What's New?
For starters, the Outback gets a new look — sort of. The wagon-like profile is still distinctively Outbackian. But there are new headlights and taillights, a larger front grille, wider fenders, and a wider opening at the rear hatch. It all sits on a new platform that Subaru says decreases road noise and improves structural rigidity.
Subaru says it reworked the Outback's base 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. Power is up from last year's 175 horsepower to 182 ponies in the 2020 model. Torque gets a similarly modest increase from 174 lb-ft to 176 lb-ft, as does fuel economy, which Subaru expects to be 26 mpg city/33 mpg highway.
Also available is a new turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder that pumps out 260 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque. This engine replaces the 3.6-liter six-cylinder from the previous generation. Both the updated 2.5-liter engine and the new turbocharged 2.4-liter engine are paired to a continuously variable automatic transmission and come standard with all-wheel drive.
On the inside, you'll find a new optional infotainment display: a tablet-style 11.6-inch screen powered by Subaru's Starlink system. Starlink is one of the better infotainment systems on the market thanks to its easy-to-access information and quick response times. While we haven't had real-world experience with this new screen-and-software pairing, we suspect the Starlink system will be right at home on this brilliantly good-looking new screen.
What Comes Standard?
The new 2020 Outback will be available in seven trim levels: base, Premium, Limited, Touring, Onyx Edition XT, Limited XT and Touring XT. The base, Premium, Limited and Touring models all get the 2.5-liter engine, while XT models get the turbocharged 2.4-liter engine. Standard on all models is Subaru's EyeSight driver assist technology — a suite of active and passive driver aids. That suite includes adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist (plus lane centering), and DriverFocus, an infrared camera with facial recognition capabilities that can spot driver fatigue or distraction.
Standard on all but the base model is that aforementioned 11.6-inch touchscreen display, which includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto along with Bluetooth connectivity and satellite radio. On upper trim levels, available features include LED headlights, blind-spot monitoring, reverse automatic braking, a head-up display, a 180-degree front-view camera, heated and ventilated front seats, four USB ports and a power rear liftgate.
As is the case with all of Subaru's SUVs, the Outback has 8.7 inches of ground clearance, meaning it's more than ready for inclement weather and some light off-roading.
2020 Outback Pricing and Release Date
We don't have official pricing data on the new 2020 Outback yet, but the current one should give us a clue. The current base-model Outback starts around $27,000, and the topped-out models such as the 3.6R Touring go for just under $40,000. We expect a small price increase for the new model. According to Subaru, the 2020 Outback will be on sale in fall of 2019. Check back with Edmunds for the latest information as well as a full review and rating.
