Crocodile Dundee Switches to a Sedan
January 7, 1998 -- Paul Hogan, Aussie Subaru spokesman and Outback aficionado, introduced the 1999 Subaru Legacy SUS to journalists attending press days at the 1998 North American International Auto Show in Detroit yesterday.
The SUS, which stands for Sport Utility Sedan, is essentially an Outback with a trunk rather than a glass-enclosed cargo bay. Sporting a two-tone paint treatment, a raised suspension, white-lettered tires, and huge round fog lights, the SUS comes in a si ngle trim level: loaded Limited with leather upholstery.
Now, don't get us wrong, but doesn't the "U" in SUV (or SUS for that matter) stand for utility? Of what additional utility is the SUS over other Legacy sedans? At the press conference Subaru rolled footage of the SUS traversing rough pasture and dirt roads. Evidently, the utility of the SUS is that it won't scrape on rocks that the lower 2.5GT sedan will. Northeasterners snapped up a limited run of test-market 1997 SUS sedans in a matter of days, convincing Subaru to make the model available nationwide.
After the presentation, one of our staffers made this comment: "Now they have every kind of sport utility vehicle -- except the real thing. What's next? The SUM (sport utility motorcycle, a.k.a. dirt bike)?" True, some may find utility in the new SUS, but give us the racy GT please.
January 7, 1998 -- Paul Hogan, Aussie Subaru spokesman and Outback aficionado, introduced the 1999 Subaru Legacy SUS to journalists attending press days at the 1998 North American International Auto Show in Detroit yesterday.
The SUS, which stands for Sport Utility Sedan, is essentially an Outback with a trunk rather than a glass-enclosed cargo bay. Sporting a two-tone paint treatment, a raised suspension, white-lettered tires, and huge round fog lights, the SUS comes in a si ngle trim level: loaded Limited with leather upholstery.
Now, don't get us wrong, but doesn't the "U" in SUV (or SUS for that matter) stand for utility? Of what additional utility is the SUS over other Legacy sedans? At the press conference Subaru rolled footage of the SUS traversing rough pasture and dirt roads. Evidently, the utility of the SUS is that it won't scrape on rocks that the lower 2.5GT sedan will. Northeasterners snapped up a limited run of test-market 1997 SUS sedans in a matter of days, convincing Subaru to make the model available nationwide.
After the presentation, one of our staffers made this comment: "Now they have every kind of sport utility vehicle -- except the real thing. What's next? The SUM (sport utility motorcycle, a.k.a. dirt bike)?" True, some may find utility in the new SUS, but give us the racy GT please.
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