About this episode
When is an Outback an Outback?For decades, the formula for the Subaru Outback has been relatively simple. That's to take a Legacy wagon, add some body cladding, jack up the suspension, and give it a beefy set of roof rails. It's been that way for the last six generations, but all that changed dramatically for the seventh-gen model.With the Legacy gone, Subaru pretty much had no choice but to change the way the Outback presented itself. The result is something more of a shortened Ascent than the Legacy wagon. It's not reached a point where even Subaru couldn't decide if it's still a wagon or a fully-fledged crossover.
Subaru
Meet the Levorg LaybackThe new Outback is an odd in-betweener, then. That said, Subaru still builds a jacked-up wagon, but you'll have to fly to Japan to see it. In its home market, it sells something called the Levorg Layback, and it could be said that it's true to the Outback's original spirit.The Levorg Layback is based on another forbidden fruit, the WRX Wagon. It follows the foundations laid down by the Outback, so it's quite literally the compact wagon with chunkier fender flares and more ground clearance. For those who miss the Outbacks of old, it's time to start writing that petition letter to Subaru of North America to bring it back.As it's really more based on an Impreza, you can think of this more as a modern interpretation of the first two generations of the Outback Sport. For those old enough to remember, those models were based on the Impreza wagon before it shifted to a hatchback shape that eventually formed the basis of the modern-day Crosstrek.
Subaru
It's Not Even That SmallBefore you dismiss it as not being as big as an Outback, a look at the Levorg Layback's dimensions says otherwise. Okay, it's not at the level of the current model, but it's bigger than the first two models and on par with the third and fourth generations.Need proof? The spec sheet lists the Levorg Layback's d
