Subaru Legacy: the all-wheel-drive flagship

The Subaru Legacy was a mid-size car built from 1989 to 2025 and the maker’s flagship. It was the first car to use Subaru’s EJ engine series and was unusual in its class for offering all-wheel drive as standard equipment.

Subaru Legacy at a glance

Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Subaru Legacy.

History of the Subaru Legacy

The Legacy was introduced in 1989 to give Subaru a car for the North American mid-size market, where it had to face the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Mazda 626 and Nissan Stanza. It was positioned above the Leone, XT, Justy and the kei cars Rex and Sambar, and it debuted an entirely new flat-four family, the EJ, quieter and more powerful than the EA engines it replaced.

First generation (1989)

The car came as a five-door wagon or four-door sedan with front-wheel drive and an optional full-time all-wheel-drive package. Options included four-channel ABS licensed from Bosch and air suspension with height control for extra ground clearance. It was released in Japan on 23 January 1989 at ¥2,550,000 for the turbocharged RS and reached dealers on 1 February, with worldwide distribution from 1990.

Engines ranged from a 1.8 single-overhead-camshaft unit to a 2.0 twin-cam turbo and a 2.2, mostly with fuel injection, and gearboxes included front-wheel drive, all-wheel drive and a dual-range all-wheel-drive manual. In the United States cars had motorised passive seat belts until 1994, a driver’s airbag became standard in 1993 and a passenger airbag only arrived with the second generation. American turbo models, the Sport Sedan of 1991–1994 and the LE Touring Wagon of 1992–1994, used the closed-deck EJ22T engine and were the last turbocharged Subarus sold there until the 2002 WRX.

Second generation (1993)

Sales of the second generation began in Japan on 7 October 1993 with the twin-turbo GT at ¥2,753,000, and North America received it for 1995 with a new body and chassis. The exterior was designed by Olivier Boulay, and the tail lights of both body styles were influenced by the SVX. In 1996 Subaru made all-wheel drive standard on every car sold in North America, and the Outback first appeared with this generation in 1995 as a trim package before gaining raised suspension and a taller roof in 1996.

Later years

The Outback became a model in its own right in 2000 and went on to outsell the Legacy. Japanese production of the Legacy ended in June 2020 with the sixth generation, and Subaru of America told its dealers that 2025 would be the last model year, while the Outback remained in production. By 2008, 3.6 million Legacy models had been built. In Australia the car was always sold as the Liberty, because the Legacy name conflicted with Legacy Australia, a charity for the families of veterans.

Design and features

• EJ engine family: a new flat-four introduced with the Legacy in 1989.
• All-wheel drive: offered from the start and standard in North America from 1996.
• Air suspension option: height control for extra ground clearance on early cars.
• Turbocharged RS and GT: twin-cam turbo models from the first generation.
• Outback spin-off: a raised Legacy wagon that became a separate model.

Subaru Legacy versions

• RS Turbo (1989): the top Japanese model at launch.
• Sport Sedan and LE Touring Wagon: American turbo models of 1991–1994.
• GT (1993): twin-turbo flagship of the second generation.
• Outback (1995): raised wagon trim that grew into its own model.
• Liberty: the Australian name for every generation.

The Legacy was replaced at the top of the range by the Outback and sat above the Impreza. More Subarus are in the Subaru collection.

Video: Subaru Legacy: the Japanese insider tip

Video by FOCUS online on YouTube.

Sources

• Subaru Legacy, English Wikipedia: history, generations, engines, markets