Unnamed Automotive Podcast · Unnamed Automotive Podcast

Episode 439: 2026 Subaru Outback

·42 min·2 clips

Ben drove six to 18 inches of unplowed snow in a field and the Outback kept going.

1. Unnamed Automotive Podcast Episode 439 reviews the 2026 Subaru Outback and debates its move from wagon shape to boxier SUV styling. 2. Sami Haj Asad hosts with Benjamin Hunting, an automotive journalist who says he drove the 2026 Outback and brought the detailed road test. 3. The episode asks whether Subaru kept the Outback's usefulness while losing the long-roof identity that made it different from a Forester or Crosstrek. 4. Ben says the Outback now looks like “a rectangle with a rectangle on top,” with more rectangles in the wheel-arch cladding. 5. The hosts compare the Outback to Volvo Cross Country models, then to Subaru's own Forester, Ascent, Crosstrek, Impreza, and BRZ. 6. Ben and Sami note that Subaru has pushed most of its lineup toward SUVs, leaving fewer cars like the Impreza and Legacy. 7. Sami says his wife immediately saw the new Outback as an SUV rather than the car she drove before. 8. Ben says the Touring XT or Premier XT trim he tested uses a 260-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder. 9. They discuss Canadian trim naming, including Premier XT, Limited, and the gap between a leather interior and Napa leather with ventilated front seats. 10. Ben says the Outback's interior is a major upgrade, especially the split-screen dash, hard HVAC controls, and separate volume knob. 11. The two screens are recessed in binnacles, and Ben likes that the infotainment display is not just a flat rectangle stuck on the dash. 12. Sami says his own Outback uses Android Auto, and Ben notes that the current touchscreen keeps controls in fixed places instead of moving around. 13. Ben contrasts the heated-seat and climate-button layout with the old Subaru setup, saying the new car is easier to use with gloves. 14. He points out the rear-seat tumble-down release, cargo-area hooks, and a trio of color-coded tie-downs in the trunk. 15. Ben says the exterior details let the design down, especially the floating body-color piece near the C-pillar and the D-pillar treatment. 16. He also says the Outback's fuel economy is better in the non-turbo version, but the XT engine is the one he prefers once driven. 17. Ben says X-Mode automatically disengages above about 18 miles per hour and returns when speed drops, which he finds clever in slippery conditions. 18. The tone is conversational and comparative, with two automotive journalists trading ownership history, trim details, and winter-driving anecdotes. 19. Listeners who like Subaru ownership talk and winter traction details. 20. Skippers who only want quick styling opinions without technical detail.

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