2026 Subaru Outback review: Great interior, refined drive, divisive looks

Underneath the new boxy sheetmetal, Subaru avoids reinventing what already worked. The test Limited’s standard 2.5 L flat-four-cylinder engine develops 180 hp (134 kW) and 178 lb-ft (241 Nm) of torque. That’s adequate oomph, but it’s hardly brisk when toting around the Outback Limited’s 3,741 lbs (1,697 kg). The turbocharged 2.4 L engine of the XT versions, making 260 hp (194 kW) and 277 lb-ft (376 Nm) of torque, offers power that the base engine can only dream of (if engines could dream). No hybrid version is available yet, but I suspect a hybrid Outback will arrive for 2027, likely with a version of the 194 hp (145 kW) drivetrain currently used in the Forester Hybrid. For those looking for something entirely electric, the new Subaru Trailseeker is marketed in other regions as the E-Outback and is close to, if not identical in, dimensions. Both engines pair with Subaru’s continuously variable transmission, which performs adequately in sedate, everyday driving but lurches when pushed and can elicit some droning when climbing long freeway grades and accelerating hard.