midsize crossover wagon

Subaru Outback towing capacity (2015–2026)

Subaru Outback towing ranges from 2,700 lb (2.5L naturally aspirated models, every year since 2015) to 3,500 lb (2.4L turbo XT and Wilderness, 2020 on). The 5th-generation 3.6R six-cylinder was rated 3,000 lb for 2015–2016, then cut to 2,700 lb from 2017. The 2026 redesign keeps 2,700 lb (2.5L) and 3,500 lb (XT/Wilderness).

Rated range, 2015–2026

2,700–3,500 lb

Depends on engine, drivetrain, and packages — find your exact configuration below.

Towing capacity by configuration

Years	Engine	Config	Max tow	Payload	Grade
2026	2.4L H4 turbo (260 hp, 7th generation)	AWD · Limited XT / Touring XT / Wilderness	3,500 lb¹	—	OEM
2026	2.5L H4 (180 hp, 7th generation)	AWD · Premium / Limited / Touring	2,700 lb²	—	OEM
2022–2025	2.4L H4 turbo (260 hp)	AWD · Wilderness	3,500 lb³	—	OEM
2020–2025	2.4L H4 turbo (260 hp)	AWD · Onyx Edition XT / Limited XT / Touring XT	3,500 lb⁴	—	OEM
2020–2025	2.5L H4 (182 hp, direct injection)	AWD · Base / Premium / Sport / Onyx Edition / Limited / Touring (non-turbo)	2,700 lb⁴	—	OEM
2017–2019	3.6L H6 (256 hp)	AWD · 3.6R (Limited / Touring)	2,700 lb⁵	—	OEM
2015–2016	3.6L H6 (256 hp)	AWD · 3.6R Limited	3,000 lb⁶	—	OEM
2015–2019	2.5L H4 (175 hp)	AWD · 2.5i (Base / Premium / Limited / Touring)	2,700 lb⁷	—	OEM

Ratings as published by the manufacturer for properly equipped vehicles; superscripts link to the source of each figure below.

Why the number above isn't your real limit

The tow ratings in the table are the manufacturer's best case — one 150-lb driver, no cargo. On most vehicles, what actually stops you first is payload: passengers, gear, and the trailer's tongue weight all ride on the truck, and they run out the payload budget long before the tow rating.

Per-configuration payload for this model is still being verified against OEM sources — we publish a number only with its source. Meanwhile, read your own truck's yellow door-jamb sticker for its payload and run it through the calculator to find the limit that actually binds.

Why payload, not tow rating, is usually your real limit →

What owners actually tow

Real-world reports from owner communities — experiences, not ratings. Your configuration and load decide what's safe.

Pacific Northwest owners towing teardrops report the Outback handles the Cascades, but near 2,000 lb the naturally aspirated 2.5L becomes a 40-45 mph climber — and mountain trips call for watching transmission temperature and oil level.

In a thread about pairing a TAB 320 with a 2021 Onyx 2.4 turbo, a 2019 2.5i owner described towing a ~2,000 lb loaded A-Liner over Mt. Hood at 3,000 rpm and 40-45 mph, then finding the engine down almost 3 quarts of oil; another 2019 owner who took a similar teardrop through the Cascades called it surprisingly fine as long as you watch trans temp and take climbs easy. Consensus extras: a brake controller for anything much past 1,000-1,500 lb.

r/subaruoutback thread
A 3,500 lb-rated Outback XT can run out of numbers before it runs out of trailer: with roughly 900 lb of door-sticker payload and a ~350 lb tongue limit, a 2,000 lb-dry pop-up plus passengers can put owners over before they leave the driveway.

A 2024 Limited XT owner asked whether his 2,090 lb dry (3,100 GVWR) pop-up was a mistake; commenters walked him through the math — tongue weight plus people plus cargo against ~900 lb payload — and he concluded a full family load would exceed it. Practical owner advice from the same thread: weigh the loaded rig on a CAT scale, treat towing as severe service with ~30k-mile CVT fluid changes, and cruise at 55-60 mph.

r/GoRVing thread
For mountain towing near max, experienced owners point to the manual's fine print and to tongue weight: sustained grades sharply reduce what Subaru says is safe to pull, and a 17-ft Casita's ~400 lb tongue is more than an Outback should carry.

Asked about dragging a ~3,000 lb loaded Casita from Seattle over passes to Yellowstone, one owner cited the owner's-manual caveat that capacity drops to 1,500 lb on long grades, while a 16-ft Scamp owner explained he chose the Scamp specifically for its lighter tongue and still added overload springs for ~275 lb of tongue weight. An XT owner towing ~2,500 lb loaded with trailer brakes reports it works well — but the thread's consensus for the Casita was to step up to an Ascent.

r/subaruoutback thread
When newcomers ask what travel trailer a 3,500 lb Outback can realistically handle, the RV community converges on small fiberglass eggs and teardrops under ~2,000 lb dry — the 350 lb tongue limit caps a swayproof trailer around 2,300 lb loaded.

A 2021 Onyx Touring owner (3,500 lb tow, 350 lb tongue, 900 lb payload) got near-unanimous suggestions of Scamp 13, T@B 320 and similar; one former Outback owner towed a Scamp 13 with transmission temps staying under 200 F, and another who ran ~60% of the Outback's max said moving to a larger tow vehicle transformed control and confidence. Commenters also stressed that travel trailers want roughly 13% of weight on the tongue, which is the real limiter.

r/GoRVing thread

How to read these numbers

Every figure above is the manufacturer's rating for that specific configuration — engine, drivetrain, cab, and package — not a model-wide maximum. Two things still matter before you hitch up: your individual vehicle's door-jamb sticker (options change payload truck by truck), and your real load — on most vehicles, payload runs out before the tow rating. Estimate your trailer's loaded weight with the trailer weight calculator, then check the full picture in the tow-match calculator.

Sources

Cross-checked per our methodology; conflicting sources resolve to the lower figure. Spotted a discrepancy with your towing guide? Send a correction — that's the email we most want.

Before you tow: confirm the ratings for your exact vehicle on the driver's door-jamb label and in the owner's manual or towing guide for its model year. Never exceed any single rating — see the disclaimer.