Relatively minor, but surprisingly meaningful tweaks is the order of the day for Subaru’s large cars with the release of the 2018 Legacy and Outback range, reports Damien O’Carroll.
The Legacy is now available in either 2.5i Premium or 3.6RS Premium forms, with the the 2.5i Sport model being dropped from the range.
The 2.5i Premium is still powered by Subaru’s 129kW/235Nm 2.5-litre petrol four-cylinder boxer engine, while the 3.6RS is powered by a 191kW/350Nm six-cylinder petrol boxer. Both engines are hooked up to Subaru’s Lineartronic CVT transmission which, along with the engines, has been tweaked for improved efficiency for 2018.
The Legacy gets a revised grille and bumper designs, new LED headlights with adaptive driving functions and LED daytime running lights. A new 18-inch alloy wheel design is also standard.
On the inside, the Legacy scores a larger eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system that now includes Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and satellite navigation, while the Legacy also gets the new third generation of Subaru’s excellent EyeSight driver assist system that now includes lane keep assist.
Other new safety features for 2018 include improved high beam assist, and front and side view monitors.
The Legacy 2.5i Premium retails for $49,990, while the 3.6RS lands at $54,990.
While Subaru NZ boss Wally Dumper says there is still interest in large sedans like the Legacy, he admits that the high-ride height wagon/SUV Outback is where the real bulk of Subaru’s sales lie, with the model representing a full 40 percent of the marque’s sales in New Zealand.
The Outback range is now consists of the 2.5i Sport, 2.5i Premium and 3.6R Premium, all of which are powered by the same engines as their Legacy equivalents.
Externally the Outback has been tweaked for 2018 as well, and features revised grille and bumper designs, a new wing mirror design for improved aerodynamics and noise reduction and new 18-inch alloy wheels.
Like the Legacy, all Outback variants now also get the new version of EyeSight and the new infotainment system, while the Premium variants also get the eight-inch touchscreen and LED headlights.
The 2018 Outback range starts with the 2.5i Sport at $44,990, while the 2.5i Premium lands at $49,990. The 3.6 R Premium costs $59,990.
On the road the new Legacy and Outback feel understandably similar to their immediate predecessors, by being big, comfortable cars that waft along effortlessly and offer large amounts of truly usable space (particularly the Outback).
Subaru New Zealand sold just under 1,500 units of the Outback last year and it it remains easy to see why it is a Kiwi favourite in the local line-up.
While ether Legacy is an impressively comfortable and capable sedan, the Outback mirrors all of that and adds the practicality of an SUV, with more than a dash of actual off road ability and some great looks.
