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Subaru Legacy Outback SUS equips a sedan with off-road gear
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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TALIHINA, Okla. -- The attendant at a fuel station in Talihina, westward edge of a scenic driving route stretched across the Ouachita Mountains of Oklahoma and Arkansas, inspected the test car with a keen eye.
Parked at the pump next to a dusty pickup and vintage Buick cruiser, it stood out because of so many seemingly incongruent elements. The vehicle presented the shape of a conventional sedan but had the high stance of an off-road wagon, with strong cladding around the bottom and bold round fog lamps in front like a rugged utility truck yet the bulging hood scoop of a muscle machine and a spoiler from a sports car flying off the tail deck.
"What the devil is that thing -- fish or fowl?" The attendant scratched his head in bewilderment.
It's a new type of vehicle, he was informed, endowed with a blend of properties from cushy street sedan to tough sport-utility wagon, and it stands tall for off-road romps and has an internal traction system which distributes engine power to all four wheels.
Pumped up with beefy air-intake scoop on the hood and jacked up in suspension for higher clearance, the car functions as city machine, highway cruiser and rough-and-tumble bushwacking sportsmobile.
Consider it the world's first sport-utility sedan, or SUS, for short.
Sport-utility sedan?
It responds with the poise of a refined sedan, providing a cushy ride quality, comfortable seating for five and interior perks which border on the luxurious, plus pedal power that's downright enthusiastic.
Unlike the typical city sedan, however, this one can also chart a course through the bush, bump over rocks and roots or plow through snow like a sled dog, taking you into that outback world where lesser vehicles dare not venture.
So it's a car as well as a sure-footed all-wheel-drive sport-utility -- two vehicles wrapped up in a sedan package with mid-size interior measurements.
And it comes from Japan's Subaru, world leader in automotive traction technology.
Subaru labels the new vehicle as the Legacy Outback SUS, drawing on the line's flagship Legacy sedan and its revolutionary Outback sport-utility station wagon. In effect, the Outback treatment has been adapted and applied to a Legacy sedan.
One driver spent a week playing with the ultimate version, Legacy Outback SUS Limited, and let me tell you: All vehicles should be this good -- and so versatile.
With car-like suspension and quick-to-respond rack and pinion steering, Legacy Outback SUS takes the work out of driving and acts in traffic like a refined sedan.
Yet it also behaves itself if you decide to follow your nose down a gravel path or rutted trail into the forest.
The long-stroke strut suspension, independent at every wheel, rises 1.2 inches higher than other Legacy models, then receives special components engineered to improve handling and stability when traveling away from pavement.
Ground clearance of 7.3 inches enables it to pass over obstacles on unpaved trails, such as rocks and ruts which a typical car cannot clear.
The stiff unibody structure, constructed alongside other Legacy models at Subaru's joint-venture plant in Indiana, incorporates front and rear crumple zones and extra bracing in doors and roof pillars.
Standard mechanical features include speed-sensitive power rack and pinion steering system and 4-wheel disc brakes linked to a computer-controlled anti-lock device.
The twin-cam 2.5-liter 4-cylinder aluminum block engine, largest that Subaru delivers to our market, produces 165 horsepower and excellent torque.
With cylinders opposed horizontally and cast perpendicular to the drive line, Legacy's plant uses equal-length drive shafts so pairs of cylinders work like boxers jabbing at one another in counterbalancing movements which negate the typical engine's vibrations or potential torque steer for front wheels in the 4-wheel-drive system.
With relatively modest weight but substantial power output, the car can scoot.
Its only shifter is a nice 4-speed automatic with electronic controls and rapid adaptation to throttle action.
In addition, the on-board all-wheel-drive system operates in the essence of simplicity. Power from the engine moves directly through an electronically-controlled transfer case to wheels which can support traction, with scant loss of energy or reduction in fuel efficiency.
Outback's AWD system never needs attention from the driver because it's always engaged -- so it's as easy to use as a conventional 2-wheel-drive system.
Why add all-wheel-drive equipment?
With Subaru's AWD attached, the driver develops more confidence in driving through any road condition -- dry, wet, frozen, sandy or graveled -- because the smart mechanism transfers power automatically from wheels that slip to those that grip.
Also, one driver discovered that this particular 4-wheel-drive system requires less elbow effort because you don't have to wrestle with the steering wheel to maintain forward progress: It doesn't exhaust you like some of the more cumbersome schemes.
The sedan also carries specific exterior elements, like bigger bumpers fore and aft, plus oversized halogen foglamps recessed in lower edges of the front bumper and 15-inch all-season radial tires mounted on aluminum alloy wheels.
A two-tone paint treatment completes the look.
An interior plan puts twin bucket seats in front of a bench for three with 60/40 split fold-down seatbacks. Reclining front buckets contain bold side bolsters to help retain body position during strenuous lateral maneuvers.
Conveniences include a tilting steering column, intermittent windshield wipers and air conditioning but extend to power operation for windows and door locks, and standard cold-weather gear like a deicer for front wipers and heat element in exterior mirrors and bucket seats.
The Limited edition adds a power moonroof, leather upholstery and stereo sound system with CD player.
1999 SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK SUS SEDAN
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 1999 SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK SUS Specs |
| Description: |
Mid-size AWD sedan |
| Model Options: |
Mid-size AWD sedan |
| Wheelbase: |
103.5 inches |
| Overall Length: |
182.5 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.5-L H4
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| Transmission: |
Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
All-wheel-drive |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
21/26 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 23,395 to $ 26,000 |
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