The Subaru Outback has always offered a wagon shape in a market dominated by more traditional SUVs.
Now, the upcoming 2026 Outback is set to adopt a boxy new shape that moves it further away from conventional wagons in design.
The new-generation crossover will debut on Wednesday, April 16 at 11:50am US Eastern Time (1:50am AEST on Thursday) at the New York motor show.
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Subaru will show off not only the regular Outback, but also the more rugged Outback Wilderness.
The company’s Wilderness models typically feature a raft of upgrades aimed at improving off-road ability, including – but not limited to – a higher ride height, retuned transmissions, and off-road tyres. In North America, Subaru currently offers Wilderness versions of the Outback, Forester and Crosstrek.
The new Outback could also gain a hybrid powertrain, joining existing naturally aspirated and turbocharged flat-four petrol engines.
The lone teaser image of the new Outback released by Subaru shows the vehicle largely shrouded by a cloud of dirt.
However, spy photos have shown the Outback now has more of a conventional SUV appearance with a boxy body, a flatter and more squared-off bonnet, a similarly squared-off grille, and a straighter belt line.
The Outback was first revealed for 1995 as a more rugged version of the Liberty/Legacy wagon, with raised suspension and colour-contrast body cladding.
Through all six generations thus far, it has continued to have this wagon-with-cladding aesthetic, even though the last two generations have lacked a Liberty/Legacy wagon counterpart.
By moving to a more SUV-like aesthetic, the new Outback will fit in better with the Forester which many generations ago moved away from a wagon-like look of its own.
Subaru also builds the Ascent in the US, which slots in above the Outback and offers a third row of seating and more traditional SUV styling. Unlike its Tribeca predecessor, the Ascent has never been sold here.
The outgoing Outback is produced in both the US state of Indiana and in Japan, though it was discontinued in the Japanese market this year.
However, WLFI reported last year that Subaru’s US plant would cease to produce the Outback, indicating production would be centred in Japan instead.
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Current Outback -
Subaru Australia has always sourced Outbacks from Japan instead of the US, though it has sourced one vehicle – the Tribeca – from the Indiana plant.
Last year, Subaru delivered 10,227 Outbacks here, making it the brand’s third best-selling model here behind only the Crosstrek (11,545) and Forester (13,445).
It was also the third best-selling Subaru in the US, a key market for the brand. Last year, just over 70 per cent of all Subarus – or 667,725 vehicles out of 941,758 – were sold in the US market, with the Japanese market (103,522) a distant second.
