2017 Subaru Outback vs 2018

What's the difference?

Australians get a pretty good deal from Subaru. We have not one but two cars named especially for us. The Liberty is known everywhere else as Legacy and frankly, I reckon we got the better name, so we can thank that venerable veteran's organisation for that one.

Second is the Outback. Essentially a jacked-up Liberty station wagon, Subaru obviously liked the name and so we got our second Australian-themed moniker, this time exported all over the globe. The Americans are particular fans of this one.

It's no secret Australians love a wagon that can go places (we're not alone in that regard, just make sure you call it an SUV if it looks like one!), and as the Outback has evolved it has leaned towards being more rugged, a bit like what Subaru has done with the Forester.

It’s hard to think how Subaru could improve the popularity of the Outback. The current-generation model is easily the most successful version ever - but, as sure as dessert follows dinner, it’s time for a mid-life update for the high-riding wagon.

And this is it: the Subaru Outback 2018 model, a facelifted and tweaked version of the Japanese SUV that has just launched in Australia.

While at first glance the changes appear to be fairly minor, let's go through it in detail and take a good look at what’s changed.