Facelifted 2023 Subaru Outback Debuts With Updated Looks, New Tech

The 2023 Subaru Outback is one of the brand’s most popular models in the North American market, which is why it’s understandable that the ruggedized wagon has just received a mid-cycle refresh. This update comes just a year after this new generation of the Outback went on sale across other parts of the world, including the Philippines.

The most noticeable of those exterior updates are those weirdly-styled black plastic cladding, especially the vertical ones at the front that seem to be inspired by the Subaru Solterra/Toyota bZ4X. Those plastic elements connect to the newly-designed LED headlights, and they cleanly merge with the new grille, which has been enlarged and features a frameless design. The rest of the Outback’s design seems to be carried over pretty much unchanged, though. Topping all these exterior changes are a new set of alloy wheels.

The interior of the 2023 Subaru Outback remains unchanged, though the 11.6-inch Starlink infotainment system has been updated with a new feature called “What Three Words” geolocation technology, which basically marks certain locations on a trail you’re currently traversing using just three words. It also debuts a new digital rear view mirror on higher variants.

Under the hood of the 2023 Subaru Outback are the same engine choices as before. The base engine is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder boxer engine that produces 182 horsepower and 234 Nm of torque, while the other engine is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder turbocharged boxer engine that produces 260 horsepower and 376 Nm of torque. In typical Subaru fashion, this drives all four wheels via a CVT. The Philippine-market Outback will most likely debut with a non-turbo engine, just like the current model.

New for the 2023 Subaru Outback is an updated version of its EyeSight driver-assistance tech. In addition to the two stereo cameras, the new Outback gains a third camera that improves pedestrian and obstacle detection. This also marks the first time that the North American Outback gains EyeSight 4.0’s automatic emergency steering feature, which is already equipped in the Asian Outback that the Philippines has been enjoying ever since.

The 2023 Subaru Outback will first go on sale in the North American market before the end of the year. This means it could take a couple of years before the updated Outback reaches the Philippine market.