Following its shock withdrawal from the World Rally Championship, Subaru has provided the WRC fanboys with a bumper-shaped cushion in the shape of this, a dusky front shot of the next generation Legacy.

Normally, news of a new Legacy would be neither here nor there to the legions of Scooby fans and WRC types in general, because there's only one car on their collective radar: Colin McRae's venerable blue tarmac terrier. We don't even have to name it. The Legacy has always been a secondary concern, at least here in the UK anyway, languishing in the shadow of its little brother

Yet, look at this thing. All the generalisations perpetuated about the Legacy's more - how do we put this - mature appeal could very soon be a thing of the past if this stunning head-on view is continued around the entire car. And for once, the Legacy will live up to its name by truly ushering in a new chapter in the Subaru story - the rally-less chapter, and hopefully not one entitled 'Post-2008: The Wilderness Years.'

So, details. It's a concept, of course - just look at the size of those useless tiny wing mirrors, which are probably cameras and will make it nowhere near the production line. The Legacy officially signals a new 'design direction' for Subaru, but the grille and front lights are of particular interest because they're likely to remain largely unmolested for the showroom car - rumoured to appear in 2010, though there's no official word yet.

What we do know is that the concept is powered by a 3.6-litre boxer engine linked to a symmetrical four-wheel drive system, so it's no slouch. It also, perplexingly, has an interior that 'embodies high definition with a feeling of comfort' - whatever that means.

Next year represents the 20th anniversary of the Legacy saloon, during which time over 3.6 million of them have been sold - nearly half of those in North America. That might change if the new version meets the promise of this particular photograph, though, because this time around the Legacy might be the German compact-exec rival the current car never has been. Probably not, but we're willing to give it a chance. We'll at least find out what it looks like soon enough - it's getting its debut at next month's Detroit motor show. We'll be there.

Mark Nichol - 17 Dec 2008