Aside from the drama surrounding whether Subaru will ever bring back the STI, the Outback is definitely the most controversial vehicle in the company’s lineup right now. Historically one of the Japanese brand’s best-selling models, it made the switch from a lifted wagon to a far more SUV-looking bodystyle for 2026, drawing the ire of critics online.
Back when the new Outback debuted at the New York Auto Show last year, Thomas predicted Subaru might be making a mistake by pushing the Outback into full crossover territory, rather than keeping the Outback in its own, wagon-esque lane. Contributor Andrew Ganz doubled down on the new Outback’s questionable design when he reviewed the car for us in November (it’s worth noting he did like how it drove, though).
Now, sales for the first quarter of 2026 are out, highlighting the Outback as one of the biggest losers in terms of sales volume in the lineup. Deliveries fell by over 32%, from 39,934 cars in the first three months of 2025 to just 27,074 units in the first three months of 2026.
Surely, then, the Outback’s drastic design switch is causing sales to plummet, right? Well, that might be a cause. But there are a handful of other, more sensible reasons why Outback sales have fallen off a cliff. Let me explain.
Factories Can’t Magically Switch Cars Overnight
Dips in sales can often be seen when cars switch from one design to another, whether for a normal mid-cycle refresh or for a full-on design change, in the case of the Outback. This is because the factory has to retool to incorporate all the new gear to make the new car. Factories can’t just flip a switch and go from making one car to making an entirely different car without some pauses or slowdowns to make changes to the assembly line.
With the new Outback, Subaru had to deal with this switchover on an entirely different scale, since for 2026, it moved production of the Outback from its plant in Indiana to an assembly plant in Japan, to make room for more local Forester and Forester Hybrid production. Doing that kind of stuff takes time, so supply through the first quarter of 2026 was limited.
When I reached out to ask about the dip in sales, a Subaru spokesperson pointed out to me that the Wilderness trim, which has quickly become one of the Outback’s most popular submodels, only just started arriving at dealers sometime in January.
Remember That Thing Called Tariffs?
Another big reason why it appears like Outback sales are deflating is because of how unusually well the Outback sold during the same period last year. Those 39,934 cars represented a 13.4% increase over the year prior, which is a pretty substantial jump for an aging car that was one year away from being phased out of production.
According to Subaru, this increase was due to people swarming dealers to buy cars to get ahead of tariffs, which went into effect later in the year. We covered this phenomenon last year as it was happening—several brands experienced panic-buying in the months leading up to tariffs taking effect. So theoretically, this dip can be at least partially attributed to sales normalizing in a post-tariff environment.
On a more basic level, the slump in sales could also be affected by the Outback’s new price tag. Thanks to tariffs and the new design, the 2026 model starts at $36,445, making it a full $5,030 more expensive than the old car.
My point is, there is pretty much a perfect storm of reasons why Outback sales are down. The model year changeover, the switch in production to a place halfway across the world, the previous year’s one-off success, the bigger price tag, and the questionable looks are all factors that could be contributing, some more than others. How heavily the car’s design is affecting its success will likely become clearer later in the year once all of that other stuff balances out. A model year changeover is an excuse Subaru can only use once.
Personally, I think Subaru’s decision to turn the Outback from a lifted wagon, where it dominated in a segment mostly to itself, to yet another crossover was a weird one. It already had the Forester and the Crosstrek, and people who bought Outbacks purchased them specifically because they weren’t just another crossover (at least, that’s what my dad says to me—he was one of the people who grabbed a 2025 Outback last year before the tariffs hit).
I’d love to know what you think. Once the dust settles, do you think Outback sales will continue to decline based on its new design? Or is leaning into the holy land of crossovers the right call here? Let me know in the comments.
Top graphic image: Subaru
There’s a lot of complaining about styling from people who wouldn’t buy a Subaru, anyway, much less an Outback.
I always though the Outback looked frumpy. All of them. They’re fine, they were never very good-looking. My favorites would be the ones from late 90’s/early 2000’s.
The Forester has always been my preference, in almost every generation… until now. As a person with a Forester preference, I actually really like this incoming Outback model. That’s not a very popular opinion in this forum, so I’ll say something that will be a little more popular to close out my comment:
What we should be getting is a Legacy wagon/Levorg.
While we’re picking nits, that huge badge on the C-pillar trim of the Wilderness is giving me Wagon Queen Family Truckster vibes.
An Antarctic Blue Super Sports Wagon it’s not.
Looks like an ugly wagon trying to make itself taller with platform boots.
…that’s been literally every Outback since like 2007.
We don’t have those where I live – are they succeeding in getting taller?
Someone in Japan needs to be fired (or spanked) for this generation of Outback.
I mean you did note this: “ […] supply through the first quarter of 2026 was limited.” I feel like that’s a big part of your answer.
Anecdotally, I’ve already seen three or four in the wild in my midwestern city. That’s roughly the same number of the new XA60 RAV4s I’ve seen.
Especially now that they’ve mercilessly beat it with the ugly stick, I will never understand why people buy Outbacks over other options.
I absolutely hate the design. That being said, I looked at Subaru’s website the other day for some info about their upcoming toyota highlander EV with whatever dumb name they gave it. I just HAD to look at the outback trainwreck to see it and boy howdy was I shocked at the prices! Absolutely dumbfounded how expensive the outback has gotten. That’ll be the reason why these things don’t sell.
I live in prime Subaru territory (Front Range of CO). I’ve actually not seen a new outback yet. I happened to see the first “new” outback when I was in Florida last week. Pretty much all you see here these days is the Crosstrek Wilderness and the Forester.
Wagon, crossover, who cares? It’s fucking ugly.
Was the Subaru Outback ever considered a super attractive car?
I’m a Subaru fan… and we’ve had a number of Outbacks in our family. I prefer Foresters, but I couldn’t get into any of the Outbacks after the early 2000’s. Until now, for some reason. Maybe because it looks a bit more like the Forester. I don’t know.
We should get the Levorg/Legacy wagon in the States. Nobody would argue about what that one is, at least.
I thought the 3rd gen ones were actually quite handsome.
https://i.imgur.com/J0wAa3g.jpeg
“A wagon is when I like it.”
“A crossover is when I don’t like it.”
-Commenters.
Subaru and specifically Crosstek, Forester and Outback have a stronger fan base compared to a RAV4, CR-V, probably at the same level as Mazda CX5 buyers.
The stronger fan base will be louder to complain back to the brand about the changes, like Mazda slapping a big screen, removing basic buttons and making the car interior cheaper than the previous gen. I guess they did that to keep the car price competitive.
Ford, RAM and GM dont mess with their trucks, they know what keeps their customers coming back. Subaru took the risk and the numbers will show if they were successful or not.
I wonder how much Trailseeker sales will eat into Outback sales as well, especially with the gas price situation. I know a lot of the Subie folks have been clamoring for the long-rumored hybrid, as well.
I don’t like it, but Subaru has been going away from what I want progressively for decades, so whatever
Sir, people still love the Outback. They like that it has some utility without being a crossover or SUV, and instead it’s more car-like. This puts us in an admirably unique position in the market.
Johnson, you’re absolutely right. We should make it less car-like. As a bonus, it won’t be remotely competitive without that distinction.
Am I the only person who thinks it’s still a wagon? It seems like everyone is parroting the “ oh no, it’s an suv now” thing.
I think you may be. It’s not parroting, we just agree on the facts.
“we just agree on
the factsour opinions”FIFY. There is no set of “facts” proving that this changed into a crossover/suv in 2026.
It’s gained 2″ of roof height. It’s now taller than a RAV4. The benefit of wagons of SUVs is easy roof loading. It no longer has this advantage.
Yea, definitely not a wagon. Unless… wait a second! It’s a wagon because it DOES resemble perfectly in grace and proportions to the original pioneer wagons, minus the oxen. That’s some serious overlanding heritage even, I get it now.
I’ve seen a few of these around here and they look barely different than the one they replaced. It’s a slightly boxier wagony-looking thing. SUV really doesn’t cross my mind at all
I think the majority of those people haven’t seen it in person. The dimensions barely changed except for roof height, and when you put it perspective of other cars on the highway, it’s still very much an Outback.
People aren’t saying that it’s isn’t an Outback – it obviously is because that’s the name on the back. People are saying that it’s not a wagon.
I daily drive a 2017 Outback and I enjoy it. I sat in the new one a few times, really wanting to like it. But now I am of the opinion that it’s an ugly as sin SUV, ungainly and confused. The back lid / 5th door whatever is, by Mother Earth, so hideous. The cladding materials are cheap and chintzy, painted plastic, which makes their overwrought shapes stand out. The grille and side slaps patterns are from five different design languages (maybe Toyota had a bring-your-child-to-work day and took their output directly to engineering?) and the overall proportions of the “car” are those of a driveway build made of three different vehicles. One where the front end was from a 2-door 80’s pickup truck, which would have been good but then the genius who built it decided to give it the overhang of a Tatra, but without keeping the quirky.
I am totally not upset at all.
It comes down to roof height. The appeal of the old Outback was that a relatively low roof height made it a breeze to load a roof box or toss a canoe on the roof. Now it’s taller than a RAV4 – it’s given away it’s advantage.
That was the appeal? No other reason?
Because you can throw a roof box on top of almost anything.
Yes but have you tried to load a roof box on the roof of an SUV? It’s a terrible experience. There were many things that appealed about it but you can’t ignore that roof racks and Subaru’s are basically synonymous.
I’m a Crosstrek owner and I purchased it because of the low roof load height. I’d never buy it if it were 2″ taller.
You’ve made quite a big deal out of 2 inches. Hope your partner can, too. (J/K)
It just doesn’t seem like 2 inches height difference is that much to the average height person.
I’ve got a friend with a Crosstrek, and she loves it!
The one complaint she has is that she wishes she got the 3.6R (which was available before the 2019 model year).
Whenever I see one, I can say I definitely prefer it over the Outback of the past 20-ish years.
I’m still seeing a lot of comments about how it’s suddenly not a wagon anymore and none of them explain why they think this. It’s the same size as last year, with the same ground clearance. They just reshaped the sheet metal and cladding.
What makes the 2025 a wagon but the 2026 not a wagon? Anyone? Anyone?
Bueller?
If anything, this new model is actually MORE wagon-coded than the previous generations. The sloping, squared-off rear, generous overhangs, linear belt line and trapezoidal green house all work to visually separate it from your typical crossover SUV.
Like you said in your other comment, the Outback hasn’t looked like a traditional wagon since 2009, even though it shared sheet metal with the (also ugly) Legacy. The Outback really is its own style of vehicle at this point, that kind of defies categorization. Now that Subaru isn’t trying to use the same body for two disparate models, people need to let go of the traditional formula. It was always inherently a compromise.
I considered an outback when I bought my tour X in 2018. I happened to pass an outback and a CRV in a parking lot next to each other and realize the outback was taller (including the roof rails).
Mostly happy with my tour X.
I had an A4 allroad (the most recent one – the whole allroad line was a euro take on what the outback used to be after all) and sometimes would park next to outbacks for fun. The difference was stark in height and bulk, and that was way back in 2018. Now? I can’t see the reason you’d buy an Outback instead of a Forester. It’s the same thing.
The 2026 without roof rails is two inches taller than the 2025 with roof rails. It’s not just the design or the cladding …the car is significantly taller.
But the same ground clearance, suggesting a bit more space between roof and floor. Does that really make it not-a-wagon?
2″ more of roof height make it not a wagon anymore.
Is there some master set of dimensions that must be adhered to in order for a vehicle to be considered a wagon?
My sense is that a wagon almost by definition must have a sedan version. There was a sedan version of the Outback; It was the Legacy. There is no sedan version of the new Outback because it’s actually just an SUV.
Okay, so there hasn’t really been a sedan equivalent to the Outback for a number of years now. The Legacy is not the same.
So by that rationale, the Outback hasn’t been a wagon since the early 2000’s, it’s been… a crossover, I guess?
It doesn’t matter that much to me. I like Foresters.
But if Subaru brought over the ACTUAL Legacy wagon (the Liberty) or the Levorg, then I’d be happier (and you and I would probably be on the same page about that one!).
“Aside from the drama surrounding whether Subaru will ever bring back the STI…”. How about the STD or the VD? Given that STI is the current accepted term for these sorts of things, I think they would need a new acronym.
A fictional small scale manufacturer of boats and cars I created for my books is Speedwell Transportation Design. A joking slogan is: “Remember when you used to enjoy life? Pick up an STD today!”
I think Subaru is just making excuses for a poor decision by another lunkhead executive who needs fired. The Outback was their best seller as stated at the beginning of the article. Many SUVs from many manufacturers already were available to the market. Clearly the Outback customer was a person of refined taste that prefers a wagon to a rough riding, fuel consuming, lose in a Crowd SUV. Given they already had the production they spent boatloads to move production for a new vehicle with a old nameplate. IMHO
I stopped buying Subarus when they stopped making hatchbacks with manual transmissions and bought a Civic hatchback with a manual instead. Then Honda stopped making those too, except for the CTR and Integra. I think the Madza3 hatchback and the GR Corolla are the only other manual hatchbacks left.
I feel your pain
When I heard they were dropping the manual crosstrek I rushed out to buy one. Two dealerships near me said that they were booked on allocations for manuals through the end of production. We bought a 2024 civic hatch instead.
My friend did the same, bought the last manual CrossTrek. Those only came with the 2 liter though. Every time she fires it up, I look around for a tractor. The mildest incline, she can’t hold fifth gear. She’s part of the cult though. There is nothing you can say. The end.
The “gotta have a manual” cult? Because she could have gotten the CrossTrek with more power and it would have been more fun to drive.
Trust me…. I tried. The 2.5 liter is fine. But it had to be a manual. It’s so conflicting because I want to applaud it. I just can’t.
i would consider the old style outback. i will not consider a new one.
What about a Trailseeker?
Then go buy one. There are plenty of them still on the road.
I spoke with my wallet on the new Outback. It’s terrible. I owed and really liked an ‘05, ‘10, ‘15 and ‘17, when it came time to replace the ‘17 I didn’t like how much extra cladding along with the plastic ‘mustache’ on the ‘25 and was just seeing what this new ‘26 was going to look like which is even more awful. We would have stayed with Subaru and preferred the more wagon body but were left with essentially no wagon choices. Won’t gamble with a Merc or BMW and although I loved how the V60 looked I didn’t like how it drove. Ended up in a Mazda CX70. Yeah it’s an SUV but it looks, feels and drives fantastic.
cx70 is an excellent car. congrtas.
Similar path here after a 2007 and a 2017. Torn between the cx70 and cx50 though, no need for the extra – space kids out to college!
I think the main wagons left in the US are the Crown Signia, EV6, and the Trailseeker if you want to avoid German-made. I’m probably forgetting something.
I’ve heard Mazda makes things that handle well, even if they shouldn’t. Glad you enjoy it!
Sorry (or not sorry?), the Crosstrek is not an SUV either, it’s a lifted wagon as well; it’s just a compact wagon vs the mid-sized previous Outback.
I’d say the Crosstrek is a lifted hatch since it’s an Impreza and the Levorg Layback is a lifted compact wagon, but that’s just semantics, I suppose.
@Subaru,
You should really put some thought into this: Bring over the Levorg. In brown. With a stick. You know what I’m saying?
*finger guns*
At this point, I’d just write off the sales figures of the first couple quarters after a model switch entirely. Remember the new Tacoma launch? Sales fell then and the haters celebrated, but it turned out to also be model year changes and sales bounced back in a big way.
Maybe it’s because people aren’t interested in buying something that’s as ugly as sin.
I think you are wrong here. Sin by it’s nature is usually pretty attractive. Otherwise it would be hard to get people to sign up for hell. And from what I’ve heard it is SRO except for the snow skiing demographic.
I would recommend avoiding almost all Outbacks, of every year, if beautiful styling is your requirement.
All Subaru sales fell last month except Solterra, and YTD except Forester. Crosstrek and Forester have both been bigger sellers in the same periods than the now 3rd place Outback.
Design may hurt, but the IIHS scores, Consumer Reports scores, etc. matter more. I think Subaru has decided they are okay with losing some Outback sales in hopes of some conquest as long as the loyal buyers stay in the brand, and will try to steer them to Foresters. The split between them in price has always been close, like “do you want your boxer+AWD hamburger-style or hot dog-style.” Frankly I’m surprised they are still not far off in price. And an Outback could still be cross-shopped against something like the CR-V on price, it’s only $300 more to start vs. an EX AWD but a larger vehicle.
It’s likely not a 2012 Civic situation because there aren’t clearly nicer competitors as there were for those models, or a 2013 Malibu because they didn’t shrink the car and botch the launch with an oddball powertrain combo.
My guess is that all of the previous gens of the Outback were successful in part due to the fact that few wagons are offered for sale in the US. They really messed up by de-wagoning it.
How is this one “dewagoned” when it’s the same size, format, and distance above the ground as the prior one?
Mostly, I think the ones here are just saying “de-wagoned” because it’s ugly.
Oh, I think so too. I’m just waiting for someone to admit that rather than clinging to the wagon thing.
That’s an opinion… I think it’s the best looking Outback since the early 2000’s. At least this one has a shape. They’ve gotten pretty blobby and amorphous over the years. But maybe… that’s what you wanted out of the Outback?
True. I can’t say much as what I find visually appealing, others may find boring as you said. I just think this new design is awkward.
I’ll bite. It is taller, boxier, has a more broad and flat front end, more vertical d-pillar, more vertical SUV like hatch, has a bit more ground clearance, etc. If you tweak all of those things, it creeps into RAV4 and CRV territory when before it was more clearly a wagon. And I’m not “clinging” to anything. When I first saw the pics, I thought to myself that they were getting away from their wagon routes and this was creeping into Forester territory. Ugly is another story altogether.
I appreciate the response. But you are describing your subjective reaction to superficial styling changes, not a fundamental transformation of the vehicle from one class to the next. Since 2008, the outback has been an AWD station wagon jacked up on its suspension to have 8.7″ of ground clearance. It’s the ride height and semi-offroad intent of an SUV applied to a vehicle that would be considered a station wagon if it sat at sedan-height instead.
This one is no different.
If a flat front end and vertical D-pillar and hatch is “SUV-like”, what do you call a Volvo 850 or V70?
Thanks for your perspective as well.
My take on this is not unique.The general consensus is that this looks more like a small SUV than what it used to look like. If you look at all of the gens of Outbacks, this one is a departure and veers more into the small SUV/CUV territory. Perception is reality.
I mean this in a respectful way but do you either own the new Outback or are do you sell them or work for Subaru? Honest question. Curious.
I have no skin the game. I really don’t like Subarus as I don’t love CVTs.
.
Response pending; in moderation for some fucking reason.
But apparently I can make big swear words without triggering it.
The comment moderation system (and the Apple II that it runs on) pre-cogged that you would make the big swear word, so it decided to act accordingly.
Unfortunately, due to the size of it’s salami-based memory, it didn’t have the context it needed to know that its action would actually bring about the opposite of the intended effect.
This system should never attempt time travel, it doesn’t have a clue how to go back and save the universe without changing the present.
That’s not true. They Upgraded to an Apple IIe…
I have no dog in the fight, though I can see why you would suspect I do. I don’t even really like Subarus, that combo of 3800lbs + 180hp + CVT has made the Forester and Outback unattractive to me for years.
“Perception is reality”
I’m aware. We’ve been living in a beliefs-must-be-facts reality for the last decade. That’s actually the primary reason I’m triggered by this article and comments. My career deals heavily in facts and some coherent logic in the presentation of an argument, and I just don’t see it here. Whether a popular opinion or not, simply saying “it looks more SUV-like to me therefore this IS now a crossover and not a wagon” doesn’t make it a fact, and it bothers me out of principle.
This vehicle hasn’t fundamentally changed with this generation beyond some styling choices. If we’re going to insist it is now a different class of vehicle, we should clearly define the criteria and make the argument based on that. But no one here is doing that. If someone believes it is overwrought and styled too much like an SUV for them, then that’s a different argument and one I never would have contradicted.
You’re unfortunately witnessing the flare-up of my professional background over a minor matter of which I frankly don’t care much, but groupthink regardless of application bothers me, so I keep poking. Sorry.
Believe me I have the same issue with the “beliefs-must-be-facts” world that we are living in today. It’s how the US got to where it is but that’s another story altogether. And I don’t think that it applies here at all.
It had all of the hallmarks of a wagon before and those have been muted, altered or erased IMHO. But it is not just my perspective but also the consensus of most, but not all, people who care about this sort of silly thing.
So perhaps a better way to refer to is that it is more SUV-like (or CUV really) and less wagon-like. I’ll concede that the line is blurred. Speaking of blurred lines, how about the Forester?
For me, it’s all about the door sill to roof height that differentiates lifted wagon from SUV.
Sure, I can see that as a factor. This one may be a smidge bigger in that dimension.