To mark the Legacy's 20th anniversary, Subaru has given the fifth generation of its popular mid-range sedan a comprehensive rethink for 2010.
Subaru's engineers say they have raised the bar with the new series, incorporating the marque's signature handling and performance into what they describe as a 'bold new package', offering more luxury, power and safety.
The new range now includes the Legacy 2.5GT sedan, wagon and Outback 2.5i soft-roader, each boasting larger dimensions, seats and cargo capacity - and all with new drivetrains and radical new body styling.
In true Subaru fashion, the new Legacy's external makeover offers a quirky amalgam of boxy lines, flattened curves and flared wheel-arches. While it's far from subtle, the new Legacy makes a sporting statement with HID headlamps, front fog-lamps, side skirts, twin exhausts and 18-inch alloys.
The 2.5GT sedan and wagon feature a new five-speed automatic transmission all-wheel-drive system that Subaru says distributes engine torque to all four wheels more efficiently and a new dual active valve control system that optimises camshaft timing to improve fuel efficiency and power output.
The Outback 2.5i features a new continuous variable transmission system that improves the engine's performance and efficiency and a faster response to throttle input. Subaru says the system helps maintain the most favourable revving range at any driving speed, providing a balance of power and fuel economy and helping to make the Outback the most frugal of the three models in the range.
