2026 Subaru Outback First Look

Subaru's crossover SUV abandons any wagon pretensions.

Andrew Ganz | 

Apr 17, 2025 | 3 min read

Subaru

The 2026 Subaru Outback has shed any wagon-on-stilts styling cues, and evolved into a midsize SUV. The latest version of the Outback retains its standard all-wheel drive and gains some high-tech features and driver aids.

It also boasts more ground clearance than many of its competitors. Here's what you need to know about the 2026 Outback.

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2026 Subaru Outback: Style

Since its debut three decades ago, the Outback has grown from a package on the Legacy station wagon to its own distinct model. Subaru's decision to sunset the Legacy after the 2025 model year allowed the automaker to further establish the Outback's identity for 2026.

The latest Outback sheds nearly all visual links to its wagon-esque predecessors. It has a boxy, upright profile and a tall stance, and its roofline is up 2 inches compared with the 2025 model, which looked more like a wagon version of the Legacy sedan than an SUV.

The standard roof rails can now hold up to 800 pounds while the vehicle is parked, which means the Outback can handle a roof tent with a couple of adults snuggled up for a night in the woods.

Inside, the dashboard houses a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster next to a 12.1-inch touchscreen for infotainment. Notably, the touchscreen is oriented in a landscape configuration, marking yet another departure; the automaker's other vehicles typically feature a portrait-style display.

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2026 Subaru Outback: Technology and Safety

The Outback now offers a hands-free driver-assistance system that the automaker says lets attentive drivers take their hands off the wheel at speeds up to 85 mph on certain highways. The driver-attention monitor, which serves as an integral part of this system, can detect an unresponsive driver, pull the vehicle over to a highway shoulder, and activate the hazard light if necessary.

All models also have advanced driver-assistance systems including lane-departure warning, lane-centering assist, and automatic emergency braking.

The Outback's infotainment system includes standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality; select apps can also be projected onto the instrument cluster. In a nod to buyers who face cold winters, the new model's climate system features physical knobs, so they're usable when drivers are wearing gloves.

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2026 Subaru Outback: Performance and Capability

The Outback's standard engine remains a 2.5-liter flat-four cylinder rated at 180 horsepower, with a turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four in XT and Wilderness trims that puts out 260 horsepower. In every Outback model, a continuously variable automatic transmission pipes power to all four wheels.

With a minimum of 8.7 inches of ground clearance, any Outback should easily roll over smaller rocks and obstacles. A steering wheel-mounted X-Mode switch adjusts the traction-control system for more demanding terrain.

Drivers looking for serious four-wheeling ability will likely want to opt for the Outback Wilderness, which rides on a lifted suspension that gives it nearly an inch of ground clearance above the standard version. The Wilderness trim also includes 17-inch wheels wrapped in all-terrain tires and improved approach and departure angles.

Andrew Ganz

Andrew has been hooked on cars since his mother coaxed him into naps by driving him around in her rattly old diesel Mercedes-Benz. Perhaps it was the diesel fumes that lulled him to sleep. Either way, he has since parlayed his automotive enthusiasm into a decades-long career as a journalist writing for such well-known sites as Auto Express, Autoblog, Car and Driver, Leftlane News, Motor1, Motor Authority, and The Car Connection, not to mention numerous classic-car publications. When he's not researching cars, he's probably working on one — though he has yet to own a diesel Mercedes. Off to the classifieds he goes.