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Time to read 16 min
It is always a major disappointment when something that you are connected to through emotion, pride, or just simple dedication, goes away never to return. Sometimes it's a welcomed breath of relief when certain things go away. Things like a bad cold, a splitting headache, or a stomach flu are a few annoyances that many enthusiasts of any brand can parallel with a few of the major exhales in their life. The Subaru community has been dealt with some joyful relief and some heart wrenching disappointment of the past decades which have not always been combined with logical explanation. Those of us who have been around a while certainly remember that Subaru chose to discontinue a few models they originally released with so much pride over the years for various reasons. When you closely watch the automotive market you'll quickly realize - but not always understand - that all manufacturers let themselves become affected by changing trends within the space, the acceleration of technology, and their perception of how the consumer will behave and invest. As they glance through those all-seeing binoculars, they look at the battle map and decide that specific vehicles have to go away. A view of overall manufacturing costs, measuring the model's sales volume, and a calculated competitive analysis is usually three of the major blows a model takes before it hits the canvas and count goes down. The first of these memorable knock outs would have to include the Subaru B9 Tribeca, which obviously seemed to be a questionable option for the company to release right out of the gate. Between a somewhat odd exterior profile with an unconventional hood design, large size to align with its five-plus seating capacity, confusing instrument panel, and a number of other criticisms, the Tribeca fell in 2014 to poor sales after only a couple of years on the market. In earlier days, Subaru threw a dart towards the small truck market. In 1978, the automaker decided to introduce a solution called the Subaru Brat, a small, sporty, four-wheel-drive utility coupe that was a keen follow-up design to the Subaru Leone station wagon. This little, unique take on the compact pickup, but with a short stance, and stylish lines for the times, became a popular platform for someone who wanted a mix of small sports coupe and convenient utility. As the market began to change and consumers focused on larger mid-size to full-size pickup trucks with more power, the lovable Brat fell off the renewing drawing board in 1994 and forced Subaru to yet again look at their options for the immediate future. Up until this time, Subaru's Loyale, also known as the Leone, the Omega, the GL-10, and the 1800, had a long life in the marketplace, being a familiar fixture since 1971. As it entered its twentieth year in the marketplace, the Loyale began to lose its luster standing beside its newly released, younger siblings. When Subaru gave birth to more promising children, the Loyale's lights started to fade to black and was added to the growing list of discontinued.
Between 1989 and 1994, Subaru introduced three more promising designs that would allow them to inject a new energy into both interested consumers and faithful followers. The Subaru Legacy began its reign in 1989 while the Subaru Impreza soon followed in 1992 becoming two platforms who finally stuck to the road and track without evidence of moving for years to come. By 1994 the aging platforms were finally put to rest to make room for the younger, more stylish models. Taking a baseline cue from the success of newly introduced Impreza, Subaru again decided to adapt to the changing market and roll out the Subaru WRX Sports Wagon in 1994 with an inspired performance fueled trim but no mechanical enhancements that could make it comparable to its older sibling. Again, poor sales after only one year caused Subaru to kick it off the assembly line in 1995 and focus on the Impreza's second generation of production. Widely known by brand enthusiasts as the Subaru Alcyone SVX, this next short-lived low sales vehicle rolled through the streets between 1991 and 1996. Even though, again, the design was a unique departure for the brand, the SVX proved to be a good performer for those who took ownership, but due to the challenging economy of the time and the disappointing return of investment, strategic bean counting helped Subaru decided to wrap up its life in 1996 and get back to the drawing board. As the clock clicked forward while Subaru's engineerings kept looking back at the Brat for inspiration, Subaru's Baja hit the streets between 2002 and 2006 giving consumers a uniquely designed "utility coupe" half midsize pickup truck version of the Outback, that came short and didn't hold any connection to the Outback once its platform went through some changes and Subaru decided against continued production. Lastly, but surely not the only remaining discontinued platform worth mentioning is the Subaru XV CrossTrek Hybrid which jumped into the market back in 2014 with hopes to be Subaru's hybrid answer to the growing competition led by brands like Toyota with their popular Prius. Again, with a good head start and fine intentions the XV CrossTrek Hybrid barely scratched any impact on their sales sheets for the next year due to minimal fuel savings even with the Hybrid battery's contribution. With the coming storm of fully electrified solutions coming over the hill and into the future, Subaru discontinued the XV CrossTrek Hybrid by 2017 and started making plans to inject an EV model of this platform and enter the competition in a different ring. Over time, like any automaker or corporate entity, decisions are made to agree with the bottom line, whether it is popular or not. As we know, the brand has continuously maintained their current stable of ponies and have remained innovative and competitive with most, but recently they brought another, earlier mentioned, old favorite under the lights to get prepared for one last rodeo.
Depending on what Subaru enthusiast is speaking and what context is covered, the Subaru Legacy could be viewed ultimately as the automaker's "flagship" vehicle, being that at its birth in 1989, it proved to be unique in its class and its offerings. The Legacy came out of the box with Subaru's boxer engine, front wheel drive, and/or an all-wheel-drive transmission as standard options. Within its first generation and its release to the U.S. market between 1990 and 1994, the Legacy Sedan (BC), the Raised Roof Wagon (BF), and the Standard Wagon (BJ) were rolling in direct competition with import platforms offered by Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, and Honda. This vehicle gave North American consumers Subaru's brand new flat-4 engine, the EJ, along with a choice of a 5-door wagon or 4-door sedan with a 4-channel ABS, and a conveniently attractive controllable air suspension giving each driver the ability to heighten the ground clearance on the vehicle to handle the challenges of more aggressive off-road environments. Between the years 1991 and 1994, Subaru was on a full production roll offering U.S. customers models called the Legacy Sport Sedan and the Legacy LE Touring Wagon. With the arrival of the Legacy's second generation, Subaru had revised both the chassis and body bringing even more innovations to the platform and expansion of the vehicles capabilities. The North American market saw the introduction of the Subaru Legacy Sedan (BD), the Step-roof Wagon (Outback trim, BG), and the Standard Roof Wagon (BK) by the 1995-96 season. An alternative spin-off of the Legacy, called the Legacy Outback, came to fruition by 1996, giving the faithful an AWD model with a heightened suspension to fully inject itself into the sport-utility vehicle (SUV) realm where momentum was growing each day and enabling Subaru to be competitive, successful and profitable. The Legacy GT models, featuring a turbocharged motor, the new EJ25D DOHC 2.5 L naturally aspirated engine, was a premium upgrade on both the sedan and wagon, and by 1998 the Limited badge was added to bring some style, luxury, and comfort with heated seats, tinted glass, and a moonroof to complete the package. As 1999 ended, Subaru celebrated a successful 30 year run in the American market and also closed the books on the second generation of the Legacy. Over the next ten years, between 1998 and 2008, Subaru introduced two more generations of their popular Legacy platform to North America with redesigns on the exterior and under the hood. Subaru gave the chassis an upgrade to improve stability and stiffness while boosting some performance with the return of a 2.5-liter, turbocharged engine borrowed from its sibling, the Impreza WRX STI . During this timeframe, Subaru brought in these turbocharged models with their first Prodrive tech-flavored SportShift 5-speed automatic transmission making a historic impression with the consumer and the industry at large. This era established the Legacy as Japan's Car of the year in 2003 and 2004, it was awarded International Car of the Year, Most Dependable/Sedan by Road & Travel Magazine , and All-Star Family Car by Automobile Magazine by the end of 2005 while the 2.5i, 2.5i Limited, 2.5GT, and 2.5GT Limited models roamed free in the U.S. market.
By 2006, the Legacy snatched up the International Engine of the Year Award to show how the platform had evolved and matured as an innovative solution for just about everyone over almost twenty years as it approached its fifth generation of release. Consumers and critics within the auto industry from this time period up until the present day have considered both the 2006 and 2007 model years to be the brightest years for the Legacy, due to the platform's stunning reviews and experiences with reliability and top-rated fuel economy. With the entrance of 2009, Subaru brought a concept version of the Legacy into public view as it celebrated the 20th year of success with the platform. Exclusively released in Japan and the United States, the automaker rolls out the turbocharged Legacy 2.5GT equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission and, in the North American market, decides only to offer the Legacy wagon as the Outback. The 2009 Legacy dealt with some historic and critically reported reliability issues which included engine failures and head gasket leaks making it stand as one of the most unpopular years for the platform as Subaru dealt with these common problems throughout the winding out of the fifth generation of production. As the calendar brought the sixth generation of the Subaru Legacy around the corner at the beginning of 2014, Subaru released the newest model Sedan (BN) and Wagon to the U.S. market to last over a span of five years from 2014 to 2019. During this time of change and improvement, Subaru decides to discontinue the Legacy Touring Wagon from the international market while concentrating on the popular Outback as their Crossover and "multi-purpose vehicle" offering for the upcoming future. Subaru keeps a steady course between the fifth and sixth generations of the Legacy with both the FB25 flat-four, 2.5-liter engine and the EZ36D flat-six 3.6-liter motors remaining as the power plants for the platform, but giving the four cylinder output specification a boost up to 173 bhp while leaving the six cylinder alone. The Legacy rolls along its sixth generation with its AWD as a standard configuration while keeping its personality popular and in check with no apparent changes in sight. As we all know, 2020 brought a large slice of challenge and obstacle to all corners of the world with the incoming pandemic that changed how we lived, worked, and played. This place in history was also the start of the Subaru Legacy's seventh and soon to be last generation which saw the maker make some mechanical changes to the platform with updates to the base FB25 motor. Subaru brought the turbocharged flat four, 2.4 liter FA24 engine to push out the EZ36 flat six 3.6 liter engine which allowed them to almost completely replace the components within the FB25 that was available with the previous platform. At this point forward, Subaru began to offer the consumer a selection of five trims for the Legacy which included its Base, Premium, and Limited options featuring the reworked FB25, which by 2024 had an output of 182 hp. Subaru also gifted their 260 hp FA24F turbocharged, direct-injection motor to both the Sport and Touring XT trim packages then again giving the almost 26 year veteran vehicle another injection of fresh air and final breath of longevity.
Like any legendary figure, when life comes to its end we try to focus on the accomplishments, the victories, and the positive aspects of the journey rather than criticizing the faults and shortcomings. Having discussed the full history of the Subaru Legacy we may wonder why they have decided to discontinue this iconic platform. Like an older champion prize fighter, it has proven its metal, taken punches well, and given a few back to show it is still in the fight and not close to giving up. Collectively, it opened so many historic doors not only for the Subaru company, but also to views of how we look at transportation today. One of the most common if not the most seen vehicle type on American roads today is the SUV, which is largely due to the evolution of the Legacy and the vehicles spun from its original conception. Most serious enthusiasts realize that this platform was an innovator, champion, game changer, and one of the most dependable vehicles to come out of Japan. If we look at the automotive history books, the ones that really care about innovation, we'll see the sign posts along Subaru's journey that mark those important moments in time that the faithful will never forget. The early Legacy stood proud as the "Number-one-selling 4-wheel drive car in the US", as determined by R.L. Polk & Company in 1990. That same year, Autoguide proclaimed the Legacy as the "Least expensive Sedan or Wagon offering both 4-wheel drive and ABS", while the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada ( AJAC ) called it "1990's Best New Sedan". Along with all this obvious praise and press thrown on a new, shiny vehicle within a colossal market, the Legacy was in the field proving its worth from the very beginning in 1990. We cannot forget that with assistance from Prodrive , the then new Legacy model was starting to establish a position with both the World Rally Championship and British Rally Championship with the Subaru World Rally Team at the helm. In 1990, the Subaru Legacy left a lasting mark as the first car in the Group N category to finish the world's most intense and challenging competition under the World Rally Championship banner, the WRC Safari Rally. As a Group N car, with an 8th place overall finishing position, the Legacy was the only vehicle with enough stamina to see the finish line in that event. By 1992, the Legacy appeared and took two separate second place wins at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with both driving icons Colin McRae and Ari Vatanen guiding the way. The same pair of Subaru Team drivers took third place victories at the Swedish Rally while bringing additional success at the Acropolis Rally . Pulling assorted victories, in addition to several between 1990 and 1992, success over the following decades raised its profile in many sections of motorsports, including the illuminating wins at the Alcan Winter Rally where it secured the prize in those years, but also in the future, in 2002 and 2006. After those earlier runs in the early 90s, the Legacy kept improving and proving itself for the next six years only to then, in 1998 bring a third generation car to set a new world speed record for mass-produced turbocharged station wagons with small engines by reaching a speed of 168.101 mph on Colorado's Highway 10, continuing the success of the previous record holder the 1993 Subaru Legacy second generation. In 2007, the Legacy, then creeping up on its 20th birthday, was voted as the Top Gear "Car of the Year", which not only proved its incredible stamina and popularity in the marketplace, but showed how much it was beloved over decades of change and reinvention.
The dedicated followers and enthusiasts of the Legacy platform know that this was more than just another car model. As we have outlined, it held a lot of "firsts" within the spirit of its ever changing chassis and revolving design. We know that this was the first Subaru model produced in the U.S. manufacturing plant in Lafayette, Indiana, a facility that continues to build the Legacy, but also creates two other platforms - the Ascent and Crosstrek - that would not exist without the innovations launched from its birth and lifespan. Back in the year 1989, it would have been hard to believe what the automotive world would look like today. A world where the four door sedan has become somewhat of a dinosaur and rarity amongst the vast collection of very common multi-purpose, utility vehicles, small economy and ecology-centric designed cars, and fully electric modes of transportation that are becoming smarter, more complex, and, truthfully, less unique compared to the shiny innovations that were appearing around each corner in earlier days. We should not forget that the Subaru Legacy rolled out of production as a four-door sedan, then a five door wagon with a blank canvas of possibilities that were explored, re-explored, and improved over a long period of time. This spawned a collection of vehicles that changed a landscape that we take for granted due to the swiftness of time, technology, and modern creativity. Now, in our present day, with 2025 around the corner, the large majority who cannot remember or choose to ignore the evolution of the Legacy and other cars with similar stories that have existed throughout automotive history, may put this platform in the "dinosaur category" making it obsolete and a encumbrance to the future development of more important designs and engineering. Looking at some recent comments within industry forums, publications, and social platforms, we can read how the Legacy has retained some dignity and shifted from the inspiring champion who will always be know for its stamina, skill, and resilience, to the somewhat faded classic film star who you not dare criticize in mixed company or be chastised by the unfaltering fans that have cherished the accomplishments left behind.
Respectful quotes stating, “The Legacy is sensible, comfortable, quiet, and easy to live with in almost every way, plus it comes with all-wheel drive, a unique standard feature in the class", or, the 2024 Consumer Reports semi-tributary acknowledgment that reads, "The Legacy provides a super comfortable ride that outshines some luxury cars. Handling is responsive but not sporty." From those reflecting on a platform that came full circle for the consumer over a long life, another forum post explained, "[The Legacy] offered a spectrum of choices from the milquetoast 2.5i to the gentleman's STI Spec B, and even a posher, leather-lined six cylinder 3.0R for those wanting power from a smoother source than the available turbo 4", while some sadly blame the automaker for a lack of parenting by sharing, "The wheels came off the bus with the 2010 [Legacy] model...the now sedan-only Legacy was left as an ugly duckling without an aspirational version, and that hasn't really changed in the generations that followed. Sedans are dying, true. But Subaru effectively gave up on the Legacy over a decade ago." As Subaru plans to pull down the curtain on its oldest and most evolving platform, the most dedicated brand follower will wonder why such things need to happen. Subaru explained themselves as clearly as a corporation can when confronted with difficult business decisions. On April 23, 2024 they outlined the decision with a concluding paragraph that, in part, reads, "[the] discontinuation reflects market shifts from passenger cars to SUVs and crossovers and Subaru’s transition to electrified and fully electric vehicles", while finishing and confirming that they will focus on "eight EV models by the 2028 calendar year." Will the company also bring other beloved favorites and uniquely iconic models to the finishing line in the near future? Logically, if we honestly look at the past and accept the future of the automotive world, most would answer “YES”. The great news is, as enthusiasts and faithful members of the Subaru community , we can always remember, hold our favorites high with respect, and keep their memories alive for as long as we choose. There is no replacement for the Legacy in sight, but as we all know, the joy is in anticipating the possibilities.
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Bryon Turcotte - Marketing Writer/Analyst
Turcotte has worked as a writer, journalist, and digital content developer for 30 years. He began his career in music journalism in 1995 then worked for several years as both a staff writer, managing editor, and a freelancer for both regional and national music publications. Over the next three decades his contributions extended beyond the music industry as he served within the realms of higher education, science and technology, manufacturing, and finance. He has been serving as a content developer and writer on the Subimods Marketing team since August 2023.
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