Subaru's maintenance-friendly engineering is one of the things that did impress me. There are always tradeoffs, so perhaps some infrequent items like plug changes or timing belts are going to be a bear.
I thought the exhaust and suspension are relatively well packaged. Sure, you can see the pipes, but the mufflers are tucked in well--it's not the hideous rear view of many sedans and SUVs. I'd guess dual mufflers help reduce noise without too much added backpressure. Not sure why Outback tips are hidden and Legacy tips are visible.