Subaru Blows into Windy City with All-New, 7th-Gen Legacy

The preference pendulum of the global automotive market has swung from sedans to SUVs/crossovers, and much of this paradigm shift can be attributed to Subaru, when it first debuted the original Outback model in the late 90s.

But even if it was one of the pioneers of the SUV/CUV movement, Subaru doesn’t look to abandon the body type that helped make it a household name. Case in point, it has updated several of its sedans, and now, it’s giving its flagship four-door a complete makeover with the introduction of the seventh-generation Subaru Legacy at the 2019 Chicago Auto show.

The 2020 Subaru Legacy sedan, comes with some of the most advanced tech ever seen in a Subaru car. Standard features include the brand’s signature Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and Eyesight Driver Assist Technologies, as well as a tablet-style 11.6-inch Subaru Starlink infotainment touchscreen and Near Field Communication, to name just a few of the additions that imbue this all-new Legacy with greater technology, performance, safety, and refinement than ever before.

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Also new for the seventh-gen Subaru is its lane centering capability and trademarked DriverFocus Distraction Mitigation System that combines camera and facial recognition software to identify if a driver is starting to doze off. A warning appears on the touchscreen to alert the driver when this is happening.

Another first in the Legacy is the Front View Monitor, which captures images within the driver’s blind spots and shows it on the touchscreen display. The Front View Monitor is only available on the top-of-the-line Touring XT trim.

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The new-gen Legacy is built on the all-new Subaru Global Platform that, according to Subaru, is 70-percent stiffer than its predecessor, and also has a lower center of gravity. The platform employs a revolutionary method for joining upper and lower bodies, along with a new foam-filled crossmember. These new additions are designed to allow for a quieter, more stable and more agile ride.

A naturally aspirated 2.5-liter Boxer-four engine paired with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) gearbox is equipped in most of the trims. The Boxer is an updated version of Subaru’s familiar engine, completely redesigned and infused with direct injection. It delivers 182hp and 239 Nm of torque. And then there's the return of the turbocharged engine to the Legacy lineup, thanks to a 260 hp, 2.4-liter direct-injection Boxer engine that's also been paired to aLineartronic CVT.

Exterior-wise, the Legacy has been given a more aggressive design, based Subaru’s new design theme, ‘Bold in Movement.’ The beefed-up aesthetics include a frameless grille, aeronautic-inspired lower air intake, and wide fenders.

Subaru will release pricing information closer to the official sales launch of the 2020 Subaru Legacy later this year.