Subaru Legacy is a mid-size car introduced by the Japanese manufacturer Subaru in February 1989 as a larger companion to the company's Leone/Loyale. Worldwide distribution started in 1990. In Australia, the Legacy bears the name Liberty out of respect for Legacy Australia, an organization which aids veterans and their families during and after wars. According to a press release from Subaru listed by Autoblog, as of November 2008, 3.6 million Legacies have been built since its 1989 introduction. The standard equipped symmetrical all-wheel drive system is currently unique to the Legacy in this class size of vehicle.
In the USA market, the Legacy competes with the Toyota Camry, the Honda Accord, the Mitsubishi Galant, the Mazda 6, and the Nissan Altima. German automaker Volkswagen offers AWD as an option on the Volkswagen Group A5 PQ46 platform, however it is an extra cost option on upper trim level cars. The Ford CD3 platform can also be equipped with AWD for the USA market, but it too is an extra cost option only on the uplevel V6 models.
On May 10, 2008, the Japanese-spec Legacy can be fitted with a new safety feature, called EyeSight. It consists of twin cameras, one on each side of the rear view mirror, that use human-like stereoscopic vision to judge distances and generally keep tabs on the driver. The system can help maintain a safe distance on the highway, a lane departure warning system, a driver alert warning for various safety situations, and even keeps an eye out for pedestrians. SI-Cruise has been integrated into the EyeSight feature as a driver safety aid.
The flat-4 diesel engine, the worlds first and only, is offered in both the Legacy and Outback sedans and wagons, identified as the Subaru Legacy 2.0D. The vehicle was released in the EU starting March 2008, and is offered with a 5 speed manual transmission only. The official introduction of the Legacy and Outback diesel was at the Geneva AutoShow in March, 2008.
