Subaru kept its finger in the wagon pie for as long as possible until it came time to launch the new Outback, arguably the first iteration of the popular model to truly become an SUV.
Sitting 40mm taller than its predecessor while only gaining 10mm in length, the Outback now sits almost as high as the previous-generation Forester, Subaru’s sole petrol-powered SUV for a long time.
The move into the SUV space along with a bold new design has raised eyebrows, but one of the brand’s US team has explained why such a big change was necessary.
“We conducted focus group testing throughout the design process for the new 2026 Outback,” Subaru’s North American product communications manager, Aaron Cole, told CarBuzz.
“Our customers were very clear that they liked the wagon’s utility, including ingress and egress, cargo capacity, and more. They indicated they did not want the dimensions to change, though they said more cargo room would always be helpful.
“Most attendees [of the focus groups] told us they liked the new exterior design, and as we refined the final design, the feedback we received was increasingly more positive.”
In the new Outback, the boot can now hold up to 530 litres with the rear seats up (an increase of eight litres), or 1810 litres and 1844 litres in the Touring and non-Touring grades when folded, respectively – up more than 100 litres on the previous generation.
In Australia, the launch of the new Outback has brought with it the Wilderness variant, which offers 20mm more ground clearance than the standard car, as well as adaptive dampers, a very different front bumper and grille design, plus the 2.4-litre turbo-petrol engine.
While the base Outbacks are powered by a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre four-cylinder boxer engine making 137kW and 254Nm, the turbocharged Wilderness is bumped up to 194kW and 382Nm.
Prices now open at $48,990 before on-road costs for the base Outback AWD, an increase of $5200 over the outgoing entry-level model. Stepping up to the Premium means a price tag of $53,490 plus on-roads (up $4800 over the Sport), while the Touring is now $56,990 (up $4500).
For the Wilderness, prices start from $59,690 before on-road costs for the base variant, and rise to $62,690 for the Outback Wilderness Apex.
Arguably the closest replacement to a true wagon in Subaru’s lineup is the new electric Trailseeker, sold as the E-Outback in Europe and set to come to Australia between April and June.
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