It has done well so far. After 35 years of production, the midsize sedan is being phased out. It was the first car to make all-wheel drive popular and was the base for the incredibly popular Outback wagon series. The last Subaru Legacy is likely to leave the Subaru of Indiana Automotive plant in 2025. After that, the model will no longer be made.
The midsize Subaru Legacy is largely responsible for making the all-wheel drive (AWD) more famous and dispelling some myths about it over time in a package that most people can afford. Myths about Subaru’s once-laughable heavy, complicated, and tire-wearing design were slowly busted by the brand’s simple and reliable viscous center differential system (in manual transmission models) and computer-controlled AWD system (automatics). Eventually, AWD became standard on all Subaru models (except for performance vehicles like the BRZ). The Legacy has grown over time into a roomy, fuel-efficient, and well-respected car. Subaru almost always uses boxer four-cylinder engines, which gave the Legacy a lower center of gravity and made it stand out.
The Legacy has never been very exciting, and the 2024 model is the same. However, it has always been nice, and it’s our fifth-ranked midsize sedan because of its great ride, general safety, and sure grip. Fans of Subaru who want something different from the boy-racer Impreza and its children, the WRX, have found it to be a delight. Almost from the start, the United States had a strong turbocharged Legacy model. This reminded me of how fun it was to watch Colin McRae’s Group A Legacy R.S. blast and pop around WRC stages before it came here. Over the years, there were a few different flat-six and turbo versions, including the fourth-generation Spec B.
Subaru says that the Indiana plant has made all 1.3 million Legacy sold in the U.S. over six generations. This is a unique American success story of local production and community involvement. Subaru says it will stop making the Legacy because people want E.V.s (the company plans to make eight models by 2028) and SUVs, like the Outback, which is still mostly a raised, be-clad, and slightly redesigned Legacy wagon version. The only Subaru plant in the United States is in Indiana, and it has always needed help with volume. Depending on demand, the company often switches between making cars for the U.S. market in Indiana and Japan. The Impreza was last sent back to Japan in May 2023, when production stopped in Indiana. The Outback, Crosstrek, Ascent, and (for now) the Legacy are all made in Indiana.
One thing we’ll miss about the Legacy is how cheap it was. When it comes out in 2024, it will cost $26,016, making it the cheapest AWD car on the market. It will replace the even less expensive small Impreza sedan. The base models have all-wheel drive (AWD), a lot of space for passengers, and an IIHS Top Safety Pick grade. The base 2.5-liter flat-four gets 35 mpg on the highway, which is good for a car that doesn’t have any electric parts.
The Outback costs about $4,000 more than the Legacy and is marketed as a possible SUV. Because of this, it is hard to see how the Outback could ever fully eliminate the Legacy’s specific market niche. The smaller Impreza, after all, only comes as a hatchback. Even though Subaru’s best-selling model isn’t the sedan anymore, it will leave a hole in the range that is hard to fill. Still, Subaru only sold 25,510 Legacy cars in 2023. They sold 161,814 Outbacks and 159,193 Crosstreks. These are good sales numbers, but a lot of Legacy buyers are likely to move up or down the model line to the next most popular (and therefore more profitable for Subaru) car.
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