Is This The Subaru Outback We Really Want?
Serendipitously, a 2025 Subaru Outback 2.4 XT arrived in my driveway about 24 hours before the new 2026 model was revealed at the New York Auto Show. The contrast could not be starker. Sitting in my nicely equipped crimson-colored Outback on a chilly spring morning, I wondered if Subaru made a mistake.
Time will tell.
The 2025 Outback embodies everything the brand stands for in a good way. It’s an all-wheel drive wagon with character, lightly lifted for capability and crossover categorization. The interior is simple, yet comforting and indicative of the brand’s increased attention to materials over the last decade.
It reminds me of the first Outbacks I test drove at another car magazine, including a memorable 2010 Outback long-termer that I took to Chicago to buy huge audio speakers.
Subaru is taking a risk. The new Outback transitions to a boxier look, more in line with off-roading SUVs and the direction of modern design. The Outback Wilderness turns up the wick even more. That’s fine, but it’s a dramatic departure from the Outback’s traditional position. The Trailseeker EV, also revealed in New York, will be more of the wagon in Subaru’s lineup for the next few years.
“It is bolder, it is more SUV-like,” Jeff Walters, president, Subaru of America, said at the New York unveiling. “But make no mistake, they are still Outbacks at heart.”
Calling it the “flagship” of Subaru, Walters noted Subaru has sold more than 3 million Outbacks in the United States, more than any other model.
“Station wagon” was not uttered at the press conference. In fact, Walters doubled down on the Outback’s status as an SUV. “It sets the standard in the midsize SUV segment.”
Subaru is going where the money and the market are. It’s not a bad strategy. And what really is a station wagon these days? The schmaltzy idea of a wagon has always been a moving target, rather than an actual market segment in recent years. Volvo has gone through a similar thought exercise/hand-wringing with its own lineup.
It might work out, and I tend to think it will. Hyundai rolled the dice with its strong-selling Santa Fe redesign, morphing it from a sleek though nebulous crossover to the reincarnation of the Ford Flex. Polarizing? Yes. But it’s racked up a sack of awards— now sales are up 20 percent this year.
Similarly, Subaru generally wins more than it loses and knows its customers well. If it has a Subaru badge on it, your golden retriever will still happily spring aboard.
In a vacuum, I think the 2026 Outback looks rather cool, albeit a bit like the Nissan Pathfinder. And it's worth noting the Outback’s long history has had a few missteps. At times (like the 2010 model I liked) it’s been more like a crossover. Not everyone liked that. At other points, it's been more car-like. Cladding comes and goes. Some of this is subjective.
Subaru settled into a nice balance for nearly a decade with the fifth and sixth generations. The 2025 model sitting in my driveway has curvy fenders and a tapered roof, which despite the modest wheel cladding still gives off a real wagon vibe.
No more. The 2026 model could easily pass as the new Forester, which itself looks like a Volkswagen Atlas, underscoring the ubiquity and challenges of modern design.
Still, I’m reserving judgement on the new Outback. Change is inevitable. It might be good. My test car this week has a mediocre infotainment system, and despite Subaru’s solid efforts to upgrade its interiors, most equivalent Hyundai and Mazda vehicles have nicer cabins.
Is the 2025 Subaru Outback the one you want? Or is the new model a spot-on response to customers' needs?
“While the styling has changed, it is still an Outback,” Walters said.
Perhaps the answer will come around 2030, when the eighth-generation Outback arrives. It will be boxier-than-ever or return to its station wagon roots. Here’s betting on the former.
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Greg Migliore is AutoGuide's Editorial Director. He has covered the auto industry for two decades, most recently as editor-in-chief of Autoblog. He's also been an editor at Automobile and Autoweek. He's a graduate of Eastern Michigan University, Michigan State University and the Yale Publishing course. Greg is a member of the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards jury.
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Just picked up our new 2025 Outback. It's the little things that have changed from our 2018 that I'm not a fan. I truly hope someone from Subaru reads my short comment.
IIn the 25 miles that I have driven so far, 3 things jump out. They needlessly made the hood higher with hump in the middle. Raised up the center counsel making it feel more confined and taking away the little storage spot that had a movable cover. Lastly and to me the most important. What used to be the steering wheel volume control is now used for a lessly used option to control. The volume control was moved lower making it harder to reach and I have to lower my hand down the steering wheel to adjust the volume. This actually makes it less safe. The adjustment is now recessed and harder to use. In driving, long or short distance, the volume is something I use the most. Not the info screen which is now what the volume used to be. Who ever approved and made this change must not have driven much listening to music. Someone had the head up their posterior. Plain and simple, I HATE this simple but dumb change. I would pay to have it changed. Can the switches be reprogrammed?
Did they fix the motor's shortcomings - head gasket failures? Probably not. For a make that touts more of their vehicles are on the road after 10 years than any other make, my 2015 Outback made it 9 years. Pass...