For more than 30 years, the Subaru Outback has been largely categorized as a wagon, specifically at first and broadly as of late. Even as the Legacy wagon disappeared, it was still the go-to machine for Americans who wanted something more practical than a sedan but not as bulky as an SUV-aping crossover. That just changed.
At the New York Auto Show on Wednesday, Subaru unveiled the new 2026 Outback, and it looks like it’s gone full crossover. Gone are any car-like cues, with the new model instead looking like a supersized Forester. It’s a dramatic departure from a norm that’s existed since the mid-1990s, and I can’t help but wonder if the push for further mass appeal might alienate the Outback faithful.
Let’s start with what’s going on under the skin, because it’ll immediately be familiar. Buyers can choose from a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated flat-four making 180 horsepower or a 260-horsepower turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four, with the exclusive transmission choice being a CVT, and all models driving all four wheels. That’s all carryover stuff, and so is the Subaru Global Platform underneath the new crossover skin.
Moving inside the new Outback, the interior feels like a step forward. Rotary knobs for temperature control return, the HVAC system gains a litany of actual buttons and a separate display, and a new infotainment system now features a rather square 12.1-inch touchscreen. Add in a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and swaths of stitched textiles, and the cabin of the new Outback looks like a nicer, more intuitive place than the inside of the outgoing model.
However, we really need to talk about the styling because it’s a seismic change from what we’re used to. Instead of a rounded, low-body-up-high look, the new Outback is all about blocky off-road posturing. From the flat hood to the split headlight treatment to the sheer amount of metal seen in profile, it’s not a handsome vehicle. What’s more, it’s clear that the new Outback is going after the Honda Passport, and that might be a huge mistake.
See, Subaru already makes two crossovers that look like crossovers. There’s the two-row Forester and the three-row Ascent, both covering important bases in the market. In contrast, two-row midsize crossovers with more traditional, chunky forms have generally lived in the sales shadows of their siblings. The Honda Passport has been a relatively slow seller compared to the three-row Pilot and more affordable CR-V. Through Q1, the two-row midsized combustion-powered Chevrolet Blazer sold roughly half as many units as the three-row Traverse and a drop in the bucket compared to ICE Equinox sales.
At the same time, the Outback developed a strong identity not just for what it was, but what it wasn’t. It wasn’t a macho’d up mall crawler for families to drive down to Denny’s in, it was a wagon with some extra ground clearance for getting to the chalet in deep snow, or reaching somewhat remote trailheads. The people who buy Outbacks could buy a Forester or an Ascent, but they don’t. They know what they like, and something tells me this isn’t it.
While change is inevitable, abandoning the utter dominance of a niche in search of a slice of a small pie just doesn’t seem like a wise move. Subaru can’t afford to get the Outback wrong, yet as someone who’s loved Outbacks, I’m afraid they might have done just that with the seventh-generation model. Subaru itself calling the new Outback an SUV in the press release feels like a failure to read the room. While the Trailseeker will likely pick up some lost sales, buyers who just want a midsize wagon soon won’t have any affordable options in America. Time to pour one out.
Top graphic image: Matt Hardigree
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Oof. Having owned ‘05, ‘10, ‘15 and ‘17 Outbacks I was obviously a fan. A few months ago I was looking for something new and the overly cladded about to be redesigned ‘25 Outback didn’t make the cut. I’d seen some spy shots and wasn’t feeling the new direction. This is even worse than expected.
Having liked the more wagon body I shopped Volvo but wasn’t in love and wasn’t going to gamble on the German wagons. Went to the SUV dark side and bought a Mazda CX70.
I’m glad they took a risk with it and are trying to push the design forward, but man, it’s an awkward-looking vehicle now.
Subaru needed to:
Well, they did the first one
they spent everything making the interior look good, and then gave a crayon to Homer Simpson to style the exterior.
When the Outback was redesigned for 2010, journalists were pretty much saying the same thing, that they ruined the Outback by making it too much of a truck. Customers responded by purchasing more of them than ever before.
The key to astronomical sales figures in 2025, as in previous years, is dressing a car up as a truck.
Subaru has nailed that formula here. I don’t believe the average Outback buyer is a car enthusiast. I think they’ll be happy that their new Outback is now an actual SUV, and sales will increase.
It looks…. fine, if it was the new Forrester.
There hasn’t been a need to Armor All a rear spoiler since at least the 1992 Scirocco. Welcome back.
this is actually a good point. if you don’t use some product these plastics will look like garbage in about 7 years. Turtle wax super hard wax lasts a pretty long time but will make the surface a little more matte/lighter color.
Man, Mothers is going to be raking it in in a few years with all of the “back to black” they’re going to be selling.
Could probably live with the green one, but man is this thing trying too hard! The cladding is obnoxious on the Wilderness is particular.
It kind looks like a Mitsubishi
I’m a New Englander and Subaru owner (but I repeat myself). This thing looks like a GTA 5 car you’d never steal and a lump I’d never want to own.
My midwest college town neighborhood is full of Subaru and Prius automobiles. Being able to call them ‘cars’ seems to be a point of pride.
The WRX cladding engineer got a promotion, and this is the result.
Subaru. Hate.
I worry that Subaru is competing with themselves now. I saw this and thought, that looks like a Forester.
Ugh!! The front end looks like it was designed using Lego’s! 🙁
Don’t step on it in the dark with bare feet.
It will not end well.
Don’t I know!!! 😉
That’s an insult to LEGO.
You people have lost your minds.
BMW’s use a baboons rear end for a grill.
Toyota styling is just a disaster with lines and curves that go no where. The RAV4 is one of the ugliest cars ever built. Drive one and you’ll hate it more.
Lexus looks like an older woman who’s had way too much plastic surgery.
VW’s generally have the front end of a vacuum cleaner and the interior of one too.
Hyundai is all over the place, they just throw bizarre styling ideas from stoned interns against the wall and hope it sticks, and the Ionic 6 looks like a dog dropping a deuce and now you can’t unsee that.
But, Subaru builds a simple, boxy SUV with a flat hood and straight lines like an old land rover that everyone loves, and you all seem to hate it. To me it looks practical and honest with straight forward utility uncompromised by styling elements. I hope they’re discounted because I want one.
I don’t see honest at all here with the acres of plastic, just lots of posing. Practicality was not in question here, just the wisdom of market positioning.
As a 20-yr Subaru Outback owner across a 3rd and 5th gen cars, looking to replace my whip, I will not come anywhere near this blob. Major letdown.
Well…. you missed his point then. If you don’t want to buy this “blob” then you can buy some other blob since everyone makes blobs now. At least with this you get the SAME exact engine and transmission.
It looks like a hiking shoe had a baby with a cordless drill
Remember when hiking shoes were functional? Old man yells at clowd.
COTD!
I am with ya. This isn’t that bad. The Rav4 is god awfully ugly. I do kinda like the ioniq 6 but probably because everyone doesn’t like it, I’m a bit of a contrarian.
Christ almighty, ease up on the cladding!
While I’ve gone over to EVs completely, I can rember my Outbacks as being comfy, quiet, civilized, and sedan-like with perfect seat height. I see they’ve kept the leather colored leather interior for the upper trim.
Now I think I want a Legacy Wagon to replace my 2015 Outback. Do they still make that?
Nope.
Ug. It looks like it was put together from discarded leftovers from other brands. In a lot of ways it looks like a design out of China from about ten years ago. Like a knockoff, so awkward it completely missed the point of the original.
I feel a bit bad for Subaru. They worked hard to build a nice niche using 4WD wagons starting in the early ’70s and were largely ignored by the rest of the industry up until about the mid ’90s when things like the RAV4 and CR-V became hits. Subaru was able to add in a little spice with the WRX and keep up with the Outback, but it is increasingly difficult to differentiate yourself when every other car maker now makes almost nothing but their versions of the 4WD wagons on which you built your brand.
The current Outback is comparable in size to a GMC Acadia and a Toyota Highlander.
We have a minivan and a manual green/brown Alltrack for family cars. I would definitely drive an Alltrack the size of an Outback if it were available. An Alltrack is a solid size and a half smaller than an Outback and we have only held onto it because we like it, but it sucks for 3 kids.
If you look at the unfortunate styling of middle class family homes in North America, it becomes pretty clear that value trumps styling for many. But, shiny and new has its appeal. I think that this sort of mess of styling elements appeals to the shiny and new crowd, and really helps those buyers feel like they are buying into the Subaru brand.
I own an older 2005 MDX, a nice blend of style and rugged. A good size too, roomy as a 2 row, 3 row in a pinch without being leviathan sized. Biggest downfall is horendous fuel economy.
Even for Subaru, this thing is horrific looking.
There are people that still defend the looks of the current WRX for some reason.
Subaru got 2025’d.
Try again in 2028 I guess.
I’m fully done with Subaru. When they were light, quirky and manual wagons I was an owner. Now they are none of those. But yaaay for them to sell more units? Sad.
It’s been over a decade since the outback was a wagon
The muddy sample’s dirt collection is comical. The rear quarter panel looks like a bunch of kids made mud balls and just threw them at it. As well they should. Along with the Trailseeker, Subaru seems to be all in on black plastic front fenders. I predict they won’t age well. Maybe each one comes with a bottle Armor All in the glove box?
“It’s Mudproof!”