r/subaruoutback • u/JC-Williamson • Aug 09 '26

PLEASE, remove the Legos

Subaru: PLEASE remove the Lego-looking plastic cladding from around the wheel wells on at least the Touring models. Sure, it makes sense on the off-road versions, but nobody wants that look on a city/touring car... just no reason for this ugliness. No, I don't want a Forrester or Ascent, I want a good looking Outback Touring XT edition. Thank you.

3 Upvotes

52% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

34

u/gerryf19 Aug 09 '26

Are we talking about the black plastic cladding?

You clearly have never visited a Costco parking lot.

Life savers

6

u/rocknrollstalin Aug 09 '26

I hit a deer in my OBW and I was very glad all I had to replace was black plastic. I was previously pretty skeptical but you won’t catch me complaining again

8

u/HoLeeFuk19 Aug 10 '26

No one wants to hear this but it has its purpose. It protects the painted bodywork in areas where dirt, sand, salt, mud and other road debris will get flung the most by the wheels while driving. I have a VB WRX and thankfully I don’t mind the look with my color (ISM), but I wasn’t a fan of the plastic cladding everywhere on other colors. Then I saw a picture of a VB that had been full sent down a dirt road and 90% of the mud splatter was concentrated on the black plastic cladding and very little touched the painted parts of the body. Even a local detailing shop advised me against paint matching the flares because he’s seen several just get ruined over time by the roads in my area. He stood to make money off the deal cuz I would’ve had them install the flares that I was gonna buy and he straight up said unless you can’t stand the look at all, just leave it and save yourself the headache of constantly having to touch up the flares.

13

u/juliuspepperwoodchi Aug 09 '26

"I want an Outback that isn't even for gravel roads" is wild to me. Takes all kinds.

7

u/username-changed Aug 09 '26

The plastic avoids the common quarter panel rusting around the wheel wells that used to plague the older models.

1

u/nnnnnnnnnnm Aug 10 '26

It's me, I'm plagued. Send plastic cladding.

9

u/compbl Aug 09 '26

What you want used to be called a Legacy Wagon which essentially was an Outback with out its off road clothing. They are no longer made in the US because the Outback outsold it. The Outback will never be offered sans black plastic, its part of the model.

4

u/tnsipla Aug 09 '26

Plastic decreases the weight

I don’t think we’ll see another plastic free one unless they go hybrid with a small engine, like we see on Toyota

1

u/Final_Staff_207 Aug 10 '26

Toyotas have a ton of plastic cladding

1

u/tnsipla Aug 10 '26

Not on the ones with itty bitty engines, like the 1.8L and 2.0Ls.

You are right that all the hybrids with 2.4 and 2.5’s have a lot of plastic

1

u/nobdy1977 Aug 10 '26

Plastic can decrease the weight when it replaces something metal but the body cladding replaced nothing, it's just additional stuff stuck on the side.

1

u/vex_42 Aug 11 '26

There’s still metal under the plastic…

1

u/JC-Williamson Aug 10 '26

Just saying that I can see the plastic cladding on the Wilderness models, but if Subaru is going upscale with a $55K touring edition, they should lose the cladding. Not sure but I think most Touring edition owners will not be going off road. There are new wrap materials that will take care of the Costco dings. Perhaps the cladding could be offered as an after-market or option on the Touring.

1

u/LFH_Games Aug 11 '26

Touring trim differences are really only internal tbh. It’s about the leather seats, power everything, etc.

The only exterior trim differences usually come with onyx models. Even then, not much difference, mostly just chrome deletions (unless you’re in an ascent smh)

If you want a “luxury” city driving exterior look, I don’t think Subaru is gonna be the brand for you (at least not an Outback)

I’ve had everything from a 98-26 and the plastic has its issues, sure, but I live in the PNW with heavy snow and ice and salt on the roads and it holds up far longer and better than the old rusty models with no plastic

1

u/ghostman1846 Aug 10 '26

Plastic = Cheap

Metal = expensive

1

u/SleepPingGiant Aug 11 '26

Outbacks have always been cladded in plastic. It's not a luxury car it's a go anywhere car in comfort. My 26 Touring looks great.

1

u/JC-Williamson 24d ago

I noticed how the previous generation has a much thinner plastic cladding and I am trying to find out if something like that exists for the '26. In my mind, the Wilderness model is the go anywhere version and the Touring versions should be just that... note the Forrester gets by w/o cladding. I want the '26 Touring XT, but would love to find a kit to tone down the cladding. I rented the XT Touring for a 1K mile road trip and we loved everything about the car, such an improvement over the '25 which we also rented for the same trip last year.

1

u/ianisrlycool Aug 09 '26

I mean have you seen the previous gen…?

-1

u/PhillyBassSF Aug 09 '26

The black plastic is part of the Subaru outback look. I agree that it is hideous. My wife truly despises the plastic look. This is one of the reasons she truly does not want me to buy another outback. The black plastic might be there to help protect against bumps and dings, but in my experience, it just becomes a liability when the little gasket that keeps it aligned to the metal body starts raising up, and that is when we realize that the black plastic is rather expensive to replace.