Numerous traditional passenger cars have lost the battle to high-riders these past few years, and another model is now getting ready to leave the assembly line for good: the Subaru Legacy.
The Japanese company will end production of its family sedan at the end of the 2025 model year. The official announcement came directly from Subaru, which said that the car's death "reflects market shifts from passenger cars to SUVs and crossovers" and is also tied to the brand's "transition to electrified and fully electric vehicles."
As a result, America will lose the Subaru Legacy after 36 years. The first one came out in 1989, and since its introduction, the model has been put together at the automaker's factory in Indiana for the U.S. market. The Legacy has racked up over 1.3 million sales in our market, thus making it the longest-running Subaru, and it is estimated that more than 94% of the Legacys sold over the last decade are still cruising the roads of our nation.
According to data published by GoodCarBadCar, Subaru parted ways with only 4,398 copies of the Legacy in the first quarter of this year. In 2023, they sold 25,509 units, slightly increasing over 2022's 22,605. In 2021, 2020, and 2019, Subaru sold 22,766, 27,240, and 35,063 Legacys in the United States. The smaller WRX sold 4,404 examples in Q1 of 2024, 24,681 the year before, and 18,662 in 2022. Subaru also sold 766 units of the BRZ in the first quarter of 2024, 4,188 in 2023, and 3,345 in 2022.
Photo: Subaru
Subaru says the 2025 Legacy will arrive at dealers this spring with the same starting price in the Base configuration. The entry-level still starts at $24,895, though there is no word about the pricing of the upper grades yet. The 2024 Premium, Limited, and Sport versions kick off from $27,195, $31,945, and $34,495, respectively, excluding the destination charge and dealer fees. The range-topping Legacy Touring XT has an MSRP of $38,195 for the 2024 model year.
Picking up the Base, Premium, or Limited means living with the 2.5L Boxer engine, which develops 182 hp (185 ps/136 kW) at 5,800 rpm and 176 pound-foot (239 Nm) of torque at 4,400 rpm. The 2.4-liter turbocharged mill is unavailable in these grades, as it is limited to the Sport and Touring XT.
This power unit produces 260 hp (264 ps/194 kW) at 5,600 rpm and 277 lb-ft (376 Nm) of torque between 2,000 and 4,800 rpm. A CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) is the sole transmission choice across the range, and all models feature the brand's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive System, Traction Control, Vehicle Dynamics Control, Active Torque Vectoring, independent suspension at both axles, and ventilated disc brakes on all four corners.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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