Automotive
The Subaru Legacy has long balanced rugged all-weather capability with everyday usability, and each generation has built on that formula while slowly bringing style and technology up to par with its performance roots.
The third-generation Legacy, launched in 1998, came quickly on the heels of its predecessor. Though rushed, it brought meaningful changes like standard all-wheel drive across the lineup, cementing Subaru's image as a brand built for real-world road conditions. The car’s design showed improvement, with larger headlights, a taller grille, and frameless windows that added a touch of uniqueness. With independent suspension at all corners, it retained a comfortable ride, while a functional hood scoop on turbocharged variants signaled its rally-bred potential.
In 2003, the fourth generation arrived and was a pivotal moment - it won Japan’s Car of the Year, beating out icons like the Toyota Prius and Mazda RX-8. Design finally caught up with Subaru’s legendary mechanicals. The new Legacy featured sleeker lines, sharp headlights, and a more refined front fascia, all while retaining hallmark elements like frameless doors and flat-four boxer engines. The Legacy B4 sedan showed Subaru could produce a car that looked just as good as it performed. A small rear quarter window was added behind the back doors, improving rear visibility and lending a more upscale profile.
Instead of moving on to a fifth generation during the 2007–2008 financial crisis, Subaru opted to facelift the fourth gen in 2008. It proved to be a strategically sound decision. With new bumpers, headlights, and front fenders, the Legacy adopted a more aggressive and sport-inspired appearance, borrowing cues from its rally heritage. New engines were also part of the package, keeping the lineup competitive in a shrinking market.
The seventh-generation Legacy, unveiled at the 2019 Chicago Auto Show, brought the model onto the new Subaru Global Platform (SGP), vastly improving torsional rigidity, handling, and noise/vibration harshness (NVH). While the design stayed familiar, under the skin it was a completely modern machine, offering advanced safety features, driver-assistance tech, and the long-awaited return of a turbocharged engine in the XT trim.
Subaru’s 2023 refresh of the seventh-gen Legacy gave the car a bolder face, with redesigned LED headlights, a more aggressive grille, and wider fog lamp scoops in the bumper. The Sport trim added flair with an integrated rear lip spoiler and 18" alloy wheels. Inside, the STARLINK infotainment system gained wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, while the updated safety suite introduced features like Automatic Emergency Steering, Blind Spot Detection, and Automatic Braking.
While it was never known for eye-catching styling, the Legacy evolved into a complete package. If you own a Subaru Legacy - from the turbocharged B4 to the latest XT - and need professional locksmith service, SherlockLock is your trusted partner. Whether it’s key programming, lock repair, or a vehicle lockout, our technicians are trained on all Legacy generations, ensuring fast and efficient service without the dealership hassle.
