Subaru Finally Fixed The One Thing That Drove Outback Owners Crazy

The new-age Outback doesn’t just look different from the outside compared to its predecessor, it’s also been thoroughly reworked inside, with a refreshed infotainment system and proper physical controls returning to the mix.

Subaru seems to have taken note of the grumbles from owners of the previous generation, who weren’t thrilled about the company’s brief flirtation with touchscreen-only operation.

Read: New Subaru Outback Finally Comes Out As An SUV

At the heart of the 2026 Outback’s cabin is a 12-inch infotainment display that now sits horizontally across the dashboard rather than upright like before. It runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Automotive processor with an Adreno GPU, promising smoother graphics and more responsive performance.

Subaru has also doubled the memory, so everything from navigation to system startup should (in theory) feel quicker and more fluid.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto now come standard, joined by Google Assistant voice control for hands-free commands. Yet as impressive as the new screen setup sounds, what really catches attention is what’s underneath it.

The Return of Physical Buttons

Like so many other carmakers, in the last-generation Outback, Subaru followed a trend that never quite worked: removing physical buttons for the climate system and burying them deep in the touchscreen menus. This time, the brand has reversed course.

For the SUV’s 2026 redesign, there’s now a dedicated area for the heating and cooling that should make the controls much easier to operate while on the move than the screen.

Right below the central air vents sits a small HVAC display, flanked by two rotary dials for temperature adjustment on either side. Beneath those are separate buttons for fan speed, air conditioning, and seat heating and cooling.

There’s a Price to Pay

There’s a catch, though. The new Outback is quite a bit more expensive than the model it replaces. Subaru confirmed several months ago that the 2026 model would start at $34,995, excluding a $1,450 destination fee. This represents a huge spike of $5,000 over the old model.

That higher price tag doesn’t come with a power boost, either. The familiar 2.5-liter four-cylinder remains under the hood, producing 180 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque, paired with a continuously variable transmission. It will do its job, but that’s pretty much it.