whoa!  we just got a really good look at a brand new 2010 subaru outback wagon with the glass roof.  it’s a really nice looking car…and the factory installed roof rack is something we haven’t seen before from subaru.
the car is equipped with a side rail running front to back.  but wait…the siderail is modular and can pivot across the car and become a crossbar too! 
in the siderail configuration, there isn’t much versatility to add a tower system like the thule 450 crossroad.  the bar spread just isn’t there – only about 18 inches, which isn’t good for really anything, except maybe a ski rack. 
when you configure the factory roof rack to the crossbar position, you’ve got a nice bar spread – about 30″ and 36″ of usable bar space. 
while this car was here for a windshield repair, we talked about putting a narrow cargo box and a bike rack that attaches to the factory crossbars, like the yakima forklift on the roof for the customer.
i never thought i’d say this, but i think this new 2010 subaru outback is best configured with bike, ski and cargo accessories using the factory installed crossbars!