Subaru has debuted its seventh-generation Outback at the New York Motor Show overnight and the popular family favorite looks more like an SUV than ever.
Subaru wagon fans might be feeling upset following the new-generation Outback’s big New York debut as it's taken on a much more upright and boxy design compared with its wagon-like predecessor.
Looking rugged with moulded plastic guards and cladding, the Outback still looks like a Subaru with tall windows and high ground clearance, but the new model adopts a more mainstream SUV shape that might see it compete better with many of its rivals in the marketplace, including its own Subaru Forester sibling.
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The dramatic changes to the Outback don't just end with the exterior. The cabin is also vastly different to the outgoing model with a new dashboard design and physical controls plus a new 12.1-inch media display and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.
Subaru says “the interior adopts a calmer clean line design with thoughtfully placed technology in materials including headlining inserts made with materials from 12 plastic bottles.”
The Outback’s new taller, boxier shape also increases the SUV’s headroom and cargo space, according to Subaru, and while the actual dimensions and cargo capacities have yet to be announced the current Outback has a 522-litre boot.
The next-gen generation Outback also comes with new safety tech including the latest version of Subaru's 'EyeSight' camera system which now includes radar sensors. It also comes standard with auto emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance and rear cross-traffic alert with braking.
The Outback also debuts safety tech not seeing on a Subaru before including 'emergency stop assist with safe lane selection' which will pull the car over to the side of the road if it detects that the driver has become unresponsive.
The new-generation Outback will be powered by an updated 2.5 litre four-cylinder petrol engine with an eight-speed continuously variable transmission (CVT) and there will also be a 2.4-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
All new Outbacks will be all-wheel drive and come with Subaru’s 'X-Mode' drive system for different terrains.
A new hybrid system will also debut thanks to a technology sharing arrangement with Toyota.
Arrival dates and pricing have yet to be confirmed for Australia but buyers can expect a slight increase over the price of the outgoing model which starts at $44,190 before on-road costs.
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