Home » For 30 Years, The Subaru Outback Has Been Proof That Americans Will Buy Wagons

For 30 Years, The Subaru Outback Has Been Proof That Americans Will Buy Wagons

Subaru Outback Retrospective Ts
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It seems almost certain that whenever an automaker unveils a new wagon, enthusiasts cheer for it, but there’s a good chance it isn’t destined for North America. There seems to be a narrative that wagons just don’t sell on this continent, which isn’t exactly correct. One station wagon has been with us for more than three decades, it continues to sell in huge volumes, and any automaker copying its formula has enjoyed at least some modicum of success. I’m talking about the Subaru Outback.

If you told someone in the 1980s that the last mainstream wagon sold in America would be Japanese, they’d probably look at you like you had two heads. However, the Outback has outlasted the big three’s entries in the segment, along with virtually all other competitors thanks to a cult following turned mainstream and a willingness to embrace plastic cladding.

Vidframe Min Top
Vidframe Min Bottom

On the eve of the debut of a brand new Subaru Outback, it feels like a good time to recall how we ended up here, from humble beginnings for the 1995 model year to the cultural touchpoint the Outback is today. So, here’s a brief history of all six generations of Outback.

Act One, Scene One

96 Outback Water
Photo credit: Subaru

Back in the early 1990s, Subaru of America was in a bit of a pickle. SUV sales were booming, yet Subaru didn’t have anything matching that description in its portfolio and needed something rugged-looking cheaply and quickly. The solution: Take one high-roof Legacy wagon, copy an AMC idea by adding contrasting cladding, and presto! The Outback was born. Then called the Legacy Outback, it made its debut in 1994 for the 1995 model year, but something was missing.

Those very first Outbacks weren’t any more capable than the Legacy wagons on which they were based. They still rode low to the ground, and aside from the cladding, looked a whole lot like their more road-focused counterparts. For 1996, Subaru raised the ride height, fitted bigger tires, added a new front bumper with huge fog lights, and the Outback as we actually know it today was born. Unsurprisingly, it was a hit. Not only was the Outback an image-maker, Subaru quickly had the best-selling wagon in America and posted an overall year-over-year U.S. sales increase of 20.3 percent. Oh, and for 1998, something called the Subaru Legacy SUS joined the party. Short for Sport Utility Sedan, it was essentially an Outback with a trunk. How wonderfully bizarre.

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Party Of Six

01 Outback Camping
Photo credit: Subaru

By 1999, the mass-market station wagon as we knew it was fading. General Motors had killed the A-body and B-body wagons, Chrysler had put its eggs firmly in the minivan basket, Toyota had phased out the Camry wagon, and the Honda Accord wagon had been effectively superseded by the Odyssey. Lacking a minivan and only having a compact crossover as an SUV, what was Subaru to do but double-down on the Outback?

For the second-generation model, Subaru offered the Outback loyal a whole lot more, including a double-pane moonroof and a three-liter flat-six making 212 horsepower. A MacIntosh audio system joined the options list, the Legacy SUS got rebranded as the Outback Sedan, and for 2001, a new all-wheel-drive system was available. Paired with stability control, this variable torque distribution system featured a default 45:55 front-to-rear split and added a different dimension to a fan favorite.

It was also around this time that competitors started to take notice. Volvo launched the plastic-clad V70 Cross Country a year before Subaru re-upped the Outback, and Audi pushed out the infamous Allroad for the new millennium. How’d that go? Well, both the Cross Country and Allroad nameplates are still around today, and Audi hasn’t offered a regular A6 Avant in America in more than a decade, so it seems like Subaru was onto a winning formula.

Joining The Turbo Team

Wallpapers Subaru Outback 2003 2
Photo credit: Subaru

Let’s jump forward to the mid-2000s, with the third-generation Outback. Not only did it get sharp new styling, it finally offered 2.5-liter EJ255 turbocharged flat-four, paired with either a five-speed automatic or a five-speed manual transmission. Select the row-your-own option, and the result was the most performance oriented Outback America has ever seen. The three-liter flat-six gained a boost in horsepower to 245, the base naturally aspirated flat-four gained ten horsepower to 175, and the interior was a dramatic improvement over the second-generation model.

Was this peak Outback? It could be argued so. Not only did it look and feel nicer than an equivalent Camry or Accord, it offered two different all-wheel-drive systems, three different transmissions, an available limited-slip rear differential, and was really classy in retrospect. Plus, the Japanese model introduced the Eyesight advanced driver assistance system, and Europeans could even spec a diesel engine. A tremendously unreliable diesel engine, but still.

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A Step Back

Subaru Outback 2010 Hd Bda457f01bbb2cbb5547a26c82545049bb1be9651
Photo credit: Subaru

In contrast, the fourth-generation Outback, launched for the 2010 model year, was a bit underwhelming. Sure, the flat-six grew in displacement to 3.6 liters and a turbocharged powertrain was still offered, but the overall product felt more homogenized. It lost the double-pane moonroof, lost the frameless doors, and shed a significant amount of cladding. Add in the Lineartronic CVT available on most trims, and the 2010 Outback just seemed less fun and less interesting than its predecessor. That didn’t really matter though, because it just kept setting sales records.

It turns out that normalcy is exactly what the people want, and 2010 Outback sales nearly doubled 2009’s totals, with sales growing for every model year of the fourth-generation model. For 2013, the final full sales year of the fourth-generation Outback, the model hit a new record of 118,049 units in America. It turns out we hadn’t seen the half of it.

Total Dominance

2015 subaru outback 6
Photo credit: Subaru

For the 2015 model year, the cladding came back as the Outback entered its fifth generation, model codename BS. Alright, so the internal naming scheme was a bit unfortunate, but it came with some big news. From here out, the Outback was the only Legacy wagon, establishing total longroof dominance in the U.S. Subaru range.

Alright, so the option of a turbocharged engine skipped this generation and the option of a manual gearbox disappeared, but this Outback offered sharper styling and more normal details than before, minimizing the learning curve for new buyers. Outside of the novel form factor, the most noteworthy thing about this generation was incredibly plush door armrests. It turns out that the people craved coddled elbows because 2017 was the Outback’s best-ever U.S. sales year, shifting 188,886 units.

So Here We Are

Img 6968 1
Photo credit: Thomas Hundal

Flash forward to the 2020 model year, and the world got its first glimpse at the current Outback. With an available 2.4-liter turbocharged engine, huge space and comfort, a stiffer architecture, and more tech, the result is one superb family hauler. A great balance of rationality and difference, it’s still the two-row midsize family vehicle to have.

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Oh, and if you’re particularly outdoorsy, the toughened-up Wilderness trim level is also on deck, with extra cladding, all-terrain tires, a full 9.5 inches of ground clearance, and a shorter final drive. If an unanticipated global pandemic didn’t affect all new car sales, this thing had the potential to be the most successful Outback yet.

A New Frontier

2026 Subaru Outback Teaser
Photo credit: Subaru

So, where do we go from here? Well, teasers of the 2026 Outback, and they have me worried. While Subaru’s lifted wagon has grown its greenhouse over the past few generations, glimpses of this new model paint a more SUV-like picture, all tall and squared-off. Add in the impeding demise of the Legacy midsize sedan, and we’re really bowling with the bumpers down. There’s no more hard reference that dictates the form of the Outback, and I’m worried the soft, sensible, trademark non-threatening visage of past Outbacks is going to disappear. Hopefully camouflage hides a lot, because from where I’m sitting, the next Outback might not look like a wagon at all.

It would be a weird turning point for America’s most successful wagon. I know lots of Outback owners who bought their cars because they didn’t look or feel like SUVs, and I’m hoping Subaru doesn’t abandon this core audience that grew the Outback legend to what it is today. I guess we’ll find out just before lunchtime tomorrow, when the world sees the seventh-generation Outback in the metal for the first time.

Top graphic credit: Subaru

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BlackCab
BlackCab
9 days ago

The fundamental reason I would always choose an Outback over another CUV is purely down to the proportions and cargo capacity. All CUVs look wrong to my eyes. They are too tall for their overall length making them look awkward. What has been nice about the Outback is the better proportions between overall height and length. CUVs prioritize larger passenger volume while sacrificing trunk space. What if you don’t care about rear passenger space, want a BIG trunk and don’t want to drive with the rear seats always folder. Simple, Outback.

Subaru, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Keep it simple stupid.

Duke of Earl Scheib
Duke of Earl Scheib
8 days ago
Reply to  BlackCab

This is the main reason why I got the Outback over the Forester.

Ostronomer
Ostronomer
8 days ago

Yep, the length of the cargo area is usually more useful than the height.

Ok_Im_here
Ok_Im_here
9 days ago

The 3rd gen version was by far the best in terms of looks. It was eminently drivable while still feeling like both a wagon but with its offroad chops intact.

The current gen model is larger than many SUVs in the 90s, for some perspective–including the Jeep Cherokee.

I will miss wagons when they are gone. But I also stick by my argument that the true spiritual successor to the large American family wagon is the minivan. SUVs may have killed the wagon, but if you want a wagon today, but can’t find one you can afford or like, get a minivan. It’s everything you ever wanted in a wagon and more.

Ford_Timelord
Ford_Timelord
9 days ago
Reply to  Ok_Im_here

Its a shape thats aged really well.

Cerberus
Cerberus
9 days ago

Before the Outback, there was a kind of precursor with the facelifted first generation Legacy wagons that had some goofy special edition ugly raised roof models with some outdoorsy graphics that would look like clip art today: Sun Sport, Alpine Sport, and I think there was a third one. Not sure what else was done to them, they might have had raised suspension, but maybe not. Never liked the BF (high roof) and the graphics didn’t make them more appealing.

GreatFallsGreen
GreatFallsGreen
9 days ago
Reply to  Cerberus

I had always wanted to see at least a brochure with those ’94 special editions, for a while the most I found was on this old dealer’s personal site, but a brochure exists on Import Archive. Tough to read the text without contributing but shows a clear pic of each of the 4 versions. Oddly the GT seems to be the only one with the raised roof, basically inverse of what followed, but definitely seems like they were feeling out how to package the next gen and how to do so in a creative way as a small company.

Cerberus
Cerberus
8 days ago

You’re right, the GT was the only high roof in the US. Maybe it was the ugly roof racks that colored my memory.

I had those brochures. A large box of that kind of stuff went to the trash when I moved as nobody wanted it.

Thi
Thi
9 days ago

Outback isn’t a wagon. Remove the plastic cladding and the lift.

GirchyGirchy
GirchyGirchy
8 days ago
Reply to  Thi

Wat

Thi
Thi
8 days ago
Reply to  GirchyGirchy

The Outback isn’t a real wagon, it’s been crossover-ized.

An Impreza (hatchback) becomes a Crosstrek (crossover) when ugly black plastic and a lift is applied.

Thus,

A Legacy (wagon) becomes an Outback (crossover) when ugly black plastic and a lift is applied.

I’m a wagon purist, a lifted vehicle clad in plastic is no longer a pure wagon.

Alexander Moore
Alexander Moore
8 days ago
Reply to  Thi

So a minivan lifted and cladded becomes… a crossover also?

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Mitsubishi_Delica_D5_003.JPG

Thi
Thi
8 days ago

you know what, sure why not.

Andy Individual
Andy Individual
9 days ago

The secret to destroying the wagon market is to keep making them uglier and uglier. Sheesh, even the amazing CVT can’t fix that…

The Dude
The Dude
9 days ago

My first new car was an ’06 Legacy wagon. Fantastic car, and imo it looked better than the sedan. I think that was the last year of the wagon.

I also test drove an Outback. It was fine, but I much preferred the handling of the Legacy. And the dealer seemed more willing to haggle on the Legacy despite it being a higher trim with leather and an awesome ginormous sunroof.

Unfortunately the subsequent generation of Legacies didn’t quite grab me so I never really felt compelled to look at them when I eventually traded it in.

Xt6wagon
Xt6wagon
8 days ago
Reply to  The Dude

Legacy wagon dropped the stick before it was outback only for the wagon. 2005 had a huge problem with tiny dealers trying to have one of everything and failing. So they killed models, trims, and combos to streamline offerings.

Wayne Bailey
Wayne Bailey
9 days ago

And, just like that, Subaru begat the Mercedes E wagon with the (cringe) cladding.

Taargus Taargus
Taargus Taargus
9 days ago

As I said earlier, Subaru, don’t be screwing around with this. The moment your customer base finally realizes you’ve sold out, you won’t be able to bring them back. Once the veil comes off and Outback owners see that their model of choice is just a midsized CUV, suddenly a world of other choices become available. And if its really as fat as other two row crossovers, get ready to kiss a serious number of customers goodbye.

I know the current Outback really straddles the line between wagon and CUV, and some people will think this is silly (maybe it is) but people buy the Outback because its not shaped (exactly) like an SUV. As plain and aping of outdoor footwear their styling has become, to these people that’s a feature, not a bug.

Granted, knowing how Subaru seemingly continues down a dark path of late, I wouldn’t be surprised if they saw something like the Passport, went “wait, how much does fucking Honda sell those for?” and immediately started licking their chops at the prospect of hiking the price 5k by simply porking the thing up.

Bags
Bags
8 days ago

I know they have a loyal base, but I agree with you. They carved their niche out of wagons and AWD. The Legacy wagon, the offroady Legacy Outback wagon, the Impreza hatch and wagon, the squared off offroady impreza wagon called the Forester.
The Forester keeps becoming more SUV with each generation. If they call the Crosstrek a crossover and if the Outback keeps getting taller (and more cladding) with each generation, they are left with a selection of AWD crossovers. AWD crossovers sell well, but that’s a hotly contested segment with more offroady options from other brands being launched every day.

FormerTXJeepGuy
FormerTXJeepGuy
9 days ago

Was having this discussion with a friend the other day. Subaru went mainstream and got incredibly boring to do so. The stuff from the early 2000’s was so much more interesting.

Huja Shaw
Huja Shaw
9 days ago

Gen 3 was indeed peak Outback.

Pat Rich
Pat Rich
9 days ago

This point is sort of self defeating though, since Subaru has consistently made them less wagon with each passing generation. This generation BARELY skits the line, but this teaser hints at something that crosses that line completely.

The Outback proves that Americans demand all things merge slowly towards CUV.

Last edited 9 days ago by Pat Rich
Bill C
Bill C
8 days ago
Reply to  Pat Rich

I loathe Subaru for their marketing genius. Convincing generations of Americans that you need AWD just to drive in the rain. A brief ownership experience with a “Saabaru” 9-2x, and the ordeal of driving my parents to doctors appointments in their droning CVT-equipped 4th gen floppy suspended Outback permanently soured me on the brand. The interiors are dated and depressing and their exterior stylists must be Toyota rejects. I don’t get the hype.

PBL
PBL
8 days ago
Reply to  Bill C

Subaru was not alone in this “must have AWD for safety” conceit. Audi was largely responsible for precipitating the move to AWD in the luxury makes, and Subaru actually looks conservative and responsible for making one of the most gradual moves toward large SUVs among car makers. For many years people were buying loads of 4WD or part-time AWD vehicles without ever understanding how or when to use those systems. Subaru made it simple, as well as reasonably economical.

Having sampled lots of 4EAT and CVT-equipped Subarus I can agree that those are not enthusiast vehicles. They are loud and not luxurious. And until recent years the interiors were awful, low-rent places.

But the hype is real because it offers reliable, robust AWD in a relatively cheap package with respectful fuel mileage. Resale is good. If you do go off pavement the cars really shine. The quality issues have been mostly chased away. These days the lack of hybrid tech–and maybe clunky styling–is really the main knock against the brand.

1978fiatspyderfan
1978fiatspyderfan
9 days ago

Basically the Japanese back in the day were known for copying someone but making it better. They copied more than the cladding from AMC they copied the AMC Eagle. Introduced before its time on a shoestring budget it didn’t succeed. But Subaru found it, updated it, built it better than any UAW Worker ever could and we see what AMC could have been with some decent cash and capable workers.

Bitchin’Camaro
Bitchin’Camaro
9 days ago

I’ve always said that Europe comes up with the ideas, USA makes it bigger and louder, and Japan iterates and makes it reliable and “affordable”.

Obviously not 100% of the time, but in general.

PBL
PBL
8 days ago

I always thought of the Eagle as an unlikely success story, and one that could have saved the company if not for the fact that it was built from woefully outdated mechanicals in the midst of the Malaise Era. The AWD tech was useful but longitudinal RWD compact economy cars were dead and so the Eagle had to go even as the Eagle brand lived on well into the 1990s.

I’m not sure Subaru did much copying of the Eagle for the Outback. The Subaru Legacy already had all its own very different engineering–if anything the Japanese brand copied various European brands decades ago for its longitudinal FWD boxer designs. The body cladding on an Eagle was woodgrain and otherwise similar to what was popular on custom vans in the 1970s. The Subaru looked more like a Matra Rancho, and the design work on it IIRC was done in Japan for the Japanese market. When Subaru NA brought it to the NYC auto show it caused such a stir that the rest was history.

Nic Periton
Nic Periton
9 days ago

CUV? SUV? I had a revealing conversation today with two experts,both were in accord, they are lumpy cars. Aged 4 and three quarters and 5 and six eighths they were very clear, Daddy should get a proper car,a car like Nic’s car and not a lumpy car like all the lumpy cars. After some heated debate it was determined that although it would be nice to go to school in one Traction Engines lack luggage space and it would be annoying to take that long to go on holiday (although you could squish lumpy cars with one). The De Tomaso Pantera that is being stored for someone was deemed ideal for Mummy as she is always in a hurry. Oh, Daddy’s lumpy car? It is a Nissan Quashqai.

GreatFallsGreen
GreatFallsGreen
9 days ago

4th gen Outbacks didn’t get the turbo – only the equivalent Legacy did.
Also the manual did continue on for the first couple years of the 5th gen…but only in Canada.

Last edited 9 days ago by GreatFallsGreen
Hugh Crawford
Hugh Crawford
9 days ago

In his post Peanuts career, Pigpen became a test driver for Subaru.

Actually come to think of it, I’ve seen some pretty dirty Subarus.

Bob
Bob
9 days ago

I don’t think the Outback has been a station wagon since at least the 3d generation. The current models are already full S/CUVs.

Last edited 9 days ago by Bob
GirchyGirchy
GirchyGirchy
8 days ago
Reply to  Bob

Sorry, it’s still just a lifted Legacy wagon. They share plenty of components.

Bags
Bags
8 days ago
Reply to  GirchyGirchy

But there’s no unlifted Legacy wagon. The outback is the default now.

GirchyGirchy
GirchyGirchy
8 days ago
Reply to  Bags

So? It’s still a wagon.

Bucko
Bucko
9 days ago

3rd gen was the last wagon version of the Legacy.

Bob
Bob
9 days ago
Reply to  Bucko

Beat me by a second.

GreatFallsGreen
GreatFallsGreen
9 days ago
Reply to  Bob

Globally speaking the article is correct on that point, there was still a global Legacy wagon for one more generation after it left the US. But given the article is focused on the model in America, you two are correct.

Church
Church
9 days ago

But you are technically correct, which is the best kind of correct!

GreatFallsGreen
GreatFallsGreen
9 days ago
Reply to  Church

I almost threw exactly that line in there! lol

Church
Church
9 days ago
Reply to  Bucko

Third gen related, it was also the last time when you could get an Outback Outback or a Legacy Outback or an Impreza Outback.

V10omous
V10omous
9 days ago

Have never and probably will never understand why wagon vs CUV matters so much for mainstream, not particularly fun to drive, vehicles.

Congrats on a 1″ lower COG in your 180 hp 4 cylinder, CVT, wagon/CUV on S-rated tires? I’m sure you’ll be tearing around the offramps in that performance machine.

Jack Trade
Jack Trade
9 days ago
Reply to  V10omous

In an alternate universe where wagons remained dominant, some counter (auto) culture types would be extolling crossovers as the true amazing cool solution, and why doesn’t everyone else get that (but not really as then they wouldn’t be able to point it out)?

1978fiatspyderfan
1978fiatspyderfan
9 days ago
Reply to  Jack Trade

Really crossovers performance is less in every metric but cool looking. You want to sell successfully in the USA make it cheap but cool looking.

Last edited 9 days ago by 1978fiatspyderfan
Jack Trade
Jack Trade
9 days ago

As a guy who happily lived through the sport coupe era, this is it – a modicum of style and fun goes a long way for a lot of us.

Hugh Crawford
Hugh Crawford
9 days ago
Reply to  V10omous

My not entirely stock Volvo 740 turbo wagon was a total hoot to drive, off ramps in particular.

Taargus Taargus
Taargus Taargus
9 days ago
Reply to  V10omous

I mean, every wagon I’ve ever driven has been pretty fun to drive. I’ve never enjoyed a single crossover I’ve ever driven? This has less to do with actual performance and more to do with the feel of driving something on stilts.

My experience with the Outback is that while its still pretty boring, it feels a little better than your typical extra porkified crossover. Not that its tremendously far from being an SUV at this point.

V10omous
V10omous
9 days ago

Obviously your preferences and experiences are your own, but enjoying 100% of wagons and 0% of crossovers seems unlikely for an unbiased driver.

The 2011 Outback I owned with my wife years ago was not particularly engaging to drive, and it was a manual. Hardly any more dynamic than my minivan, and much less so than any performance tuned crossover.

FloorMatt
FloorMatt
9 days ago
Reply to  V10omous

The closest I can get to the Subaru appeal is that the cars at their best were cheerful, pleasant, and unpretentiously competent. This was in the 2000s and late 90s. It has been a hot second. The cars had great sight-lines, really functional interiors, and had low-traction feel way beyond the competition at the price. I think this may have had something to do with the wagon layout versus an SUV/CUV layout of the era, but I’m not sure. Like everyone has noted, there has been a convergence since then, and they really aren’t unique anymore. CUVs with competent all wheel drive are ubiquitous. Subarus no longer have the sort of stand-out cheap&cheerful vibe they had. But I think there’s still a grain of truth, here, in the wagon thing. There’s a happy place in the lightweight, low CG, long, boxy-ish, not plush-riding, car with a big ass thing. It’s a fantastic tool for so much. It can bring the best out of an only okay driver, and do it for 3 passengers in relative comfort, while carrying all their crap. If they had a good plugin hybrid I’d get one for my wife today (wagon, likely Subaru). It would probably be better for her than her RAV4, and that matters to me a lot. It’s not objectively better than a crossover or anything else, but for a lot of people I think it hits a lot of points they have a tough time describing but contribute to a positive experience.

Taargus Taargus
Taargus Taargus
8 days ago
Reply to  V10omous

I just think that when it comes to those that chose the Outback, well, these are the biased drivers. The slight difference in form factor is what drew these people to the Outback in the first place.

It may all be irrational, but we’ve all agreed that carbuying is irrational. For the same reason so many people seem hellbent on 3-row SUVs over minivans, I don’t see why a contingent of people can’t have a preference for wagons over SUVs. And honestly, if there were half a dozen wagons to choose from and the industry didn’t force everyone into tall vehicles, I don’t think people would be so passionate about the difference. It’s when the only wagon on the market (which has slowly morphed into a non-wagon to begin with) is on the chopping block that people get a little pissy about the differences.

I can understand why people get upset about their V8s disappearing. Just as I can understand why people are upset that their wagons are disappearing. Loss of choice and the homogenizing of the industry sucks.

Davey
Davey
8 days ago

The industry didn’t force people into tall vehicles, people weren’t buying wagons the same way they weren’t buying sedans.
-former Camry wagon owner

Taargus Taargus
Taargus Taargus
8 days ago
Reply to  Davey

Hey I get it. I’m not expecting there to be a vast array of wagons available. But the Outback is the wagon. And it’s ubiquity here in the Northeast is because it’s a wagon. It may be anecdotal, but here in their core market I could walk up to any number of Outback owners and ask why they chose the Outback, and “because it’s a wagon and I don’t like SUVs” will be the number one answer from many of them. Subaru still has a sliver of the counter-cultural market and it’s worked really well for them. Making the Outback 4″ taller and taking away those wagon proportions are not going to help them sell more Outbacks. At that point, why not buy one of 20 other options?

Davey
Davey
8 days ago

I get that, when we had our Camry wagon we wished it just had a bit more ground clearance so when you loaded it up (the whole point of a wagon) it wasn’t even lower to the ground. Sunvs solved this but then again, we camped, went on road trips and live in Ontario where the roads and surfaces rival that of the moon, higher suspension just helped more for our specific use case.
I’m still not sold on their anemic boxer engines or their cvts they pair them to.

4jim
4jim
8 days ago

Consider your self blessed. I was once cursed with a 1984 escort wagon automatic, My college girlfriend and now ex wife had and for a short time it was our only car. we traded it for a new 1991 subaru justy 5 door manual awd. A far superior car.

Taargus Taargus
Taargus Taargus
8 days ago
Reply to  4jim

My mom had an 80’s escort hatchback for a short time.

It was pure excrement.

PBL
PBL
8 days ago
Reply to  V10omous

CUVs are almost always much shorter vs wheelbase than a wagon. Hence, if you want more cargo space in your not particularly fun to drive vehicle, it would be nice to have a wagon. But more often than not what’s on offer is a full-size 3-row SUV.

M SV
M SV
9 days ago

Forester has really become a CUV it probably was one of the first. Subaru has done a good job as keeping the outback a wagon. I can’t see them changing that. Mercedes has really been testing those lines more then anyone else I think because they have an wagon and cuv things with low roofs but higher off the ground that are generally confusing.

Twobox Designgineer
Twobox Designgineer
9 days ago
Reply to  M SV

There’s a house up the block from me that has two M-B AMG blob things, not sure the model. What they call to mind is somebody took a Hostess Twinkie and stuck a bicycle pump up its butt.

M SV
M SV
9 days ago

I was upset when car2go had to switch from smarts to those dumb gla things. I really can’t understand why people buy them I think they are one of the cheapest way into a Merc but why you would get the amg is beyond me. I always thought they looked like the partially crushed a car then jacked it up. Something you would find on the back roads of Alabama. Maybe that’s where they got their inspiration.

Xt6wagon
Xt6wagon
9 days ago

Forester was impreza wagon if you need smaller.

Twobox Designgineer
Twobox Designgineer
9 days ago
Reply to  Xt6wagon

Isn’t the Crosstrek the Impreza wagon plus cladding and an inch lift?

Last edited 9 days ago by Twobox Designgineer
Xt6wagon
Xt6wagon
9 days ago

I was buying a car when the Forester was fresh. Much easier to see when it’s a 99 2.5rs wagon rather than more upmarket

Also crosstrek is a 5dr hatch w a liftkit rather than a wagon.

PBL
PBL
8 days ago

Isn’t the Crosstrek the Impreza hatch wagon plus cladding and an inch lift?

There’s an Impreza wagon out there in Pacific Rim countries called the Levorg. There’s even an Outback version of that, called the Layback.

Huja Shaw
Huja Shaw
9 days ago
Reply to  Xt6wagon

First two generations of Forester were.

Xt6wagon
Xt6wagon
9 days ago
Reply to  Huja Shaw

Just checked, 2025 us forester still on 105.1″ imprezza wheelbase. Outback is currently 108.x”

Huja Shaw
Huja Shaw
9 days ago
Reply to  Xt6wagon

Same platform but not a wagon form factor is what I was getting at.

PBL
PBL
8 days ago
Reply to  Xt6wagon

The Forester is 183″ long vs 187″ for the Levorg, which is sometimes considered the Impreza wagon. Splitting hairs at that point but I think the boxy higher roof of the shorter Forester makes it more of a CUV.

Lockleaf
Lockleaf
9 days ago

Don’t forget, the Jeep Wagoneer was both named as and sold as a station wagon. I don’t know why you shouldn’t forget that. Just don’t do it.

1978fiatspyderfan
1978fiatspyderfan
9 days ago
Reply to  Lockleaf

And in Europe 4 door cars are sold as Coupes.
My grandma used to say you can put kittens in the oven but that don’t make them biscuits.

Twobox Designgineer
Twobox Designgineer
9 days ago
Reply to  Lockleaf

I think Jason showed an old ad recently where the original VW bus was called a station wagon.

Alex Krochman
Alex Krochman
9 days ago

What is an SUV but a wagon bodied Truck?

While things are not built ladder on frame anymore for the most part, CUV’s are rather fluid in their definition, and technically, the Outback has been a CUV for, well, pretty much its entire existence.

Its sad to see its more wagon shaped profile getting taller and boxier and generally more Forrester like, but that is probably a result of needing to package the hybrid powertrain while maintaining the cargo room for the camping and mountain biking that its customers are often associated with.

1978fiatspyderfan
1978fiatspyderfan
9 days ago
Reply to  Alex Krochman

So what is a wagon on a truck frame called a sedan delivery wagon.

Alex Krochman
Alex Krochman
7 days ago

Because Sedan Delivery is archaic.

CampoDF
CampoDF
9 days ago

I owned a B9 A4 Allroad for a good long time and would often park next to a newer generation outback just for comparison. My “lifted” audi wagon was only 1″ taller than a regular avant wagon (which we never got in the USA), but compared to the subaru it was totally dwarfed in height. You could really see how different it was starting in the 2010 model year, and it just kept getting more and more jacked up to the point that it’s taller than a lot of crossovers. I wish they’d offer something more wagon-like but I guess it’ll do. I hate the CVT anyway, so I’d never buy one until that transmission gets thrown in the dumpster fire that it is (I had a ’13 legacy with the gutless 2.5l boxer and cvt and boy was it trash).

Lockleaf
Lockleaf
9 days ago
Reply to  CampoDF

At least as of the 5th generation, the outbacks are very lowerable. There’s multiple suspension kits out there that are not for slamming them, just for putting them down at what would look like stock height for a regular legacy wagon.

Bitchin’Camaro
Bitchin’Camaro
8 days ago
Reply to  CampoDF

Can you put suspension off a regular legacy onto an Outback and get a normal ride height?

LTDScott
LTDScott
9 days ago

I totally agree with you. The Outback’s “wagon” form has always been what was appealing to me over the Forester. But what defines a wagon anymore? It used to be the length of the window behind the C-pillar and the angle of the D-pillar, but even the Outback blurs that line now, as do other unibody CUVs.

PBL
PBL
8 days ago
Reply to  LTDScott

Some have defined it as a wheelbase-body length ratio, which seems better since it’s independent of styling features. But not if the Outback gets a fastback coupe body.

The Outback is essentially the same vehicle it’s always been but bigger in every dimension. And of course heavier. The ground clearance change is probably due to larger wheels.

1995
184″ L x 68″ W x 57-60″ H
ground clearance 7.3
2025
191-192″ L x 74-75″ W x 66-67″ H
ground clearance 8.7

Jason H.
Jason H.
9 days ago

The Outback hasnt been a wagon for quite awhile. It is as tall as any other unibody crossover.

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