Mystery surrounds a spy photo posted online of an upcoming Subaru vehicle testing in the US – which could be our first look at the taller, boxier makeover destined for the next Outback.
A prototype thought to be the next-generation 2026 Subaru Outback has been photographed on US roads, ahead of its expected unveiling sometime next year.
The image uploaded to social media website Reddit shows a mystery future Subaru vehicle wrapped in camouflage, wearing boxier styling than any model in the brand’s current range.
It wears tail-lights and door handles similar to the latest Forester SUV, but it has a blockier shape, and appears to have a lower roofline – prompting speculation it is the next Outback.
If accurate, it would represent a shift to a blockier, more SUV-esque shape for the Outback, which was conceived 30 years ago as little more than a slightly raised version of the Liberty wagon of the time.
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Reddit users claiming to be Subaru showroom staff in the US allege the design of the new Outback was shown at a national dealer conference in Las Vegas earlier this year.
According to one dealer, the Outback’s styling has hints of the boxy new Toyota Prado – sold in the US simply as the LandCruiser – and a Kia Telluride seven-seater, with a choice of non-turbo and turbo engines.
It will reportedly debut a new interior for Subaru, ditching the portrait touchscreen now seen across the company’s range for a horizontal display.
The dealer claims the new Outback’s interior will feature “lots of physical buttons” – including the return of air-conditioning dials, replacing the buttons of today’s model – while a digital instrument cluster will reportedly be available for the first time.
Another dealer verified the spy photo as “the same thing [Outback] they [Subaru] showed off at the Vegas event”, while a different salesperson who also claims to have seen the car said it “doesn’t look like a station wagon”.
Prominent details in the spy photo include chunky wheel-arch flares and rear bumper, large side windows that appear to follow the roofline closely – rather than taper sooner, like the Forester – and roof racks similar to the current Outback Sport.
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Under the bonnet, it remains to be seen if the current choice of 2.5-litre non-turbo and 2.4-litre turbo four-cylinder ‘boxer’ engines carry over to the new model.
A hybrid version of the new Forester is due next year, mating Toyota hybrid technology to a Subaru boxer engine – a system that would be a good fit for the Outback.
Arrival timing for the new Subaru Outback is yet to be disclosed, but it will reportedly be a 2026 model in the US – suggesting a global reveal within the next nine months.
It may not arrive in Australia until 2026 or 2027, given Outbacks sold locally are produced in Japan, rather than the US – and run on a delayed model cycle with slightly different styling.
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