Outback

Make
Subaru
Segment
Wagon

At the 2019 Chicago Auto Show, Subaru pulled the wraps off of the new 2020 Legacy sedan. While the new Legacy doesn't feature radically different styling, it does feature some significant upgrades under the hood and in the cabin. The previous Legacy was powered by either a 2.5-liter four-cylinder or 3.6-liter six-cylinder boxer engine producing 175 or 256 horsepower respectively. The new car ups the power of the 2.5-liter engine to 182 hp and replaces the flat-six with a 2.4-liter turbocharged flat-four producing 260 hp.

Inside, the Legacy benefits from an all-new interior featuring a massive, tablet-style 11.6-inch touchscreen display. According to Car and Driver, the Legacy won't be the last Subaru model to receive these upgrades.

Speaking to Subaru spokesperson Dominick Infante in Chicago, Car and Driver learned that an updated 2020 Subaru Outback would be arriving later this year. Given that the Outback has always shared much of its underpinnings (including chassis and engines) with the Legacy, this new model should be given the same upgrades.

Like the previous Legacy, the current Outback is powered by either a 2.5-liter four-cylinder or 3.6-liter six-cylinder boxer engine. We expect the four-cylinder to receive a power boost and the six-cylinder to be replaced by the newer turbocharged unit also used in the new Legacy and Ascent.

Subaru will likely drop the 3.6R name used on the more powerful Outback and switch to the XT name used on the 2020 Legacy. Both engines, as with the Legacy, should be mated to a continuously variable transmission driving all four wheels. We also expect the Outback to benefit from the same massive touchscreen and include Subaru's EyeSight suite of active-safety features as standard.

Infante didn't say exactly when the Outback will be revealed but we wouldn't rule out the 2019 New York Auto Show in April. The 2020 Legacy goes on sale in fall 2019, so perhaps the Outback will arrive in time for the cold winter months.