Subaru on Thursday announced that the new 2020 Legacy would be making its international debut at the Chicago Auto Show on the 7th of February. That initial announcement was made simply with a very dark version of the above image showing off the Legacy’s massive portrait-layout infotainment touch screen, automatic shifter, and a bit of very nice looking brown leather.

Sedans, particularly the mid-sized segment that the Legacy occupies, have been pushed aside in recent years for scads of crossovers. That Subaru is so heavily invested in the new sedan speaks volumes.

With competition from Toyota’s Camry, Honda’s admittedly very good Accord, and the now-available-with-AWD Nissan Altima, the Legacy has to come out of the gate swinging in order to make an impact. As such it joins the ranks of Tesla, Volvo, Ram and more in getting a giant tablet-style screen on the dash.

The Legacy sedan will take its architecture from the modular platform that underpins the existing Ascent. It is likely that Subaru will make use of an updated version of the current Legacy’s 2.5-liter flat-four hooked up to Subaru’s CVT transmission. It is unlikely that the flat-six engine will return for the 2020 model year.

It is also likely that the same platform will spawn a new Outback model in short order as well, being that the Outback is essentially a lifted Legacy wagon. This, more than anything, explains Subaru’s investment in the new Legacy sedan.

Subaru of America introduced the all-new seventh-generation 2020 Legacy sedan - the most advanced Subaru Legacy in the model's 30-year history. With standard Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and EyeSight® Driver Assist Technology as well as available tablet-style high-definition 11.6-inch SUBARU STARLINK™ multimedia screen, DriverFocus™ Distraction Mitigation System and new XT models with 260 horsepower, the 2020 Legacy offers greater technology, performance, safety and refinement than ever before.

Built on the Subaru Global Platform, which offers increased safety, dynamics and quietness not to mention reduced noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), the Subaru Legacy will be available in Base, Premium, Sport, Limited, Limited XT and Touring XT models when it goes on sale at Subaru retailers this fall. New XT designations mark the return of a turbocharged engine to the Legacy lineup, thanks to a 260-horsepower 2.4-liter direct-injection SUBARU BOXER® engine, while other models sport an enhanced 182-horsepower 2.5-liter direct-injection BOXER engine. Every 2020 Legacy features a Lineartronic® Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), auto stop/start and Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive with Active Torque Vectoring.

Subaru has revamped the Legacy for 2023, with a number of stylistic changes and one notable mechanical addition. Sport trim Legacies, which previously housed the natural aspirated 2.5-liter flat-four, will now come standard with the torquey 2.4-liter turbocharged offering. Putting down 260 hp at 5600 rpm and 277 lb-ft of torque from 2000-4800 rpm, the forced-induction boxer engine is tuned for an everyday usable shove of torque at the bottom end of the powerband.

With five trim levels for the 2023 model year, only the Sport, Limited, and Touring XT trims will be equipped with the turbocharged power plant. Wallets can rejoice, however, as performance-oriented Legacy buyers were previously relegated to the upper echelons of the two XT trim levels. Though Subaru hasn’t released pricing for their 2023 models, the Sport trim is sure to provide a cost accessible entry to faster freeway merging.



Beyond the trim rearranging, changes to the 2023 Legacy are largely cosmetic or comfort-oriented. New across trims are redesigned headlights, a front bumper update, and the standardization of EyeSight Driver Assist Technology. Top of the line XT Touring models receive a 360-degree heated steering wheel and the addition of a Wide-Angle Mono Camera, which helps the EyeSight system in spotting pedestrians and cyclists in busy intersections. A trunk spoiler, red grille accents, and newly designed 18-inch wheels attached to a sport tuned suspension distinguish the Sport trim.

Subaru continues to use CVTs for the majority of their lineup, and the Legacy is no different. All Legacy trims are equipped with the Lineartronic CVT that features an eight-speed manual mode. Distinctions in gas mileage are slight, with the 2.4-liter turbo estimating 24/32 mpg city/highway and the 2.5-liter claiming 27/35 mpg city/highway. Subaru notes that the naturally aspirated model can travel up to 600 miles on a single tank with its 18.5 gallon fuel capacity.

Subaru’s reputation is one that rides on safety and it expects the Legacy to uphold the bar they’ve set. The 2022 Subaru Legacy earned a Top Safety Pick Plus from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the fundamental chassis of the Legacy remains the same for 2023. The IIHS is adding two additional tests to the 2023 Top Safety Pick Plus qualifications, including an increased speed side impact and nighttime pedestrian avoidance test.

While we would love to see a six-speed manual option, the Legacy is decidedly not an enthusiast-targeted car. That said, a Sport trim specific suspension and the addition of the 2.4-liter turbocharged heart may win over buyers looking for a safe and practical sedan with spirited driving hardware.

The Subaru Legacy will cease production at the end of the 2025 model year. The automaker is pulling the plug on the slow-selling sedan as it focuses on electrifying its lineup, it announced on Tuesday. The 2025 Legacy will go on sale with the same starting price as the 2024 car—$26,015 including a $1,120 destination charge—with Subaru’s EyeSight technology standard across the range.

Legacy sales began to stagnate in 2020 with the launch of the seventh-generation model, hovering at around 25,000 sales a year since then. The launch of the new model coincided with it no longer being sold in Japan and Australia due to disappointing sales.

The Legacy had a solid 2023 in the US, increasing sales by 12.9 percent. However, sales for the car are already down 13.1 percent through the first three months of 2024. Its most recent sales high happened in 2016, with 65,306 Legacy models sold.

Subaru introduced the Legacy in 1989, becoming its first model built in the United States. Since then, the automaker has built every US-bound Legacy at its Lafayette, Indiana, factory, selling over 1.3 million models in the country in 35 years.

Subaru previously announced it would have eight EVs in its lineup by 2028, so we suspect the Legacy-sized hole in its lineup will be filled sooner rather than later with something fully electric.