Last November I drove my 2018 Outback Premium (which I loved) to the local dealer to test drive a 2025 Limited XT and get the complimentary $50 Visa card they were promoting at the time, and ended up driving back in the new XT. Following are my impressions after 10 months of ownership. We're big fans of Subaru's safety tech. My wife's car is a 2023 Forester, and the Reverse Automatic Braking has saved her from at least one accident. Her previous car was a 2021 Hyundai Tucson, and its reverse sensors seemed like they never worked. If safety is a priority, you won't find many manufacturers that beat Subaru (same for their all wheel drive system). The newer generation EyeSight system is superior to the 2018's. I would commonly turn off the Pre-Collision Braking on the 2018 (which was easy with the physical switch unlike the virtual switch accessible only through the head unit on the 2025) since I found it to be oversensitive when I was following someone making a right turn. The 2018 would prematurely brake which I feared could lead to being rear ended. My 2025 does not have the same issue, and while it has given me a blinking/beeping warning in the dash display in similar situations, it has not started actually braking like the 2018. For me, I have found I only get warnings from the car when my driving actually warrants it. The extra power of the 2.4L turbo (XT) was a big selling point, although I feel it's not mated to the CVT as well as the non-turbo 2.5L. There is noticeable throttle lag with the XT which you have to get used to, but man, it really moves after that momentary lag. I never found my 2018 non-turbo to be underpowered, but I definitely love the extra punch of the turbo. One of my biggest hesitancies with the 2025 was all the touchscreen buttons/menus of the head unit, but the joy of driving the car has softened my annoyance. Since I don't feel the need to shut off any safety features, I never have to look for them in the head unit menus. When I start the car, I only turn off the auto start/stop with the dedicated button at the bottom of the screen and wait the usual 20-30 seconds for the head unit to fully boot up giving the turbo/engine time to get lubricated before I put her into drive. I'm a big fan of wireless Android Auto and have found it to be very stable (and much better than the wireless dongles I tried with the 2018). I use the automatic climate control 99% of the time, so I don't miss the physical buttons and knobs in the dash (all I need are temperature up/down which ARE physical buttons). It's a great cruising vehicle with a great ride, and I look forward to packing the family inside for extended road trips. I'm happy we have the last year of the "wagon" generation of Outbacks and plan to keep it for many enjoyable miles.

This is our third Outback. Seats could be better. Sit in a VW or Volvo and you'll see how they could be improved. Window buttons should located in a place where a dog can't stem on them. They moved the heated seat buttons. Our dog no longer steps on those.

We replaced our 2015 Outback with a 2025 Outback Limited. Decided to stay with Subaru as we had good reliability in the 125,000 miles on the 2015. Normal maintenance, only 3 minor warranty issues early. The new car is one model trim higher than the previous one. The only real complaint would be the "auto engine shutoff," but that is easily turned off. I prefer the built-in look of the center display versus the tacked-on tablet on top of the dash. We had hoped to wait and see the new 2026 model but from the photos at the NY auto show debut I was not a fan of some of the changes. I should note we also have a 2021 Ascent Limited which we enjoy traveling with.