2025 Subaru Outback

Overview

The Subaru Outback is the mid-weight trail-hiker boot of automobiles. It’s casual, comfortable, and, when called upon, capable enough to get you across some moderately difficult terrain. The same can be said of numerous crossovers, but the Outback is a station wagon first and foremost, which gives it a cool, casual, and friendly personality that it has banked on for thirty years now. That same wagon architecture ensures car-like ride and handling, while the wagon format provides plenty of cargo area in addition to room for up to five passengers. The base engine is a 182 horsepower four-cylinder engine paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) and standard all-wheel drive, but buyers looking for a bit more urgency can spec a 260-horsepower turbocharged four. The interior layout is logical, the quality of upholstery is above average, and higher trims approach genuine luxury. The Outback never forgets its affable and mellow character, however, so buyers accustomed to full-on luxury brands and their prices might want to check out rivals such as the Audi A4 Allroad and the Volvo V60 Cross Country. The Outback remains a jack-of-most trades that has cultivated a loyal following for a reason.

Where This Vehicle Ranks

#2 in Best Station Wagons

1

Audi A6 Allroad

STARTING AT: $70,395

2

Subaru Outback

STARTING AT: $30,290

3

Volvo V60 / V60 Cross Country

STARTING AT: $51,495

4

Audi RS6 Avant

STARTING AT: $127,000

5

Volvo V90 Cross Country

STARTING AT: $60,995

6

Mercedes-Benz E-class Wagon

STARTING AT: $75,000

What's New for 2025?

The Limited trim gets upgraded with a power sunroof, a heated steering wheel, driver attention monitoring, and an 11.6-inch infotainment screen with navigation. The optional XT package, which is Subaru speak for the more powerful turbocharged 260-hp 2.4-liter engine, extends to the Limited trim. Otherwise, the long-running Outback continues largely unchanged.

Pricing and Which One to Buy

The Outback now comes in nine flavors, but we maintain that the Premium trim represents the best value. The standard 182-hp four-cylinder engine provides adequate acceleration and suits the Outback’s laid-back personality well; although a more powerful 260-hp engine is available, we think buyers looking for genuine performance or robust towing capability would be better served spending that money elsewhere. Though it’s positioned just above the base model, the Outback Premium is reasonably well-equipped. Standard kit includes an 11.6-inch touchscreen, a 4G LTE mobile hotspot, an all-weather package (heated front seats, power exterior mirrors, windshield wiper deicer), a power-adjustable driver's seat, USB-A and C ports front and rear, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Two option packages are available to enhance the experience, the first includes keyless entry, pushbutton start, a hands-free power tailgate, and a trio of driver assistance items: blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, and automatic emergency steering. The second package builds on the first, adding a power moonroof and navigation.

Engine, Transmission, and Performance

Outback buyers have a choice of two engines: the standard 182-hp, 2.5-liter or the available 260-hp turbocharged 2.4-liter. Both mate to a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) with all-wheel drive. Subaru has taken steps to impart the CVT with the characteristics of a traditional automatic to lessen frustrating engine drone, and is mostly successful. That said, the last Outback we tested with the standard engine still couldn’t escape physics and delivered unremarkable acceleration and sluggish transmission behavior. The turbocharged engine displayed improved response and acceleration, but the transmission lets down its end of the bargain. Will most buyers care? Not likely, as they are more focused on ride quality and the car's ability to handle light off-road driving. While its standard all-wheel drive is a boon in inclement weather, its 8.7 inches of ground clearance provides enough lift for worn two tracks and even occasional rough stuff. The rugged-looking Wilderness model ratchets up the capability factor with skid plates and beefier suspension with 9.5 inches of clearance. Plus, it adds Snow and Mud drive modes to better tackle specific conditions. Just know that despite the increased capability, the Outback is still more car than off-road-eating SUV. That means a pleasant ride in town and on the highway but a complete lack of sporting vitality, which might surprise any fans of the rally-adjacent WRX considering a switch to the more practical wagon. Speaking of practicality, the wagon's standard engine also can tow 2700 pounds, while the turbocharged version can pull 3500.

0–60-MPH Times

We tested a 2022 Outback Wilderness with the 260-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder and clocked a 5.8-second run to 60 mph. Our 2020 Outback Touring with the standard 182-hp engine returned a far less hasty 8.5-second time.

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Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG

With the standard engine, the Outback earned EPA estimates of 26 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. The turbocharged version isn’t quite as thrifty, earning ratings of 23 mpg city and 30 highway. Notably, both versions returned 28 mpg on our 200-mile real-world highway-fuel-economy route. For more information about the Outback's fuel economy, visit the EPA's website.

Interior, Comfort, and Cargo

The Outback and related Legacy sedan share a basic passenger compartment layout crafted of quality but decidedly non-flashy materials. It’s a comfortable if unexciting space, but highly functional and provides surprising head- and shoulder room for front seat occupants. The spacious back offers an extra 1.4 inches of legroom compared with the previous generation Outback. The base model is spartan and light on features, but the rest of the lineup includes dual-zone climate control, heated front seats, a power-adjustable driver's seat, and several USB ports. Buyers looking for more pampering can indulge in features including a heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, a power-adjustable front-passenger seat, and heated rear seats by moving up the trim hierarchy. There’s 33 cubic feet of cargo space in the wayback space; in our testing, it held 11 carry-on suitcases with the back seat up and 23 bags with it folded flat. The Legacy sedan accepted eight and 22 suitcases, respectively, in the same tests.

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Infotainment and Connectivity

The base Outback features a dual 7.0-inch touchscreen setup that’s functional but looks and feels a little dated. Thankfully, stepping up to our recommended Premium trim brings the large vertically oriented 11.6-inch touchscreen. While the graphics are better than the dual-screen setup it’s still not as sharp as some competitors, but operation is reasonably intuitive. Subaru gets bonus points for including rotary volume and tuning knobs as well as some physical buttons for climate settings. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration are standard, but navigation, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and wireless device charging are optional. The Outback Onyx Edition, Limited, and Touring trim levels get a 12-speaker, 576-watt Harman/Kardon audio system.

Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

All Outback models come standard with the company's EyeSight suite of driver-assistance technology. For more information about the Outback's crash-test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites. Key safety features include:

• Standard forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking
• Standard adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping assist
• Available blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert

Warranty and Maintenance Coverage

Subaru provides competitive—albeit unremarkable—limited and powertrain warranties. It also doesn't include any complimentary scheduled maintenance.

• Limited warranty covers three years or 36,000 miles
• Powertrain warranty covers five years or 60,000 miles
• No complimentary scheduled maintenance

Specifications

Specifications

2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness
Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon

PRICE
Base/As Tested: $38,120/$39,965
Options: Moonroof, navigation, and reverse automatic braking package, $1845

ENGINE
turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve flat-4, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 146 in³, 2387 cm³
Power: 260 hp @ 5600 rpm
Torque: 277 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm

TRANSMISSION
continuously variable automatic

CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 12.4-in vented disc/11.8-in vented disc
Tires: Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015
225/65R-17 102T M+S

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 108.1 in
Length: 191.3 in
Width: 74.6 in
Height: 66.9 in
Passenger Volume: 103 ft³
Cargo Volume: 33 ft³
Curb Weight: 3973 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 5.8 sec
1/4-Mile: 14.6 sec @ 96 mph
100 mph: 15.8 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 6.5 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 3.5 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 4.3 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 117 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 191 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.74 g

C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 18 mpg
75-mph Highway Driving: 27 mpg
Highway Range: 490 mi

EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 24/22/26 mpg

C/D TESTING EXPLAINED

2020 Subaru Outback Touring

VEHICLE TYPE
front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon

PRICE AS TESTED
$38,355 (base price: $38,355)

ENGINE TYPE
DOHC 16-valve flat-4, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement
152 cu in, 2498 cc
Power
182 hp @ 5800 rpm
Torque
176 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm

TRANSMISSION
continuously variable automatic

CHASSIS
Suspension (F/R): struts/multilink
Brakes (F/R): 12.4-in vented disc /11.8-in vented disc
Tires: Yokohama Avid GT, 225/60R-18 100H M+S

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 108.1 in
Length: 191.3 in
Width: 73.0 in
Height: 66.1 in
Passenger volume: 105 cu ft
Cargo volume: 33 cu ft
Curb weight: 3753 lb

C/D
TEST RESULTS
Rollout, 1 ft: 0.3 sec
60 mph: 8.5 sec
100 mph: 26.2 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 9.1 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 4.8 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 6.1 sec
¼-mile: 16.7 sec @ 84 mph
Top speed (C/D est): 130 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 171 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.80 g

C/D
FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 21 mpg
75-mph highway driving: 28 mpg
Highway range: 510 miles

EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/city/highway: 29/26/33 mpg 

More Features and Specs