BEST SUBARU SUV?? -- NEW 2026 Subaru Outback vs. Subaru Forester: Comparison

What's going on YouTube? Subaru has long had a reputation for making hardy and capable vehicles as well as reliable transportation, but one of their most important models for 2026 has just undergone what might be the most important update it has ever had. That's right, Subaru has completely redesigned the Outback and its more SUV-like shape probably has people wondering more than ever before should I buy this Outback or the similarly sized and similarly priced Subaru Forester and that's exactly the question we're hoping to answer today so let's get to it. Thousands of buyers every year crush off these models and today we'll be showing off the top trims of each called Touring. They are more similar in price than you might imagine and speaking of if you're looking to buy one make sure to check out carconfections.com to get the best price and access to invoice pricing information. This new chapter for Subaru begins immediately with the exterior designs. While each still has a rugged edge to them, both the Outback and Forester look more upscale than ever. The major transition here though is the Outback losing its traditional wagon shape in favor of a more SUV-like design for 2026. Both have plenty of cladding but the Outback remains the more rugged looking of the two. We will leave the design preferences to you but we will focus on and grade the individual features. That starts with the lighting where both of them have impressive projector LED headlights that are adaptive. Both also include the increasingly rare feature of LED fog lamps and when the going gets tough they are both setting 8.7 inches off the ground. Moving to the wheels, the Subis also share 19-inch alloys surrounded by thick cladding. This side view is a great place to see the sizing differences really well. The Outback is something of a segment tweener, fitting in between compact SUVs like the Forester and larger midsize SUVs like the 4Runner. For this comparison specifically there are 9 inches of length separating these two which is why we'll spend time later on discussing interior space. Only the smaller Forester offers a black painted roof for even more design flair. Outback, both the Outback and Forester share the same features of exposed wipers, hidden exhaust outlets, and partially LED tail lamps. However, it's the larger Outback that can tow up to 3,500 pounds as compared to only 1,500 on the Forester. By the way, if you want feel free to keep your own score along the way based on what is most important to you. Heading to the mirrors, they both offer blind spot monitoring and heating, but only the Outback has power folding. For safety, as expected from Subaru, each offers the EyeSight Safety Suite of safety systems as standard equipment, including things like rear auto braking. The Touring Outback one-ups all the other Subarus for 2026 though, by being the first model in their lineup with a hands-free highway driving assistant on eligible mapped roads. But the differences are only going to get bigger from here, so let's hop inside. But first, if you're new here, we're brothers and we've been reviewing cars since we were 12 and 16. We started young and since then we have reviewed over 2,000 vehicles at every price point. No matter what you're looking for, from humble to high-end, we'd love for you to subscribe to be a part of our car confections family. Let's learn a lot and have some fun with all the latest cars. Approaching each, they have smart entry systems with the typical Subaru key fob. Remote start is available via the Subaru app. Looking inside, you'll see an all-new cabin design for the Outback, and a more familiar one with the Forester. But let's start by checking out the differences, beginning with the seats. Both are finished in real leather, but the Outback has a nicer grade of Nappa leather on its seats. Both share the features of heating, ventilation, and memory, but the Outback once again steps things up with two more ways of adjustment, for a total of 12, with a manual thigh extension. Once inside the cabins, we can assess both the overall quality and the materials used throughout. Both have the sturdy build we've come to expect from Subaru, with great fit and finish. And for materials, while the Outback may look more luxurious with the brown color we have equipped, these two are actually quite similar. There's generous use of leatherette and suede wrapping, and the Outback has a knotted piano black trim on its console, while the Forester's console area is padded. Overall, we'll call this section even. After startup, you'll see Subaru's newest full digital gauge cluster, measuring in at 12.3 inches. The Outback has a different software version and graphics. Neither have head-up displays, but they both have heated and leather wrapped steering wheels, accented by rain-sensing wipers. Now, let's evaluate the storage by looking at both the center console space and additional storage cubbies. Starting with the center consoles, while we couldn't bring the official donuts on the press drives, they have large bins with very similar space. Beyond their consoles, while they share cupholders, a wireless phone charging pad, and additional cubbies, only the Outback has a storage shelf with a cool groove next to it for cord management. Once you shift the traditional shifters into reverse, you'll see 360-degree cameras on these top trims. But, it's the Outback's display that allows for multiple perspectives to be viewed at the same time. For climate, both have dual zone automatic setups with physical buttons for the main temperature adjustment. But, Subaru listened to customers with the new Outback, and it took all rest of the climate controls out of the screen and made them into physical buttons for 2026. Also, a physical control is the volume knob, so let's test the Harman Kardon systems on each. While the Outback squeezes in one additional speaker, audio quality will be the same. They both are very impressive for their respective segments. Another big Outback change this year is in-car tech, so let's talk about it. This new generation has a 12.4-inch display, running Subi's new software, which by the way is larger than the 11.6-inch display on the Forester's portrait style screen. And while they both have wireless CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and built-in navigation, the newest software has way less lag, and is much easier to use, which is an important update that many Subaru owners have been asking for. Wrapping up the cabins, both have auto-dimming mirrors with camera ability and sunroofs. But, it should be noted that the Forester has a larger panoramic style sunroof. Now, checking out the back seats, let's see if the size difference will benefit the Outback's score. Surprisingly, it does not. The Outback only outdoes the Forester by 0.1 inches of legroom, although it does have a three percent greater headroom measurement with this new taller body style. Comfort continues as we look at the features, where they both offer heated reclining seats, USBs, vents, and a fold-down center armrest. Now, let's assess the cargo areas of these two crossovers, where they both have hands-free power tailgates. Remember when the length difference didn't matter in the back seats? Yeah, so that's going to change with the cargo hold. With the Outback's length and newfound roofline advantages, it has a 22 percent advantage behind the second row, and an almost 15 percent advantage as a maximum. While your back passengers may be cozy no matter which model you pick, there's a big difference in how much luggage they can bring along. When it comes to cargo features, they both have switches that fold down the second row. But, as equipped, only the Outback has a spare tire. Like any sibling rivalry, the fight won't stop until the very end, so let's take them out to the streets. When you pay top dollar for the Forester and Outback, you get to upgrade the engines. Both crossovers start with the same 180 horsepower 2.5 liter boxer four-cylinder, but the upgraded options are very different. The Outback swaps in a turbocharged 2.4 liter boxer with 260 horsepower, while the Forester adds in hybrid electric componentry to make 194 horsepower. More details are coming in a bit. Nevertheless, it's the Outback that is much quicker to 60 with 66 more horsepower. All right, that is 60 miles per hour in the Outback XT. So, this is the more powerful of the two powertrains. It will continue with this new generation to be offered with two different powertrains. This is the 2.4 liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, making 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque. Now, as you just saw with that zero to 60, I think power is pretty good on this model. All right, and that was 60 miles per hour. So, let's kind of recap a little bit about what we discussed in terms of the So, this of course is a hybrid system, but what's important about it, you have 14 more horsepower, so that's a big thing right from the start. This is a hybrid system that was kind of co-developed with Toyota. That being said, unlike Mazda's situation where they really just borrowed the RAV4 hybrid system, this is really a completely different thing. They've just used a select few components, but it is a Subaru through and through. Transmission-wise, the Outback has a traditional continuously variable transmission, while the hybrid has a similar performing e-CVT, and despite the hybrid system on the Forester, both retain Subaru's renowned symmetrical all-wheel drive system. This means they both excel in light and medium-duty off-road environments, and if you want to tackle anything more extreme, they both offer wilderness trims. So, this will continue to have the Lineartronic CVT, like many other Subaru products. When I was accelerating there, you probably noticed that it does have some simulated gear changes. It actually has eight simulated gear changes, so you don't have any drone situation or anything like that, which I certainly appreciate. As you probably noticed as I accelerate, this has an e-CVT, so a little bit different than traditional CVT, but the overall performance will be, you know, pretty much the same. When it comes to ride quality and dynamics, both do a great job of soaking up big bumps on the road. With many platform elements and 19-inch wheels shared between them, there is not a noticeable difference that we can score, as both will be some of the best for the money. For this reason, neither will be too keen on hitting a back road. Now that we're just kind of cruising through this town here and going over some bumps in the road, it's a great time for us to talk about ride quality for the Outback. That always was a pretty strong element for this model, and I'm really happy to tell you they continue to emphasize that in this vehicle. It has really good ride quality when you hit a bump in the road. It does a great job of soaking things up. They particularly also said that they focused on making these seats more comfortable. So, how is the ride quality? Well, overall, we've been driving it around for several hours at this point, and we have been nothing but impressed with what Subaru has done with the ride quality. It feels very similar to the gasoline model that we've tested out multiple times at this point. They've done a great job of balancing ride as well as handling feel as well. But how quiet are the cabins? Here at Car Confections, we take sound level readings of every vehicle we test on the channel. Unfortunately, both measurements were taken at press events abroad, so they can't be scored officially. But here are the readings for your reference until we get them back home to Kentucky for an official test. Finally, for fuel economy, it's of no surprise that the hybridized Forester runs circles around the XT Outback, holding a significant advantage in all rating figures, including an 11 mpg combined advantage. This will certainly be noticeable at the fuel pump. While signs point to a potential Outback hybrid in the future, there is currently no such option for this model. As the Forester and Outback come from the same brand, they will share the same predicted reliability, warranty, and resale value information. Subaru scores above average in all these categories. One note is that for 2026, the build location of these models changed, with the Forester now being built in Indiana and the Outback in Japan. Now let's break down the cost of these two and evaluate how much value each model is delivering. As typical with any redesign, both models saw price increases, but one more than the other. The Outback is now nipping at the heels of the $50,000 mark for the loaded Touring XT. Meanwhile, the Forester-Touring hybrid is solidly at the mid $40,000 mark. Still, this means that these two most definitely have a lot of price overlap as you move between the trim structures. Nevertheless, let's account for the $4,235 price difference between them using our scale. This will give the Forester plus two points as mainstream buyers in this segment are fairly price conscious. So there you have it, the objective winner. Do you agree? Well, let's go over some pros and cons of each model so that you can see which one you might pick based on what's most important to you, and then we'll tell you which one Mason and I would put in our respective driveways. So first of all, you would probably pick the Forester, particularly if you're interested in the hybrid engine option. Having that hybrid availability is going to bump your fuel economy significantly. Also, it is more affordable than the Outback and then the exciting design options, including the black roof if you want that. Now on the flip side, the Outback should be your choice if you want technology and technology that works well. The Outback has certainly improved on that as compared to the Forester. It's larger in cargo capacity and it also has a more powerful turbo engine, which you can no longer get on the Forester. And speaking of these individual categories where one is excelling over the other, we'd encourage you to go to carconfections.com slash vehicle rankings. We've looked at numerous segments of vehicle and ranked each of the options in those segments in the most important categories so you can sort based on what's most important to you and see your best potential picks. It's a great tool to use while shopping, so definitely go to carconfections.com slash vehicle rankings. But which are we going to put in our driveways? I'll put the all-new Subaru Outback in my driveway without a doubt. The technology that they've updated has certainly made a big difference in my mind as compared to the Forester. I do also really like the turbo powertrain on that and, you know, in terms of the pricing difference, I think it's well worth the money. Yeah, ditto. I 100% agree. It seems to be worth the extra money in my opinion. Now if you're looking to buy either one of these SUVs, we'd encourage you to go to carconfections.com slash new car quotes. The reason you do that is because we have a tool on our website to connect you with local car dealers in your area to get you the best price. It's also going to give you access to invoice pricing information, which is a great tool to use while dealer negotiating. If you'd like to take advantage of that as well as things like our monthly payment tool, you can find a link to that in our video description down below as well as a pinned comment. And guys, that's going to be where we leave off on this comparison. Hopefully you enjoyed watching, and if you did, we'd really appreciate it if you hit that subscribe button down below. By subscribing, you'll get more comparisons like this. You'll also get access to our full reviews where we cover a wide variety of different cars you won't want to miss out. 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