2010 Subaru Legacy: First Impressions
Robert De Niro's filmography includes such classics as The Godfather, Heat and, yes, Meet the Parents. Now you can add a 2010 Subaru Legacy commercial to his resume. You won't see it stateside (check it out on YouTube), as it seems Mr. De Niro made the TV spot for the Japan market only. It's a Lost in Translation moment. It's actually too bad he won't be plugging the new Legacy here, though, as Subaru's redesigned midsize sedan could benefit from some added star power.
This time around, the all-wheel-drive Legacy should appeal to more mainstream buyers and not just those who live in rainy or snowy climes. The 2010 Legacy is bigger and roomier (what newly redesigned car isn't these days?), but it's also more fuel efficient and priced more competitively.
We recently had the opportunity to drive the new Legacy at a manufacturer-sponsored event. Highlights and first impressions follow after the jump.
Top Three New Highlights
It's bigger on the inside. Subaru has increased the Legacy's wheelbase by 3.2 inches and made it wider overall by 3.5 inches. This primarily results in a roomier backseat and a bigger trunk. But overall length is just 1.4 inches more thanks to reductions for the vehicle's front and rear overhangs, and curb weight has gone up only fractionally. In terms of comfort and room, the Legacy is on par with other top family sedans like the Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry.
Revised engines. The Legacy's engine lineup is the same, with a normally aspirated four-cylinder ("boxer") engine, a turbo variant of that engine and a normally aspirated six-cylinder. But the base flat-4 engine have been revised to improve fuel economy while the flat-6 grows to 3.6 liters in displacement to provide extra torque. The turbocharged engine has also been updated for more power. One notable addition is an all-new CVT for the base 2.5-liter engine. So equipped, the Legacy has a 23 mpg city/31 mpg highway fuel economy rating, better than an automatic-equipped four-cylinder Honda Accord.
New features. The optional navigation system has been updated, thereby addressing one of our complaints in our 2009 Legacy test drive
. It boasts a larger screen, better graphics, a backup camera and Bluetooth with phone and streaming audio capabilities. Other notables include a standard hill-holder function and an available Harman/Kardon audio system. Curiously, xenon headlights and keyless ignition/entry, two increasingly common premium features, aren't available.
First Impressions
Well, let's get this out of the way first: The new Legacy's exterior styling is likely going to be controversial. It seems all of Subaru's recent products have had some styling issues (either too dull or too wonky) and the Legacy continues the trend. Subaru wanted the new Legacy to look bold, so it gave the car prominent wheel arches, large swept-back headlights and a "power bulge" hood. The look is distinctive, but some might not find it to be very cohesive.
On the road, the 2010 Legacy impressed us. It's quiet and comfortable, two key attributes for family-sedan buyers. The suspension tuning is soft, resulting in a very complaint ride. A downside to this, though, is that 2.5GT model, with its turbocharged engine and exclusive six-speed manual transmission, isn't particularly sporty to drive. Last year's sport-tuned Spec.B trim has been discontinued for 2010.
Overall, new family sedan shoppers should find the new Legacy to be appealing, particularly those not smitten with the Honda Accord or Toyota Camry. Like the Ford Fusion and Nissan Altima, the Legacy is a solid alternative, with its all-wheel drive and modern-look interior being the main draws.
More information
2010 Subaru Legacy Pricing
(Subaru has reduced the Legacy's price to make it more comparable to other front-drive sedans. The new 3.6R trim, in particular, is $1,600 less than the 2009 3.0R trim.)
2010 Subaru Legacy Model Review
(Detailed specs and additional opinions can be found here. Note that we're currently updating some of the impressions based on our latest drive.)
- Posted by
- Brent Romans June 29, 2009, 12:10 PM
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- Subaru, Test Cars and Car Reviews
If that's not a press photo, you chose the same angle the press photos use to make the car look decent, Brent! :o)
Folks interested in the Legacy 2.5GT (a.k.a. LGT) may also take a look at Inside Line's First Drive of the Japanese-market LGT, which is similar to the US-market LGT, but quite different at the same time.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=148807
Bruce Willis was doing Legacy advertisements when I lived in Japan a few years ago. *Lost In Translation* has some real-world analogues.
-SBT
And J. Lo!