Subaru set to farewell Legacy
Subaru of New Zealand is preparing for the end of an era with the Legacy set to disappear from the marque’s line-up from 2021.
The model has been one of the company’s top performers since it arrived here in 1989 when it replaced the Subaru Leone.
Wallis Dumper, managing director of Subaru of New Zealand, says the Legacy’s popularity soared in the 1990s and at one time was the country’s best-seller.
In the new-vehicle market, about 4,000 new Legacy units have been sold here over the past two decades.
“Whilst 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,” Dumper explains.
“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 became famous when Scottish driving legend Colin McRae scored the Subaru team’s first World Rally Championship round win at the Rally of New Zealand in 1993.
“Whilst 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 says.
“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.”
Other awards for the Legacy have included being named New Zealand’s Car of the Year in 2000 and 2004.
A recent contraction of the medium sector has seen Subaru’s SUV range surpass Legacy’s previous successes. The marque sold 64 Legacy models here in 2019, compared to 1,322 sales of its Outback.
Production of the Legacy 3.6RS and 2.5 models will cease from 2021 and Subaru says customers still seeking a sedan can consider the current generation Impreza, which closely mimics the size of the third-generation Legacy sedan and offers the same symmetrical all-wheel drive attributes.
