Compare the2026 Volvo V60 Cross Country VS 2026 Subaru Outback

The V60 Cross Country’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Outback doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the V60 Cross Country and Outback have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The V60 Cross Country has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Outback’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The V60 Cross Country has standard Post-impact braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Outback doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Both the V60 Cross Country and Outback have rear cross-traffic warning, but the V60 Cross Country has Braking Intervention (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Outback’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the V60 Cross Country and the Outback have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all-wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The V60 Cross Country comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Outback’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The V60 Cross Country’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Outback’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the V60 Cross Country for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Outback.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the V60 Cross Country has a standard 210-amp alternator. The Outback’s standard 150-amp alternator and largest (XT) 190-amp alternator aren’t as powerful.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the V60 Cross Country has a standard 800-amp battery. The Outback’s 620-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

The battery on the V60 Cross Country is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the V60 Cross Country’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Outback’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

The V60 Cross Country’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 67 more horsepower (247 vs. 180) and 80 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 178) than the Outback 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the V60 Cross Country gets better mileage than the Outback:

			MPG
V60 Cross Country
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy
Outback
	AWD	2.4 turbo flat-4	21 city/29 hwy
		Wilderness 2.4 turbo flat-4	21 city/27 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the V60 Cross Country’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Outback doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

For better stopping power the V60 Cross Country’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Outback:

	V60 Cross Country	Outback
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	12.6 inches	11.8 inches

The V60 Cross Country stops shorter than the Outback:

	V60 Cross Country	Outback
70 to 0 MPH	172 feet	174 feet	Car and Driver

For better traction, the V60 Cross Country’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Outback (245/40R20 vs. 225/65R17).

The V60 Cross Country’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Outback Wilderness’ standard 65 series tires. The V60 Cross Country’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Outback XT’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the V60 Cross Country has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Outback Wilderness. The V60 Cross Country’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Outback XT.

The V60 Cross Country has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Outback doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the V60 Cross Country’s wheelbase is 5.1 inches longer than on the Outback (113.2 inches vs. 108.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the V60 Cross Country is 2.7 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Outback.

The V60 Cross Country Ultra handles at .86 G’s, while the Outback Touring XT pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The V60 Cross Country is 3.2 inches shorter than the Outback, making the V60 Cross Country easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The V60 Cross Country is 8.3 inches shorter in height than the Outback, making the V60 Cross Country much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the V60 Cross Country easier. The V60 Cross Country’s trunk lift-over height is 25.4 inches, while the Outback’s liftover is 28.3 inches.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the V60 Cross Country’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Outback doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The V60 Cross Country uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Outback uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Unlike the driver-only memory system optional at extra cost in the Outback (except Premium), the V60 Cross Country Ultra has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The V60 Cross Country Ultra has a standard heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Outback doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the V60 Cross Country and the Outback have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the V60 Cross Country is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Outback prevents the driver from operating the rear windows just as it does the other passengers.

If the windows are left open on the V60 Cross Country the driver can close all of them at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Outback can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The V60 Cross Country’s standard Keyless Entry & Drive allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the trunk, and start the engine, all without removing the key from pocket or purse. Keyless Access and Start standard on the Outback doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear doors.

The V60 Cross Country’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Outback’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the V60 Cross Country to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Outback doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The V60 Cross Country offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Outback doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Volvo V60 Cross Country has power folding mirrors that offer unparalleled convenience while maneuvering in tight places or parked. With the mirrors folded it’s easier to walk past and help prevent parking damage. The mirrors can be quickly unfolded when the driver is ready to leave. Power folding mirrors costs extra on the Outback and aren't offered on the Premium/Limited.

The V60 Cross Country offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Outback.

The V60 Cross Country has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Outback Premium/Limited/Wilderness/Touring/Onyx.

The Volvo V60 Cross Country has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the rear view mirror. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Subaru charges extra for Homelink® on the Outback.