Subaru launches next generation Outback at New York auto show

The original Subaru Outback was a definite oddity, basically a Legacy on steroids with a full 7.3 inches of ground clearance. Of course, it didn’t hurt for the then-struggling automaker to have signed up Paul Hogan, the Australian actor who was then reaching the height of his fame in the “Crocodile Dundee” film franchise.

The gen-six Outback has grown even larger than the original, and it now boasts a full 8.7 inches of ground clearance.

The familial similarities to the Legacy is immediately apparent, though Subaru has tried to put a bit more room, at least from a styling perspective, between the two nameplates. There’s a vertical array of LED lamps along the Outback’s lower fascia, according to the teaser image released by the automaker, a different layout than on the new Legacy. And there’s plenty of black cladding on bumpers, fenders and sills that you don’t see on the sedan.

Like the 1994 model, all Outbacks have shared their underpinnings with the more conventional Subaru Legacy family. This time, that starts with the brand’s new global architecture — which will underpin the majority of other Subaru models going forward. The platform is said to be stiffer, offering better ride dynamics, and it is expected to have a better layout for future moves into electrification.