The redesigned 2026 Subaru Outback landed on the Wards 10 Best Interiors & UX list in its first year on sale, with WardsAuto judges singling out the Touring and Touring XT trims for their premium materials and cleaner cabin design.
The award marks a high point for the seventh-generation Outback, which received the most significant styling updates in the model’s history. WardsAuto evaluated 28 all-new or heavily refreshed models on aesthetics, design harmony, comfort, connectivity, displays, advanced safety content, and overall value. Judge Drew Winter called the Outback Touring interior “the most luxurious Subaru interior I’ve ever seen,” praising the rich brown and black textured surfaces and ventilated front seats.
The timing is notable. Subaru sold 10,004 Outbacks in March 2026, a drop of 42.9% compared to the same month in 2025. The model has been a flagship for the brand since 1995, with more than 3 million units sold in the U.S. alone, but the segment has been contracting. Whether the redesign and the award recognition can reverse that trajectory is the open question for a vehicle that remains central to Subaru’s lineup.
What Changed Inside
The 2026 Outback adopts a calmer, cleaner interior with dual large-format screens: a 12.1-inch infotainment touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster aligned horizontally across the dash. The new infotainment processor delivers faster response times and supports both wireless Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay with full-screen or embedded display modes. A hybrid navigation system combines cloud-based data with onboard maps.
Climate controls use dedicated hard buttons and knobs rather than touchscreen-only interfaces. Padded bottle holders in each door fit 32-ounce water bottles. A new clip near the front passenger seat prevents tangled charging cords. The headliner is made from recycled plastic bottles.
Cargo capacity increased to 34.6 cubic feet, 2 cubic feet more than the previous generation. The cargo area is 2 inches taller, and the load floor spans 43.3 inches wide. The roofline rises 2 inches, which Subaru used to expand passenger and cargo volume.
The Outback Touring, starting at $45,395, includes Java Brown or Slate Black Nappa leather-trimmed perforated upholstery with matching stitching. Ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a surround-view monitor, a 12-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar and thigh support, and an auto-dimming smart rearview mirror with HomeLink come standard on Touring. The Touring XT adds a 260-horsepower 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer engine and black 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels for $47,995.
The Outback lineup starts at $34,995 and includes Premium, Limited, Touring, Limited XT, Touring XT, and Wilderness trims. The 2026 model is assembled in Gunma, Japan.
The Wards recognition gives Subaru a marketing claim for a vehicle fighting to hold ground in a segment where buyers have been moving to three-row crossovers or staying with older vehicles longer. The redesign bet on premium materials and thoughtful ergonomics over flashier tech. The March sales figure suggests the market has not yet rewarded that bet, but the model year is young. If the interior is legitimately best-in-class, as WardsAuto claims, it will take more than one month to know whether shoppers agree.
Source: Subaru. Images courtesy of Subaru.
