The Subaru Outback has long been an anomaly—an off-road, lifted wagon that, while larger than the Forester, still isn’t as beefy as SUVs like the Toyota RAV4. Its exact placement in the wide world of crossovers remains a mystery, but that’s kind of been its best-selling point. Nobody really knows where the Outback is supposed to go, but everyone knows what the Outback is about.
Subaru has filled that niche for 30 years, and it’s paid off. The Outback is one of the brand’s best-selling SUVs of all time, and it's ubiquitous for people who enjoy camping, hiking, and all the other rugged activities a vehicle like the Outback invites.
For 2026, however, Subaru decided to change up the Outback pretty significantly. No longer is the Outback a fairly conservative sibling to the now-discontinued Legacy sedan; it's more SUV than ever. So, here’s the big question: Has it worked?
| Quick Specs | 2026 Subaru Outback |
| Engine | 2.5-Liter / Turbo 2.4-Liter Four-Cylinder |
| Output | 180 / 260 Horsepower |
| Efficiency | 24 / 27 Combined |
| Base Price / As Tested | $34,995 / $43,165 |
Arguably, the biggest change to the Outback is the exterior. As mentioned, following the death of the Legacy, Subaru felt it was no longer necessary to keep a similar design language. Now, the Outback has its own distinct look. And distinct it is.
Gone are the Outback’s signature curvy lines and raked hatch. The new upright, boxy design is closer to Subaru’s wagons of the 1980s. The new front and rear more align with the Forester crossover, with a big black grille and plastic cladding to give it that off-road look. The new design is standardized across all trims, with the upcoming Wilderness model sporting a slightly different front fascia and side profile.
One interesting design detail to note is what Subaru calls 'Shark Skin,' which are pieces of plastic trim with golfball-like treading along the exterior of the car. It supposedly helps with aerodynamics as well as decreasing wind noise. We didn’t notice any drastic changes to either, but they do make the Outback look more interesting.
The new design is definitely divisive; some claim the Outback's new shape abandons its wagon heritage. While we can’t say we agree, what we can say is that—even with the added 1.4 inches to the roofline—the new Outback doesn’t look as big and bulbous in real life as it does in photos. Despite all the design changes, the new Outback is actually the same size as the old one.
Pro: Excellent Interior, Impressive Off-Road Chops, Punchy Turbo Engine
Inside, everything other than the steering wheel is all new. You can tell Subaru spent an enormous amount of time making the cabin a great place to be.
We’ll start with the cupholders. Yes, the cupholders. Bear with us. They’re designed to accommodate water bottles up to 32 ounces, which means large bottles for outdoor activities will now comfortably fit without spilling or rattling around. Speaking of rattling, don’t you hate it when you put a water bottle in the door panel pocket and it rattles? Subaru thought so, too. The door panels are now lined with carpet to help suppress noise, and it actually works, even when doing some rally-driver-esque off-roading.
In fact, the whole interior feels way nicer and more well-thought-out than previous versions. Everything from the fabric padding on the dashboard to the plastics feels more put-together. Plus, there is a noticeable and thankful lack of piano black materials on the Limited trim, which means fewer smudgy surfaces.
The other major improvement to the Outback’s interior is the return of buttons. The old Outback had a massive center screen that, among many things, took away the hard HVAC controls and heated seats. With the return of a smaller 12.2-inch system, Subaru has brought back buttons for everything. The button layout is clean, with everything you need within quick reach. That also leaves Subaru’s new user interface to handle just the basics.
Cons: Divisive Design, Glitchy Infotainment, Unerpowered 2.5-Liter Engine
Subaru’s new UI is a welcome breath of fresh air, not only to the Outback but to the entire brand. The iPad-style screen with clunky software is dead, and in its place is a smaller head unit that handles the basics—radio, phone calls, navigation, and settings. That’s it. No fumbling through menus to get to your seat heaters, no laggy displays. Everything is where you need it, easy to find, and struggle-free.
That said, the new software did have some issues during testing. For one, X-Mode, Subaru’s off-road mode, didn’t show up anywhere on screen when selected and was difficult to get working. What’s more, Subaru’s Eyesight system kept beeping at me to "look at the road," even when I was, and it kept beeping at me after manually going in and turning it off. Still, those are minor annoyances compared to a vast improvement of the entire system.
Front and rear passenger space is generally acceptable. I’m 6-foot-2-inches, not to flex, but I fit in every seat perfectly fine, and headroom is great thanks to the aforementioned 1.4-inch bump in headroom over the old model. The rear seats are also a much better place to be with some higher-trim options fitted with outboard heated seats, USB-C ports, and a separate climate control zone. Trunk space is also more than adequate, with a 2.4 cubic-foot upgrade over the last generation.
The powertrain for the 2026 Outback remains the same as the previous generation, with your choice of either a 2.5-liter flat-four boxer engine making 180 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque, or a turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four making a much healthier 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque. This generation has seen vast improvements to the engine components, which means both engines run even more smoothly.
Driving the Limited model in both engine configurations, the 2.4 turbo comes out on top thanks to the 80-hp bump over the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter, something you can definitely feel on the road. Granted, the turbocharged model does come with slightly lower fuel economy at 21 mpg city, 29 highway, 24 combined, compared to the 25 mpg city, 31 highway, 27 combined of the 2.5. But we think most buyers would be willing to make that tradeoff for the upside of slightly better power and a more overall pleasant driving experience.
Off the road is where the Outback really shines. Even without real skid plates, the stock suspension and all-season tires help this car far exceed expectations. Driving way too fast over way-too-big rocks in the Arizona mountains, it’s genuinely impressive how well the Outback handles non-paved roadways, considering the Limited trim we drove is by no means an off-roader.
As well as the Outback handles off-roading, however, the suspension is quite stiff, and if you take any paths more serious than finely packed dirt, your back will suffer. If you’re going to do serious off-the-beaten-path driving, invest in some better tires, or wait for the Wilderness model.
Pricing across the board for the 2026 Outback is more expensive compared to the previous generation, thanks to the elimination of the base trim, with the Premium now being the cheapest offering you can buy at $36,445.
The Limited mode tested here, the second cheapest of the bunch, ends up being $43,165 with destination, nearly loaded. An un-specced version costs closer to $41,000. The highest trimmed model, the Touring XT, comes in at a whopping $49,840, while the off-road Wilderness model sits at $46,445.
The Subaru Outback is still the best version of whatever car it's aiming to be. Practical CUV? Sure! Mild off-roader? Yep. The people who like this thing are going to buy it. It does exactly what it needs to do and caters to an audience that loves it.
My assumption is that the internet's opinions may differ from the actual reception of this car by the broader market, and I say this as someone who isn’t a fan of the new look. At any rate, the new Outback’s interior is great, it has way more off-road credibility than it needs to, and it is one of the few new cars not to follow the trend of "bigger is better."
Well done, Subaru.
Subaru Outback Competitors
2026 Subaru Outback
