With Subaru's all-new, 2010 Legacy sedan, the company aims to step up its presence in the mainstream midsize market.

To many folks, the voice of the small import automaker, Subaru, carries with it an Australian accent.  That’s courtesy of actor Paul Hogan, aka Crocodile Dundee, who became synonymous with Subaru and its line-up of sport-utility vehicles, dubbed Outback, when they were launched a couple decades back.  The utes – and the memorable ad campaign – helped revive the then-foundering brand, but also shifted Subaru’s focus from mainstream sedans and coupes to SUVs and ute-like crossovers.

With the launch of the 2010 Subaru Legacy a midsize four-door, the Japanese-based maker is circling back on itself.  It’s by no means walking away from the truck-like products that have proved its salvation – indeed, helped it maintain nearly flat sales in a market where even Toyota is down, for the year, by more than 30%.  But with its market share at record levels, and brand awareness booming, as well, Subaru is betting a better-equipped and more stylish sedan can gain traction against more mainstream marques, like Nissan and Volkswagen.

TheDetroitBureau.com headed for the Pacific Northwest to get some stick time in the 2010 Legacy, which had made a semi-official first appearance as a “concept” car, at the Detroit Auto Show, last January, and then reappeared in full production trim at February’s Chicago Auto Show.

The 2010 Subaru Legacy is larger in virtually every dimension, which yields a notaly bigger passenger compartment and a 14.7 cubic foot trunk.

There can be big differences in how you perceive a car depending upon where it’s shown, and the dimensions appeared a bit difference with the Legacy sitting on the tarmac, rather than a stage – a bit bigger and slightly more imposing.  In fact, the 2010 sedan is about an inch longer than the more mundane ’09, 3.5 inches wider, and 3.3 inches taller.  But while the wheelbase has also been stretched, both front and rear overhangs were chopped back, giving a more sporty and balanced overall appearance – and, from a functional standpoint, more useful room for passengers and cargo.

There’s a modest hood scoop, similar to one that’s appeared on past Subaru products, but the revised, “winged” grille is new, and but for the familiar, “star cluster” Subaru badge, looks like it was borrowed, oddly enough,  from last generation’s Acura line-up.  The roof line arcs back well into trunk territory, a design cue that is becoming quite common, these days, on brands as diverse as Nissan and Buick – where it will appear on the upcoming LaCrosse replacement.

On the whole, the 2010 Legacy design is stronger than that of the previous four-door, even it won’t make the sedan an immediate attention-grabber on the street.

The interior execution of the 2010 Subary Legacy sedan's interior is notably more up-market.

What could win it kudos – and buyers – is that unexpectedly roomy cabin.  There’s plenty of room for this correspondent’s 6’2 frame.  Indeed, a 6’5 media colleague was able to squeeze into the passenger seat immediately behind.  Part of the trick involves sculpting rear knee room into the frame of the front seats.  The trunk, meanwhile, holds 14.7 cubic feet of “stuff,” whether four golf bags or a week’s worth of groceries for a large and hungry family.

Subaru has done a nice job outfitting the interior.  It had to.  Gone are the days when you could slap an assortment of plastic parts together and hope they all fit.  Gaps are tight and symmetric, grains and color consistent.  The plastic bits have a reasonably upscale look and a nice touch.  Gauges are attractive, well-lit and easy to read.  On automatic transmission models, there’s even an Eco Gauge to help a driver improve fuel economy.

The sloping center stack, which juts out over the console, brings radio and climate control knobs – and the big LCD nav display, with cars so equipped – within a quick glance and an easy reach.  The new 3-spoke steering wheel, meanwhile, houses both the cruise control switches and redundant audio buttons, even on the base Legacy.

Along with the navi system – which, by the way, can find a nearby restaurant by giving it the verbal cue, “I’m hungry” — a sunroof and leather seats are optional, though Subaru has made a point of combining such niceties into a very limited list of option “packages” for 2010.

There are basically three versions of the new 2010 Legacy sedan.  There also happen to be three engine options, three transmissions and three different versions of All-Wheel-Drive, one of which will come on every Legacy sedan.

The base car is driven by a 2.5-liter SOHC four-cylinder “boxer” engine, making 170 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque.  You’ll get a choice, here, of a 6-speed manual gearbox or Subaru’s new “Lineartronic” CVT.  Continuously Variable Transmissions, as the name implies, use belts and variable pulleys to constantly keep the engine and gear ratio combination at optimum level.  A key payoff is fuel economy, which comes in at an impressive 31 mpg on the Highway, 23 in the City.  The manual box yields 19 around town, 27 on the open road.

The mid-line and sportiest version of the Legacy is a turbocharged, Dual-Overhead Cam, or DOHC, version of the 2.5-liter boxer engine, here making 265 hp and 258 lb-ft.  It’s offered only with that 6-speed manual transmission.  The package will launch the nearly 3400-pound sedan from 0 to 60 in a solid 5.9 seconds, a good 1.6 seconds better than before, yet fuel economy also is up, here to 18 mpg City/25 Highway.

Far from driving off into the sunset, Subaru sees the 2010 Legacy sedan as a way to expand its position in the midsize market, targeting competitors like Nissan, VW and Mazda.

The Legacy Limited, the most well-equipped model, boasts a 3.6-liter DOHC boxer 6 making 256 hp and 247 lb-ft.  It’s mated to a conventional 5-speed automatic – though a 6 would seem in order, in such a new product, considering that’s the direction the industry is rapidly moving.  Not quite as nimble as with the turbo engine, the Limited still gets to 60 in a quick 7.8 seconds, while yielding 18 mpg in town and 25 on the freeway.

In terms of driving impressions, the base 4-cylinder engine is no slug, but it won’t trounce the kid driving a Subaru WRX.  With the manual box, you can really get the most out of the engine.  The CVT has the same “rubber band” effect such gearboxes always experience, since engine and wheel speeds are no longer immutably linked.  If your car is equipped with paddle shifters, you can run the transmission through virtual step gears, if you prefer.

The turbo-4 is, to our mind, the nicest engine offered.  It’s quick, fun to drive and has a great engine note, especially when you’re pressing your right foot into the floorboards.

Though it delivers roughly the same power, the big 6 is a bit less aggressive and actually seemed the slightest bit rougher, especially at idle.  But in the top-line version of the 2010 Legacy sedan, it’s a fine choice.

Subaru has made some modest but apparent changes to the suspension of the new Legacy, putting large stabilizer bars up front, where the car uses a McPherson strut layout.  In back, it’s a double-wishbone suspension design.

The result of all this is to come up with a very well-balanced car that’s easy to move around the road in.  Steering is a little light, at least if you’re looking for something that might be considered “sporting,” but there’s a good on-center feel and just enough road feel to keep you in touch with what the car is doing.  The suspension, meanwhile, is a good compromise package, and there’s nothing pejorative meant by that.  It does what you want and tells you what it’s doing, though without giving you harsh feedback.  There’s no sense of jouncing your way down even a rough road.

All-in-all, Subaru has come up with a new sedan that’s a sizable step forward from where the current Legacy let’s off.  And at 19,995 for the base car, it’s more than competitive within the segment.  A loaded 2010 Legacy Limited, with the boxer-6, meanwhile, will just nudge $30,990. (Add about $60- for destination charges, meanwhile.)

Subaru has done a great job of drawing an affluent and educated core of buyers for its crosseover-utes, and for the WRX performance car.  Now, it needs to revitalize its midsize line-up, a crowded segment that includes the likes of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.  Those are secondary targets for the cautious Subaru.  Instead, the maker is aiming at the likes of the Nissan Altima.  And if first impressions are any indication, Subaru may have scored a bullseye.

The new 2010 Subaru Legacy is a definite improvement over the old sedan, and it is worth a look if you’re in market for a midsize sedan.