I don't have to look at the vehicle while I'm driving it so I really don't care about the looks and if everyone else thinks it's hideous, good because I want them to be tortured by the sight of my vehicle for driving on the same road as me.
2026 Subaru Outback looks hideous
- Thread starter PWMDMD
- Start date
I don't love it but agree on this! Something seems off about the ones on there.
Agree. It’s a Toyota Highlander. Hideous.
They are drifting too far from what made them the only successful carmaker during the Great Recession.
Vehicles that are handsome yet not polarizing at all; the goal is either loyalists love it or prospective buyers don’t hate it. Yet this makes even me, with 7 prior Subarus under my belt, say, “W.T.F.?!? (what’s the fix?) for their design team.
The Solterra is NOT the proper design cue for the rest of your lineup, Subaru. Go back to the slightly rounded, quirky yet useful small-for-class cars in all but the Ascent. And keep the Forester as the only TUV (toy utility vehicle) and leave the Impreza and Outback alone, since you stupidly killed your Legacy with this latest remodel. (See what I did there?)
The green one looks like it came out of a Lego store.
Bring back the Ford Country Squire!
I think they look good!
I thought so, too. To reference Joan Cusack's line in Grosse Point Blank, it looks like it was an SJ Forester in high school and is now attending a reunion where it has "swelled"
Subaru cladding has looked like it was done by a 5 year old with ADD for years, nothing new here. 
Subaru fans are pretty loyal and likely to still buy it. Their AWD is only matched by Audi otherwise 4WD is best for real offroading. Light trails without deep pot holes any car can make it.
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2025
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- 31
Subaru fans will always tell you how reliable their example of one has been but never how much money has been dumped into maintenance to keep it reliable. Diff fluid increments, having to replace 4 tires if one gets banged up later in their lifespan. I like the concept believe me. They are extremely capable I loved a 2016 Impreza 2.0i we had around the shop. Compared to other awd alternatives, it without a doubt was more expensive to put miles on.
Looks ok to me, but typical Japanese business in the grille. Looks like Japanese robot faces on this, the Takoma, Tundra, and other Japanese vehicles.
Subaru cladding has looked like it was done by a 5 year old with ADD for years, nothing new here.
You say you like cladding? You should check out the 2026 Outback Wilderness edition! Soon Subarus will not even have paint, they will be 100% plastic cladding and sell like hotcakes to their collective
I lost a couple of tires halfway through their life. Just put a new tire on each time as a replacement, no problems. Never replaced the diff or CVT fluid. Changed the oil per the manufacturers OCI at 7,500. I did use conventional oil a few times. Ran it hard up and down the east coast from north to south a bunch of times loaded down inside and in a roof basket carrier.
Traded it in at 100k, ran fine. It did need some suspension work because of the salted roads up north over 8 winters.
Reminds me of the Mazda cx-50 type look. Looking more like a Forester which always to me was not very pretty but very functional.
you can design a mainstream vehicle and it will exude quality. when i look at this, it literally scream at me, Econobox. and very loudly. previous model was actually very nice and good looking. they want to increase sale by making an even more mainstream product. it is hideous. when Subaru left WRC, they lost all passion in making interesting vehicles. they went mainstream big time and good for them, they sold a lot of vehicles surfing on their AWD reputation. their current lineup is boring. no more turbo Forester. no more STI. they build econoboxes with AWD. and now they look like boxes literally.
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- Feb 9, 2025
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- 31
Not trying to argue however, it’s not possible for me to buy that. Seen plenty of blown diffs in subis from uneven tire wear/inflation. Can prove the ones that didn’t fail from proper maintenance and prove a pattern in failure due to lack of maintenance. Just my experience.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
They are not missing anything.
Subaru has different marketing approach for last 15-20yrs. That is why their STi program is basically defunct.
They figured if they offer AWD in something boring, non demanding, it will attract people. And it did. Subaru is what Toyota Camry once was, made for people who want something that roles from point A to point B as safe as possible, usually without hint of self-awareness for surrounding. Of course, safety is perception as they sell AWD only but they “forgot “ to tell people that AWD doesn’t have anything to do with being able to stop. In the meantime they offer them some el chepo tires as OE.
And they are selling it successfully, making money and that is what it comes to.
You have some following among outdoorsy folks that are also not interested in vehicles per se, you have those that think it is off roader, until CVT dies.
So why turbo?
Their real failure is Ascent as it is probably the worse SUV among usual suspects in the category.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
The problem is that interior is torture too.
