Many say the Toyota RAV4, introduced to America in 1996, was the crossover harbinger of doom. While that may be technically true, the Subaru Legacy Outback predates it, having debuted in 1995. Crossovers are essentially wagons with higher ride heights, and the Outback was literally that. They took a Legacy wagon, added some rugged-looking cladding, jacked up the suspension, and threw on some foglamps and bigger tires. Voilà, instant moneymaker.
In a way, the Outback was a return to Subaru’s roots in burly 4WD wagons like the Leone and ff-1 that started it all. They had tried to get sporty and techy in the late 80s and early 90s, making staples like the Legacy more streamlined and by introducing models like the Impreza and SVX. Sales were decent, but the Outback solidified Subaru’s bona fides as an outdoors-oriented brand for nature lovers.
The Legacy Outback was based on the second-gen Legacy. Initially, it was offered with a 2.2-liter boxer four making 135 horsepower delivered through a mechanical AWD with center VLSD, offered in manual 5-speed only. At launch, the 2.5-liter boxer making 155 horsepower and 155 lb-ft of torque was offered with a 4-speed automatic only and sent the power through an electronic AWD system. A 5-speed manual was introduced later.
The Outback proved quite capable on trails and snow in Motorweek‘s testing at the time. Despite the front bumper getting slammed on rougher terrain, they noted that the ground clearance of 7.5 inches was better than some body-on-frame SUVs at the time. They praised its roominess, thanks in part to the hi-roof body offered on the Outback, but also on some Legacy models in Japan. The 96.8 cubic feet of cargo room was impressive as well, and you can’t beat that $21,995 starting price for the 2.5.
They also commend the Outback for its sporty handling. From our experience, it suffers from some of the overboosted power steering that was on trend for the 90s. Its 9-second 0-60 time was adequate for its class, as was the 16.9-second quarter-mile time at 79 mph.
Motorweek‘s conclusion was that, thanks to the Outback, the wagon was here to stay. Three decades later, not so much. There are almost no wagons left in the US market, but the Outback still lives on. It even outlived the Legacy itself, which is kind of sad in its own way.
Until this article, I never knew that the current Subaru Outback doesn’t have “Legacy” as parts of its name. It’s very interesting that Americans don’t like the word wagon but have no problem buying one.
Clever marketing beats common sense, every time here.
The 1980 AMC Eagle sends regards
A lot of crossovers and larger luxury SUVs have been designed as a lower roof type, and I’ve seen a lot of people lower those vehicles too. Doesn’t that essentially make them a wagon again?
Time for “adventure” wherever you go…..
There also used to be an Impreza Outback! Still a hatchback, though, not a wagon. And now it came back with Crosstrek as its name, but not trying in any way to hide its Impreza origin.