Subaru is doubling-down on the image of its owners being the outdoorsy type by offering a third interior trim option for its 2020 Outback that’s made of water-repellent material.

Joining fabric and leather (Nappa Leather, mind you), Subaru’s new seat material is called StarTex. Apparently, it’s a unique application in the auto industry that the carmaker was awarded the copyright for it.

Anyhow, StarTex covers the seats in a lightweight and extremely durable urethane material that will not absorb water or moisture. It’s also said to be easy to scrub clean even if occupants bring in mud or other debris.

Even more aligned to typical Subaru owner values, this new material doesn’t contain any animal component in the manufacturing process making it vegan-friendly. StarTex also doesn’t contain polyvinyl chloride, phthalate, or chlorine. The material’s backing contains 25 percent recycled polyethylene terephthalate.


Currently, Subaru is limiting StarTex to one single variant: the Outback Onyx XT. Not only does this variant ditch the chrome for a sportier look, but it’s so far the only variant to get a full-sized spare tire (you can’t be too careful during those off-road adventures) and a dual-mode X-Mode system.

Now, while it’s very clear that Subaru’s targeting the active crowd with the Outback Onyx, the option of water-repellant on seats will make it quite handy for those who have families as well.

The Subaru Outback will be sold first in its biggest market, the U.S. by the third quarter of this year. After that, the rest of the world will soon follow. For the ASEAN market, the best bet would be a launch sometime in 2020.