The stunning new range of sedans, wagons and crossover vehicles have been judged the best new car launched in 2009 by the magazine’s panel of judges.
 
“The Subaru excelled in every area of judging, with the panel considering engineering/build, equipment/value, active safety, environmental responsibility and driving dynamics,” said Driver.
 
“The Driver award is for the entire Legacy/Outback range rather than a single model.  And what a comprehensive range it is.  From mainstream 2.5-litre four-cylinder sedans and wagons, to the luxury 3.6-litre sedan, to the turbocharged GT performance models and finally the Outback crossover wagon, not one of the variants in the new range disappoints.”
“The Legacy/Outback remains a unique buying proposition in every segment in which it competes, and has stayed true to Subaru core values: idiosyncratic styling, a driver-focused chassis and horizontally-opposed 'Boxer' engines with full-time all wheel drive right across the range.  It represents the highest levels of driver enjoyment and safety.”
New generation Legacy and Outback have achieved a global “Triple Crown” for safety, earning coveted 5-star ANCAP, 5-star Euro NCAP and Top Safety Pick in US NHTSA safety testing and are two of only a handful of vehicles to pass rollover crash testing – introduced for the first time in 2009 - conducted by the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) in North America.
 “The considerable advances made by Subaru in areas of quality, refinement and especially fuel economy also captured the attention of our judges,” said Driver.
 
“The four-cylinder engines are particularly worthy of mention.  The 2.5-litre petrol unit has been revised and retuned, with power delivery more focused on mid-range torque. The Lineartronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) fitted to the automatic versions is impressive; it performs seamlessly, even for the enthusiast driver, and endows Legacy with the best fuel economy in its class.”
The Subaru Lineartronic™ CVT is world first technology being the first longitudinally mounted CVT system for All Wheel Drive production vehicles. With the CVT the Outback 2.5 is the most economical medium sized crossover SUV in the New Zealand market with an overall fuel consumption of 8.4 litres/100 kilometres as measured by the Australian Design Rules testing procedure. Independent testing by the NZ AA it has recorded 7.17 lit/100 kms.
The Legacy CVT is also rated at 8.4 by the ADR and an even more impressive 6.83 by the AA’s independent testing.
 
“The 'Boxer Diesel' 2.0-litre power plant, added to the ranger proper for the first time in 2009 and available in both Legacy and Outback, is even more impressive,” said Driver. “Arguably the finest four-cylinder diesel in the world, it combines the potential for extreme thrift (the Australian Design Rules mandated fuel economy figure for the sedan is just 5.9-litres per 100km) with a massive amount of torque and unique aural character.”
This is the world’s first Boxer Diesel engine for a motor vehicle and is also a technological masterpiece. The 2.0-litre turbo-diesel generates phenomenal torque and responsiveness, but is miserly in its fuel consumption. The AA’s independent testing recorded 5.74 and 5.80 litres/100 kms for the Legacy wagon and Outback respectively.
 “And performance-minded buyers have the choice of the rapid GT turbocharged models, or the more relaxed 3.6-litre 'Boxer six' - the latter in both the Legacy sedan and flagship Outback wagon.”
 
The Driver Car of the Year award is open to all new models launched in the 2009 calendar year, providing the are fitted as standard with stability control and side impact airbags, and available through a distributor-backed dealer network nationwide.  The judging panel selects a shortlist of five, which are then re-evaluated and ranked according to the five criteria above.  Points are awarded according to the rankings in each category, to a maximum of 100 per car for each judge.
 
The Legacy/Outback was a clear winner in the 2010 Driver Car of the Year Award, with 240 points from a total possible score of 300 from the three judges.
 
This award adds to the NZ Autocar Medium/Large Car of the Year Award, which Legacy claimed late last year.

About Subaru 
Every Subaru sold in New Zealand features Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, a horizontally opposed Boxer engine and Vehicle Dynamics Control electronic stability programme as standard.   In New Zealand Subaru Forester is the safest ANCAP rated SUV based on a maximum 5-star Occupant Safety Rating and a 3 (out of maximum 4-star) Pedestrian Safety Rating.  The Subaru Impreza is the safest ANCAP rated passenger car based on a maximum 5-star Occupant Safety Rating and a 4 (out of maximum 4-star) Pedestrian Safety Rating and an aggregate ANCAP score of 62.42 out of a possible 73.