Subaru's fourth-generation Legacy.

* The wheelbase increases from 104.3-in. to 105.1-in., and overall length is up by just under two inches. Cd for the sedan is 0.29, while the wagon's is 0.31. Its Euro-look exterior is matched by a very Volvo-like interior.

* The 2.5i Legacy and Legacy Outback models have a 50HC flat-four with 168-hp and 166 lb-ft of torque, while the Legacy GTs and Outback 2.5 XTs have a turbocharged twin cam four-cylinder with 250-hp and 250 lb-ft of torque. The Outback 3.0 R's DOHC six-cylinder also produces 250 hp, but just 219 lb-ft of torque.

* A five-speed automatic is standard with the six-cylinder and optional on the turbocharged models, naturally aspirated Legacys receive a four-speed automatic, and the turbocharged GT and XT have a standard five-speed manual gearbox. Subaru's "Symmetrical AWD"--it powers all four wheels all the time--is carried over.

* The chassis is new, with a hydroformed B-pillar, straighter frame members with larger cross-sections, and increased use of tailor-welded blanks. High-strength steel makes up 39.6% of the Legacy's body structure, aluminum 5.8%, high-strength steel with tailored-blanks 10.6%, and the rest is what Subaru euphemistically refers to as "normal" steel.

* The front and rear bumper beams are aluminum, as are the hood and the wagon's tailgate. Hood weight is down from 35.2 lb to 18.7 lb, while the new tailgate design weighs 3.5-lb less than before.

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* Bending rigidity is up 14%, front suspension mount rigidity is 30% higher, and torsional rigidity increases by 5%.

* Suspension is by MacPherson struts in front and a multi-link setup in the rear--as before--but there have been significant revisions to the geometry. By lowering the engine by 22 mm in the front and the center of the front differential by 10 mm, Subaru engineers dropped the center of gravity and gave the driveshaft a more horizontal path.

* To improve passive side-impact protection, twin steel pipe beams are used along with a steel reinforcement in the shoulder area of the front doors, and a steel pipe beam augments the plate-type side guard beam in the rear doors. A "door catcher" system ties the door bottoms into the main structure via a fork-and-pin arrangement in order to lessen intrusion in a side impact.

* Side impact airbags take the form of side-curtain bags and front seat-mounted thorax air bags. Electrically activated seatbelt pre-tensioners operate simultaneously with the front air bags before a mechanically operated force limiter engages to extend the belts slightly so the force on an occupant's torso is reduced. The front air bags also employ dual-stage deployment and a passenger-side occupant detection system.

* All Legacy models have four-wheel disc brakes with a four-wheel/four-sensor ABS system, and an electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) system. The tandem brake booster is of the tie-rod type with a through-bolt design that prevents expansion of the booster under hard braking.

* The Legacy is the only vehicle built at the Subaru-Isuzu plant in Indiana until a seven-passenger, Legacy-based SUV joins the mix next year.