It seems almost certain that whenever an automaker unveils a new wagon, enthusiasts cheer for it, but there’s a good chance it isn’t destined for North America. There seems to be a narrative that wagons just don’t sell on this continent, which isn’t exactly correct. One station wagon has been with us for more than three decades, it continues to sell in huge volumes, and any automaker copying its formula has enjoyed at least some modicum of success. I’m talking about the Subaru Outback.
If you told someone in the 1980s that the last mainstream wagon sold in America would be Japanese, they’d probably look at you like you had two heads. However, the Outback has outlasted the big three’s entries in the segment, along with virtually all other competitors thanks to a cult following turned mainstream and a willingness to embrace plastic cladding.
On the eve of the debut of a brand new Subaru Outback, it feels like a good time to recall how we ended up here, from humble beginnings for the 1995 model year to the cultural touchpoint the Outback is today. So, here’s a brief history of all six generations of Outback.
Act One, Scene One
Back in the early 1990s, Subaru of America was in a bit of a pickle. SUV sales were booming, yet Subaru didn’t have anything matching that description in its portfolio and needed something rugged-looking cheaply and quickly. The solution: Take one high-roof Legacy wagon, copy an AMC idea by adding contrasting cladding, and presto! The Outback was born. Then called the Legacy Outback, it made its debut in 1994 for the 1995 model year, but something was missing.
Those very first Outbacks weren’t any more capable than the Legacy wagons on which they were based. They still rode low to the ground, and aside from the cladding, looked a whole lot like their more road-focused counterparts. For 1996, Subaru raised the ride height, fitted bigger tires, added a new front bumper with huge fog lights, and the Outback as we actually know it today was born. Unsurprisingly, it was a hit. Not only was the Outback an image-maker, Subaru quickly had the best-selling wagon in America and posted an overall year-over-year U.S. sales increase of 20.3 percent. Oh, and for 1998, something called the Subaru Legacy SUS joined the party. Short for Sport Utility Sedan, it was essentially an Outback with a trunk. How wonderfully bizarre.
Party Of Six
By 1999, the mass-market station wagon as we knew it was fading. General Motors had killed the A-body and B-body wagons, Chrysler had put its eggs firmly in the minivan basket, Toyota had phased out the Camry wagon, and the Honda Accord wagon had been effectively superseded by the Odyssey. Lacking a minivan and only having a compact crossover as an SUV, what was Subaru to do but double-down on the Outback?
For the second-generation model, Subaru offered the Outback loyal a whole lot more, including a double-pane moonroof and a three-liter flat-six making 212 horsepower. A MacIntosh audio system joined the options list, the Legacy SUS got rebranded as the Outback Sedan, and for 2001, a new all-wheel-drive system was available. Paired with stability control, this variable torque distribution system featured a default 45:55 front-to-rear split and added a different dimension to a fan favorite.
It was also around this time that competitors started to take notice. Volvo launched the plastic-clad V70 Cross Country a year before Subaru re-upped the Outback, and Audi pushed out the infamous Allroad for the new millennium. How’d that go? Well, both the Cross Country and Allroad nameplates are still around today, and Audi hasn’t offered a regular A6 Avant in America in more than a decade, so it seems like Subaru was onto a winning formula.
Joining The Turbo Team
Let’s jump forward to the mid-2000s, with the third-generation Outback. Not only did it get sharp new styling, it finally offered 2.5-liter EJ255 turbocharged flat-four, paired with either a five-speed automatic or a five-speed manual transmission. Select the row-your-own option, and the result was the most performance oriented Outback America has ever seen. The three-liter flat-six gained a boost in horsepower to 245, the base naturally aspirated flat-four gained ten horsepower to 175, and the interior was a dramatic improvement over the second-generation model.
Was this peak Outback? It could be argued so. Not only did it look and feel nicer than an equivalent Camry or Accord, it offered two different all-wheel-drive systems, three different transmissions, an available limited-slip rear differential, and was really classy in retrospect. Plus, the Japanese model introduced the Eyesight advanced driver assistance system, and Europeans could even spec a diesel engine. A tremendously unreliable diesel engine, but still.
A Step Back
In contrast, the fourth-generation Outback, launched for the 2010 model year, was a bit underwhelming. Sure, the flat-six grew in displacement to 3.6 liters and a turbocharged powertrain was still offered, but the overall product felt more homogenized. It lost the double-pane moonroof, lost the frameless doors, and shed a significant amount of cladding. Add in the Lineartronic CVT available on most trims, and the 2010 Outback just seemed less fun and less interesting than its predecessor. That didn’t really matter though, because it just kept setting sales records.
It turns out that normalcy is exactly what the people want, and 2010 Outback sales nearly doubled 2009’s totals, with sales growing for every model year of the fourth-generation model. For 2013, the final full sales year of the fourth-generation Outback, the model hit a new record of 118,049 units in America. It turns out we hadn’t seen the half of it.
Total Dominance
For the 2015 model year, the cladding came back as the Outback entered its fifth generation, model codename BS. Alright, so the internal naming scheme was a bit unfortunate, but it came with some big news. From here out, the Outback was the only Legacy wagon, establishing total longroof dominance in the U.S. Subaru range.
Alright, so the option of a turbocharged engine skipped this generation and the option of a manual gearbox disappeared, but this Outback offered sharper styling and more normal details than before, minimizing the learning curve for new buyers. Outside of the novel form factor, the most noteworthy thing about this generation was incredibly plush door armrests. It turns out that the people craved coddled elbows because 2017 was the Outback’s best-ever U.S. sales year, shifting 188,886 units.
So Here We Are
Flash forward to the 2020 model year, and the world got its first glimpse at the current Outback. With an available 2.4-liter turbocharged engine, huge space and comfort, a stiffer architecture, and more tech, the result is one superb family hauler. A great balance of rationality and difference, it’s still the two-row midsize family vehicle to have.
Oh, and if you’re particularly outdoorsy, the toughened-up Wilderness trim level is also on deck, with extra cladding, all-terrain tires, a full 9.5 inches of ground clearance, and a shorter final drive. If an unanticipated global pandemic didn’t affect all new car sales, this thing had the potential to be the most successful Outback yet.
A New Frontier
So, where do we go from here? Well, teasers of the 2026 Outback, and they have me worried. While Subaru’s lifted wagon has grown its greenhouse over the past few generations, glimpses of this new model paint a more SUV-like picture, all tall and squared-off. Add in the impeding demise of the Legacy midsize sedan, and we’re really bowling with the bumpers down. There’s no more hard reference that dictates the form of the Outback, and I’m worried the soft, sensible, trademark non-threatening visage of past Outbacks is going to disappear. Hopefully camouflage hides a lot, because from where I’m sitting, the next Outback might not look like a wagon at all.
It would be a weird turning point for America’s most successful wagon. I know lots of Outback owners who bought their cars because they didn’t look or feel like SUVs, and I’m hoping Subaru doesn’t abandon this core audience that grew the Outback legend to what it is today. I guess we’ll find out just before lunchtime tomorrow, when the world sees the seventh-generation Outback in the metal for the first time.
Top graphic credit: Subaru
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the Outback is more Crossover than just a wagon. At least it looks like that. the more telling wagon would be the WRX version. Which has not been a US thing for some time. sadly a manual Sportswagon is available south of the border. wonder why it is not available up here?
“For the second-generation model, Subaru offered the Outback loyal a whole lot more…”
I see what you did there!
Wagon/Estate is ALWAYS the answer. ALWAYS. I miss my ’83 Chevy Caprice Wagon to this day, 12.5 MPG and all.
I miss the piece of rolling garbage Mercury Lynx wagon that ruined my finances and stress level. Wagons rule.
This past June I almost replaced my pick up with a 2025 Outback Wilderness!
Taking an extended test drive it was great but never having a CVT before had me worried & having had frame on body pickup’s since 1993 I just couldn’t abandon not having a bed. I did roll the dice a bit and went with a unibody Maverick, and loving it, so a Baja may have won me over if Subaru still made them.
Yes, it was absolutely peak Outback, and I’d argue the best version was the LL Bean trim with the EZ30 flat six and the 5-speed automatic.
Sure, the flat six was automatic only, but Subaru manuals really aren’t that amazing, and the AWD with the manuals (excluding the STI) was a very primitive viscous center diff coupling. By contrast, the 5EAT auto had an electronically controlled center diff with the ability to actively swing the torque split 90% forwards or backwards as needed. Coupled with the limited slip rear diff and decent tires, it scrambled over terrain far better than it had any right to (large overhangs being its Achilles heel). For a mid-aughts automatic, shifts were reasonably responsive, it had a manual mode, and mine was very reliable.
The EZ30 flat six in my 2007 is one of my favorite engines ever. Buttery smooth power, good efficiency, and none of the reliability issues of the EJ-series four cylinders. Plus, if you replaced the mufflers and put your foot down, it sounded like a Porsche.
Nice to see the 3rd gen Outback. Literally, as it was the last decent-looking one.
When my daughter was born, I looked at ~2014 Outback with a manual (as a diehard manual fan), but the car felt cheap inside and the manual wasn’t that great. Ended up a with a Prius V, instead.
My buddy got a post-tsunami Forester (I think it was a 2013). It was a huge step down from the previous generation in interior materials. I sounds like that was an across the board thing for Subaru because of the financial pressures at the time.
Ultimately there wasn’t anything around that price point that even came close to a base Forester in interior space, so it may be a moot point and they seemed to keep selling well. But even his newer one has an interior that’s more cheap than cheerful.
Trailseeker just debuted and is the vehicle everyone saw in camo. I think the new outback will be slightly boxier but will look like more of an evolution in front end from the outgoing model. Ultimately, as an Outback owner, I think a boxier esthetic is the right move. The cargo area is long but loses some flexibility because its lower than the forester and competitors. It will be nice to have a higher greenhouse.
I had a wrx wagon and it was awesome. I hate that I sold it. I hate they haven’t made one in 18 years. I hate how old that makes me. I hate that in 2025, I’d probably be seduced by the promise of soft-roading capability.
I just bought a 25 Outback to replace my Avant. I’ve been an Audi fanboy for years and had been looking at an allroad, I but just couldn’t justify spending that much for 4 rings.
Part of the reason I decided to buy now and not wait for the next generation was the more SUV looking spy shots I was seeing. It’s pretty disappointing to see one of the last decent wagon going the SUV route.
The Outback is “proof” Americans will buy wagons only if they cosplay as SUVs. That being said, almost everyone I know who owns one says they bought it because they wanted a wagon with AWD, and the Outback was basically the only affordable and reliable option. That’s what my mom said, and she’s on her second Outback for that reason.
Proof that Americans buy wagons? It may only be proof that lesbians buy wagons.
(I’m kidding, I’m kidding… but it is a thing.)
I thought that was the segment owned by the Forester?
I can’t help but think that CUVs really are just tall station wagons.
My Sportage is clearly this – four doors, cargo area, hatchback, just happens to have higher ground clearance vs, say, a K4 or an Elantra.
The big hangup seems to be that station wagons aren’t perceived as “cool” by a large number of drivers, who are too preoccupied with either trying to impress everyone else or having an intimidating-looking vehicle.
Station wagons and minivans, and CUV station wagon-like things, are cool.
My hot take is that CUVs are a return of the tall wagons from the 30s and 40s.
Another thing, Autopians are quick to tell everyone to get a minivan instead of a CUV, but some CUVs are pretty much minivans without sliding doors. Or vice versa in the case of the Kia Carnival.
CUVs are more of a taller hatchback than a wagon…the cargo volume tends to be greater in height rather than length.
Yeah, that’s a product of the wheelbase vs length ratio. The Outback is almost 10 inches longer than a Sportage, and most of that extra length is “out back” where the cargo floor extends. Noticeably different form factor. The same issue affects a ton of CUVs, including some, like the Mazda CX-50 that sort of look like tall wagons.
For the bigger SUVs, designers seem more willing to buck the trend. Some, like the Santa Fe and Grand Highlander, have a ratio similar to the Outback… but they are usually a bit taller.
Although they may have technically been available, the fourth generation Outback with a manual transmission essentially did not exist in the US.
I was shopping for a manual Outback in 2014 and ended up buying a 2009 model because it was the newest manual I could find. It is a brown manual wagon.
I had a third gen 2.5 automatic Outback, that thing was a tank. Made the trek to Chicago in the worst storm of the year without skipping a beat. Fit all our stuff, was reasonably easy to drive and park, unfortuantely the Ex wanted something bigger. I replaced it with a CX-9 which was also a pretty good car. The aughts to mid teens were peak car IMNSHO.
I’m waiting for my new 2025 Outback Onyx to arrive in the next couple of weeks. This is a company car, just like the last six Volkswagens I’ve leased. Why didn’t I get a seven Volkswagen? Too much touch screen. Yes, the Outback has a big touch screen but the HVAC controls never disappear into a menu. They’re always on at the bottom of the screen and I can muscle tomato memory learn that location. The Subie drove really well, the turbo is snappy, and the dreaded CVT seemed responsive – certainly more responsive than the third gear loving bogmaster transmission in my current Atlas.
I once considered Subaru to be the spiritual successor to SAAB. Their shared mission statement went something like this:
“We build quirky and unusual cars because that’s what we think are the best cars, and if you feel that way, please buy and enjoy our cars. If you want something more mainstream, please shop elsewhere.”
And I always thought that was an absolutely brilliant business philosophy, and admired both companies for thinking that way.
Sadly, SAAB is no longer with us, and Subaru feels much closer to mainstream than ever. So I guess their philosophy wasn’t working for either company any more. Times change.
When the world worships at the altar of The Line Must Go Up, things like goodness, originality and interestingness must be killed.
Little things like a 5’9″ tall person not being able to walk under an Outback tailgate without hitting their head, just remind me that Subaru’s engineers miss those little details that most European brands (and especially Saab) would never let slip through the cracks.
Since when? I’m 6’2″ and don’t hit my head on ours.
What year? I hit my head on my ’18 and I’m 5’10” (you’ve got to be right in the middle of the tailgate to hit, or walking at a decent clip so you are at the “top” of your gait). The hatch to ground supposedly measure 70-71″ depending on model, which is 5’10”-5’11”, which means toss on some shoes and I’m hitting my head all the time.
Meanwhile, the tailgate on my much shorter and much lower to the ground Golf Sportwagen was significantly further away from my head. Never once smacked that.
It’s a ’21.
I measured ours the other night, it’s 71-3/4″. Our ’14 Mazda3 hatch is 72″ in the center but 71″ at the corners.
All three of our vehicles are longroofs, so maybe I just subconsciously duck whenever I get into them.
I think this demonstrates my point. A little hatchback that is ~6″ off the ground, is somehow able to have the tailgate open just as high as a wagon/SUV 9″ of ground clearance. Right off the bat, it should have a ~3″ advantage. Heck, roof heights are 58″ for the 3 and 66″ for the Outback. The freaking pivot point is 8″ higher, and they can’t get the tailgate to open higher?!?!
There might be a guideline which automakers use as a ‘standard’ max opening height. Ours has to be parked carefully to allow us to open the liftgate without hitting the bottom of the open garage door; any higher and it would absolutely hit.
I, also, have made the Subaru is the SAAB of Japan comment for many a decade.
While that is true, I’d rather have a Subaru Baja than a Subaru wagon.
Why Subaru hasn’t made a new Baja out of the larger Ascent, is befuddling.
What I’ve read from Subaru execs regarding the Ascent makes it out to be a model they don’t really know what to do with. They’re holding off on updating it to a second generation because they haven’t decided on making it hybrid or all electric. It exists to keep Subaru buyers in house should they need a three-row vehicle and it does that well enough that Subaru treats it with ambivalence. Perhaps the bar they set was “don’t do a repeat of the Tribeca” and anything good about it beyond that was extra.
The problem with the Ascent is that it wasn’t a great execution to start with. Certainly not a bad vehicle, but I’m not sure why someone would get it over the competitors. And that’s how I felt when it was brand new. Now that it is basically seven years old (ok, I admit it got a facelift, but it was a small one), it has fallen even further behind.
I’m reminded of Honda’s reasoning for creating the Ridgeline back in the day, which was to create a truck for Honda buyers and not much else. The Ascent is the same thing for Subaru but as a three row CUV, though arguably the Ridgeline has sort of come into its own as a viable alternative to other trucks whereas the Ascent is non-competitive like you’ve said.
It is one of the cheapest options in the segment. In fact, Subarus are almost always among the more affordable options in any segment they compete in. Combine that with characterful engines and back-to-basics ergonomics and it’s not hard to understand their recent sales success.
Is it though? According to C&D, the starting prices are:
It’s price seems solidly… mid group? Sure, starting price only tells you so much, but I can’t imagine it becoming a great deal.
I recalled it from this comparo M/T did a few years back where, when specced similarly, the $49k Ascent was the cheapest at $1k less than the Explorer and $4k less than the next several. Dealers don’t tend to stock base models after all, though nowadays you can probably find a decent deal on a midspec.
That said, the VW and Nissan weren’t included in the comparison and they definitely seem like value leaders based on your pricing data. The Santa Fe doesn’t really count since even though it has a third row it’s technically an Outback competitor.
The only “true” station wagon I ever owned was a used ’84 Toyota Tercel 4×4. And it was amazing. Fun and unstoppable in the snow. Also, incredibly loud on coarse pavement.
I’ve also owned an ’06 CR-V. Which was kind of wagonish. It was also incredibly competent. And also really loud on coarse pavement.
A BMW X5 and then an Acura MDX were also kind of wagonish. I hated the X5 that my wife had bought before me, and we traded it in for the MDX which was more pleasant to drive in almost every way.
Ten years ago, I was taken out to lunch by a customer in her “Party of Six” era Outback and despite the frameless windows, it was very quiet and rode great over fairly broken New Jersey pavement. I don’t know why, but frameless windows spooked me.
Subarus have never been super-efficient, but that car felt very solid and again, rode so nicely. No rattles. And hers had 80K miles on the clock. I was impressed.
Not enough to trade the Jetta TDI I was driving then in on one, but enough for me to consider it in the future.
The TDI got sold and I bought a ’17 Accord V6 and after 63K miles, it doesn’t rattle and gets better MPGs on the freeway (35 mpg at the typical 75+ in Texas) than almost every Subaru. Out west now, I average close to 40 mpg on the slog on I-5 from Seattle to Sacramento. Oregon can be very aggressive on enforcing the 65 mph limit they post.