Seventh-Gen Subaru Outback Bows In with New SUV Bodystyle

The Subaru Outback has now been transformed into a rugged, off-road-capable SUV for its seventh-gen iteration.

Besides its new EV duo, Subaru has also taken centre stage at the New York International Auto Show 2025 (NYIAS 2025) to showcase the latest version of the Subaru Outback. For its seventh-gen iteration, this beloved station wagon has now been transformed into a rugged SUV, which includes a full-blown, off-road-ready Wilderness version.

From the get-go, you can see that the new Outback looks very chunky and aggressive compared to its predecessor, featuring a boxy midsize SUV bodystyle. Even in its vanilla version, the new Outback already gets some rugged parts, including dual-stack LED headlights, a large U-shaped front grille, an aggressive front bumper with skid plates, prominent plastic underbody claddings with squared-off wheel arches, through-type LED taillights, and metal roof rails that can support up to 100 KG of dynamic load.

2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness Edition

Those seeking a more rugged SUV can opt for the Wilderness version, which ups the ante by featuring a more aggressive bodykit, taller ground clearance of 241 MM, and improved approach and departure angles (20 and 22.5 degrees, respectively) for better off-road maneuvering. Not to forget, the 17-inch wheels wrapped in beefy Bridgestone Dueller A/T tyres will also help you traverse through rough terrains.

The rugged Wilderness treatment goes beyond the visuals, as it also gets several mechanical upgrades to make it a proper off-roader, including a unique damper tuning that is optimised for off-roading and a beefier AWD system that can lock up the centre differential faster to reduce wheel spins.

Despite its fierce exterior, the new Outback gets a very livable cabin with tons of space and modern creature comforts. In both standard and Wilderness versions, the new Outback comes with a dual-screen setup featuring a 12.1-inch central infotainment display with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support and a larger 12.3-inch digital metre cluster. Despite its screen-laden setup, the new Outback still retains some physical controls and buttons for key functions like the climate control and drive mode selector.

Space is also definitely not an issue in this midsize SUV, as Subaru claims the new Outback’s boot space measures a whopping 980 litres as standard, thanks to its taller roofline that grows by 51 MM over the previous model. For better space utilisation and organisation, Subaru has also fitted several utility hooks, larger bottle holders, and a number of storage compartments scattered around the cabin.

Despite its new facade and bodystyle, the seventh-gen Outback retains the same powertrain lineup as its predecessor. The lineup starts with a 2.5-litre 4-cyl nat-asp ‘Boxer’ engine rated at 180 HP and 241 NM, which is mated to a Lineartronic CVT gearbox and Subaru’s symmetrical AWD system.

Next in line is the XT variant, which gets a peppier 2.4-litre 4-cyl turbocharged ‘Boxer’ engine that delivers 260 HP and 376 NM. Mated to the same CVT box and AWD system, this turbo boxer engine is also used on the Wilderness edition, although it does benefit from an additional X-Mode Dual Mode System with Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud settings.

Sales for the all-new, seventh-gen Subaru Outback will commence later in late 2025 in the US, while the Wilderness edition will also be available in early 2026. Given the timeline of its US launch, we can expect the new Outback to make its way into other overseas markets from 2026 onwards.