At the 2025 New York International Auto Show, Subaru unveiled the 2026 Subaru Outback. The company, which will continue to sell the 2025 model year Outback to consumers for some time, shared more details of the updated, seventh generation model in April 2025.
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While Subaru has long classified the Outback as an SUV, some might know that it, in fact, started life as a station wagon. Over six generations, the Outback underwent a slow, steady transition, becoming more SUV-like with each passing iteration. The vehicle has also been a success for Subaru in the U.S., with sales numbers exceeding 3 million units over the past three decades.
The 2026 Outback – the seventh iteration — is the most SUV-like version of the vehicle. The new model looks starkly different from its predecessor and now features an upright SUV stance, with all the older station wagon design elements almost completely gone. Among the more notable design elements on the 2026 Subaru Outback include the new vertically placed headlights, the more upright textured front fascia, and a flatter roofline. The grille is also substantially larger than the older model, adding to the butch SUV look.
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The refreshed look of the 2026 Outback carries on to the rear, where the vehicle gets a redesigned taillamp design. The rear glass also has a steeper rake that allows for more cargo storage inside. While it retains Subaru’s familiar star cluster emblems, the 2026 Outback also gets an embossed Subaru branding at the lower rear fascia.
2026 Subaru Outback: Key external and internal differences compared to older Outbacks
As already outlined, the 2026 Subaru Outlook looks very different from its predecessors, and this difference extends to the overall size of the vehicle as well. The 2026 Outback is longer, taller, and wider compared to the 2025 model year Outback in all aspects. The roofline is taller by 2 inches, the width has increased by an inch, and the overall length of the car has increased by half an inch. The larger dimensions and the SUV stance ensure that the 2026 Outback not only has a larger cargo capacity compared to its predecessors, but it should also be an overall more comfortable vehicle to be in.
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On the inside, the 2026 model gets more headroom and now features low-fatigue seats that are bolted directly onto the vehicle’s chassis. The company claims this move improves comfort during long drives. Subaru also claims a massive 42% decrease in lateral sway in the new Outback, which, again, should add to the comfort levels of passengers.
In addition to these, the refreshed 2026 Subaru Outback is claimed to be quieter than that of the older models, all thanks to the judicious use of sound-insulating material in the roof and headliner. Further reduction in noise is achieved by the vehicle’s sleeker aerodynamic profile, which has improved despite it transitioning into an SUV. Even with these significant design changes, Subaru hasn’t made major changes to the engine and transmission options available for the Outback.
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2026 Subaru Outback: All the changes to the engine, features
While the Outback was clearly overdue for a design overhaul, the same can’t be said about its engine lineup. For the 2026 model year, Subaru has largely carried over the same engines from the 2025 Outback, with only minor tweaks. The 2.5-liter naturally aspirated boxer remains standard, but now produces 180 horsepower — a slight drop of 2 hp compared to the previous version. However, this small loss in horsepower is offset by a modest gain in torque, with the 2026 Outback delivering 178 lb-ft, an improvement of 2 lb-ft over the outgoing model.
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As for the higher-end, off-road focused Outback with the Wilderness package, it gets the same 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer engine that makes 260 hp of power and 277 lb-ft of torque — numbers identical to the 2025 variants of the car. Both variants get Subaru’s familiar Lineartronic CVT transmission featuring an eight-speed manual shift option as well as all-wheel drive support. Another thing that’s new to the 2026 edition of the Outback is the larger 19-inch wheels that are offered as an option.
This new generation also gets a larger 12.1-inch touchscreen center display, which replaces the 11.6-inch panel on the 2025 edition of the car. The older analog gauge cluster from the old models has now been replaced with a 12.3-inch full digital cluster which is offered as standard on all trims.
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The 2026 Subaru Outback is set to go on sale by the end of 2025 and it’ll be available in the Premium, Limited, Touring, Limited XT, Touring XT, and Wilderness trims.
