The Subaru Legacy is a mid-size car built by the Japanese company Fuji Heavy Industries, and manufactured by its division Subaru since 1989, and is available as a sedan or wagon. Part of the original design goals for the Legacy model was to provide Subaru a vehicle in which they could compete in the lucrative North American midsize market against competitors Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. Higher performance variants of the Legacy are offered as competitive alternatives to compact executive cars such as the Audi A4, Alfa Romeo 159 and BMW 3 Series. The Legacy also serves as Subaru's flagship car.
In 1995, Subaru created the Outback trim package on the base model Legacy wagon "L", that primarily consisted of the heavy cloth interior, berber carpet floor mats, a luggage rack and fog lights with a standard height suspension. The 1996 model added raised ground clearance, raised roof-line and introduced the larger 2.5 cylinder, EJ25D engine (Automatic transmissions only until 1997), and was known as the Legacy Outback until 1999. In 2000, it became its own unique model, known simply as the Outback.
It is unique in its class for offering all wheel drive as a standard feature, and Subaru's traditional boxer engine. The Legacy bears the name Liberty in Australia out of deference for Legacy Australia, a veterans' assistance organization. As of 2008, 3.6 million Legacies have been built since its 1989 introduction.
The introduction of the Legacy was a notable departure from Subaru products in the past. The Legacy was formally released January 23, 1989 in Japan, with an introductory price of ¥2,550,000 for the turbocharged RS (approx. USD $18,800 at 1989 yen exchange rate). The first Legacy was available at Japanese dealerships on February 1, 1989, with worldwide distribution starting in 1990.
Subaru had earned a reputation of building vehicles that were regarded as "quirky" and other Asian manufacturers were bringing more upscale and conventional appearing models to the market. The Legacy broke with many Subaru traditions, such as no longer locating the spare tire in the engine compartment, behind the engine and above the transmission, a tradition started with the 1966 Subaru 1000. The Legacy was an all-new model, and positioned above the Leone, XT, Justy, and kei cars Rex and Sambar in Subaru's model range at the time. The Legacy also introduced an entirely new flat-4 engine series, called the Subaru EJ engine, which was quieter and more powerful than the previous Subaru EA engine.
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