Attention, world: If anybody out there knows where Paul Hogan is, can you make sure he’s on the next flight to New York City? After all, it wouldn’t be much of an unveiling for the all-new 2020 Subaru Outback if Crocodile Dundee weren’t there to introduce it in his Australian drawl.
Actually, let’s not lie: the Outback hasn’t needed a wide-brimmed-hat-wearing Aussie hocking it to bring people flocking to showrooms for a while now. Even after several years in production, the current model managed to sell 178,854 units in the United States last year, making it the company’s best-selling vehicle here even in a year that saw the arrival of the all-new three-row Ascent crossover.
The new Outback’s forthcoming debut isn’t much of a surprise to Subaru watchers; after all, the all-new Subaru Legacy sedan with which it will share its architecture splashed onto the scene a few months back at the Chicago Auto Show. Still, as the company’s oldest crossover, it’s long overdue for replacement; every Subie save the sporty BRZ and WRX have been revamped during the current (now outgoing) Outback’s lifespan.
Subaru’s press release announcing the car’s forthcoming might be big on brevity—it runs all of 31 words long—but thanks to the close ties between Legacy and Outback, it’s fair to say we can make some reasonable assumptions about the new wagon-slash-crossover. As the teaser image above reveals, the 2020 Subaru Outback, like its predecessors, will boast tasteful body cladding and SUV-like ground clearance (we’re betting 8.7 inches of it, considering that’s the number every other Subie crossover offers), as well as 18-inch alloy wheels, LED fog lamps, and blacked-out side view mirrors.
Expect to find an interior very similar to the new Legacy’s, including that car’s optional 11.6-inch vertically-oriented touchscreen infotainment system. The EyeSight Driver Assist Technology suite of active safety features will almost certainly be on all 2020 Outbacks, along with optional safekeeping tech like the DriverFocus system that uses tiny cameras to make sure the driver is watching the road and the new Front View Monitor system that uses external cameras and image-stitching software to project a blind-spot-free front view onto the infotainment screen.
In terms of the powerplant, the same 182-hp 2.5-liter boxer-four found in the base Legacy and the new Forester will likely motivate cheaper versions, while a turbocharged version with the 260-hp, 277-lb-ft 2.4-liter engine from the Ascent and Legacy XT—presumably named Outback XT—seems quite likely as well. All-wheel-drive is, of course, guaranteed.
The 2020 Subaru Outback will make its world debut at 11:15 a.m. on April 17th at the New York International Auto Show. You can bet we’ll be there.
