About Outback
Few vehicles have defined a brand as thoroughly as the Outback has defined Subaru. It began in the mid-1990s as a Legacy wagon with extra ground clearance, two-tone cladding and a rugged name, a marketing gamble that arrived just as Americans were falling for sport-utility vehicles. The gamble paid off handsomely. The Outback offered most of what buyers wanted from an SUV, standard all-wheel drive and room for a golden retriever, without the truck-like ride or the fuel bill, and it became the car most people picture when they hear the word Subaru.
Each generation grew a little taller and roomier, always with flat-four power and with turbocharged versions in several of them. The Wilderness trim added more clearance and all-terrain tires for owners who really do drive to the trailhead. The latest generation marks the boldest change yet, trading the low wagon silhouette for a more upright, squared-off SUV shape. Some shoppers love the extra headroom and presence; loyalists grumble that the Outback has become just another crossover. With the Legacy sedan retired, the Outback now carries that platform alone.
The Outback is cross-shopped against two-row crossovers such as the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Ford Bronco Sport, and it usually offers a longer cargo floor than most of them. Its reputation rests on safety, durability and strong resale value. Its weak spots, as owners will tell you, include a continuously variable transmission that can feel rubbery and infotainment that has not always pleased. Subaru has shown a willingness to sharpen the pricing, including a cheaper entry trim in recent model years.
The questions now are whether the new shape wins more buyers than it loses, and how long a gasoline Outback can hold its ground as Subaru's electric lineup grows. Watch here for road tests and comparison tests of the newest generation, trim and price changes, owner stories about windshields and wheel bearings, recall notices and monthly sales figures, plus coverage of the electric Trailseeker, which borrows the Outback's adventure image for the battery age and may tell us where the nameplate is headed.