Funny how things end up. Last year Subaru tried to position itself as a mainstream Japanese car, just like
Honda or
Toyota. Buyers, however, refused to accept this notion, and the marketing plan fizzled.
This year, Subaru is launching a new Legacy, the company's midsize bread-and-butter sedan. In the process, Subaru decided to focus on its traditional heritage: a specialized car with all-wheel drive (AWD) for folks who march to a slightly different drummer. Particularly, different drummers who live in real four-season climates.
But darned if the all new Legacy isn't more mainstream than anything Subaru has ever produced. The car is more re-fined and appealingly styled, with fewer quirks and rough edges.
Consumers will profit from Subaru's back-to-basics strategy, too. To showcase its unique selling proposition - the only affordable passenger car with AWD - Subaru has slashed the price in half for the option package that includes AWD.
Subarus have traditionally looked unlike anything else. We have a friend who insists that Subaru's star pattern logo is actually a secret map devised by the company's designers to show them the way back to their home planet.
But for 1995, the Legacy settles down to Earth. The all-new exterior has been stretched, rounded and smoothed, and odd little details have disappeared. The result is a sedan that visually holds its own with other Japanese models.
The wheelbase has been stretched 2 in., with most of the increase devoted to interior space. Overall, the car is about 3 in. longer, 1 in. wider and 2 in. taller, easing the cramped feel of its predecessor.
Subaru has created an option package for the Legacy that includes AWD, anti-lock brakes, 4-wheel disc brakes and cruise control - and slashed the price from $3000 to $1500.
Why would you want all this? Part-time systems - the usual setup on sport/ utilities - are great in deep snow or mud, but less than perfect in the sleety, wet, icy, treacherous conditions that usually prompt drivers to wish they had 4-wheel drive. Part-time systems are also designed for occasional use, and they won't stand up to extended running on the open road.
Carmakers have mostly shunned AWD for passenger cars, believing it is too heavy, too expensive and too hard on fuel economy. Subaru is betting that people will go for its AWD system, which is lightweight and inexpensive and has minimal impact on fuel economy (21 mpg city and 28 mpg highway compared with 24 and 31, respectively, for front-wheel- drive versions).
