Yahoo Autos 2026 Subaru Outback Strays Further from Its Wagon Roots in Spy Photos
Our spy photographers caught the next-generation Subaru Outback, expected for the 2026 model year, testing.
The Outback takes on a taller, boxier silhouette that makes it look more like an SUV, a departure from its station wagon heritage.
The grille also gets more rectangular, and the headlights are split into two separate units.
The current Subaru Outback is entering its fifth year on sale but remains as popular as ever. In June, Subaru celebrated selling its 3 millionth Outback in the United States since its debut in 1995. The tall wagon was the Japanese automaker's bestseller in 2023, and while it fell behind the Crosstrek and Forester through the third quarter of 2024, the Outback is still only 6000 units adrift of first place, with sales up almost 3 percent on the year. Nonetheless, Subaru is readying a next-generation Outback for 2026. Our spy photographers recently caught the new model testing, showing off brawnier styling.
Despite the camouflage, the photos give us a pretty clear look at the Outback's new design. The wagon looks more SUV-like than ever before, with a squared-off, upright body and trapezoidal wheel arches. The grille adopts a more rectangular shape, with an indent at the top to leave room for the Subaru badge. The headlights take on the trendy two-piece design, with a thin upper section that houses LED running lights and a boxy lower section that holds the main headlight unit. Roof rails stand tall atop the Outback, and there are round fog lamps in the lower bumper.
Straight lines dominate the side view, a change from the curvature of the current model's window shape, although there is a slight kick upward at the back edge of the rear door. The Outback's rear is more heavily disguised, but the angular taillights look as though they might be connected by a full-width light bar, or at least a thin rectangular trim piece.
Little has been confirmed about the next-generation Outback, but the wagon may arrive with an optional hybrid powertrain. Subaru has already confirmed that the Forester SUV will gain a hybrid setup for 2026, and the Outback will likely share the same unit. The hybrid will likely utilize a version of the flat-four engine currently found in the Outback.
We also wouldn't be surprised to see the 182-hp 2.5-liter and 260-hp turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engines currently available in the Outback carry over with minor changes. The all-terrain wagon will almost certainly continue to offer standard all-wheel drive. The seventh-generation Subaru Outback should arrive for the 2026 model year, so a reveal next year seems likely.
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