New Subaru Legacy to debut at Chicago Auto Show
- Thread starter Mook
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While Subaru posted its best sales year ever in the United States in 2013, over half of its sales came from the success of the new Forester and popularity of the Outback. Its midsize Legacy sedan, on the other hand, saw sales tumble 10.3 percent. The company known for its all-wheel drive models hopes to right that trajectory with the 2015 Legacy. The all-new sedan sees a slight bump in fuel economy and a commitment to giving buyers a better product to compete against segment stalwarts like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.
The refreshed sedan wears Subaru's new design language, which was teased by the Legacy Concept at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show. However, the production version takes the hard, crisp lines down several notches, and it is bordering on boring at first glance. The best detail of the new design is the new hexagonal shield grille at the front that lends a little upscale panache over the current car's simple, rectangular front end. The coupe-like roofline has also been toned down from the concept, but it does smooth out the rear better than the current gen.
The Legacy's engines are carried over almost identically from last year's car. However both flavors of manual transmission are finally bowing out; all models now come with Subaru's Lineartronic CVT.
Output from the 2.5-liter boxer four-cylinder sees a slight bump to 175 horsepower (2 hp more than last year's model) and 174 pound-feet of torque. The 3.6-liter boxer six-cylinder is unchanged at 256 hp and 247 lb-ft. Fuel economy benefits from the new platform with the 2.5-liter model rated at an estimated 26/36/30 miles per gallon city/highway/combined, a boost of 2/4/3 mpg, respectively, over the previous generation. The 3.6-liter also sees a modest rise to 20/28/23 mpg, 2/3/3 mpg better respectively. Fairly impressive figures for an all-wheel-drive, midsize sedan.A Subaru would not be a Subaru without all-wheel drive, and the 2015 Legacy gets the latest Active Torque Vectoring system from the 2015 WRX and WRX STI models as a standard feature. Rather than actually modulating torque, the system works by applying the brakes to the inside front wheel during aggressive cornering, to improve handling.
In terms of packaging, the new Legacy grows only slightly compared to the old model. It rides on the same 108.3-inch wheelbase, but length increases by 1.6-inches to 188.8 overall. The extra exterior size translates to better rear legroom and trunk capacity on the inside.
Subaru's biggest promises about the new car are improved driver comfort, lower interior noise and more competitive technology. The company added liquid-filled engine mounts, made the windshield from acoustic glass and increased sound deadening. The Infotainment systems also get an upgrade with the choice of either a new, 6.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, or a 7.0-inch version with navigation. All cars come standard with a rearview camera, and Subaru's upgraded EyeSight forward camera system and new safety systems are also available.
The 2015 Legacy hits the road in the latter half of 2014, but there is no word yet on pricing.
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