A Trek Through the Subaru Outback’s Seven Generations
We follow the trail through three decades of the iconic all-wheel-drive wagon/SUV’s development.By Brendan McAleerPublished: Apr 16, 2025
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Subaru
- With a new seventh-generation Subaru Outback arriving in showrooms, here’s a look at how the breed evolved.
- Throughout its evolution, “Outback” has been a trim level, the subtle choice for the well-to-do, and a kid hauler for safety-conscious parents.
- Some Outback ideas haven’t stood the test of time (remember the sedan variant?), but the nameplate has built its DNA over the last three decades.
When it first launched an “Outback” as little more than a trim level for the Legacy wagon, Subaru possibly didn’t expect it to become arguably as much of a brand icon for the company as the rally-bred WRX.
It should have, however, because all-wheel-drive wagons are part of the genesis story of the brand, specifically the eight special-order FF-1 wagons built as service vehicles for the Tohoku power company of northern Japan. Go-anywhere wagon practicality is a major star in the Pleiades sales constellation. With all that as its backstory, the new Outback has some seriously big hiking boots to fill. So let’s wander back to the trailhead of where the Outback first came, then traipse through the switchbacks that got it to where it is today with the seventh-generation vehicle. Grab your hiking poles and your Gorp. It’s time to get all outdoorsy.
Little Outback: The Impreza Outback Sport
Subaru
1994 Subaru Impreza Outback.
While it’s not related to the Legacy-based line of cars, the Outback Sport deserves a mention here as Subaru’s entry-level model for people who smell like pine trees and wood smoke. It was basically the same lift-and-cladding package of the bigger Outback applied to an Impreza hatchback. The Outback Sport was the forerunner of the Crosstrek, Subaru’s bestselling model these days.
First Generation (1995–1999)
Subaru
1999 Subaru Legacy Outback.
As mentioned, the Outback first appeared as a trim level on the freshly launched Legacy wagon, in 1995. These early models weren’t actually more rugged than your standard Legacy, but in the next year, Subaru had raised the ride height, added rally-style fog-lights, and the body cladding that would come to define the breed. Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan signed on as pitchman, and the plaid-wearing masses descended on Subaru showrooms. Demand was sufficient that Subaru even brought out a sedan version.
From the Archive: 1997 Comparison Test
Second Generation (2000–2004)
Aaron Kiley|Car and Driver
2000 Subaru Legacy Outback Limited.
Now officially its own thing, the Outback station wagon was designated a stand-alone model for the 2000 model year, and it started to climb more than just hills. Along with the base flat-four engine, which was possibly not quite up to shifting the weight of the fully optioned Limited edition down an on-ramp, Subie shoppers also had the choice of ticking the box on a new 3.0-liter flat-six engine. So equipped, and with every bell and whistle including double sunroofs, the Outback Limited became a stealth-wealth machine for well-to-do East Coasters. Just add labradoodle and a double-barreled last name.
From the Archive: 2001 Subaru Outback H6-3.0 VDC
From the Archive: 2001 Comparison Test
Third Generation (2005–2009)
Greg Jarem|Car and Driver
2005 Subaru Outback 25XT Limited.
So you owned a WRX as a hot-shoe singleton, but now kid number two is on the way. Not to worry, as the third-generation Outback saw a size increase for more gear-carrying capacity, and it also got a new turbocharged trim. The standard 2.5-liter flat four came with 175 horsepower, and the 3.0-liter flat-six now made 245 hp, but you could also get a 2.5-liter turbocharged pancake four in the XT trim, with a healthy 250 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque. Partway through this generation, Subaru designed the Outback sedan, which fell into the “that’s not a knife” category, and later discontinued it.
From the Archive: 2005 Road Test
Fourth Generation (2010–2014)
Subaru
2010 Subaru Outback 3.6R.
As it aged, the Outback became progressively chonkier. Who among us has not? That extra space translated to an even roomier cabin, though the sporty days of the Outback XT were over–it was back to flat-four base and flat-six option. Further moving the needle from sport toward utility, the automatic transmission option for the flat-four was now a CVT. You could, for a short time, get a six-speed manual (with the four, not the six, this is not a Porsche 911), but that was dead for the 2014 model year.
Fifth Generation (2015–2019)
Michael Simari|Car and Driver
2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i PZEV.
Having originally come out as an antidote to the body-on-frame SUV craze, in the mid-2010s we saw the Outback surrounded by a host of hot-selling crossovers. When everyone sells a lifted wagon, how do you stand out? Well, the Outback was just that little bit quicker than the competition, and it also had a well-earned reputation for safety, scoring well in IIHS crash tests. With Volvo having moved to a more upscale feel, an Outback became a solid choice for someone who had driven a bricklike 240DL wagon in college. Further, while the flat-four had some character, the car was overall pretty mainstream, in the same way that people on the West Coast wear technical fleece as work wear.
Sixth Generation (2019–2025)
Michael Simari|Car and Driver
2020 Subaru Outback Touring.
The outgoing-generation Outback brought back a turbocharged variant as Subaru retired its six-cylinder engine entirely and added a host of new tech to the car. A massive touchscreen dominated the dashboard, and improvements to Subaru’s camera-based EyeSight driver assists meant that the Outback again moved the goalposts forward on safety.
Subaru
2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness.
The biggest headline, perhaps, was the more off-road-oriented Wilderness edition, which debuted for the 2022 model year with even more ground clearance (9.5 inches), steeper approach and departure angles, and a skid plate for warding off rocks. It wasn’t quite a replacement for a dedicated 4×4 like a Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco, but the Wilderness was an Outback that could get you pretty far up the trail. Besides which, Outback people actually like getting out of the car and hiking
