New Subaru Outback vs Old Outback // Crossing Over!

The prior-gen Subaru Outback was one of my go-to recommendations. As far as comfy, cost-effective wagons go, it was the best. It was also the only one. There's no question that the new Outback is a huge departure for this nameplate, but what I want to find out is which one is better. The first big change comes in the way of the price. This generation asks for about $5,000 more than the outgoing model, but there are some important nuances to that. For 2026, this comes much better equipped out the gate. In fact, what you see here is the cheapest one you can buy. For similar features, you'd be spending maybe $1,000 less on a 2025 model if you could go back in time, though that difference will grow substantially as you add on more and more packages. Before we continue, if you enjoy fun, detailed car content, consider subscribing and hitting the notification bell. It may seem small, but it helps open the door to more opportunities. Thank you. I'd also like to thank the kind folks over at Royal on the Eastside in Bloomington, Indiana for letting me drive both of the Outbacks you see in today's video. For a good deal and great service, be sure to check them out. In my opinion, a more consequential change comes from the form factor. We have finally reached the straw to break the wagon's back. While I'm sure an inch and a half makes a difference, I think the higher nose and more squared-off design of the 2026 model is doing the heavy lifting. And while the look itself is also more busy than I would prefer, it has grown on me, especially around the side and the rear. Let me know what you guys think. As far as exterior features go, there is one improvement on the outside, and that would be the wider availability of a 360-view camera. Though there is one unfortunate loss with the new body style, and that is we no longer have the deployable crossbars. These were nice because when you didn't need them, you could stow them away and you would have less wind noise on the highway. And then when you needed them, you could deploy them for your kayaks and whatnot. The advantage with the 2026 model is that all of them can hold more weight than before. So if you're is going to be superior. Jumping out of the rain and into the old Subaru Outback, I must say this is still a pretty nice cabin with one major flaw, which you guys probably already know. Let's start off with the good. First, there are plenty of soft-touch materials. They're on the door cards, dashboard, even where your knees rest. Everything is just plush. The seats are also nicely shaped. They have soft bolstering, but the seat bottom is a little bit more stiff than I think I would prefer. But go with a limited like what you see here, and you have a seat bottom extender, which is really nice for tall people. At six foot three, I have a great car-like driving position. You're a little bit more stretched out than you are in something like a Subaru Forester, where you feel like you're more so sitting on top of the car. I also like how short the dashboard is and how large the windows are. This has great visibility, like most Subarus, and your panel fitment and build quality are solid. Now, some people do complain about rattles and whatnot, but I haven't noticed that yet with this 2024 example that has 38,000 miles. If you go with a base model, you will find cheaper materials. You'll also have just four speakers, and you'll get a really odd-looking infotainment setup. There is a reason why most people just stepped up to the premium trim in this body style. Though no matter what grade you got, the tech was a sore point, to say the least. So this has got an 11.6-inch infotainment with a response time that ranges from slow to, is this thing even on? The panel also doesn't get very bright and can get washed out in sunlight. Plus, Subaru baked in a good portion of the HVAC controls, so you had to constantly interact with it. Now, thankfully, this setup came with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. And as we see more and more digital gauge clusters, I really like this analog setup. Another selling point to this generation of the Outback is its versatility for its footprint. This is not a super wide car, but it still feels spacious. At my height, I can still fit in the rear seat behind myself. The seats will even recline a little bit. I have rear console vents, available heated rear seats, and the cargo area is stupid long. This is one of the smallest SUVs that tall people could be comfortable car camping in. Even if it's just moderate height, it might become a limitation for moving furniture. Thankfully, all of them come standard with rear seat releases. While the difference is minimal on paper, getting in and out of the new Outback is a little bit easier. I think a bigger improvement will be found around the rear. The cargo area is taller, which is going to make it more versatile. You still have the standard releases with the seats folded. It is a long space. And now all models have a dark headliner with a tough texture that should help prevent visible damage from moving large items. You still have a large rear seat. In fact, I have a little bit more usable knee room in the 26. And up front, I think that these seat cushions are a little bit more comfortable. They're softer, but still just as well shaped. And you can still get the driver's side seat extension too, though now only on the pricey top trim. It is a very comfortable cabin and it's easier to interact with. Your infotainment is now much faster. The display is much higher quality. You now have all physical controls for your HVAC. They're very easy to use, even if you have gloves on, which is the reason why Subaru says they went back to controls like this. And all around, this feels more utilitarian, which carries with it some pros and cons. So I do think that there are less soft touch materials in here than the old car. But at least here in the bulk seller, you're not getting completely stiff armed. There's this nice cloth all over the door card and dashboard. They don't use any chintzy plastics over here either. There's not many glossy plastics to get all dirty and gross quickly. And they even thought to enlarge the door pockets so that way you can fit a large bottle in here. And they also lined it with a felt that way your stuff doesn't make a whole lot of noise while you're driving. And they've given you more storage here in the center, as well as a pocket above the glove compartment that is now grippy. So that way, if you put your phone in there, it won't just fly around while you're driving. While I'm not too keen on the aesthetics of this cabin, I also wish that the display here was maybe kept in line with the dashboard. Overall, Subaru thought about the making it more practical, more comfortable, and easier to use than it was before. But where I was most impressed with the prior-gen Subaru Outback was with its road manners. Under the hood of most, you're going to find a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated Boxer 4. It makes 182 horsepower, and when it comes to lugging all 3,700 pounds, it does a good enough job for most situations. Now, if you are loading this thing up full of people and gear, or you're up at high elevation, you might want to jump for the available turbo, which bumps the power output another 80 horsepower. It makes a massive increase in torque, which helps it have much more mid-range oomph. This 2.5 is really doing the bare basics. 0-60 will come up in 9 seconds or so. For me, for this kind of vehicle, I'm fine with it, and the continuously variable transmission that comes standard is pretty smooth and responsive in this application. Now, I think it's a little bit more of an awkward fit for that turbocharged XT model. It kind of feels like we're waiting for turbo lag, and then the CVT also needs to get its act together. I really would have appreciated something like an 8-speed automatic with that power plant. The new Outback makes very few changes to the powertrain and drivetrain. Of course, no matter which powertrain you choose, you have standard symmetrical all-wheel drive that is full-time. It's a good system, especially with the X mode, which will use the brakes to stop spinning wheels and redirect torque side to side, getting you out of some hairy situations off-road. Subaru knows how to put power to the ground pretty well, and they also know how to make a car ride well. That was the biggest standout factor for this generation of the Outback. Over this really torn-up back road, the... I mean, this is just floating over everything, but it does so with still a good degree of control. It doesn't, you know, I'm not losing confidence back here. Sure, it's very soft, but it's just more confident than, like, even the new Subaru Forester. I really like how this drives. Even after a couple years, this is still forgiving and smooth. I'm having a hard time thinking that the new Outback is going to up this. Now, where there is a little bit more room for improvement is in the handling front. Because of this form factor and the boxer engine's low center of gravity, they could keep this suspension pretty soft without compromising much in handling, but there's still a good amount of body roll here. Even though this has a fast steering ratio, it does not change direction with eagerness, even though the lane centering seems to think that I am all over the place. But still, this is very car-like. That's what I've loved about this Outback, because even though this rides well, this doesn't handle like a complete boat. Now, admittedly, the steering is numb. There's a little bit of vagueness on center, making it not feel super precise. With how light this is weighted and the lack of much buildup, it feels disconnected, almost simulation-like. Yet the old Outback's ability to isolate its occupants from harsh and noisy roads is key to its appeal. The aforementioned pokey performance is accompanied by good efficiency without forced induction. It's easy to drive, and the car-like handling doesn't sacrifice off-road capability either. There are many reasons why this generation was a sales hit, and I think the latest model also has what it takes to appeal to the masses, but there's one caveat. Hopping behind the wheel of the new Outback, the first thing I notice is that the driving position and the view outward are different. So here, even though I have the seat as low as I possibly can, I am definitely sitting up a bit higher than I was in the old car, and I also think the visibility isn't quite as good. The belt line and the dashboard are just a little bit higher. Maybe this mirror here is coming down a little bit lower, so it's not giving you quite as much of an open-air experience as the previous model, though it's still a very easy car to drive, and it's also a very smooth one. The CVT might even be more refined than it was in the past, and it's certainly no quicker. Expect identical performance from the new Outback, though there will be a hybrid version sometime in the near future, which should absolutely improve response, as it will more than likely use an e-CVT, which is a great transmission design. Still, just like the old car, getting this up to speed is not much of an issue in normal conditions, and Subaru has addressed one of the most common engine problems that old Outback owners were running into, which is the thermocontrol valve. They've switched back to a traditional thermostat here with the naturally aspirated 2.5, something that I'm very happy to see. We're not really going to talk any more about reliability today because, well, we have an all-new model. We'll have to see how things shake down. The prior generation, according to Consumer Reports, came with average marks for reliability. If you want to outpace expectations, the Outback still offers the Turbo Boxer that gives the Subie passing power more reflective of its price tag. The specs for the powertrains remain about the same as last year, but Subaru has updated the all-wheel drive system to have a quicker-reacting center differential, and the system now incorporates steering angle data to better assess what torque split to run. What I've been most curious to know is does this thing actually ride and handle any better? The first thing that I'm picking up here is that it is a little bit more firm, but not in a bad way. It's still very comfortable, very forgiving. It has a higher degree of control. They also might be compensating just a little bit for that higher center of gravity, but this is a very well-mannered car on a road with a lot of undulations, and even though it is more SUV-like with the driving position, it is still a very car-like drive. And I think they've improved the steering, too. It doesn't… honestly, it feels like it might even… it might react a little bit slower than the old car, but it is very predictable. I think it builds up in weight more naturally. There might be a little bit more heft in the wheel itself, and I believe it is a little bit more precise. Like the old Outback, this is also quiet up at highway speeds, but it comes with better driving aids. The lane centering is more accurate. The lane departure prevention is nowhere near as annoying and as intrusive. This feels much more on par with systems like that of Toyota and Hyundai. And like the previous model, it still comes with a standard 8.7 inches of ground clearance. The approach and departure angles remain strong, and you can get it with a wilderness trim if you please, which adds a whole bunch of other goodies, as well as a higher clearance off-road tuned suspension. This also has adaptive damping, which should make it an even better multi-tool than the outgoing Wilderness. As you would predict, the cost for this capability is more steep, and it's also going to affect the efficiency. But like the previous Outback, it's more efficient than alternatives like the 4Runner or Honda Passport, but those vehicles will tow more as the max capacity sees no increase with the new gen. I'd set out to answer the question, is newer better when it comes to the Outback? If you can afford either of them, the new model, generally speaking, checks more boxes. If you stick with a premium trim, you have excellent value. It rides and handles even better than its predecessor. It's a little more practical. The tech is more well-executed. The controls make more sense. The seats are a little softer, and while the cabin materials mark a slight downgrade, the attention to detail is as strong as ever. The biggest sacrifice that you're going to make going with the new car is subjective. That's the style. In basically all other areas, this has improved. Of course, it's going to cost more. I guess if I have to sum up this comparison in one sentence, it would be that the new Outback is more competitive. The old Outback is more desirable. Now that it has crossed over the wagon line, it feels like there's less separating the Subaru Outback from any other SUV. It lost its secret sauce. The more car-like driving position and unique aesthetics have carved out a niche for the Outback in the sport utility space. The new model wins as my broad recommendation between these two, and it is my favorite Subaru SUV. But if we're considering the countless other options available, I think the old Outback did a better job of standing out. If you're on a tighter budget and you want softer materials or points for originality, you might want to skip the showroom. Thanks for watching, and thank you to my channel members for helping me improve my videos. Consider joining for additional content, and I'll catch you in the next one.