Subaru premieres next-gen Outback, Legacy in Thailand

BANGKOK, Thailand – On this humid, sunny day, a makeshift test course marked off by cones and piles of used car tires becomes a proving ground where the latest iterations of Subaru’s mid-size sedan Legacy and its sibling SUV, the Outback, earn their first stripes in front of motoring writers from Southeast Asia.

Most future owners will not have an occasion to make abrupt lane changes at speed, slalom past objects, or negotiate an obstacle with but three wheels on terra firma. However, it is definitely a reassuring thought to know that these situations can be dealt with handily by the vehicle you’re driving.

The all-new, sixth-generation Legacy is amply motivated by a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder, Boxer engine serving up 175hp and 235Nm. The newest version of the twenty-five-year-old marque represents the most current set of bells and whistles from the Japanese automaker’s factory.

The Legacy’s sibling in SUV form, the Outback features the same robust engine – conscripted to drive a “new distinct crossover look with bold, rugged body shape, bigger tires, and muscular fenders.”

In a presentation at the launch, Subaru product and portfolio planning division senior project general manager Masayuki Uchida said that the development of the two new vehicles were based on customer feedback and expectations. Six qualities were considered: reliability, utility, driving performance, low profile, cargo space, and symmetrical AWD (all-wheel-drive) capability.

As car designers are often wont to do – that is, express vehicular tenets in emotional statements, Uchida summarized the Legacy as “an optimal blend of design and engineering,” and the Outback as “capability mastered.” “You can go anywhere with the Outback, and do anything with the Outback,” he underscored.

Indeed, the SUV was put to its paces in a “jungle” section of the course. We engaged Subaru’s “X-Mode” and pushed forward. The X-Mode is a computer program that optimizes vehicle performance on various terrain types. Through shell pits, a series of slip rollers and cross rollers, the Outback knew what to do, even if we had reservations. For the average driver, that means a lot less thinking and panicking – leaving you to just focus on the road, or lack thereof.

Meanwhile, even if the Legacy looks more executive sedan than pocket rocket, it doesn’t miss a chance to eat up the road like nobody’s business. With a Subaru safety instructor’s guidance, we coaxed the sedan from here to there, quick and nimble and with a grip of a cat’s claws. The AWD provided stability to the swiftness.

Subaru is proud of a number of industry distinctions – such as the fact that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) bestowed the brand with more 2014 Top Safety Picks than any other carmaker. Subaru also says that its “vehicles are built to last” – evidenced by a reported 95 percent of vehicles sold in the last 10 years still on the road today.

In an interview with members of the Philippine motoring media, Tan Chong International Ltd. (whose subsidiary, Motor Image, distributes Subaru automobiles in Singapore, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Southern China, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam) executive director Glenn Tan maintained that, despite its sales successes, Subaru still “very much caters to a niche market.” It is not in the cards, as of yet anyway, to compete with the likes of bigger Japanese players like Toyota and Honda.

Still, Tan chided that the investment climate here could stand some improvement. “They could reduce red tape. Your roll of tape is quite thick,” he said with a smile.

Tan attributed the strong Subaru performance in the region to being “in the right place at the right time,” and, in the case of the Philippine marketplace, “consumers beginning to be more savvy… and evolving quickly.” To meet growing demand, Motor Image is gearing to open showrooms in Iloilo, Pampanga, and Camarines Sur next year. The all-new Outback and Legacy will be launched locally at next year’s Manila International Motor Show in April. Reservations may be made by March 2015.

The Tan Chong executive believes that the growth of Subaru in the Philippines is hinged on how people view the brand’s unique value propositions – such as the aforementioned symmetrical AWD, and the famous Boxer engine.

People just want better cars,” Tan declared.