This isn\u2019t Crocodile Dundee\u2019s Outback, mate.<\/p>\n
Comprehensively redesigned for 2026, Subaru has stroked and stoked its sales-leading wagon to give it a more SUV-like look and feel.<\/p>\n
Gone are the softer, rounded contours of the tallish station wagon driven by Australian actor Paul Hogan in the company\u2019s turn-of-the-century ad campaign. In its place is a boxier and roomier vehicle designed to appeal to new buyers while preserving a measure of the quirkiness beloved by the brand\u2019s legion of faithful customers.<\/p>\n
Other big changes involve an updated cabin that maintains the previous-generation Outback\u2019s user-friendly, no-nonsense functionality along with a simplified and improved infotainment interface.<\/p>\n
There are six trim levels offered \u2014 Premium, Limited, Limited XT, Wilderness, Touring and Touring XT \u2014 all of which are equipped with standard all-wheel systems (this is Subaru, after all). Premium, Limited and Touring-trimmed models are powered by a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter flat-four (or \u201cboxer\u201d) engine rated at 180 horsepower and 178 foot-pounds of torque. The remaining three trims enjoy a considerable boost courtesy of a standard turbocharged version of the same engine, which pumps out 260 horses and 277 foot-pounds of twist.<\/p>\n
Pricing starts at $36,445 for basic Premium-trimmed samples and rises to nearly 50 grand for those dressed in Touring XT duds. The model\u2019s entry-level asking price is higher for 2026, reportedly due to the retirement of the previous generation\u2019s base model. That being written, Premium trim boasts a fairly long list of standard gear, including 18-inch alloy wheels, a powered rear liftgate, heated front seats, a digital gauge cluster, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a quicker and better-organized 12.1-inch infotainment interface, faux-leather upholstery and lots more.<\/p>\n
In addition to the turbocharged mill, fully tricked-out Touring XT-trimmed Outbacks are equipped with premium leather upholstery, larger alloy wheels, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, ventilated front seating, a 360-degree exterior camera array, an eight-speaker Harmon-Kardon audio system and enhanced safety tech (driver-attention-sensing emergency-stop and hands-free semiautomated driving assist).<\/p>\n
Regardless of trim level, all Outbacks are fitted with the company\u2019s EyeSight lineup of safety-sensing and driver-assistance tech, including smart cruise control, forward-collision mitigation, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist and centering, and auto high-beam headlight controls.<\/p>\n
Our tester came in rough-and-ready Wilderness trim, and as such represented the most off-road-oriented entry in the model line. Sporting 9.5 inches ground of clearance (roughly seven-tenths of an inch taller than other trims), riding on a more-aggressive set of all-terrain tires, and wearing an abundance of trim-specific badging and copper-tinted exterior accents, it certainly made a statement about Subaru\u2019s attempts to grow an SUV-friendly customer base. All told, it\u2019s probably all the off-road vehicle most folks will need. The absence of a low-range transfer case and the long front and rear overhangs mean this is not the best choice for rock-hopping and stump-jumping, however.<\/p>\n
The $44,995 base MSRP covered the turbo-four engine, a torque-sensing continuously variable automatic transmission with eight-speed manual-shift mode, selectable drive modes and traction settings for various off-roading conditions, and weather-resistant synthetic leather upholstery. Other standard finery included the upgraded audio system, a wireless smartphone charging pad, a power-adjustable driver\u2019s seat, heated steering wheel and more.<\/p>\n
The bottom line rose to $50,535 with the addition of a $4,090 options package that added napa leather upholstery with copper-tinted stitching, ventilated front seats, a 12-way power-adjustable driver\u2019s seat with lumbar and thigh support, an eight-way power-adjustable front-passenger seat, a powered moonroof and more. Factor in the $1,450 delivery tab and there you have it.<\/p>\n
The sport-ute driving experience has come a long way in the last few decades, as the vast majority of choices on the market offer well-controlled and carlike handling and ride qualities. In this regard, our Wilderness-trimmed tester delivered in spades. The smooth, comfortable and quiet ride was complemented by the turbo-four\u2019s torquey power delivery that hustled the Outback to 60 mph in a tick or three over six seconds. That\u2019s roughly two seconds quicker than the base engine\u2019s time, which to our mind makes the turbo unit worth the upcharge.<\/p>\n
Instrumentation was easy to read and operate, especially concerning the now-smaller but better-organized and quicker-thinking infotainment interface that replaces the previous, vertically oriented iPad-like display. The abundant climate-control buttons were a little on the small side, but a day or three of driving made them seem like second nature.<\/p>\n
Thanks to a taller roofline and more rectilinear shape, the new Outback offers abundant legroom in both rows of seating. The wide and tall 34.6-cubic-foot cargo hold expands to 80.5 cubic feet with the 60\/40 split-folding seatbacks stowed, which along with a set of standard roof rails makes this a good choice for families on the go. Properly equipped, the turbo-powered Outback is rated to tow up to 3,500 pounds, or 800 pounds more than nonturbo models.<\/p>\n
2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness<\/p>\n
Vehicle type: Four-door, five-passenger midsize all-wheel-drive crossover.<\/p>\n
Engine and transmission: 2.5-liter turbocharged horizontally opposed four-cylinder (260 horsepower and 277 foot-pounds torque), continuously variable automatic.<\/p>\n
Base\/as-tested prices: $44,995\/$50,535.<\/p>\n
EPA estimates: 21 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, 23 mpg combined.<\/p>\n
The good: Complete redesign gives 2026 Outback a decidedly more SUV-like profile; powerful and reasonably fuel-efficient turbocharged boxer-four engine; roomy and well-organized cabin with adult-friendly accommodations in both rows of seating; smooth and comfortable cruising quality; nimble handling; improved in-cabin technology; generous cargo capacity; Wilderness trim\u2019s off-road-ready capability.<\/p>\n
The bad: Big price jump over previous model year; long front and rear overhangs limit off-road adventures; arguable over-abundance of plastic body cladding.<\/p>\n
Bottom line: With a more SUV-like presence, the redesigned Outback hopes to lure new buyers while preserving the qualities Scoobie loyalists expect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This isn\u2019t Crocodile Dundee\u2019s Outback, mate. Comprehensively redesigned for 2026, Subaru has stroked and stoked its sales-leading wagon…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":223868,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[60,97279,139,178,180,179,2155],"class_list":["post-223867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-business","tag-cars-vehicles","tag-news","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-transportation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223867"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223867\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}