- Subaru’s new Outback grows in size while dialing back base engine output slightly.
- The cabin features twin digital displays, faster infotainment, and physical HVAC buttons.
- Wilderness trim brings off-road dampers, upgraded angles, and 9.5 inches of clearance.
The Subaru Outback defined the modern off-road-ready wagon, and now it’s back with a full redesign for 2025, just in time for its 30th birthday. As one of the original crossover pioneers, the Outback was doing the rugged family-hauler thing before most automakers caught on. Rivals like the Audi Allroad and Volvo XC70 followed its lead, but few have matched its staying power. Now, with the Legacy gone, America’s best-selling mid-size crossover is turning a page, leaning into its SUV side and leaving most of its wagon roots behind.
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Some things are staying the same, though. First, all-wheel drive continues to be standard. Every 2026 Outback features at least 8.7 inches (220 mm) of ground clearance, too. It’ll come in almost all of the trim levels from 2025, and it gets the same two engine choices too.
A Slight Power Dip, Same CVT Setup
Interestingly, the naturally aspirated base engine actually makes two fewer horsepower. For 2025, it produced 182 ponies, and now it makes 180. The 2.4-liter turbo engine delivers 260 horsepower, which seems like a missed opportunity as it’s equal to the 2025 version, but at least it’s not less. Both engines use a CVT to transmit power to all four wheels.
The big news, though, is just how chunky this new Outback looks. From nose to tail, it’s far more squared off than its predecessor. The headlights are split into two spaces on the front, and they bookend a wide U-shaped grille with a huge Subaru badge at the center. Plastic body cladding aims to give this sport-utility wagon a brawny look from every side. Subaru says it’s gone with the boxy look in order to “emphasize its height and durability.”
Subaru didn’t stop at styling. The new Outback’s roof rails are built to handle a 220-pound dynamic load, enough for bikes, gear, or even a rooftop tent. Static load capacity tops out at 800 pounds, and there’s a 220-pound lateral load limit, which means you could hang a hammock or rig up a clothesline between the crossbars without issue. Around back, a more upright rear hatch helps improve both aesthetics and cargo capacity.
Interior Upgrades and Tech Improvements
The changes continue in the cabin where Subaru incorporates two new displays. The gauge cluster is now a 12.3-inch digital unit, and the infotainment system measures 12.1 inches featuring a new processor to speed up responses. That alone sounds like an upgrade we’re interested in testing.
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In fact, Subaru seems to have listened to the complaints about HVAC control in the infotainment system, too. They’re now all physical buttons below the infotainment system. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard.
Subaru says the Outback reduces wind noise by 10% and is quieter and “more refined” as a result. The automaker redesigned other elements too, including the cupholders, the charging ports, and the tonneau cover. The cabin itself is larger, too, thanks to a 2-inch taller roofline. That means two extra cubic feet of storage space, 34.6 in total, in the back. All of this sounds great, but Subaru has at least one more party trick in the Outback.
Specifically, it allows drivers to go hands-free on some highways at up to 85 mph. That should make what sounds like a good road-trip car even better. Notably, Subaru hasn’t released fuel economy figures, pricing, or availability for the Outback just yet.
Wilderness Edition: More Rugged, More Capable
What it has told us is just how capable and rugged the new Outback Wilderness is. It comes standard with the turbo engine, a CVT, and AWD. On top of those expected features, it has 9.5 inches of ground clearance. It’s the details that are really intriguing here, though.
For example, the Wilderness edition gets uniquely tuned dampers that react in real time to road conditions. The AWD system can also lock up the center differential faster than in the past to reduce wheel spin off-road. Subaru gave attention to important details like departure, approach, and breakover angle too.
“The approach angle has been extended to 20 degrees compared to 18 degrees; ramp breakover moves up to 21.2 degrees compared to 19.4 degrees; and the departure angle increases to 22.5 degrees compared to 21.4 degrees,” says the automaker. Interestingly, those are just carryover figures from the last-gen Wilderness except concerning the departure angle. It could depart at a better 23.6-degree angle.
Even so, the 2026 Outback remains one of the most capable wagons – sorry, SUVs – on the market, blending daily usability with real off-road functionality. We’ll wait to see how pricing and fuel economy shake out, but the updates here look promising, even if longtime Subaru fans will miss the pure wagon experience.
