2024 Subaru Outback

Drive and Performance 6.5/10

The 2024 Outback prioritizes ride comfort over sportiness or handling. Its suspension is well-tuned for bumps in the road, but there's not a lot of feel or feedback from steering. The Outback navigates turns without losing its balance or composure. It just doesn't relish the twisties, which is fine given its practical nature.

The standard under-the-hood configuration features a 182-horsepower naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine. This engine is sufficient for relaxed, around-town driving, but it feels poky when you're trying to get up to higher speeds. A continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) that drones under hard throttle and makes the powertrain feel harsh does it no favors. An optional 260-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine is a better bet, providing better top-end power for cruising, merging and passing. The downside to this is that you'll have to buy a higher trim (at more than $10,000 over the base model), and there's still some turbo lag at initial throttle tip-in.

Read more about performance »

Fuel Economy 10.0/10

With its base engine, the 2024 Outback gets an EPA-estimated 26 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway. Most models with the turbocharged engine get 22 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway, but the turbo Wilderness trim sees a dip to 21/26 mpg city/highway. These are the best estimates in the wagon segment.

Interior 7.6/10

The 2024 Subaru Outback has a well-built interior, and all the materials are high-quality. Upper trims feature niceties like Nappa leather upholstery, and many of the plastic surfaces are soft to the touch. However, the cabin design is a little plain. There's seating for five, and comfortable and supportive front seats combine with a commanding driving position to make the first row a great place to spend time. There's also plenty of head- and legroom. Back-seat accommodations are nearly as good, and most adults will have ample space to stretch out.

This wagon offers an excellent 32.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, and folding down these seats opens up 75.6 cubic feet. That puts the Outback in competition with some roomy SUVs for cargo utility, and the low bumper makes it easy to lift in items. The cargo hold is wide, deep and squared off too.

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Value 10.0/10

The 2024 Subaru Outback has an excellent value rating for the wagon segment. We determine value based on the vehicle's estimated total cost of ownership, along with the vehicle's MSRP for its base and top trims.

Safety N/A

The 2024 Outback gets mostly good ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The wagon comes standard with a decent number of driver-assistance features, including adaptive cruise control and automatic high-beam headlights.

For installing child safety seats, there are two complete sets of LATCH connectors for the rear outboard seats and a tether anchor for the rear middle seat. The IIHS gave this LATCH system the highest rating of Good+, which indicates that it's among the easiest and most versatile to use.

Quality and Reliability 80.0/100

The 2024 Subaru Outback has a predicted reliability score of 80 out of 100. A J.D. Power predicted reliability score of 91-100 is considered the Best, 81-90 is Great, 70-80 is Average and 0-69 is Fair and considered below average.

Critics’ Rating 8.3/10

The 2024 Subaru Outback receives a critics' rating that is average for the class. This rating, which is driven by our qualitative research, represents the overall tone and recommendation level that the automotive press places on a car.

Pricing

How Much Is a 2024 Subaru Outback?

The 2024 Subaru Outback starts at $28,895 and comes with two 7-inch touch screens and forward automatic emergency braking, among other features. The $31,195 Premium trim gains features such as an 11.6-inch touch screen and wireless smartphone integration. The Limited trim starts at $35,795. Its additional features include genuine leather upholstery and heated rear seats. The $36,105 Onyx Edition's feature set includes synthetic leather upholstery and a moonroof. The Wilderness trim ($39,960) is an off-road-oriented model with all-terrain tires and higher ground clearance, among other features. Starting at $40,345, the Touring trim tops the trim lineup and features Nappa leather seats and ventilated front seats, among other upgrades. The Onyx Edition XT, Limited XT and Touring XT have a turbocharged engine and start at $39,360, $40,195 and $42,795, respectively.

Is the 2024 Subaru Outback a Good Wagon?

Yes, the 2024 Outback is a good wagon. It has two rows of welcoming seats, a large cargo area, a sturdy interior and a long list of tech and safety features. It also impresses with a cushy ride and the ability to venture a little off the beaten path. This Subaru isn't very fun to drive, though, with a blasé base engine and a coarse transmission. Also, the infotainment system requires some practice to use , and the cabin design is rather drab.

The Audi A4 Allroad offers more thrilling performance and a finer interior, but it's significantly more expensive than the Subaru and has worse fuel economy. You might also want to look to the SUV classes if you don't need a wagon specifically. The Toyota RAV4 has comparable off-road chops and a good amount of space, while the Kia Sportage has a similar starting price, a beautiful interior, lots of tech and an available hybrid variant.

2023 vs. 2024 Subaru Outback: What's the Difference?

For 2024, the Outback Wilderness trim receives a light front-end styling update, and other trims get a few additional standard features. A heated steering wheel is included in the Onyx Edition, Onyx Edition XT and the Wilderness, and the Onyx Edition gets a standard moonroof and reverse automatic emergency braking.

Compare the 2023 and 2024 Outback »

Here are the key changes for the Subaru Outback over the last few years:

If you're considering an older model, be sure to read our 2021 Outback, 2022 Outback and 2023 Outback reviews to help make your decision. Also, check out our Best New Car Deals and Best New Car Lease Deals pages to learn about savings and discounts you can find on new vehicles.

2024 Subaru Outback Versus the Competition

Subaru Outback vs. Subaru Forester

The Subaru Forester ranks well among compact SUVs, and it has a lot in common with the Outback wagon. They have the same unremarkable 182-horsepower base engine, but there are no other options in the Forester (the Outback offers a turbocharged engine). Driving dynamics are similar, as both of these Subarus have a comfortable ride, light off-roading abilities, standard all-wheel drive and adventurous Wilderness trims. Inside, each Subaru seats five people. There's plenty of space, and they offer similarly impressive cargo volumes. The Forester costs several thousand dollars less than the Outback across its trim lineup, but the Outback has fresher in-car technology, such as a large 11.6-inch touch screen.

Compare the Outback and Forester »

Subaru Outback vs. Toyota RAV4

The Toyota RAV4 is a stalwart among crossovers, and while it doesn't truly excel in any one area, it's a pretty good overall package. The RAV4 has a lot of cargo space for a compact SUV, its infotainment system is easy to master, and it has respectable interior quality. It also offers a roomy second row and a long list of features, and its prices are comparable to the Outback across its wide trim range. This Toyota drives similarly to the Subaru, with an agreeable ride but so-so handling, as well as merely adequate acceleration.

Compare the Outback and RAV4 »

Compare the Outback, Forester and RAV4 »

2024 Subaru Outback Models and Trims

The 2024 Subaru Outback comes in nine main trims: Base, Premium, Limited, Onyx Edition, Onyx Edition XT, Wilderness, Limited XT, Touring and Touring XT. Except for the Wilderness trim, all models come standard with a 182-horsepower naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine; the Wilderness and XT-designated versions of the Onyx, Limited and Touring have a 260-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder. All Outback models feature standard all-wheel drive and a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).

Subaru Outback Base

The Outback Base starts at $28,895. Standard features include cloth upholstery, manually adjustable front seats, two 7-inch touch screens, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a USB port, HD Radio, satellite radio, Bluetooth, a four-speaker stereo, forward collision warning, forward automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, lane-centering assist, adaptive headlights, automatic high-beam headlights and a rearview camera.

Subaru Outback Premium

The Outback Premium trim starts at $31,195. It gains a 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat, heated front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, an 11.6-inch touch screen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, additional USB ports and dual-zone automatic climate control.

For $1,400, an optional package adds blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, evasive-steering assist, a hands-free power liftgate and proximity keyless entry. There's another package for $2,995 that adds the previous features plus navigation and a moonroof.

Subaru Outback Onyx Edition

The Outback Onyx Edition retails for $36,105 and adds synthetic leather upholstery, a heated steering wheel, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, reverse automatic emergency braking, evasive-steering assist, a hands-free power liftgate, dual-function X-Mode, a 12-speaker Harman Kardon stereo, proximity keyless entry and a moonroof.

The $39,360 Outback Onyx Edition XT sports a turbocharged engine, an eight-way power-adjustable passenger seat, heated rear seats and a front-view camera.

Subaru Outback Wilderness

The Outback Wilderness starts at $39,960. This trim gains unique interior and exterior design accents, higher ground clearance, dual-function X-Mode driving, low-speed cruise control and all-terrain tires.

For $1,845, you can add a moonroof, navigation and reverse automatic emergency braking.

Subaru Outback Limited

The Outback Limited starts at $35,795, and it builds on the Premium trim with genuine leather upholstery, a 12-way power-adjustable driver's seat with memory settings, heated rear seats, a hands-free power liftgate, proximity keyless entry, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, reverse automatic emergency braking and evasive-steering assist.

For $2,060, you can add an optional package that adds a moonroof, a heated steering wheel, navigation, a 12-speaker Harman Kardon stereo and driver-attention monitoring. The Outback Limited XT and its turbocharged engine costs $40,195.

Subaru Outback Touring

The Outback Touring starts at $40,345, and the Touring XT retails for $42,795. These models add Nappa leather upholstery, ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a universal garage door opener and a front-view camera.

See 2024 Subaru Outback specs and trims »

2024 Subaru Outback Safety

2024 Outback Crash Test Results

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the 2024 Subaru Outback the highest rating of Good in the small overlap front and side crash tests and the second-lowest rating of Marginal in the moderate overlap front crash test. The Outback earned a Good rating for how well the headlights illuminate the road.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the Outback an overall safety rating of five out of five stars, with five stars in the frontal crash and side crash tests and four stars in the rollover test.

2024 Outback Safety Features

Standard driver-assistance features:

Available driver-assistance features:

Warranty

Subaru covers the 2024 Outback with a three-year/36,000-mile limited warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty.

Read more about reliability »

Specs and Features

The base model Outback features two smallish touch screens. They are fairly straightforward, the graphics are reasonably crisp, and plenty of auxiliary physical controls make it easier to adjust many functions on the go. All other Outback trims have a single 11.6-inch touch screen that absorbs most of the car's settings and controls. It may take some getting used to, especially navigating the menus, and it's still not as visually sharp as you might expect.

For more information, read What Is Apple CarPlay? and What Is Android Auto?

See 2024 Subaru Outback specs and trims »

Why You Can Trust Our Reviews

U.S. News & World Report has been ranking the best cars, trucks and SUVs since 2007, and our staff has more than 75 years of combined experience in the auto industry.

This 2024 Outback review combines 24 professional reviews with concrete data like performance specs, fuel economy estimates and safety ratings and incorporates applicable research for all models in this generation, which launched for 2020. Check out excerpts from some of the reviews that drive our rankings and analysis.