way. The 2024 Subaru Outback has so many clever features you may not even be aware of some of them. Subaru of Plano wants to highlight some of those little-known features on the 2024 Outback.

Auto Vehicle Hold Screen Control

The Auto Vehicle Hold (AVH) is a very welcome feature for anyone who regularly drives in town or the city. Once activated, it keeps your Outback in place even when you remove your foot from the brake pedal as if you were still pressing it. Imagine how much more comfortable this makes you at long traffic lights or when waiting for a train. The system disengages with a simple touch of the accelerator pedal, ensuring a smooth start every time. This feature is designed to make your driving experience more convenient and reassuring. 

Models without the 11.6-inch SUBARU STARLINK® Multimedia system have an AVH button on the center console. Models with the STARLINK screen have the setting within the car icon menu. Click on the screen car icon, and you will find Auto Vehicle Hold in the list of settings that you can activate. Fortunately, from there, an AVH icon will appear on the icon screen, and you can move this to the primary screen to make it easy to access. AVH deactivates every time the car is shut off, so you will need to activate it each time you start the vehicle.

Secret Pin Code

This is a great feature that is often overlooked and shows how in touch Subaru is with the active lifestyles of its owner base. Consider a trip to a beach or lake shore. If you go swimming, you don’t want to take your key fob with you or leave it with your beach towel if everyone in your party is joining you.  If you have set up your secret PIN code, you can lock your key fob in your car and yet still unlock the car. 

There are several steps for setting up the secret PIN code that we won’t go into here.  They are listed in the owner’s manual and can be found on YouTube videos. You can also have a Subaru of Plano sales professional walk you through it. We will explain here that there is a single button in the recess of the tailgate to the right of the unlock open button. With this button, you will punch in your pre-programmed four-digit PIN with sequenced presses—press once for 1, two quick presses for 2, and so on up to 9. The car will issue a soft beep after acknowledging each number of the PIN until it unlocks with the usual unlock-click sound. This can also help you get in your Outback if your key fob has been lost, damaged, or has a dead battery.

Hidden Rear O-Bolt Hole

Need help getting out of some thick mud? Or perhaps you need to help someone else out of the predicament. On the Outback rear bumper, you will find a little square panel about mid-way between the center and bumper’s edge on the drive side. On the Wilderness model, it is the bright orange accent on the left. Pop these out, and you will see a threaded hole in the vehicle’s unibody structure. Among the jack components with the spare tire is a robust O-bolt that will screw into the hole to which you can attach a rope or chain to help you or your friend out. When done, the bumper access panel will snap back in place. 

Cargo Cover Storage

The Cargo Storage Cover is very useful for keeping items in the cargo area out of the sun and hidden from the eyes of the criminally tempted. Other models have these, and when you need to remove them to carry something large, they can then just get in the way. On the Outback, below the cargo floor, there is a dedicated storage area for the cover so that it is out of the way. 

These are just some of the clever features that show how much Subaru knows its owners and designs their vehicles to make things as convenient and trouble-free for them as possible. If you are looking at a new Outback, be sure to check them out. If you are shopping, don’t hesitate to contact sales professionals at Subaru of Plano for details on these or other lesser-known Outback features.