Zander Drives Cars

Wait, let me start this one AP style to make the severity of news more important: NEW YORK (ZDC) – Subaru of North America has announced April 16 that their long running model, the Outback, will transition from a Wagon body style into a Crossover body style, for the first time in the cars’ 25-year production run.

Yeah, if there was going to be any announcement at this year’s New York Auto Show that was designed to rile up subreddits and Instagram comments sections, this would be the one. The Subaru Outback is the longest-running wagon-esque nameplate in the U.S. Originally the “Legacy Outback,” it was, as the name suggested, a wagon version of Subaru’s Legacy sedan. But, after a couple of years, Subaru spun it off into the rompy little station wagon we know today, while the Legacy wagon was cut Stateside in the late 2000s. This thing has survived a lot; it has seen then entire production cycles of multiple different Subaru and non-Subaru wagon models. This car is a trooper! It’s the last frontier of affordable(ish) wagons in the great US-of-A.

Okay, time to cut the waterworks. Let’s just rip the Band-Aid off. Ladies and gentlecars: the *sigh* new Subaru Outback:

The Exterior

The new Outback looks like if a Ford Explorer went through a Home Depot, especially when it comes to the Wilderness. There are so. many. little. things dotted around this car that add virtually nothing to the design. An extra light here and some badging there, what were they thinking? This is supposed to be a wagon, not a boxy crossover. Thankfully, the non-Wilderness versions look more “Subaru,” with similar grilles to the Forester, but man, is this thing about as different from the old Outback as it gets.

This thing looks long, and it is long. It’s the largest Outback Subaru has ever produced, and is in fact so large that Qantas has decided to monopolize a flight between both sides of it. Anyone? Bueller? Okay, fine. I know the Outback stopped being a fun little wagon around the turn of the 2000s, but man, this is like, Hyundai Santa Fe levels of long and boxy. I rarely get all “Wah, I miss small cars!” But something about seeing *gestures vaguely in the direction of the Outback* this, irks me.

The Interior

Like the exterior, the interior of the new Outback has been completely redesigned. Instead of it looking more or less like the Forester or WRX, the entire dashboard and front seat area has been re-designed to look more “premium,” with a new digital cluster and center console. The tablet like screen has also been replaced with a more traditional on-dash layout seen in most other sensible brands, even if the OS still feels like a Fisher Price tablet.

Speaking of Fisher Price, these plastics just aren’t doing it for me. I complained about this two years ago when Subaru brought out the current generation Crosstrek, but compared to Toyota (who own 50% of Subaru), the interior quality feels disappointing. Now, I am not going to sit here and say that the interior quality of the new Outback means that this thing is going to break, I’m shocked this thing didn’t roll on stage with a J.D Power award attached to it, but when you get to touching and feeling some of the fixtures, it feels a bit lackluster.

The Specs

The 2026 Subaru Outback comes with a 2.5l boxer engine making 180hp and 178 lb-ft of torque, paired to a CVT. Or if you like moving at a reasonable pace, there’s a 2.4l turbo boxer with 260 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque, mated to a CVT with an 8-speed optional shifting mode. So, it’s basically an Impreza. All cars come with all wheel drive, and because they’re Subaru, they’ll probably plant a tree in your name as well at purchase.

The Verdict

This is a tough one. If I’m going to speak objectively, this thing looks fine, the interior is fine, it’s probably very reliable, and I’m sure it’ll last forever. But man, seeing the Outback go from wagon to crossover over night might be enough to radicalize me. I might need the weekend to fully comprehend this.