Compare the2026 Volvo XC40 VS 2026 Subaru Outback

The XC40’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 XC40 and Outback have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC40 Ultra 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 XC40 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 XC40 and Outback have rear cross-traffic warning, but the XC40 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 XC40 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, 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, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The XC40 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck 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 XC40’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Outback’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC40 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 start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the XC40 has a standard 760-amp battery. The Outback’s 620-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

The XC40 B4’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 14 more horsepower (194 vs. 180) and 43 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 178) than the Outback 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the XC40 B5 is faster than the Outback XT/Wilderness 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder:

	XC40	Outback
Zero to 60 MPH	6.1 sec	6.2 sec
Quarter Mile	14.7 sec	14.8 sec

On the EPA test cycle the XC40 gets better mileage than the Outback:

			MPG
XC40
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	25 city/32 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/30 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 XC40’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Outback doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The XC40 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Outback doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The XC40’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Outback doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the XC40’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Outback:

	XC40	Outback
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	11.9 inches	11.8 inches

The XC40 stops shorter than the Outback:

	XC40	Outback
60 to 0 MPH	111 feet	114 feet	Motor Trend

For better traction, the XC40 has larger standard tires than the Outback (235/55R18 vs. 225/65R17). The XC40’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Outback (245/45R20 vs. 225/65R17).

The XC40’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 XC40 B5 Ultra’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 XC40 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Outback Wilderness. The XC40 B5 Ultra’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Outback XT.

The XC40 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.

The XC40 B5 Ultra AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the Outback Touring XT pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The XC40 is 1 foot, 4.9 inches shorter than the Outback, making the XC40 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front step up height for the XC40 is 1.3 inches lower than the Outback (17.7” vs. 19”). The XC40’s rear step up height is .3 inches lower than the Outback’s (18.2” vs. 18.5”).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the XC40’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 XC40’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Outback’s (3500 vs. 2700 pounds).

The XC40 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.

The power windows standard on both the XC40 and the Outback have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the XC40 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 XC40 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 also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Outback can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The XC40’s standard Keyless Entry & Drive allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, 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 XC40’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.

The Volvo XC40 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 XC40 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.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volvo XC40 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Outback.

The XC40’s optional Park Assist Pilot can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Outback doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The XC40 is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Outback doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.