By this generation, Subaru quietly let the Outback take over: flat-roof Legacy wagons disappeared worldwide, and every wagon — Outback badge or not — got the taller, raised roofline.
Median 130 hp across 35 similar cars
Lead trim: Wagon AWD · 4-spd auto · 2.5L · up to 217 hp
Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Subaru Legacy/Outback yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactBy this generation, Subaru quietly let the Outback take over: flat-roof Legacy wagons disappeared worldwide, and every wagon — Outback badge or not — got the taller, raised roofline.
"Generation III: 2000–2004". Wikipedia notes the Outback "was split into its own model in 2000", though the EPA rows here still file it under the Legacy name through 2003 (annotated "incl. Outback").
Real Subaru Legacy/Outback cards spotted on the street by Burbles collectors. Tap any card to flip it over, inspect the collector’s binder, or follow them.
VerifiedFIRST PRINTNIGHT×2This Legacy/Outback's Lineartronic CVT wasn't exclusive — Subaru dropped the same transmission into the JDM Exiga minivan's AWD models too.
VerifiedFIRST PRINTNIGHTPROThis Legacy/Outback's Lineartronic CVT wasn't exclusive — Subaru dropped the same transmission into the JDM Exiga minivan's AWD models too.
12 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWD · 4-spd auto · 2.5L | 2003–2004 | 2.5 L Flat-4 | 165 hp | 167 lb-ft | — | AWD | Automatic 4-spd | — |
| AWD · 4-spd auto · 3.0L | 2003–2004 | 3.0 L Flat-6 | 217 hp | 213 lb-ft | — | AWD | Automatic 4-spd | — |
| AWD · 5-spd manual · 2.5L | 2003–2004 | 2.5 L Flat-4 | 165 hp | 167 lb-ft | — | AWD | Manual 5-spd | — |
| Legacy AWD (incl. Outback) · 2.5L | 2002–2002 | 2.5 L 4-cyl | 165 hp | 167 lb-ft | — | AWD | Automatic 4-spd | — |
| Legacy AWD (incl. Outback) · 3.0L | 2002–2002 | 3.0 L 6-cyl | 217 hp | 213 lb-ft | — | AWD | Automatic 4-spd | — |
| Legacy Wagon AWD (incl. Outback) · 4-spd auto · 2.5L | 2002–2002 | 2.5 L 4-cyl | 165 hp | 167 lb-ft | — | AWD | Automatic 4-spd | — |
| Legacy Wagon AWD (incl. Outback) · 4-spd auto · 3.0L | 2002–2002 | 3.0 L 6-cyl | 217 hp | 213 lb-ft | — | AWD | Automatic 4-spd | — |
| Legacy Wagon AWD (incl. Outback) · 5-spd manual · 2.5L | 2002–2002 | 2.5 L 4-cyl | 165 hp | 167 lb-ft | — | AWD | Manual 5-spd | — |
| Legacy Wagon AWD · 4-spd auto · 3.0L | 2001–2001 | 3.0 L 6-cyl | 217 hp | 213 lb-ft | — | AWD | Automatic 4-spd | — |
| Wagon AWD · 4-spd auto · 2.5L | 2003–2004 | 2.5 L Flat-4 | 165 hp | 167 lb-ft | — | AWD | Automatic 4-spd | — |
| Wagon AWD · 4-spd auto · 3.0L | 2003–2004 | 3.0 L Flat-6 | 217 hp | 213 lb-ft | — | AWD | Automatic 4-spd | — |
| Wagon AWD · 5-spd manual · 2.5L | 2003–2004 | 2.5 L Flat-4 | 165 hp | 167 lb-ft | — | AWD | Manual 5-spd | — |
An estimate, for the Wagon AWD · 4-spd auto · 2.5L trim: fuel on its EPA figure and a dated national price, upkeep on a per-mile average for the kind of car it is.
Nobody has claimed one yet.
This Outback moved its side mirrors from the A-pillar to the front doors — a small tweak that cut aerodynamic drag versus the old mounting point.
This Legacy/Outback's Lineartronic CVT wasn't exclusive — Subaru dropped the same transmission into the JDM Exiga minivan's AWD models too.
This Legacy brought turbo power back to North America — a 2.5-litre engine borrowed straight from the Impreza WRX STI, after years without one.
By this generation, Subaru quietly let the Outback take over: flat-roof Legacy wagons disappeared worldwide, and every wagon — Outback badge or not — got the taller, raised roofline.
A 1998 Legacy Outback set an FIA altitude record by driving to 6,646 meters on Chile's Ojos del Salado volcano.
The first-generation Legacy was designed to be wider than Japanese kei-car tax regulations allowed, a deliberate move to compete as a full-size international model.
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
Cooling the C6 RS6’s twin-turbo V10 took seven separate radiators and four electric fans under the bonnet.
The original RS6 debuted Audi's clever hydraulic Dynamic Ride Control suspension — and enough owners got tired of its leaking dampers that they ripped the whole system out for plain coilovers.
The C7-generation RS6 Avant never officially reached America at all — buyers there got the RS7 Sportback instead, running the exact same engine and platform in a different body.
For a few years, this Outback's six-cylinder trim came with genuine McIntosh audio — the same esteemed hi-fi name found in home theaters, one of the only cars ever to get it from the factory.
Subaru didn't have the budget for an all-new SUV, so it dressed up a Legacy wagon instead. A Subaru of America executive later put it bluntly: "[the Outback] saved our company."
The new Outback's full-width tail light bar has a 2 ft ruler built in, for measuring whatever you are about to load.
This Outback shared Top Gear's Car of the Year crown — an unusual honor for a jacked-up wagon to split with the Ford Mondeo in 2007.
A wagon beat the SUVs at their own game: this Outback generation won Motor Trend's Sport/Utility of the Year award for 2010.
