2021 Subaru Outback detailed: Sixth-generation SUV due in Q1 with high safety and tech but no turbo engine

Subaru’s long-awaited next-generation Outback has been detailed ahead of its early 2021 Australian launch.

Full pricing and specs are still forthcoming, but the brand could confirm that the new-generation car will have the latest-generation of the brand’s EyeSight safety suite across the range, including its new driver monitoring system from the Forester.

As previously reported, the Outback will be sourced from the brand’s Yajima facility in Japan, where right-hand drive examples will be built, as opposed to the Outback’s left-hand drive equivalent which is built in the United States (where it has been available for some time).

The Outback is based on the brand’s latest Subaru Global Platform (SGP) alongside the new Forester, Impreza, XV, and incoming Levorg ranges, has revised suspension and an all-new portrait-style multimedia touchscreen.

The Outback for the Australian market is confirmed to be powered by an updated version of the 2.5-litre non-turbo engine as seen in the Forester range, with final outputs yet to be confirmed. For refrence it produces 136kW/239Nm in the current Forester.

Interestingly, the brand was also able to confirm to CarsGuide the new 2.4-litre turbocharged boxer engine (194kW/375Nm) which powers some variants of the Outback overseas will not be coming to Australia – at least for the Outback’s launch.

Regardless, the Outback will have a “best-ever” for the nameplate braked towing capacity of 2000kg. The brand has promised full pricing and variant lineup will follow in early 2021. The only thing we know so far is not to look too closely at the American market model, as the brand’s Australian ex-boss, Colin Christie, told us in Febuary that our Outback would be “in a completely different specification.” At the time the brand also noted the Outback will preview “the first of a generational change” when it came to the brand’s design language, particularly when it comes to the interior.

It is interesting to note that there will be no ‘e-Boxer’ hybrid variant at launch, as the brand is understood to still be studying the response to its XV and Forester hybrids released at the beginning of 2020. Much like the hybrid RAV4, the Forester sold out before its launch and experienced a short waiting list period.

As a final reminder, the Outback’s Liberty twin will not receive a new-generation in Australia, as the Subaru Global Platform version available to the American market will not go on to be built in right-hand-drive in Japan. It marks the end of 31 continuous years of sale for the once-popular all-wheel-drive sedan.