Subaru puts a fine point on it

The new Legacy and Outback range is bigger inside and out than ever, a strategy Subaru calls "controlled aggression". Photo / Supplied

Subaru has placed new emphasis on percentages in an industry where sales share among the niche players comes down to splitting decimal points: its 2 per cent slice of a battered market so far this year soars above the 1.7 per cent of last year.

"We are doing the job we need to do in a tough market," says Subaru New Zealand managing director Graeme Woodlands.

"That 2 per cent is real customers wanting to buy Subaru. It includes the runout sales of Legacy and Outback. It is not from registration numbers in a market so full of manufacturers playing sales tricks."

Woodlands introduced the new all-wheel drive Legacy and Outback line-up on a mix of roads through the Waikato and King Country this week.

The petrol sedans and wagons go on sale later in the month and diesel variants follow soon after, going into a market down around 35 per cent on last year.

Woodlands is picking overall sales of new cars and commercials for 2009 at "70,000 units for the year".

"If we are lucky, it might be a bit more - that's assuming we are now at the bottom of the cycle."

Other executives in the industry believe sales at year's end will fall shy of 70,000. Compare that to 103,000 sales in 2007 and 97,000 in 2008.

Subaru talked up percentages with the fifth-generation Legacy and Outback offerings, claiming improved fuel economy of up to 12 per cent across the petrol range. The new six-speed continuously variable transmission (CVT) it calls Lineartronic helped here, it said.

A revised brake package improved response times by 20 per cent, it said. Buyers were broken down into groups, with the Outback attracting a bigger percentage of females.

Subarus have never been the most economic of vehicles, a reputation the carmaker wants to now set aside. It laid out the most recent Australian fuel economy data from manufacturers. The new four-cylinder CVT Legacy tops the segment list, rating at 8.4 litres/100km (34mpg) against its four-cylinder rivals: 8.7 litres for the automatic Mazda6, 8.9 litres for the automatic Honda Euro Accord, 9.3 for the automatic Ford Mondeo.

Subaru NZ did its own real-world test on the CVT-equipped models: the 2.5-litre Outback averaged a claimed 6.56 litres/100km over a 430km round trip between Auckland and Coromandel. The Legacy wagon recorded 6.78 litres and the sedan 6.91.

A 200km run around Auckland in the CVT wagon recorded 7.58 litres. The results, say Subaru, show that the new Legacy and Outback use around 2 litres less fuel over 100km than the outgoing models.

Exhaust emissions have also improved, it says, although only the 2.5i CVT unit manages a rating (198g/km) lower than 200g/km. The ratings meet Euro IV compliance.

"The reason it hasn't got a EuroV rating is because it hasn't been officially tested for EuroV," said Subaru Australia technical chief Derek Ashby. "What is coming out of the tailpipe actually meets the Euro5 standard."

The new models come with the choice of two engines: a four-cylinder 2.5-litre boxer unit producing 123kW at 5600rpm and 229Nm of torque at 4000rpm and a six-cylinder 3.6-litre boxer delivering 191kW at 5600rpm and 350Nm at 4400rpm. Both are good for 90-95 octane fuel. The line-up of gearboxes includes six-speed manual and six-speed CVT units and a five-speed automatic.

The Legacy range of sedans and wagons includes the 2.5i Sport, 2.5i Premium, 2.5i Sports Spec.B and 3.6R Premium (sedan only) and is priced between $41,490 and $54,990.

The Outback wagon line-up starts with the standard 2.5i at $45,490 for the manual and $47,490 for CVT. The 2.5i Premium with CVT is $52,490 and the top-range 3.6R Premium with a five-speed automatic is $59,990.

Subaru says its focus on fuel efficiency has allowed it to produce vehicles that are large enough to compete with large six and eight-cylinder units, but have better economy than key four-cylinder competitors.

In a nutshell, it rates the 2.5i CVT at 8.4 litres/100km; the 2.5i manual at 8.9 litres; and the 3.6R Premium at 10.3 litres.

The new Legacy and Outback range is bigger inside and out than ever. It is a deliberate engineering style, especially with the higher-riding Outback.

Subaru calls it "controlled aggression". It allows the carmaker to lure buyers in the all-important United States out of bigger, thirstier vehicles and into something that mixes size with fuel economy.

The Legacy wagon is 65mm longer, 50mm wider, 65mm higher and the wheelbase is up 80mm over the outgoing model. Legacy sedan is 80mm longer and 80mm higher. The Outback wagon is 60mm longer, 50mm wider, 70mm higher and the wheelbase is up 75mm.

Inside, the standout change is to the dash, much higher and with harder plastics than before. The space between the front seats increases by 30mm, thanks largely to the removal of the traditional brake handle. An electronic parking brake takes its place.

Space between front and rear seats is up 62mm. Rear legroom is boosted 99mm, front hip room 89mm and rear hip room 34mm. Front shoulder room is up 48mm and rear shoulder room 62mm.

The improvements carry through to luggage space. Wagons have an extra 31 litres and a 19mm improvement in width. Sedan boot space is up 43 litres.

Both vehicles sit on McPherson strut-type front suspension and a double-wishbone rear set-up and ride on 17- or optional 18-inch alloys.

Safety equipment runs to seven airbags and every available electronic aid, including stability control. The latest Legacy and Outback line-up is the best yet: accurate, predictable, comfortable, roomy - and not as thirsty.

It never lost its poise over 300km of sealed and unsealed roads, both sedan and wagon coping admirably with some of the most demanding surfaces in the country. It joins the 2009 list of some very good cars.