What's the news?
After 25 years and five previous generations, Subaru has unveiled the all-new Legacy - in US-spec, at least - at the Chicago Auto Show. The product concept for this new model, according to its maker, was 'the fusion of design and engineering at a high level'; can the company provide a car befitting of that lofty ethos in the real world?
Exterior
To quote more Subaru bumf, the idea of 'muscularity with agility' shaped the exterior look. Not sure about that, but it's a handsome enough creation and the integrated, hexagonal front grille and hawk-eye lights are worth noting, as this is the new corporate face of Subaru cars. At the back are LED tail- and brake lights.
Interior
I'll stop quoting Subaru now, as there was yet another mission statement for the cabin, but you've probably had enough marketing speak already. What is of interest is that interior quality is promised to be dramatically improved, while maintaining the marque's sporty feel for the driver.
The materials used within are said to be of a higher calibre than previous Legacy models, while there's a revamped infotainment interface with navigation and touch operation for the audio systems. You can opt for a wide-screen centre screen here, too.
There are colour LCD displays in the instrument cluster, while interior space is bigger all round, due in no small part to the A-pillar being moved forward to expand the cabin. To accentuate that, the Legacy features front-quarter windows that also improve all-round visibility.
Mechanicals
These are US-model details, but there's a big 'oo-er' moment in the spec - the Legacy is only available with the latest generation Lineartronic transmission. That's a CVT automatic. There is a six-speed manual mode with paddle shift, but we hope a proper manual is offered on the European cars.
Two engines are mentioned and of course they're both petrol and they are both boxers; what's more surprising is they are both normally-aspirated. The FB25 2.5-litre four-cylinder unit makes 175hp and 236Nm, the EZ 3.6-litre 'R' makes 256hp and 335Nm. No confirmation as yet but expect these to drive all four wheels.
According to Subaru, the chassis, steering, suspension and brakes have all been 'totally revamped' to emphasise performance. The body is more rigid for better handling and ride, while there's the option of Stablex-Ride for higher-spec cars, which promise even better driving characteristics thanks to improved low-speed damping response and damping suppression at higher speeds. There's also Active Torque Vectoring to make sure the wheel with the most grip gets the most power.
Anything else?
There's a lot of safety tech on the new Legacy. EyeSight is the company's own camera-based system that assists with preventative braking and active cruise control features, plus there are fog lights that illuminate on sharp turns, blind spot detection with a lane change assist function and rear cross traffic alert, which helps you when reversing out of tight driveways. There's also all the passive safety kit you could expect, such as high-tensile steel in the body and airbags all over the place.
Matt Robinson - 10 Feb 2014
