2026 Subaru Outback Touring – STOCKHOLM SYNDROME

2026 Subaru Outback Touring

STOCKHOLM SYNDROME

First, know that I know…Volvo maintains its European HQ in Göteborg and not Stockholm. But ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ is alliterative, and might be used as a coping mechanism when confronted by entirely too many SUVs. In the Outback’s newest iteration the official descriptive may remain SUV (and reviewers have seen its new sheetmetal as more SUV-ish), but I’m seeing the all-new ’26 Outback as a wagon. It’s a lifted wagon, to be sure, but it ain’t – in my narrow definition – a traditional SUV. And with Volvo’s wagon lineup reduced to one, Subaru offering a wagon-like Outback can’t be a bad thing.

In the last generation of the Outback, produced through the 2025 model year, the proportions were also wagon-like, but attached to that wagon profile was more visual confusion than I’ve encountered since Pontiac’s Aztek. Cladding was applied with broad strokes, and if a panel didn’t have that cladding you can only assume someone in the design area had taken a lunch break…and never returned. Relative to the early Outbacks where the offroad emphasis was subtle, the later Outbacks were anything but, as if Crocodile Dundee had morphed into an actual crocodile. 

In this newest guise you have a two-box profile that remains clad by plastic (hoping this was made from recycled bags!) with a generous greenhouse, a too-small wheel/tire combo and excessive front overhang. Given that Subaru’s traditional flat four is hung out over the front wheels that overhang is to be expected, but the Lego-like treatment of the front fascia doesn’t do anything to reduce that overhang visually; again, I’d refer to the Outbacks of 20-some years ago to find a better aesthetic balance. To its credit, the test Outback’s Sapphire Blue Pearl did its best to minimize the excesses.

Inside, the Outback has a better story, especially in its Touring trim. You’re greeted by perforated leather covering generously proportioned front buckets, while the rear bench offers real room for two and occasional room for three. Fronting the driver is a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and immediately next to it is a 12.1-inch Multimedia System touchscreen. Most controls are intuitive, and the only real negative is Subaru’s EyeSight Driver Assist. Given that the mid-mounted infotainment forces you to take your eyes off the road, why does EyeSight constantly remind me I’ve taken my eyes off the road?

I’d also take issue with the glovebox. It’s plastic construction is too ‘plastic’, and its closure conveys the Outback’s $35K base and not the Touring trim’s $45K window sticker. The good news: It has generous capacity, and can be opened without going to the infotainment screen. Are you listening, Cadillac?

Under the hood is Subaru’s well-sorted 2.5 liter, normally aspirated boxer four, delivering 180 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque. Driving all four wheels through a CVT (which is controlled by a conventional transmission stalk or paddles), the acceleration is leisurely (Car and Driver estimates a 0-60 run taking just under nine seconds) but relatively relaxed once at speed. With an EPA estimated 25 City/31 Highway efficiency is satisfactory, but you gotta’ think a hybrid Outback is coming. And while the bump in efficiency may be small (it is on the company’s Crosstrek), midrange response should be significantly better.

While most Outbacks will be confined to this nation’s highways and byways, Subaru’s Symmetrical AWD is there for the gravel roads, logging trails and long winters. For the gnarly you’ll want more aggressive tread (provided by the Outback Wilderness spec), and for winter you’ll want winter tires. The Wilderness also gives you the Outback’s turbocharged four, bumping hp to 260, and does it for the same $45K window sticker attached to the Touring trim. If committing to a $45K outlay, I see that as the better choice.

Perhaps the best choice is the base Outback in what the marketing team calls ‘Premium’ trim. At $35K plus destination it’s a lot of wagon for the money. The on-road composure is almost Germanic, and its cargo space is surprisingly spacious. I’d prefer the company’s Crosstrek Hybrid for driving, but the Outback is better for living. 

With all of that, I’m cladding my enthusiasm…