Why the 2026 Subaru Outback Features a Ruler Integrated Into Its Taillights

      Kyle Cheromcha

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      These days, there’s an app for practically everything. However, anyone who has attempted to use a smartphone for precise measurements will tell you it often ends in frustration. When it comes to accuracy, it's tough to surpass a traditional, easily verifiable tool like a tape measure, a yardstick, or even a 2026 Subaru Outback. What, you don't measure stuff with your car? Why are you here?

      Believe it or not, this practicality is found in a taillight. For 2026, the Subaru Outback's rear lighting design includes a ruler. It's over two feet long and, while it's admittedly less convenient than a real tape measure, it's certainly a better option than some alternatives we can think of. Given the choice between a scale banana and a taillight with a built-in ruler, the taillight is undoubtedly more practical. Plus, you won't be tempted to eat it. In fact, everyone’s lawyers would prefer that you avoid that.

      Moreover, working up an appetite might lead to one of the ruler's most useful applications: measuring fish. Whether you're ensuring compliance with regulations or documenting your catch for your dating profile, Subaru has got your back. After all, what better way to showcase a picture of a fish than with a thorough account of its measurements? Go get ‘em, champ.

      Kyle Cheromcha

      Subaru has a history of adding various interior and exterior Easter eggs over the years, many of which offer little real-world utility. If you can use the 2026 Outback as a ruler, who’s to say you can’t use a 2025 Forester as a map? The geographical range may be limited, but the quickest way to be proven wrong on the Internet is to assume something hasn’t been done before.

      We’ll make just one request: If you're going to use your Outback to measure the sizes of dead animals, please clean the tailgate when you're finished. No one wants to park next to a Subaru that has serious cleanliness issues.

      And remember, please don't eat the tasty taillights.

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