2026 Subaru Outback Ditches the Wagon Look, Goes Full SUV

New Style, But Will it Work?

Subaru claims the new styling direction retains the brand’s core principle of everyday practicality, which translate to function over form. It’s a characteristic we’ve always appreciated from the brand, and so have many customers. The wagon-like shape of the Outback has also been very popular with customers, so switching to a more traditional SUV shape does present a risk.

The squarer shape shows the Outback is now firmly positioned as the brand’s rugged SUV offering, targeting the likes of the Honda Passport, Toyota 4Runner, and even Ford Bronco. The company has done a good job, as the new Outback is slab-sided. But some character lines don't work with the rugged, chunky looks.

Still, we do applaud a new styling direction as it keeps things fresh and interesting. The split headlights follow the current styling trend with the daytime running lights on the hood line and main headlights located separately below. There’s a larger grille below a flatter hood that flows into an equally flat roof.

At the side, the wheel wells are squared off, with a new cladding design. The rear has a more upright tailgate, which continues the boxy theme and adds more usable cargo capacity.

Familiar Power and Driveline

Not as dramatically different this year is what’s under the Outback’s hood. Entry-level models continue to use a 2.5-liter flat-four-cylinder engine that makes 180 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque. As familiar as this sounds, the engine receives updates like the one in the 2025 Forester did, which operates much quieter in real-world testing. The same applies to the continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).

The engine remains unchanged, which isn’t a bad thing as we are quite fond of the 2.4-liter turbocharged flat-four engine that makes 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque. It too, is coupled to a CVT with an 8-speed manual shift mode. Of course, both engines only come paired with Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel drive system. The new Outback also benefits from a faster locking center differential, which should allow less wheel-spin when off-roading.

Capability to Back Up the Looks

A nice update for the 2026 Outback, despite being more SUV-like, is the addition of a version of the WRX’s steering rack. It should provide better feedback and more responsive steering, but we won’t know for sure without a drive behind the wheel. For the first time, there are electronically controlled dampers that should improve ride quality and increase responsiveness further. Subaru also states that lateral sway in the new Outback has been reduced by 42% compared to its predecessor.

But the Outback is more about off-roading, so let’s cover those details. As is the case for nearly every Subaru SUV, there is 8.7 inches (220 mm) of ground clearance and standard X-Mode. For even more off-road capability, there will be an Outback Wilderness for the 2026 model year as well.

Biggie-Sized Interior

Nearly everything inside the new Outback is larger. There’s more cargo space, more rear passenger space, and most importantly, more front cup holder capacity! Joking aside, the bottle holders in each door now offer enough room for 32-ounce water bottles.

Back to the cargo area, the specific increase is roughly 2 cubic feet (57 L), bringing total capacity to 34.6 cubic feet (980 L). It’s also 2 inches (50 mm) taller, allowing the transportation of taller objects behind the rear seats. Complementing the reduced engine noise is a reduction of wind noise by 10%, thanks primarily to more aerodynamic roof rails, which can hold 800 pounds (363 kg) of weight when parked, or 220 pounds (100 kg) on the move.

Also growing in the Outback is the infotainment system, now at 12.1 inches and no longer vertical. Even better, there is a row of physical climate control buttons located below the screen. On higher trims of the Outback, there is an available 12.3-inch fully digital driver information center that is customizable. Other tech highlights include wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Serious Safety Equipment

Of course, the new Outback has standard EyeSight driver-assistance technology, which includes features like pre-collision braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure alert, lane change assist, and more. 

Other newer safety systems include available emergency stop assist with safe lane selection, pre-curve speed control, highway active lane change assist, and highway automatic resume assist. The steering wheel now has haptic feedback on some Outback trim levels to deliver various safety warnings to drivers without having to use annoying chimes and buzzes.

The biggest news though, is the Highway Hands Free Assist. At speeds up to 85 mph (145 km/h) on specific highways through North America, drivers can take their hands off the wheel of the Outback while using adaptive cruise control, assuming they maintain attention to the road ahead.

Canada vs USA

The 2026 Subaru Outback will be available in Premium, Limited, Touring, Limited XT, Touring XT, and Wilderness trim in the United States. The Canadian trim breakdown is simpler, with the Touring, XT Limited, Wilderness, and XT Premier available.

We should get more information and pricing on the new 2026 Subaru Outback closer to its launch date, later in 2025.  

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