Subaru is the latest automaker to bring back physical knobs, buttons, and controls, ditching the electronic touchscreen controls that have been taking over.

Automakers have been quick to follow Tesla’s example, integrating touchscreens in their vehicle consoles in place of traditional controls. The move has not been very popular, with many customers complaining about the change. Hyundai was one of the first automakers to begin ditching touchscreens in favor of old-school controls, but now Subaru is following suit.

In its review of the 2026 Subaru Outback and Outback Wilderness, Cars.com reviewer Aaron Bragman said Subaru had fixed virtually all of the things the publication had an issue with in the previous model.

It’s rare that we can point to a new, redesigned automobile and say, “It fixed everything we had an issue with.” But here we are, with the new 2026 Subaru Outback and Outback Wilderness. Subaru went through its wagon-turned-SUV thing and fixed just about everything we found fault with, from the generic styling to the terrible vertical multimedia system to the touch-sensitive climate control buttons. All of it has been redone in a thoroughly modern, fully competitive manner, transforming the popular Outback from yet another mild refresh meant to appease legions of loyal prior Outback owners to a new car that just might attract a lot of new buyers.

Interestingly, one of those issues that was fixed was a return to traditional buttons and console controls.

The previous Outback’s cheapish interior with the ancient gauges, terrible vertical touchscreen and integrated touch-sensitive buttons for the climate controls was another one of our gripes, and those complaints have also been completely addressed. The 2026 Outback’s new interior is fantastic and a total rethink of the old Subaru look, and all of the interior bits have been upgraded over the old model.

The digital gauge cluster is fresh, modern and far more configurable than the old analog gauges. Subaru also recognizes that switching frequently used systems to touchscreen controls was the wrong thing to do (it only took them six years to figure it out), and it has rectified this with large, easy-to-use hard buttons for the climate controls and other frequently used functions. The seating position is excellent, too, and just high enough to give a commanding view out, but still low enough that it feels like you’re in a wagon rather than an SUV.

Tesla may have popularized the idea of using a touchscreen as a control center, but customers clearly are not sold on the device. It’s a safe bet that Hyundai and Subaru won’t be the last automakers to return to traditional controls.