Can the 2026 Subaru Outback Still Be Considered a Station Wagon?
The Outback has always blurred the lines between wagon and SUV, but the distinction is looking less blurry with the debut of the latest generation.By Joey CapparellaPublished: Apr 16, 2025
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Since its inception, the whole point of the Subaru Outback was to be a segment-buster. What started off as a Legacy station wagon with SUV styling cues in the late-1990s went on to become a huge seller for Subaru, growing larger and larger over its successive generations. The most recent versions of the Outback, in fact, grew so bulky and tall that we began to question its status as a station wagon.
In terms of size, price, and functionality, the Outback has competed most closely with mid-size SUVs in recent years, even if it still arguably looked like a wagon. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that nearly all of its station-wagon competitors have disappeared, apart from high-dollar longroof models from luxury brands.
The arrival of the 2026 Subaru Outback may finally put an end to this debate. It looks more like an SUV and less like a wagon than ever. Its boxy new body and high ground clearance combine with a generous helping of black plastic cladding to stray further from the wagon aesthetic we know and love. We figured that this gut feeling was borne out by the numbers, so we dug into the dimensions to find out why it feels like the new Outback has gone over the SUV precipice.
Back in 2017, we explored the idea of what defines a station wagon in a slightly more scientific way. We determined a formula that can be applied to the most quintessentially wagon-shaped wagons: a length 2.6 times the width and a width 1.3 times the height. Based on preliminary dimensions for the new model, the 2026 Outback doesn’t pass the wagon test. Its length is 2.5 times its width, and its width is 1.1 times its height. In other words, it’s too tall to be a wagon.
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2026 Outback
Marc Urbano|Car and Driver
2025 Outback
Of course, the previous-generation Outback didn’t pass this test either. We went back and looked at Subaru’s own press materials for the Outback—the company itself stopped referring to it as a wagon around the 2020 model year. And while it hasn’t been called the Legacy Outback for quite some time now, it feels significant that Subaru is dropping the Legacy sedan after the 2025 model year. So you can’t even argue anymore than the Outback is the Legacy’s wagon stablemate.
Ultimately, the judgment is admittedly more subjective. We know a wagon when we see one. And while the previous-generation Outback and the models before it still arguably passed the eye test, we can say definitively that the new seventh-generation Outback does not look like a wagon. Going forward, we will be categorizing it as a two-row mid-size SUV.
