Subaru recently celebrated a major milestone—selling its three-millionth Subaru Outback in the United States. The sale, which took place in Florida, underscores how much the brand has expanded beyond its traditional base of outdoor enthusiasts.
Once a niche choice for adventure-seekers, the Subaru Outback has become a mainstream success and a crucial part of Subaru’s American lineup.
The Outback played a pivotal role in Subaru’s survival in the U.S. market. By the mid-1990s, the company was struggling with an oversupply of vehicles sitting unsold on dealership lots. The solution? A simple yet effective transformation—adding rugged plastic cladding to the Legacy wagon, naming it after Australia’s remote outback, and enlisting Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan to market it. The gamble paid off, cementing the Subaru Outback as a household name.
What’s New for the 2025 Subaru Outback
Thirty years later, the Subaru Outback remains one of the brand’s top sellers, trailing only the Crosstrek and Forester. Despite its current generation entering its fifth year, sales in 2024 were up 4.1%, showing that consumer demand remains strong.
However, change is on the horizon. The 2026 Subaru Outback will abandon its traditional wagon design in favor of a full SUV format. While some loyal fans remain optimistic, others are skeptical, with online reactions ranging from cautious interest to outright disappointment. Regardless of the debates, the 2025 Subaru Outback continues to excel at its core mission—comfortably transporting passengers and gear through challenging weather and road conditions.
Two years back, Subaru introduced Solterra, an all-electric crossover that captured everyone’s attention in the vehicle market.
Pricing and Features
Subaru has maintained competitive pricing for the Outback over the years. The 2025 model starts at $30,430, offering a spacious all-wheel-drive vehicle at a reasonable price. For those seeking more power, turbocharged models begin with the $40,895 Onyx Edition XT, while the range-topping Touring XT costs $44,330.
The higher trims position the Subaru Outback as a strong alternative to luxury wagons like the Audi Allroad and Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain. Buyers opting for the Touring XT enjoy premium features such as heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a 260-horsepower turbocharged engine, and Nappa leather upholstery. Additional features include adaptive headlights that turn with the steering wheel and a fully heated steering wheel—introduced during a 2023 refresh.
That update also brought a revised front-end design, enhancements to the EyeSight driver-assist system, and a new electronic braking system. Some higher trims now include an additional wide-angle mono camera, improving lane detection even in snowy conditions.
Performance and Capability
The Subaru Outback isn’t built for speed, but the XT’s 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivers a solid 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque. In testing, the 2020 Outback Touring XT reached 60 mph in 6.3 seconds, outperforming the base 182-horsepower model by 2.2 seconds. The rugged 2022 Wilderness model did even better, hitting 60 mph in just 5.8 seconds.
All Outback models come with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with eight simulated gears. The turbocharged model’s additional torque helps counteract the CVT’s tendency for slow acceleration. Opting for the turbo also increases towing capacity from 2,700 to 3,500 pounds. Despite the extra power, both engines returned 28 mpg in real-world highway fuel economy tests, making the turbo a worthy upgrade for those who can afford it.
Inside the Cabin: Comfort and Technology
The Subaru Outback’s interior emphasizes comfort, with only one notable drawback—the engine start-stop system can feel abrupt when reactivating the engine. The cabin’s centerpiece is the 11.6-inch touchscreen (base models get dual 7.0-inch screens), which controls most vehicle functions.
Interestingly, the Touring and Touring XT trims still include a CD player tucked into the center console, alongside a 3.5-mm audio jack—features that cater to fans of old-school media. Meanwhile, the upgraded Harman/Kardon sound system and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto provide modern connectivity options.
Final Thoughts: A Pivotal Moment for the Subaru Outback
Despite being introduced in 2019, the current-generation Subaru Outback remains competitive and continues to attract buyers. However, time and product cycles move forward, and the upcoming shift to a full SUV format in 2026 will mark a significant departure from its roots. Whether this change will be a success remains to be seen, but one thing is certain—the 2025 Subaru Outback represents the peak of three decades of refinement.
As Subaru ventures further into the electric space with models like the Subaru Solterra 2023, it’s clear that the company is adapting to an evolving market. For now, fans of the Subaru Outback have one last chance to own a wagon that has defined adventure-driven practicality for a generation.
