The mid-size 2017 Subaru Legacy sedan gets a few improvements in a 2018 update its maker hopes will bolster sales in a vehicle category suffering from a slide in popularity.
Legacy's changes largely aim to improve interior comfort and ride quality, and bring styling updates that better tie the car to other recently-updated models, like the 2017 Subaru Impreza compact.
Subaru's hope is that making an already decent car better will help turn around sales that dropped nearly eight percent in 2016, following the introduction of an all-new design in 2015. Of the 10 mid-size sedans available in Canada, only two -- the Chevrolet Malibu and Nissan Altima -- enjoyed a bump in sales in 2016 compared to the previous year.
In the forthcoming Legacy, a re-tuned suspension promises a smoother ride, and a revised automatic transmission, new side mirrors and front door glass will help reduced interior noise. Meanwhile, a new air conditioning system should cool the cabin more quickly, and a larger central touchscreen, along with the addition of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, put the Legacy closer to the meat of the market in terms of infotainment.
Other new stuff will include optional steerable headlights and a stitched dash, seats and door panels in uplevel trims.
The fundamentals will stay the same: engine choices remain a 2.5L four-cylinder offered with a choice of manual or continuously variable automatic (CVT) transmissions, and a 3.6L six-cylinder paired exclusively with the CVT.
Subaru will officially reveal the new Legacy Feb 11 at the Chicago auto show.
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