Subaru has revealed its new Legacy at the Chicago Auto Show in the United States, giving the seventh-generation sedan the option of a turbocharged engine for the first time since 2012.
Built on a stiffened version of the latest Subaru Global Platform, the US-spec Legacy will be available in as many as six trim levels, with the flagship variants fitted with a turbocharged 2,4-litre, four-cylinder boxer engine worth 194 kW (at 5 600 r/min) and 376 N.m (between 2 000 and 4 800 r/min). The result, according to Subaru, is a zero to 60 mph (97/ km/h) time of an “estimated 6,1 seconds”.
Other models will employ a “thoroughly revised” version of the brand’s familiar naturally aspirated 2,5-litre, four-cylinder boxer unit, now churning out 136 kW and 239 N.m.
And transmissions? Well, all new Legacy derivatives feature a Lineartronic continuously variable transmission, linked to the brand’s signature symmetrical all-wheel drive system. The Japanese firm’s EyeSight driver assistance technology also ships standard, complete with a new lane-centring function that’s active when adaptive cruise control is in use.
Inside the flagship US-spec models, you’ll find a new tablet-like, portrait-oriented 11,6-inch full HD multimedia display, framed by a fresh multilayer instrument panel featuring a soft-touch wrapped surface. Items such as seat heaters and a 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system will also be available.
Subaru Southern Africa says it has “yet to decide on the local introduction of this model”.
