Subaru Legacy

The Legacy at a glance

Subaru Legacy generations

Subaru's own history, from aircraft maker to boxer-engine specialist, is told in our history of Subaru.

Why Subaru created the Legacy

In the late 1980s Subaru was known for small, tough all-wheel-drive cars but had nothing to fight the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord in the mid-size class. The Legacy, launched in Japan on 23 January 1989, was the answer and became the company's flagship. It brought the new EJ series of flat-four engines, four-channel ABS licensed from Bosch and an optional air suspension.

American-market Legacys were assembled in Lafayette, Indiana, from the model's debut, so the plant built the car for 36 years.

To prove its durability, three turbocharged Legacy RS saloons ran 100,000 km in 1989 at an average of 223.345 km/h, taking 447 hours, 44 minutes and 9.887 seconds and setting an FIA world endurance record. The Legacy RS was also Subaru's rally car before the smaller Impreza took over; that story continues in our page on the Impreza WRX.

From BD to BL: the Legacy grows up (1993–2009)

The second generation went on sale in Japan on 7 October 1993. Japanese buyers could have twin-turbo 2.0-litre engines, and a Legacy estate set a speed record of 249.981 km/h for wagons in 1993. The most important new model was the Outback. Shown in 1994, sold as a trim package from 1995 and given a raised body and roof in 1996, it grew into Subaru's best-known car; see our guide to the Subaru Outback. From 1996 all-wheel drive was standard on every Legacy in North America.

The third generation (BE/BH, 1998–2003) added the 3.0-litre EZ30 flat-six, first in the Outback from 2001, and on 23 April 1998 a Legacy estate reached 270.532 km/h, a record for small-engined turbo wagons. The fourth generation (BL/BP, 2003–2009) was the most sporting. Japanese GT versions had a 2.0-litre turbo with 206 kW (280 PS) at 6,400 rpm and 343 Nm. In 2008 European buyers got the EE20, which Subaru called the world's first boxer diesel in a passenger car. The BL/BP was the 2003–2004 Japan Car of the Year, and on 14 March 2005 Subaru sold its three-millionth Legacy. In Japan the EyeSight camera safety system made its debut on the Legacy on 10 May 2008.

Fifth and sixth generations: bigger cars and the CVT (2009–2020)

The fifth generation (BM/BR) was shown at the 2009 New York motor show and grew noticeably in size to suit American buyers. It introduced the Lineartronic continuously variable transmission (CVT) on the 2.5-litre four, while the 3.6R used the EZ36 flat-six; the EE20 diesel continued in Europe and Australia.

The sixth generation (BN saloon, 2014–2020) appeared at the Chicago motor show in February 2014. It dropped the estate, leaving that role to the Outback, and was built in Gunma and Indiana. In Australia it was sold as the Liberty. Japan got only the 2.5-litre version, often called the Legacy B4, and production in Japan ended in June 2020, closing the model's history there. Updated for the 2017–2018 model years, it gained the 2.5i Sport trim, revised styling with sharper headlamps and a larger touchscreen.

By our calculation the 3.6R Limited carried about 8.7 kg per kW (1,661 ÷ 191), quick for a family saloon, but the 2.5 with 129 kW remained the volume model.

The final Legacy (BW, 2019–2025)

The seventh generation was revealed at the Chicago motor show on 7 February 2019, and the first car left the Indiana line on 29 July 2019. It moved to the Subaru Global Platform, with a much stiffer body. The base engine was a direct-injection 2.5-litre FB25 with 136 kW (182 hp), and the Sport and Touring XT used the 2.4-litre FA24F turbo from the Ascent with 194 kW (260 hp). Every version had all-wheel drive and a CVT with eight simulated steps. The BW was sold only in North America; it was not offered in Japan or Australia.

The 2023 model year brought a new front end with new headlamps and a larger grille, a standard 11.6-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and an electric brake booster. In April 2024 Subaru of America announced that 2025 would be the Legacy's last model year, citing the shift from saloons to SUVs and its move towards electrified models. By then the Legacy had found over 1.3 million buyers in the United States across its generations. A 2025 base model cost 24,895 US dollars before delivery, about 23,000 euros at the time.

Legacy safety and EyeSight

The Legacy built its reputation on active safety. Subaru launched EyeSight on the Legacy sold in Japan in 2008, and EyeSight-equipped sixth-generation saloons earned the top rating in the IIHS frontal crash test in the United States. In Australia ANCAP tested the 2015 Liberty. It recorded 14.99 of 16 points in the frontal offset test, 16 of 16 in the side impact and full marks in the pole test, with "Good" whiplash protection. The final BW added a driver-monitoring camera with facial recognition to warn of distraction and fatigue.

Legacy versus its rivals

The table shows why the end came: the Outback offered the same engines with more space and clearance. The Legacy's unique point among mid-size saloons was standard all-wheel drive with a low-mounted boxer engine; most rivals, such as the Toyota Camry, drove only the front wheels in most versions. Its weakness was the market: buyers who wanted all-wheel drive increasingly chose the Outback. Any two models can be compared in our comparison tool, and the size comparison tool shows how the BN saloon measures up against a rival. By our calculation the BW 2.4 turbo had 43 % more power than the BW 2.5 (194 against 136 kW).