Overview

For more than 20 years the Subaru Legacy has been winning the respect and admiration from everyone from farmers to wealthy landowners as a tough, durable all-wheel-drive car that can cope with anything and everything the elements can throw at it.

This hasn’t escaped the attention of other car makers and they’re out to steal sales from Subaru. Audi’s A4 Allroad quattro, Skoda’s Octavia 4x4 and VW’s Passat Alltrack have all since joined the party.

Larger than before

Subaru’s response has been to widen the Legacy’s appeal to attract a more varied audience. That’s why the big Subaru has grown in size and lost much of the old car’s charismatic quirkiness that sometimes scared buyers away.

The new model is also more economical, less polluting and more refined making it far easier to live with. As ever, the Legacy capitalises on Subaru’s enviable all-wheel-drive pedigree and fine reliability, something that should find the firm a new loyal band of followers.

One diesel and two petrol engines

There are three engines on offer for the Legacy. Sole diesel option is a 2.0-litre engine with 148bhp, available with a slightly notchy manual gearbox only. Subaru says it’ll manage up to 46mpg on average and it has an unbraked towing weight of 750kg.

Those seeking petrol power have two options. The most powerful is a 167bhp 2.5-litre unit with Subaru’s ‘Lineartronic’ CVT automatic transmission. That was joined by a 148bhp 2.0-litre engine after launch with either the CVT transmission or a six-speed manual gearbox.

Running costs are a slight weakness for the petrol models. The 2.5-litre averages up to 33mpg and emits 196g/km of CO2, while the 2.0-litre will average 32mpg and emit 199g/km with the manual gearbox. This improves to 34mpg and 187g/km with the auto transmission.

Plenty of space

A generous boot space of 526 litres (expanding to 1,677 litres with the seats down) is a major plus point. It’s easy to load and there’s a hidden storage compartment under the boot floor.

In 2012 a series of updates included a new version of the 2.0-litre diesel engine with improved economy and emissions, along with a reversing camera as standard equipment across the range and a smoother-shifting gearbox for manual models. Suspension was also returned for greater ride comfort.

At the start of 2013 the Legacy’s warranty was increased from three years or 60,000 miles to five years or 100,000 miles.

There’s plenty more information inside our full Subaru Legacy review. Click on the links below or the headings at the top of the page to navigate through the different sections.