Agreed, thus far Subaru seems to really be keeping the 2020 outback under wraps. Not sure if that's indicative of big changes or very minor changes.
I'm really hoping for a new eyesight package for 2020 like the one they have in japan (touring assist) but the complete lack of news about it is not making me optimistic.
Based on the 2017-18 Impreza/Crosstrek design, I expect that the 2020 OB will be very evolutionary NOT revolutionary in appearance. Put the Gen 5 and 6 next to each other and you'll have to stare hard to see which one is the newest.
I predict that the fenders will have more pronounced, harder edged wheel bulges like the Ascent has and a side body concave channel which apparently is a new Subaru signature style. 2019 Forester has the channel down low while the Impreza/Crosstrek has that same concave body panel, but at "hip" height.......
Grille should be very similar but probably more vertical for pedestrian safety. Tail lamps will resemble the Ascent/Forester but larger and feature the edge-lit look that competitors are adopting. Headlamps probably will become smaller but more efficient in output......
more like parking a 2018 forester next to a 2019 global platform one to compare and contrast.
engine / trans, seats, safety, ... but looks similar, as why break the mold of success.
Have you seen the new crosstrek PHEV? If you can skip down a size, they'll be selling this plug-in hybrid shortly. I think an Outback or Outback-sized hybrid from Subaru is still a couple of spins away.
I am very interested in a Gen 6 Outback. However, I may wait until the 2021 model year. Subaru's usual 2nd-year updates AND concerns for first-year bugs.
I am very interested in a Gen 6 Outback. However, I may wait until the 2021 model year. Subaru's usual2nd-year updates AND concerns for first-year bugs.
The base 2.5 engine will most likely be the 19 Forester's unit and the 2.4 DIT is out of the Ascent. Same with the CVT'S . So there should be no issues with the drivetrain choices. As always the infotainment upgrades could cause issues
Hard for me to believe that, with the NYC 2019 Auto Show just 3 months from now, NO spy photos of the Gen 6 Outback and Legacy have been posted somewhere online.....
Hard for me to believe that, with the NYC 2019 Auto Show just 3 months ago, NO spy photos of the Gen 6 Outback and Legacy have been posted somewhere online.....
While I would generally support with any manufacturer not getting a first-year model, the OB will be the last Subbie to the 2016 platform and will have powertrain and tech that has been underway for well over a year, and if the last gens follow, these are evolutionary not revolutionary updates. Keep an eye on Ascent problems for any indication of concerns.
It's so hard to keep new models hidden this long in the design cycle......even MB and BMW get caught out and about with some body film wrappings.........for a popular" vehicle like the OB, it's just so strange that no one has caught it yet on video.
Uh oh: could the new OB be SO evolutionary, like the Forester, that only a Subie aficionado could tell the difference???
Wait a minute: are you sure that these aren't "spy" shots of the 2015 Gen 5 OB???? Look at the tail lamp shape........looks pretty familiar to mess opposed to the new corp shape as seen on the Forester, Ascent and Impreza/Crosstrek.......
Last week I was in a state park in Tennessee standing in front of my car. A man walked up to me and asked me how I liked my Outback. I gave him a short version of my how happy I was with it. He said he worked at the factory in Indiana. (no way to know if this was bs or true). I asked him about the 2020 Outback. He said they are offering the turbo engine similar to the Ascent. He said the exterior would not be a major change to the present model (no surprise). He said their would a very large screen.
He may have talked for a long time. I was in a hurry and I wasn't sure he was really a worker from the factory. I wish I had more time to talk to him and get more, possibly true, details.
Wow, that's pretty cool! This thing is gonna be killer with the Global Platform and the 2.4T in it. I wonder what he meant about the 'very large screen.' Could they be doing something different for the Outback's interior, like a huge portrait-oriented screen? That would be awesome.
I've actually had the same thoughts. Almost makes sense. OB is losing sales at the same rate Ascent is getting sales. Cut production costs and have folks go right from the Forester to the Ascent.
Not hard to find photos of the other vehicles that will be unveiled at the auto show.
I can offer to send Brucey some of my OCD medicine so he doesn't freak out. LOL
It just seems that they are doing a really good job of keeping things under wraps. As it has been said, the OB is too good of a seller for them to cut their legs out from under the company (yet); But dumber things have happened to other companies and brands.
I had considered going to the Forester, but I do not care for the engine. I then thought about the Ascent, but I do not need a boat. Its just me and my camping gear with a desire to sometimes sleep in the car instead of in a tent and to do light-off paved road driving in hilly places. The Outback fits that need right now and I am comfy with the model from my experiences with "Frog".
Lets say there is no 2020 Outback or that the 2020 Outback is designed conservatively, what does that do to Gen 5 resale values?
For example, the Rav4, going from Gen 4 to Gen 5, the differences between the two are huge. I would imagine that will be hurting Gen 4 Rav4 resale values. The same can be said for the Hyundai Santa Fe going from Gen 3 to Gen 4. But with the new Outback styling expected to be barely different than Gen 5, I wonder if that will keep Gen 5 resale values strong.
Still higher resale values and higher residuals than basically everything else out there that's not a luxury car, no matter what.
When Forester did the body style change in '13, we couldn't keep them in stock for 9 months, selling about 60% of our pipeline or just ordering them in. When Outback did the body style change in '14, we couldn't keep them in stock for a year and a half, selling 95% of our pipeline or ordering. The Ascent bandwagon is rolling along right now, we're selling every one we can get. While there won't be a huge change externally, going to the new global platform will make a HUGE difference in that car. The first time we got to drive the Impreza with the new platform, we were shocked at how much like a Legacy it now was. New global platform and turbo engine availability in the Outback will be ANOTHER game changer.
Yes, I understand those pictures are of the 2020 Legacy, but the site confirms that the all-new Gen. 6 Subaru Outback will be released in 2020 as we all have expected.
From the site: "The all-new 2020 Outbacks, the first in five years, go on sale at Planet Subaru in the autumn of 2019."
Just wondering why Planet Subaru can post this, but apparently some dealers can't even verbally confirm that the Gen. 6 is coming this fall as a 2020 model?
Yea, my dealer says September, minimal size and styling changes round fogs are gone with vertical ones like the Impreza sport led DRL'S. Forester type tail lights. Forester engine is the base 2.5 along with the Ascent 2.4 DIT as a option on higher trims.
I don't think that the folks at Planet who posted what they did are offering anything that hasn't been speculated in the press and the fact that "we think" or "we suspect" (paraphrased) is part of that message reinforces that. Every dealership organization has their own style and they appear to just be enthusiastic about "what comes next". Within a month or three any speculation will likely end anyway.
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