Comparing the 2026 Subaru Outback to the Competition

Since its inception, the Outback has always shared its exterior and interior design with the Legacy sedan and was originally a raised version of the Legacy wagon until all such wagons simply became Outbacks. For this seventh-generation model, however, the Outback has no Legacy Sedan with which to share and thus takes off on its own with a more squared-off, upright design that is 6 inches taller and less wagon-like in its proportions. The interior has been completely redesigned as well, including an all-new infotainment system with a larger 12.1-inch center touchscreen in a horizontal orientation and a Google operating system with much faster response times and a streamlined menu design. The climate controls have now been separated from the screen, with large physical buttons and knobs again.

The two available drivetrains remain largely unchanged, including the 2.5-liter horizontally opposed (flat or boxer) 4-cylinder engine producing 185 horsepower and 176 lb-ft of torque, and on XT models, a turbocharged 2.4-liter Boxer that produces 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque. All-Wheel Drive is standard across the model line. Its 8.7 inches of ground clearance exceeds that of many of its competitors, while the 9.5 inches of clearance on the Outback Wilderness is class-leading.

The Outback’s competitors are mostly mid-sized crossovers that seat five, though some models seat seven. While some models are available with hybrid drivetrains, they are not included in this comparison.

Outback vs. Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

The Atlas Cross Sport is a shorter, five-passenger variant of VW’s Atlas 3-row SUV. Although two inches shorter and lower, the Atlas Cross Sport maintains much of the bigger model’s bulk and squared-off appearance. Previously equipped with a V6 engine, the model now features a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 that generates 269 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque. All Atlas Cross Sports have standard AWD.

The base Atlas Cross Sport with AWD has an MSRP of $38,300, which is significantly more than the base Outback at $34,995. The Outback XT’s turbocharged engine is close to the Atlas Cross Sport in horsepower (260 vs. 269) and torque (277 lb-ft vs. 273).
Although the Outback XT models have comparable power, they are about 400 pounds lighter than the Atlas Cross Sport, resulting in a superior power-to-weight ratio.
The Outback offers better fuel economy compared to the Atlas Cross Sport (25/31/27 vs. 21/26/23).
The Outback's turning circle is almost four feet shorter (36.5 feet vs. 40.0), which allows it to maneuver more easily in parking spots and other tight locations.
The Outback’s 8.7-inch ground clearance significantly exceeds the 6.3-inch clearance of the Atlas Cross Sport. The more outdoor-focused Wilderness model has an even higher clearance, at 9.5 inches.
The XT Onyx Edition Outback includes a standard 11-speaker Harman/Kardon surround-sound audio system, compared to the base 6-speaker system in the Atlas Cross Sport.
The Outback has pretensioners for both the front and rear shoulder belts, which automatically tighten in the event of a collision. The Cross Sport does not offer pretensioners for the rear seats.
The Outback comes standard with Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which, in the event of a rear collision, enable the seatback to move rearward while the head restraints move forward. The Cross Sport does not have Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats.
Overall, Consumer Reports ranked Subaru as its highest brand when combining test scores, reliability, and safety, with Volkswagen ranking 22nd.

Outback vs. Kia Sorento

The Sorento is Kia’s mid-size crossover. It is the smaller of Kia’s two 3-row crossovers. The current fourth-generation Sorento, introduced for the 2021 model year, offers both non-hybrid and hybrid drivetrains. The non-hybrid model serving as the basis for this comparison is equipped with a non-turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-4 engine. A turbocharged variant of this engine is available two tiers above the base model. The Sorento features eight trim levels: the base LX and the higher SX trims are front-wheel drive only, while the S and EX trims offer available all-wheel drive. Additionally, all four trims, beginning with X-Line or X-Pro, come standard with all-wheel drive.

Among base models, the Sorento has an edge in horsepower (182 vs. 191) and torque (176 vs. 186), though the Outback has a significant weight advantage (3,743 lb. vs. 4,045).
Among turbocharged models, the Sorento retains a power advantage in horsepower (260 vs. 281) and torque (277 vs. 311), though it still weighs more than the Outback (3,968 lb. vs. 4,211).
The Outback offers more passenger volume than the Sorento (112.3 vs. 105.3).
The maximum cargo space in cubic feet of both models is about the same (75.6 vs. 75.5).
The Outback’s 8.7-inch ground clearance significantly exceeds the 6.9-inch clearance of the Sorento. It even exceeds the 8.2-inch ground clearance of the Sorento X-Pro model.
The Outback has a higher base-model towing capacity of 2,700 pounds compared to 2,000 for the Sorento, though both turbocharged models have the same towing capacity of 3,500 pounds.
Among the non-turbocharged models, the Outback has an edge in city/highway/combined mpg vs the AWD Sorento (25/31/27 vs. 23/28/25).
Among turbocharged models, the Outback maintains an advantage over the Sorento mpg (21/29/24 vs. 20/27/23).
Overall, Consumer Reports ranked Subaru as its highest brand when combining test scores, reliability, and safety, with Kia ranking 12th.
According to iSeeCars research, the Outback typically retains an average of 56.65% of its original value after five years, compared to 47.74% for the Kia Sorento.

Outback vs. Nissan Murano

On the market since 2003, the Murano was completely redesigned for 2025, featuring a bold appearance inspired by Nissan’s Ariya EV’s exterior and interior. No longer V6-powered, it runs on a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine connected to a 9-speed transmission that drives all four wheels. The Murano is available in SV, SL, and Platinum trim levels.

The Murano is quite a bit more expensive, with a base MSRP of $41,670 for an AWD model compared to $31,415 for the base Outback. The Outback Limited is the price-comparable model for the base Murano.
The Outback Limited XT has more horsepower than the Murano (260 vs. 241) and more foot-pounds of torque (277 vs. 260).
The Outback’s greater torque is also reached at lower rpm than the base Murano (2,000 vs. 4,400).
In addition to more power, the turbocharged Outback weighs notably less than the base Murano AWD (3,931 lb. vs. 4,323).
Both Outback engines have superior city/highway/combined fuel mileage compared to the Murano, with the base Outback at 22/31/27 and the turbo models at 21/29/24, compared to the Murano at 21/27/23.
The Outback has higher ground clearance than the Murano (8.7 inches vs. 8.3).
The Outback's towing capacity is significantly higher than the Murano’s (3,500 vs. 1,500 pounds).
Rear passengers enjoy more legroom in the Outback than in the Murano (39.5 inches vs. 36.3).
The Outback Limited features a Harmon/Kardon 11-speaker surround-sound audio system, compared to the base 6-speaker system in the price-comparable Murano.
The Outback Limited offers 10-way power driver seat adjustments, compared to 8-way power adjustments in the Murano.
The Outback Limited includes several other features not included in the price-comparable base Murano, such as:
- Leather seating surfaces (vs. leatherette for Murano)
- Heated steering wheel
- Heated rear seats
- Power liftgate
- Transmission paddle shifters
- HomeLink built-in remote system
- Hill descent control
- Cornering, self-leveling, and wiper-activated headlights
Overall, Consumer Reports ranked Subaru as its highest brand overall when combining its test scores, reliability, and safety. Nissan ranked 13th.
According to iSeeCars research, the Outback typically retains an average of 56.65% of its original value after five years, compared to 44.66% for the Nissan Murano.

Outback vs. Grand Cherokee

Originally intended to succeed the Cherokee, the Grand Cherokee was ultimately marketed as an upgrade to the Cherokee, beginning with the 1993 model year. While the base model of the original lacked power windows and locks, the Grand Cherokee could be equipped to compete with premium-brand SUVs. The Grand Cherokee, which rivals the Outback, seats five and is powered by a 3.6-liter V6 engine on the lower end of the model line and a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 for upper models, paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission and available in both rear-wheel drive (RWD) and 4WD configurations. There is also a Grand Cherokee L that features a third-row seat.

The $31,415 entry MSRP for the Outback is considerably less than the entry MSRP of $40,920 for an AWD Grand Cherokee. The most price-comparable models at the lower end of the model lines are the Grand Cherokee Laredo X with AWD and the $41,715 Outback Limited.
Compared to the XT Outbacks, the Grand Cherokee has more horsepower (260 vs. 296) but less torque (277 @ 2000 vs. 260 @ 4000).
The Outback weighs about $500 less than the base Grand Cherokee 4WD across the model lines.
The base Outback has noticeably better city/highway/combined fuel economy than the AWD Grand Cherokee with the 3.6 V6 (25/31/27 vs. 19/26/22) or the turbocharged 2.0 Inline-4 (25/31/27 vs. 22/27/24).
The Outback edges out the Grand Cherokee in ground clearance (8.7 inches vs. 8.4).
Despite the higher ground clearance, the Outback has a lower step-in height than the Grand Cherokee in the front (19 vs 20.1 inches and in the rear (18.5 vs 21.5 inches).
The Outback has more passenger volume than the Grand Cherokee (112.3 vs. 107.0 cubic feet).
Rear passengers enjoy over an inch more legroom in the Outback (39.5 inches vs. 38.2).
The Outback has more cubic feet of maximum cargo space than the Grand Cherokee (75.6 vs. 70.8).
For greater convenience, the Outback also has a lower lift-over height for the cargo area at 28.3 inches vs. the Grand Cherokee’s 33 inches.
The Outback Limited features a 576-watt Harmon/Kardon 11-speaker surround-sound audio system, compared to the 6-speaker system in the price-comparable base Grand Cherokee.
The Outback comes standard with Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which, in the event of a rear collision, enable the seatback to move rearward while the head restraints move forward. The Grand Cherokee does not have Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats.
The Outback Limited includes several other features not included in the price-comparable base Grand Cherokee, such as:
- On-board Navigation
- Satellite Radio
- Heated front and rear outboard seats
- Leather seating surfaces
- Sunroof
Overall, Consumer Reports ranked Subaru as its highest brand when combining test scores, reliability, and safety, while Jeep ranked last out of 31 brands.
According to iSeeCars research, the Outback typically retains an average of 56.65% of its original value after five years, compared to 47.26% for the Grand Cherokee.