Subaru Legacy Wagon | We Want It Back!

25 May 2022 Redazione Budget Cars, News

By Carlo Brema / Photos Subaru Media

In 1998, the Subaru name had a completely different meaning than what comes to mind today. The Japanese brand was mainly producing reliable pickups and was just collecting the first results obtained by the Impreza in the world of rallying. The Legacy thus had the task of explaining to the world that there was so much more and intended to do it with a wagon that combined the proverbial symmetrical all-wheel drive with greater attention to detail, offering what would make it a valid alternative to the more traditional European sedans and wagons.

The 1998 Legacy Wagon was therefore the third generation of the Legacy family, but it finally overturned its shapes, making it more modern, without sacrificing high-level design solidity. If in fact it was perfectly capable of facing any type of weather condition using the four-wheel drive and a 2.0 cc 125 hp engine, or a 2.5 cc 156 hp, both available with both a 4-speed automatic gearbox and a more traditional 5-speed manual, the Legacy Wagon introduced unusual stylistic solutions for the category, such as the absence of the frame around the windows, a detail that reflected the care taken in every minimum aspect of a model destined to conquer the interest in those that so far would not have imagined behind the wheel of a Japanese car.

The innovations also continued in the passenger compartment, with the presence of automatic climate control, leather seats and ample space for five people and luggage, without forgetting the possibility of opting for a large panoramic glass roof. The Legacy Wagon is one of the best examples of how with a substantially negligible expense you can take home an extremely reliable car that is still capable of covering hundreds of thousands of kilometers in any condition. After a slight update introduced in 2002, the fourth generation arrives as early as 2003, introducing more powerful engines and further embellishing both the exterior and the cockpit. In 2009 it is time for the fifth and last generation, which in 2014 gives way to the Levorg parenthesis, the meeting point between a wagon and a crossover.