The 2025 Subaru Outback: Who Is This Car For?

The 2025 Subaru Outback fills a unique niche in the world of practical vehicles. For three decades, it’s delivered wagon-like proportions with SUV-like ride height and capability. It’s a car for anyone who likes the idea of a rugged SUV with standard all-wheel drive (AWD) but prefers a quirky aesthetic and more car-like driving dynamics compared to a more traditional SUV. Whether you’re putting kids, dogs, or kayaks behind the driver’s seat, the Subaru Outback is a versatile companion with a reputation for safety and reliability.

When it first arrived in the United States in the mid-1990s, Subaru called this car the Legacy Outback, intended as an adventurous wagon version of the Legacy model. It was so popular that it became a distinct model line starting in 2000. All along, the Outback has been dutifully transporting outdoorsy folks with their 2- or 4-legged passengers to the trailhead, the campsite, and the REI parking lot.

Even if you don’t actually do all that much outdoor adventuring and just like the unique look of the Outback, it has all of the versatile practicality of a wagon while providing reassuring traction in inclement road conditions thanks to its all-wheel-drive system. For those who do spend as much time off-road as on, the even more capable Wilderness trim is easy to recommend.

The Outback is available in a wide range of trims, including the turbocharged XT and Wilderness models that enhance this wagon’s performance.

2025 Subaru Outback

• Vehicle segment: Midsize SUV
• Passenger capacity: 5
• Available trim levels: Base, Premium, Onyx Edition, Limited, Touring, Onyx Edition XT, Wilderness, Limited XT, Touring XT
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) overall safety rating: 5-Star
• Combined MPG: Up to 28 mpg
• Top Competitors: Mazda CX-50, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Honda Passport

Learn more about the 2025 Subaru Outback in our Expert Review