9 Subaru Facts That Put the 2026 Outback, the 2022 Wagon, and the Uncharted EV in Order

With the Outback now an SUV, the 2022 XT and the new Uncharted EV each make their own numbers-based case.

The 2022 Limited XT Is the $26,000 Turbo Wagon to Target

Nationwide listings put a 2022 Outback Limited XT near $26,000, which lands roughly $9,000 below the least expensive 2026 Outback Premium. Against the new Limited XT, the gap stretches to about $18,000—42 percent less than the 2026 turbo model's MSRP. The used car carries the outgoing XT engine's outputs, 260 hp and 277 lb-ft, with the same 3,500-lb tow rating and near-identical tested 0-60 times. It also brings leather upholstery, heated front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel, a moonroof, an 11.6-inch multimedia system, and a Harman Kardon sound system. Subaru also sold a cheaper Onyx Edition XT with water-resistant StarTex upholstery, but the Limited's equipment list makes it the better all-rounder. A 2022 car sits between early high-mileage examples and a 2024 with thinner savings, which is exactly why it has absorbed the depreciation that matters. That makes $26,000 a useful benchmark rather than a signal that wagon prices are about to spike.

Price$26,000 average
Powertrain260 hp and 277 lb-ft
Performance3,500-lb tow rating
Tech11.6-inch multimedia and H

The 2026 Base Engine Loses Power Just as the Curb Weight Climbs

The entry-level 2.5-liter flat-four in the 2026 Outback makes 180 hp and 178 lb-ft of torque, down slightly on the outgoing base engine's output. It also has to move a vehicle that starts at 3,741 pounds. Subaru now calls this entry model Premium, and at $34,995 before destination it is the least expensive way into the range. That combination of less power and more mass shows up in the spec sheet. The new body sits higher and carries more cargo-oriented styling, so the non-turbo engine has to work harder in day-to-day driving. The turbo version is a separate, much more expensive step up. The base car's math explains why a used XT with the turbo engine becomes the value pick, even before the old wagon's styling enters the argument. In the previous body, that same turbo engine sat in a car of similar weight, so the performance case for the old XT was never about extra power.

Price$34,995 Premium
Powertrain2.5L flat-four, 180
Dimensions3,741-lb curb weight

The 2026 Cabin Ditches the Portrait Screen and Brings Back Buttons

The 2026 Outback retires the awkward portrait-oriented touchscreen. In its place is a 12.1-inch landscape display running faster software, with a home-screen menu bar that shortens the trip to navigation, music, and phone functions. Subaru also brought back physical buttons and knobs for the climate settings and added storage space around the cabin. The safety roster includes forward-collision warning, automated emergency braking, smart cruise control with lane-keeping assist, and available blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and hands-free highway driving up to 85 mph. For buyers who disliked the old screen-centric layout, the return of actual controls may matter more than the screen's new size. The system still handles most climate duties through the display, but the hard buttons for temperature and volume keep the most-used actions off the menu. Voice commands respond more quickly than before, too. The Limited's driver seat adds 12-way power adjustment and a thigh extension, while the front passenger gets eight-way adjustability.

Tech12.1-inch landscape displa
Safetyforward-collision warnin
Dimensions12-way driver seat w

The 2026 Limited XT Still Runs to 60 mph in Six Seconds

The 2026 Limited XT starts at $44,385 before destination; the test vehicle reached $45,515 with options. Subaru kept the 2.4-liter turbo flat-four, and road-test timing puts the crossover at six seconds to 60 mph. The EPA rates it at 21 mpg city, 29 highway, 24 combined; observed economy across mixed driving was 22 mpg. The engine revs freely to its 6,000-rpm redline and works through a CVT and all-wheel drive. The cabin collects some wind and road noise, but the ride stays composed. Payload is 900 pounds and top speed is governed at 120 mph. At 3,968 pounds, the Limited XT is only modestly heavier than the outgoing wagon, so the performance gap between generations is small. This is the car that makes the price comparison with the 2022 XT meaningful: same kind of performance, more upright wrapper.

Price$44,385 base Limited XT
Powertrain2.4L turbo flat-four
Performancesix-second 0-60, EP
Dimensions3,968-lb curb weight

The Outback Started as a Lifted Legacy Pitched by Paul Hogan

In the 1990s Subaru had all-wheel-drive wagons but no SUV. The workaround was to lift the Legacy wagon, dress it with off-road cladding, and call it Outback. Paul Hogan, then famous as Crocodile Dundee, became the pitchman. The bet paid off: the Outback outsold the Legacy wagon by seven to one in 2025, the Legacy's final year of production. The sixth-generation Outback, sold from 2020 through 2025, kept the original formula with an extended roofline and clear wagon proportions. The 2026 redesign abandons that silhouette. The nameplate survived the car it was based on, and now it has shed the look that made it famous. For wagon fans, that history turns the 2022 XT into a piece of the Outback storyline rather than just a used-car alternative. That redesign ends the visual relationship with the Legacy entirely, and now there is no Legacy left to compare it to.

HeritagePaul Hogan pitch; Lega

The 2022 Outback Keeps the 8.7-Inch Clearance Without the SUV Stance

Wagon fans who skip the 2026 redesign aren't just being nostalgic. The 2022 Outback rides at the same 8.7 inches of ground clearance as the standard 2026 model, but its long, gently tapering roofline makes it look lower and more road-oriented. Subaru wasn't trying to force the cabin into SUV proportions, so the old car keeps the stance of a tall wagon rather than a boxy crossover. It still delivers the bad-weather confidence and clearance that define the Outback, without the upright tail that leads the new model. Both generations weigh much the same, so the visual change does not come with a weight penalty. That shape is the whole purchase case for the 2022 Limited XT: you get modern all-weather capability and the silhouette that made the Outback different in the first place. It looks like nothing else in Subaru's 2026 lineup.

Dimensions8.7-inch ground clea
Heritagelong wagon roofline

The New Outback's Upright Tail Adds Cargo, Not Wagon Loyalty

The 2026 Outback is 1.4 inches taller than before, and its more vertical tail adds two cubic feet behind the rear seats. Cargo space checks in at 34.6 cubic feet with the second row up and 80.5 cubic feet with it folded. Interior room grew as well: front headroom is 40.2 inches, rear headroom 40.5, front legroom 43, and rear legroom 39.5. A flatter roof, more upright rear glass, and a blunt nose complete the crossover look, and the driver sits higher than before. The 2026 cabin is quieter and the infotainment runs faster, but those improvements do not change the silhouette argument. People chose the Outback because it wasn't a conventional SUV, and the new model trades that distinction for extra trunk space and a taller stance.

Dimensions1.4-inch height incr
Cargo34.6 cu ft behind second

The Subaru Uncharted Puts 252 kW and 522 km of Range in a $59,990 EV

Subaru's cheapest electric vehicle in Australia is the Uncharted, at $59,990 before on-road costs. It uses two electric motors for all-wheel drive, with peak outputs of 252 kW and 438 Nm, fed by a 74.7 kWh battery supplied by CATL. Subaru claims 522 km of WLTP range, a 5.0-second 0-100 km/h time, and 16.0 kWh/100 km consumption; the as-tested figure was 17.8 kWh/100 km. The cabin mirrors the Solterra and Trailseeker, including the raised instrument cluster and a 14.0-inch touchscreen. There are three on-road drive modes, four levels of regenerative braking via steering-wheel paddles, and no true one-pedal mode. With a tare mass of 2025 kg, it feels more substantial than a sporty turbo Crosstrek rather than a genuine substitute. Charging peaks at 22 kW AC and 150 kW DC, with a 10-80 percent top-up in about 30 minutes.

Price$59,990 before on-roads
Powertraindual-motor AWD, 252
Performance5.0-sec 0-100 km/h,
Dimensions2025-kg tare mass

The Uncharted's Safety Score and Service Plan Beat Its Rivals on Paper

The 2026 Subaru Uncharted carries a five-star ANCAP safety rating inherited from the closely related Toyota C-HR+, with scores of 88 percent adult occupant protection, 86 percent child occupant protection, 80 percent vulnerable road user protection, and 82 percent safety assist. Servicing is the cheaper part of ownership. Subaru Australia's capped-price plan totals $984.18 over five years, or $196.84 per year on average, with visits due every 12 months or 15,000 km. That undercuts the Kia EV3's $1,308 prepaid plan and the Hyundai Kona Electric's $1,492 four-year service cost, though Volvo's EX30 is free for the first five years. The warranty runs five years with unlimited kilometres, the high-voltage battery is covered for eight years or 160,000 km, and roadside assistance lasts 12 months. Standard equipment includes heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, while a panoramic glass roof is optional.

Price$984.18 five-year service
Safetyfive-star ANCAP (88/86/8
Warranty5 years/unlimited km,