The Subaru Legacy certainly made its in mark in automotive history. It was designed specifically for the American market and was the first Subaru model built in the U.S. Now production will end after the 2025 model year. The automaker's reason? Americans moving to SUVs.
Well, at least there's still the BRZ and WRX.
You might say it's the end of a legacy
Meh, not missing out on much. I think the Legacy is a shell of its old self. The only ones that are being sold are non turbo CVT powered models. Nothing that really stirs the emotions.
RyanGreener (Forum Supporter) said:Meh, not missing out on much. I think the Legacy is a shell of its old self. The only ones that are being sold are non turbo CVT powered models. Nothing that really stirs the emotions.
Subaru's have been a big part of my life, mostly WRX/Sti's but there was I time the Legacy was very desirable to me. That has been many years ago now. Sorry to see an old friend go. With the STi already gone, the Legacy on the way out, a watered down Forester and a WRX that can be out accelerated by a Honda Accord, things are beginning to look a little bleak for Subaru.
Feedyurhed said:RyanGreener (Forum Supporter) said:Meh, not missing out on much. I think the Legacy is a shell of its old self. The only ones that are being sold are non turbo CVT powered models. Nothing that really stirs the emotions.
Subaru's have been a big part of my life, mostly WRX/Sti's but there was I time the Legacy was very desirable to me. That has been many years ago now. Sorry to see an old friend go. With the STi already gone, the Legacy on the way out, a watered down Forester and a WRX that can be out accelerated by a Honda Accord, things are beginning to look a little bleak for Subaru.
It may be bleak for the old Subaru enthusiasts, but I'm pretty sure the company is growing in sales over the years. Bland is what sells.
My gut reaction is, they still make the Legacy?
I know up until at least a few years ago, the SUVs still use the same upper strut mount and ball joint setup that Legacys used... which they got from the first non torsion bar Subaru GLs in, what, 1985?
I was a big fan of the earlier ones and love my '08, but with the the 2010+ chassis the suspension was softened up, then they dropped the GT version, then they stopped selling manuals (2015?) and it just became pointless for enthusiasts. Filtering down the demographics of people who prefer sedans, people who like Subarus, people who don't care if it's a driver's car and people who need/want AWD just doesn't leave enough sales to make business sense for a small company.
RyanGreener (Forum Supporter) said:Feedyurhed said:RyanGreener (Forum Supporter) said:Meh, not missing out on much. I think the Legacy is a shell of its old self. The only ones that are being sold are non turbo CVT powered models. Nothing that really stirs the emotions.
Subaru's have been a big part of my life, mostly WRX/Sti's but there was I time the Legacy was very desirable to me. That has been many years ago now. Sorry to see an old friend go. With the STi already gone, the Legacy on the way out, a watered down Forester and a WRX that can be out accelerated by a Honda Accord, things are beginning to look a little bleak for Subaru.
It may be bleak for the old Subaru enthusiasts, but I'm pretty sure the company is growing in sales over the years. Bland is what sells.
True story.
Coworker at work: Hey, I had to turn in my lease today and get another vehicle.
Me: Oh, that's cool what did you get?
Coworker at work: I don't know but it's gray.
It would have been nice if they made recent performance models of the Legacy but no one would have bought it anyway. It was an all wheel drive Camry for the last 10 years. But now you can get an AWD Camry.
By the way, there’s a photo of a Legacy in the next issue of GRM. Just happened that way.
My wife has had her 2014 since new. It has been a nice, bland, gray refrigerator. Like an AWD Camry, perhaps with even less soul. Luckily she only drives 5k miles a year so it hasn't had a chance to commit Subaru.
My mom traded her 2012 legacy with 30,000 miles on it last year for a new 2023 legacy. Perfect car for her. She loves it. Ive driven it a bit when we visit and it's very nice for being rando blando. I was surprised how much power it had with a N\A engine.
She refuses to buy an suv. She prefers a sedan, and loved the new wrx in its bright colors but didn't want one at the time because all they had were manual transmissions on the lot. At 84 years old, she does what she wants.
I have very fond memories of our '05 LGT, and was a little irritated when Subaru brought the Spec B out a couple years later. I would definitely have bought a Spec B if they had been available. At the time, it was like an Audi with Japanese reliability (well, Subaru reliability anyway)... more civilized and less 'boy racer' than the WRX/STI with most of the performance. Ours was very reliable, but I didn't push it any farther than a turbo-back exhaust and a mild tune. The HVAC was always a little wonky, and it got a rear wheel bearing under warranty, but no other problems.
After the first facelift, the Legacy just went downhill, and went all Camryccord. I honestly didn't even know Subaru were still making them.
I liked the old Legacy a lot. The early ones were quirky (and the 2.2 Turbo was super cool), and the 2nd Gen cars looked great. 20 years ago, when the 2005 Legacy debuted, it flew to the top of my want list. It was an attractive sports sedan with some real performance when you opted for the GT package. It was especially tasty when optioned with the Spec B package; it was a world class performer at the time. I even convinced my friend's mom to get a Spec B, which was a big leap from the Saab 9-5s she swore by. That thing was awesome!
Once that generation ran its course, something went awry with the styling and many (including myself) stopped caring about it. It quickly went from an enthusiast's darling to an also-ran in the segment in short order. There was nothing the Legacy had that the competition didn't do better at that point. Once people started moving toward crossovers, the writing was on the wall.
To be completely honest, I can't remember the last time I saw a current Legacy, and I live in New England, which might be Subaru's #1 US market. I completely forgot they still made the thing. It's about 10 years past time for it to fall off the roster.
Bummer, my wife's 2017 has been a solid car.
My parents got their first Legacy wagon in 1998, and that's all they drove for the next 20 years (other than a Miata for fun). I think he went through 2-3 of them, Dad didn't change cars often. I think they were all manuals. When Dad bought a new one in 2017, he had to settle for a sedan because Subaru didn't make a wagon Legacy anymore and the Outback had swollen into something else. Of course, it had the CVT. He never liked the car, badly enough that he traded it in on a 2019 VW Sportwagen despite the big depreciation hit. He had never sold a car so soon after buying it, new or used.
So yeah, Subaru dropped the ball. They managed to drive off a 20 year loyalist (har har) by discontinuing their most useful body shape and making the car as uninteresting as possible. Sorry, Legacy, don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
It's amazing how good the fourth generation Legacy/Wagon/Outback still look ('05-'09 years) and how quickly it was hit by the boring train after that.
I must be the only one but I think the current Gen is a sharp looking car. I dream of manual swapping a 3.6 and putting it on Sparco Terra's for the ultimate dad sedan. And maybe an exhaust to see what the flat 6 sounds like.
Sport sedans are cool but stiff suspension is pointless. Roads are getting worse not better. I'll take a compliant car with lots of travel (at least our Crosstrek has a ton of wheel travel for a street car) and a big NA engine with a manual any day.
Pour one out for the Legacy. I hope you come back one day as something a little more serious and a little more exciting.
This thread made me realize I didn't know what the Legacy looked like anymore.
Apparently it looks like this. It doesn't look bad, it just doesn't look special, unique, or interesting.
I think I cracked 18 years with my 2005 Legacy, I keep thinking I will sell it but damn, it is just a great reliable friend. I will probably hit 20 with it.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:My gut reaction is, they still make the Legacy?
Yeah, me too. I can't rememebr the last time I actually saw one.
Which is a shame, because the early-Oughties Legacy is one of the most handsome sedans ever made.
maschinenbau said:My wife has had her 2014 since new. It has been a nice, bland, gray refrigerator. Like an AWD Camry, perhaps with even less soul. Luckily she only drives 5k miles a year so it hasn't had a chance to commit Subaru.
"Commit Subaru" heh. I like it
My mother had a 1995 Legacy wagon that she drove for over a decade before donating it to her church after buying a Volvo V50 wagon around 2010, I think. I think she still sees it being driven by the current owner in the church lot from time to time. She recently bought a new Forester to replace the Volvo. I'm not sure if she looked at the current Legacy, but I know the size of current cars by most makes was an issue for her while shopping. Even the Forester is larger than she wanted.
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