The Subaru Outback is a midsize SUV that’s known for many things, including its spacious interior and the handful of model years that will go down in history for their awfulness. Whether you’re thinking of picking up a new or used Outback, you should first know how much it weighs.
Most Subaru Outback model years fall within the 3,600 to 3,900-pound range. The precise measurement of a specific model year will depend on its features, size, and trim or grade.
For the remainder of this brief guide, I’ll explain the weight variances between different Subaru Model models, why vehicle weight matters, and the load and tow capacities of a Subaru Outback.
Subaru Outback Weight
The simplest thing you can do to figure out how much the Subaru Outback weighs is by opening the official website and navigating to the specs section. There, you’ll find all of the weight specifications of the vehicle.
If you don’t have time to do that, allow me to describe the various weight capacities of the latest Subaru Outback for each of the trim options.
| 2023 Subaru Outback Trims | Curb Weight |
| Base | 3,641lbs. |
| Premium | 3,661 lbs. |
| Onyx Edition | 3,692 lbs. |
| Limited | 3,735 lbs. |
| Touring | 3,781 lbs. |
| Onyx Edition XT | 3,921 lbs. |
| Wilderness | 3,902 lbs. |
| Limited XT | 3,931 lbs. |
| Touring XT | 3,946 lbs. |
Subaru Outback Weight Comparison Between Model Years
Many of the previous Subaru Outback model years are still worth buying. As such, you should probably get a feel for how much they weigh before sinking several thousands of dollars into a used vehicle.
The following table will describe the weights of each base trim for each model year of the Subaru Outback since its launch in 1994.
| Model Year | Curb Weight (Base Trims) | Weight Change Between Years |
| 1995 | 2,990 lbs. | – |
| 1996 | 3,230 lbs. | 240 lbs. |
| 1997 | 3,170 lbs. | -60 lbs. |
| 1998 | 3,155 lbs. | -15 lbs. |
| 1999 | 3,175 lbs. | 20 lbs. |
| 2000 | 3,485 lbs. | 310 lbs. |
| 2001 | 3,715 lbs. | 230 lbs. |
| 2002 | 3,490 lbs. | -225 lbs. |
| 2003 | 3,715 lbs. | 225 lbs. |
| 2004 | 3,490 lbs. | -225 lbs. |
| 2005 | 3,480 lbs. | -10 lbs. |
| 2006 | 3,355 lbs. | -125 lbs. |
| 2007 | 3,375 lbs. | 20 lbs. |
| 2008 | 3,395 lbs. | 20 lbs. |
| 2009 | 3,402 lbs. | 7 lbs. |
| 2010 | 3,495 lbs. | 93 lbs. |
| 2011 | 3,536 lbs. | 41 lbs. |
| 2012 | 3,631 lbs. | 95 lbs. |
| 2013 | 3,538 lbs. | -93 lbs. |
| 2014 | 3,538 lbs. | 0 lbs. |
| 2015 | 3,633 lbs. | 95 lbs. |
| 2016 | 3,638 lbs. | 5 lbs. |
| 2017 | 3,540 lbs. | -98 lbs. |
| 2018 | 3,651 lbs. | 111 lbs. |
| 2019 | 3,624 lbs. | -27 lbs. |
| 2020 | 3,654 lbs. | -30 lbs. |
| 2021 | 3,634 lbs. | -20 lbs. |
| 2022 | 3,637 lbs. | 3 lbs. |
| 2023 | 3,641 lbs. | 4 lbs. |
Source: Edmunds
Looking at the table above, we can figure out the average weight of the Subaru Outback since its inception to today. On average, the Subaru Outback weighs 3,483.172 pounds. The heaviest Subaru Outbacks are the 2001 and 2004 model years (3,715 pounds), and the lightest is the grandfather of them all—the 1995 model (2,990 pounds).
What Is Curb Weight?
As you can see from the tables above, I’ve listed the curb weights of each Subaru Outback model. Now, what exactly does curb weight mean?
Curb weight refers to the overall weight of a vehicle minus the weight of the passengers and cargo. This includes the weight of the fuel, all of the car’s standard features.
On the other hand, if you’d like a more accurate representation of how much your Subaru Outback will weigh, you need to first figure out how much each passenger and all your cargo weigh. Add that to the curb weight, and you’ll get the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR).
Why Does Car Weight Matter?
Perhaps the most important reason why anyone should look at the weight of a car is fuel economy. To put it simply, the lighter the car, the less fuel it burns up to travel a certain distance. This principle is pretty easy to understand since lighter objects require less energy to move when using the same amount of movement force.
Of course, fuel economy is further affected by your driving behavior, the weather, how much cargo you loaded into the car, the engine’s power, the size of the wheels, and so on.
Subaru Outback Cargo Volume
If you’re looking for a family-friendly vehicle, you should probably pay close attention to how much cargo to can load into the trunk. The following table will describe the cargo volumes of each Subaru Outback base model year.
| Model Year | Behind 1st Row | Behind 2nd Row |
| 1995 | 73.0 cu. ft. | 36.0 cu. ft. |
| 1996 | 74.0 cu. ft. | 36.5 cu. ft. |
| 1997 | 73.6 cu. ft. | 36.5 cu. ft. |
| 1998 | 70.0 cu. ft. | 36.5 cu. ft. |
| 1999 | 69.9 cu. ft. | 36.5 cu. ft. |
| 2000 | 68.6 cu. ft. | 34.3 cu. ft. |
| 2001 | 68.6 cu. ft. | 34.2 cu. ft. |
| 2002 | 68.6 cu. ft. | 34.3 cu. ft. |
| 2003 | 68.6 cu. ft. | 34.3 cu. ft. |
| 2004 | 68.6 cu. ft. | 34.3 cu. ft. |
| 2005 | 66.2 cu. ft. | 33.5 cu. ft. |
| 2006 | 66.2 cu. ft. | 33.5 cu. ft. |
| 2007 | 65.0 cu. ft. | 33.5 cu. ft. |
| 2008 | 65.4 cu. ft. | 33.5 cu. ft. |
| 2009 | 65.4 cu. ft. | 33.5 cu. ft. |
| 2010 | 71.3 cu. ft. | 34.3 cu. ft. |
| 2011 | 71.3 cu. ft. | 34.3 cu. ft. |
| 2012 | 71.3 cu. ft. | 34.3 cu. ft. |
| 2013 | 71.3 cu. ft. | 34.3 cu. ft. |
| 2014 | 71.3 cu. ft. | 34.3 cu. ft. |
| 2015 | 73.3 cu. ft. | 35.5 cu. ft. |
| 2016 | 73.3 cu. ft. | 35.5 cu. ft. |
| 2017 | 73.3 cu. ft. | 35.5 cu. ft. |
| 2018 | 73.3 cu. ft. | 35.5 cu. ft. |
| 2019 | 73.3 cu. ft. | 35.5 cu. ft. |
| 2020 | 75.7 cu. ft. | 32.5 cu. ft. |
| 2021 | 75.7 cu. ft. | 32.5 cu. ft. |
| 2022 | 75.7 cu. ft. | 32.5 cu. ft. |
| 2023 | 75.6 cu. ft. | 32.6 cu. ft. |
Source: Edmunds
Can You Sleep in a Subaru Outback?
If you were to fold down the rear seats of the 2023 Subaru Outback, you would have roughly 75.3 cubic feet of storage space. With 39 inches of headroom and roughly 60 inches of interior width space, it’s fair to say that you and another person could sleep comfortably inside the latest Subaru Outback.
