Sayonara to the legendary Legacy
Subaru in New Zealand is preparing to say sayonara to the legendary Legacy which will no longer be part of the manufacturer’s line-up from next year.
The Legacy has been one of Subaru New Zealand’s top performers since it arrived in 1989. And it had big shoes to fill, stepping in to replace the old but much-loved Leone.
New Zealanders were quick to embrace the Legacy, however, and its popularity soared, especially as a used import in the 1990s.
Subaru of New Zealand’s managing director Wallis Dumper recalled Legacy’s glory days, when it was the country’s best-seller.
“While the Toyota Corolla was top of the new car sales overall, Legacy was New Zealand’s number one selling used vehicle thanks to the massive imports ratio,” he said.
“For Subaru in New Zealand this was important, as we knew people loved the brand and the car. Legacy developed a bulletproof reputation, so it was a natural progression to guide customers from a used Legacy to a new Subaru as time went on.
The Legacy’s fame ignited with Scottish driving legend Colin McRae at the wheel when he scored the Subaru team’s first World Rally
Championship round win at the Rally of New Zealand in 1993.
“While most Kiwis probably associate Subaru’s historic WRX model as being synonymous with winning rally championships, the reality is that Colin’s success in the Legacy then inspired Subaru to enter the WRX, and become world champions three times over in 1995, 2001 and 2003,” Dumper said.
“Legacy also starred on a national level in the New Zealand Rally Championship, with legends like the late Possum Bourne and multiple championship winner Joe McAndrew scoring their victories in this Subaru model.”
The Legacy wasn’t just a success on gravel, however. It racked up a long list of awards, including the ultimate recognition as Car of the Year in 2000 and 2004:
2000 – Subaru Legacy wins NZ Autocar Car of the Year and National Business Review Car of the Year.
2000 – Subaru Legacy wins NZ Autocar Best Medium Car.
2004 – Subaru Legacy 2.5i wagon wins AA Autocar New Zealand Car of The Year.
2004 – Subaru Legacy wins AA Autocar New Zealand Best Medium Car.
2005 – Subaru Legacy wins AA Autocar Best Executive Car.
2009 – Subaru Legacy wins AA Autocar Medium Large Category.
2015 – Subaru Legacy wins NZ Company Vehicle’s Large Business Car of the Year.
Those awards, Dumper said, distinguished the Legacy from the medium market pack, which over the two decades following its launch represented a significant part of New Zealand’s automotive landscape.
A more recent contraction of the medium sector had seen Subaru’s burgeoning SUV range surpass Legacy’s previous successes though, not least with the ultra-popular Outback, which had always shared the same platform.
In a clear indication of how market preferences had changed over the past year, 64 Legacys sold in New Zealand in 2019, compared to
Outback’s sales of 1322.
Over the generations, around 4000 New Zealandnew Legacys had been sold to Kiwi drivers.
“No one can take away the credibility Legacy built for itself. Stable and sure-footed on the worst back country roads that New Zealand could throw at it, and safe and reassuring on the wettest, slipperiest city intersection, Legacy has created its own legacy,” he added.
“Subaru’s ‘Confidence in Motion’ catch phrase arose primarily from everyday Legacy drivers’ feedback to Japan’s engineers when they visited New Zealand in the early 2000s to learn why the brand was so readily accepted in Aotearoa.”
Although production of the Legacy 3.6RS and 2.5 models would cease from next year, customers still seeking a Subaru sedan could consider the current generation Impreza, which closely mimicked the physical size of the third generation Legacy sedan and offered the same Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive attributes. Even more appealing for those drivers who remembered the old Legacy, the modern versions of the Impreza and the WRX both had more cabin space courtesy of technological advancements.
“We also have the WRX, as a performance sedan option that is probably the closest relative to the various turbocharged Legacy variants, such as the RS and GTB, which captured the hearts of so many enthusiastic drivers in their heyday,” Dumper said.