IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT

On the eve of the debut of the all-new 2000 Legacy, Subaru looks back at a history of technological advancements including 25 years of building All-Wheel Drive (AWD) passenger cars.

From the beginning, Subaru has maintained the philosophy of building cars to help carry people and cargo safely under any road or weather condition. Thirty years ago, Subaru was one of the first manufacturers to offer a full line of front-wheel drive cars in America. In 1974 Subaru broke new ground as the first manufacturer to mass-produce 4-wheel drive passenger cars, forever changing the image of 4-wheel drive as being strictly for off road and commercial use.

In 1987 Subaru introduced full-time 4WD, paving the way toward today's Subaru All-Wheel Driving System. By continuously powering all four wheels, full-time 4WD eliminated the need for the driver to manually switch into a 4-wheel drive mode whenever conditions demanded.

Twenty-five years and more than one million 4-wheel and all-wheel drive vehicles later, Subaru continues to lead the way as the only manufacturer to build AWD into every car it makes as part of the Subaru All-Wheel Driving System. This system helps keep you in control by combining All-Wheel Drive, a horizontally opposed boxer engine and an advanced long travel, independent suspension system to help maximize traction and handling on just about any surface.

With full-time All-Wheel Drive, the Subaru boxer's power is continually fed to all four wheels, giving you optimum traction at all times. There are no levers to flip or buttons to push. To further enhance traction, Subaru AWD can sense any loss of traction and transfer power from the wheels that slip to the wheels that grip.

It's all part of the Subaru commitment to active safety. Subaru believes that a safe vehicle is one that helps you avoid an accident, not just survive one. And the Subaru All-Wheel Driving System actively works to help you do just that, every time you take the wheel.