The new seventh-generation Subaru Outback is coming to Australia in 2026, bringing more brutal styling, slight price rises, and new, more rugged Wilderness variants.

Announced yesterday, the five-variant Outback range now starts at $48,990 before on-roads, up $4800 on the outgoing model.

Launching Australia with the arrival of the new Outback is Subaru’s previously US-only Wilderness, designed to bring more hardcore off-road-focused modifications to the Japanese brand’s SUV range.

Subaru says to think of it like the enhancements STI brings to performance, but for off-roading instead.

Two Wilderness variants will be offered at launch, and with their turbocharged boxer engines, they effectively replace the turbo XT variants in the outgoing Outback.

The Wilderness range starts at $59,690 before on-road costs, which is $2200 more than the outgoing top-spec Outback Touring XT.

CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal.

Powering the regular Outback is a 2.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder boxer engine with 137kW of power and 245Nm of torque. These figures are practically identical to the outgoing model.

The Outback Wilderness, meanwhile, gets the XT’s 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder boxer engine, but in a different state of tune. With 194kW of power and 382Nm of torque, it’s only 8kW down on the WRX (which has the same engine), but packs an additional 32Nm of torque.

Compared to the XT, outputs are up by 11kW and 32Nm, but the introduction of the new sub-brand means you’ll no longer be able to get a turbocharged Outback unless it’s a Wilderness. It does, however, receive adaptive suspension for the first time, which Subaru says is similar in design to the adaptive setup in the WRX tS.

As is typical for Subaru, the new Outback is offered only with all-wheel-drive, and power is sent through a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with an ‘eight-speed’ manual mode.

Subaru has also fitted the new Outback with its dual-pinion steering system, already featured on the WRX and Forester. According to the brand, this is intended to provide a sharp, sporty feel with improved response.

Inside, there’s a new 12.3-inch customisable digital instrument cluster, fitted as standard across the Outback range. Gone is the 11.6-inch vertical infotainment system from the previous generation, replaced by a 12.1-inch, almost-square unit that sits high on the dashboard.

Wireless smartphone mirroring is standard, and the new screen means the Outback’s climate control system has returned to a physical arrangement with buttons and knobs.

The seventh-gen Outback’s local arrival in 2026 follows closely behind its US counterpart, which is a much shorter delay than the nearly two-year gap between the US and Australia for the previous-gen model. All Australian-delivered Outbacks will still be built in Japan.

Pricing

Drivetrains and Efficiency

The same two boxer engines, one naturally aspirated and one turbocharged, have been retained for the 2026 Outback. While outputs are practically unchanged for the non-turbo unit, the turbo Wilderness delivers 11kW and 32Nm more than the outgoing Outback XT, but braked towing capacity has been reduced by 300kg.

Dimensions

The 2026 Outback is larger in every dimension, most notably in height. This has increased boot capacity by roughly 10 litres with the rear seats up, and approximately 30 litres in seats-down capacity when measured to the roof.

The base Outback AWD and Wilderness offer 1844 litres of boot space when measured to the roof, while the Premium, Touring, and Wilderness Apex offer 1810 litres.

Servicing and Warranty

Like the wider Subaru Australia lineup, the 2026 Outback is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. Capped-price servicing is offered for five years, though the Wilderness has slightly longer service intervals.

Capped-price servicing costs for the Outback range are detailed below:

Safety

The 2026 Subaru Outback has yet to be crash-tested by ANCAP or sister organisation Euro NCAP and is therefore unrated.

Standard safety equipment highlights:

• 9 airbags (+1), incl:
  • Front
  • Front-side
  • Curtain
  • Driver’s knee
  • Front passenger seat cushion
  • Far side (NEW)
• Adaptive cruise control
• Active torque vectoring
• Autonomous emergency braking
  • Reverse function
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Driver monitoring system (NEW)
• Lane-keep assist
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Reverse parking sensors
• Reversing camera
• Subaru EyeSight
  • Wide-angle monocular camera (NEW)
  • Emergency Driving Stop System (NEW)
• Subaru Vision Assist
  • Blind-spot monitoring
  • Rear cross-traffic alert
  • Reverse AEB
  • Front-side radar (NEW)
• Traffic sign recognition
• Tyre pressure monitoring

Outback Premium adds:

• Front view monitor
• Side-view monitor
• Surround-view camera

Outback Touring adds:

• Active lane-change assist (NEW)
• Driver monitoring system with auto side mirror and driver’s seat adjustment (NEW)

The Outback Wilderness shares all the same safety gear as the base Outback AWD, while the Wilderness Apex adds a surround-view camera.

Standard Equipment

2026 Subaru Outback equipment highlights:

• 18-inch alloy wheels (dark metallic finish)
• Full-size spare wheel
• Automatic LED headlights (steering-responsive)
• LED front fog lights
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Power-folding side mirrors
• Ladder-style roof rails
• Black synthetic leather upholstery (NEW)
• 8-way power driver’s seat with lumbar
• Leather-wrapped gear selector
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Black interior stitching
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster (NEW)
• 12.1-inch infotainment display (NEW)
• Wireless Apple CarPlay
• Wireless Android Auto
• DAB+ digital radio
• 6-speaker sound system
• 1 x USB-A port
• 1 x USB-C port
• Dual-zone climate control
• Steering wheel paddles
• Power tailgate
• X-Mode drive mode

Outback Premium adds:

• Heated steering wheel
• 8-way power passenger seat
• Heated front seats
• Satellite navigation
• Electric sunroof

Outback Touring adds:

• 18-inch alloy wheels (machined gloss finish)
• Auto-dipping, auto-folding side mirrors
• Black Nappa leather upholstery (brown optional)
• Ventilated front seats
• Heated rear outboard seats
• Four-way driver’s seat lumbar support
• Driver’s seat position memory
• Silver interior stitching
• Wireless phone charger
• 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror

2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness equipment highlights:

• 18-inch alloy wheels (matte black finish)
• Unique exterior and interior design with Wilderness branding
• Front bumper under guard
• Unique LED front fog lights
• 2100kg braked towing
• 240mm ground clearance
• Adaptive suspension
• Black water-repellent upholstery
• Wilderness embossing on headrests
• 8-way powered driver’s seat with lumbar
• Heated rear outboard seats
• Yellow interior stitching
• “Wilderness theme” digital instrument display
• Wireless charger
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
• Copper-colour interior and exterior accents
• Dual tailpipes
• X-Mode drive mode (2 modes)

Outback Wilderness Apex adds (over Wilderness):

• Electric sunroof
• Satellite navigation
• 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system

Colours

There are 10 colours available across the 2026 Subaru Outback range, though not all are universally available.

NOTE: Overseas model pictured. Brilliant Bronze Metallic not shown, previous-gen Outback shown for indicative purposes here.

2026 Subaru Outback colours:

• Crystal White Pearl
• Crystal Black Silica
• Ice Silver Metallic – $660
• Magnetite Grey Metallic – $660
• Deep Emerald Pearl – $660 (NEW)
• River Rock Pearl – $660
• Crimson Red Pearl – $660
• Brilliant Bronze Metallic – $660
• Sapphire Blue Pearl – $660

NOTE: Overseas model pictured.

2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness colours:

• Crystal White Pearl
• Crystal Black Silica
• Ice Silver Metallic – $660
• Magnetite Grey Metallic – $660
• Deep Emerald Pearl – $660
• River Rock Pearl – $660
• Geyser Blue – $660

MORE: Explore the Subaru Outback showroom

#Subaru #Outback #price #specs #Newgen #SUV #range #includes #rugged #Wilderness