St. John's, Newfoundland - For a small automaker, overhauling an entire model lineup is no small endeavor. Quite frankly, it's not always something you wish for. The tricky part is that the evolution must be significant and visible enough to attract new buyers while preserving the original character that helped develop a loyal customer base over the years.
At Subaru, that's exactly the challenge engineers and designers recently took up. The all-new 2010 Subaru Legacy is a true Subaru and no one can argue with that. Yet, at the same time, it's larger and more generously-equipped than ever before.
New face
How can one not notice the completely-redesigned silhouette? Sure, the Legacy remains an unmistakable Subaru at first glance, but the new physical dimensions are quite striking. The car is definitely wider, taller and longer, with a wheelbase that's been extended by more than 80 millimetres.
The added girth obviously benefits occupants, who enjoy a whopping 268 litres of additional room and over 100 millimetres of extra legroom in the back.
So, while the lines are slightly more muscular and more assertive than the previous model's, the new size of the Legacy is what mainly catches your attention as you walk around the car.
Revised from the ground up
Making this sudden expansion possible is a brand new, reengineered platform along with a new approach under the hood. Every major component has been reworked and improved, including the rear suspension which now uses double wishbones. This setup not only enhances ride quality but also eliminates the strut towers once mounted on each side of the trunk.
Other extensive modifications include a revision of Subaru's legendary all-wheel drive system as well as both the 2.5-litre boxer engine (now rated at 170 hp) and the 6-cylinder boxer (enlarged to 3.6 litres and cranked up to 256 hp... with a drop in fuel consumption on top of that). Turbo fans can rejoice as Subaru will offer a new 2.5-litre unit that produces 265 horsepower in GT trim.
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| The car is definitely wider, taller and longer, with a wheelbase that's been extended by more than 80 millimetres. |
At Subaru, that's exactly the challenge engineers and designers recently took up. The all-new 2010 Subaru Legacy is a true Subaru and no one can argue with that. Yet, at the same time, it's larger and more generously-equipped than ever before.
New face
How can one not notice the completely-redesigned silhouette? Sure, the Legacy remains an unmistakable Subaru at first glance, but the new physical dimensions are quite striking. The car is definitely wider, taller and longer, with a wheelbase that's been extended by more than 80 millimetres.
The added girth obviously benefits occupants, who enjoy a whopping 268 litres of additional room and over 100 millimetres of extra legroom in the back.
So, while the lines are slightly more muscular and more assertive than the previous model's, the new size of the Legacy is what mainly catches your attention as you walk around the car.
Revised from the ground up
Making this sudden expansion possible is a brand new, reengineered platform along with a new approach under the hood. Every major component has been reworked and improved, including the rear suspension which now uses double wishbones. This setup not only enhances ride quality but also eliminates the strut towers once mounted on each side of the trunk.
Other extensive modifications include a revision of Subaru's legendary all-wheel drive system as well as both the 2.5-litre boxer engine (now rated at 170 hp) and the 6-cylinder boxer (enlarged to 3.6 litres and cranked up to 256 hp... with a drop in fuel consumption on top of that). Turbo fans can rejoice as Subaru will offer a new 2.5-litre unit that produces 265 horsepower in GT trim.
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| Accelerations are pretty decent and the GT spices things up with a much livelier power delivery. |