We've been waiting since…
We've been waiting since 2010 for the pendulum to swing back toward what made the Outback a great fit for us. We really need to replace our 16 year-old model and were hoping that the 2025 model would tone down the bizarre styling and possibly even return the functionality to the roof rack system that was abandoned in 2010. It would be too much to hope for a lowering of roof height. I haven't seen any photos of actual 2025 Outbacks yet--they all seem to be 2024s, but I'm losing hope that we're going to be able to stomach buying one, and I don't want to wait to see the 2026 redesign. I don't have statistics, but I'm guessing that only a tiny percentage of Subaru buyers drive their Outbacks the way shown in the ads, and I'm also betting that, of those who do, close to 100% of them quickly regret the damage they do to their cars blasting through rocky streams and screaching to a stop before 100' dropoffs. Sure, it's just marketing, but it speaks to Subaru's disconnect with their designers and their actual and potential customer base.