The Subaru Outback has changed a lot in the 32 years since its introduction. What started out as a cladded and lifted version of the Legacy station wagon evolved to become so popular, the Outback eventually overshadowed and outlived the vehicle it was based on. Each subsequent redesign grew a little taller and more SUV-like, straying further from the Outback's wagon roots, ending at the seventh-generation 2026 Subaru Outback that is on sale today.
Subaru's most recent iteration of the Outback takes the nameplate in a taller, boxier direction that looks far more like other mainstream crossovers than the previous generation "lifted wagon" design. We've seen an outcry from our commenters lamenting the loss of the best-selling wagon model in America, but real-world opinions seem to be far more positive. The Outback's wagon-like styling has made it a strong seller in the past, but perhaps making it more like other SUVs could broaden its appeal and boost sales to compete with some of the top sellers in the US. If Subaru didn't believe this was the case, it wouldn't have made such a bold design change.
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