Earlier this year, the 4WD world received a collective shock when Toyota announced a pricing scheme for the 2025 4Runner that ran upwards of $68,000 for the Japan-built truck. The 4Runner’s move upmarket wasn’t unexpected, given the loads of updates and fancy tech that the once-entry-level SUV now features, but even the mid-tier TRD Off-Road trim clocks in over $50,000. However, stepping back, those price points aren’t all that surprising, given the median transaction price for a new car in the US is now hovering just over $49,000. Also creeping uncomfortably close to the $50k mark is the 2026 Subaru Outback.
Refreshed interior of the 2026 Subaru Outback
Subaru released pricing figures for its uber-popular wagon/SUV mashup earlier this week, and there are a few surprises. First and foremost, the all-new 7th generation Outback—which received some controversial styling changes—will not launch with a base model. The Premium trim version will be the most affordable, starting at $36,445 (including destination), an increase of almost $2,000 from the price of last year’s Premium model and over $5,000 for a 2024 base model. That said, the new Outback is in some ways a very different vehicle—more SUV than wagon, and larger than the 2024 version. Adding to the value proposition are now standard features like a 12.1-inch center touchscreen and a fully digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster across the range, along with Subaru’s slick EyeSight driver assist system. Nearly 35 cubic feet of cargo space will swallow up tons of gear (up from 32 cubic feet), and the roof racks now support 800 pounds of static and 220 pounds of dynamic load.
However, despite the radical new aesthetics, the 2025 Outback rides on the same basic architecture as the previous car, the same CVT transmission drives all four wheels, and the Premium and Touring models soldier on with the same 2.5-liter flat-four (180 horsepower, 178 pound-feet of torque) whose great, great-grandfather debuted back in 1995. XT Touring and Limited models, as well as Wilderness Outbacks, will get the noticeably gutsier 2.4-liter turbo flat-four (260 horsepower, 277 pound-feet of torque). The Wilderness also receives upgraded body protection, 17-inch wheels with more aggressive Bridgestone Dueler all-terrain rubber, 9.5 inches of ground clearance (other Outbacks have 8.7 inches of ground clearance), electronically controlled dampers, and Subaru’s trail-focused X-Mode driving mode that includes hill descent control. The Wilderness starts at $44,995. A well-appointed option package that includes a moonroof, Subaru Multimedia Navigation system, a 360-degree surround view monitor, Nappa leather seating surfaces, ventilated front seats, a 12-way power-adjustable driver’s front seat, and an 8-way power-adjustable passenger front seat adds $4,090 to the bottom line.
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- 12.1-inch center touch screen.
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- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.
All in, that means for the most expensive 2026 Subaru Outback, you’ll be signing on the line for $50,535. In the same showroom, you’ll find the 2025 Forester Wilderness that includes many of the same functional features as the Outback (minus the new digital dash), and starts at just $36,285. There is an updated Forester in the works, however, and we’ll see if its pricing will creep up as well. Both the Forester and the Outback are built in Gunma, Japan (some Forester production is shifting to Subaru’s facility in Lafayette, Indiana), so the currently uncertain tariff situation also potentially weighs heavily on Subaru’s pricing strategy.
Images: Subaru
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