It's a simple question, but one that Subaru found most focus group consumers couldn't answer: where do Subarus come from?
Not, as in where are the assembly plants located, but just what country does the company known for its all-wheel-drive, all-the-time vehicles call home?
Sweden, some thought, perhaps because of this all-weather capability. Australia was another popular guess, no doubt thanks to Paul Hogan and the ads he did for the Outback, which accounts for a third of all Subaru sales in Canada.
"Most people don't even know that Subaru is a Japanese vehicle," said Anton Pawcuk, Subaru of Canada's product planning manager.
Subaru is aiming to highlight this background, because officials believe there are associations with quality, reliability and fuel efficiency that come with the Japanese label. But really, they'd be happy to be known for being from Never-Never Land, if it got them on more shopping short lists.
Their main weapon in this battle are newer and more mainstream products that stick to the firm's core beliefs in full-time all-wheel-drive, as well as the less appreciated horizontally opposed engines.
In short, less kooky (hello, Baja pickup-sedan) and more cookie-cutter, but not to vanilla extremes. The sales increases for Subaru in the last two years while the industry as a whole was down suggests that Subaru is finally starting to emerge from its "niche" status purgatory, with the majority of this growth coming from the recently redesigned Forester compact SUV and Impreza models.
Across North America, Subaru was the only company whose sales were up last year, reinforcing the brand's commitment taken this decade to design cars not for North American all-wheel-drive fans, but North Americans in general.
Intent on getting the word out on its latest all-new products, Subaru sent 16 Canadian auto writers from across the country to North America's most easterly point - literally, we drove by Cape Spear, Newfoundland - to sample the all-new 2010 Legacy sedan.
The new Legacy sedan is a more aggressive-looking design, with pronounced fender flares and hood bulges that also help muscle up the look. But that's aggressive in a button-down, don't-offend-the-neighbourhood-watch crowd. Perhaps even more importantly for Subaru, it now looks as large as the top-selling mid-size models.
The Legacy gets a larger body in height and width for this new fifth-generation version, which provides more interior room than the Camry or Nissan's Altima, but doesn't make it to U.S. EPA full-size car status, as do the Honda Accord and some others.
Still, the Legacy offers ample front and three-across rear-seat room, helped by carving out of the front seatbacks. Unless your passengers have their own shoe deal, they'll be happy for all the room available back there.
And the Legacy uses this size well, too. Subaru officials admitted that the Legacy's 415-litre trunk capacity is smaller than the Camry's 425, but wheeled one out to compare it more closely.
The Legacy's trunk had a wider opening, struts instead of the Camry's hinges that could potentially crunch fragile cargo in a full trunk and, perhaps most usefully, a wider pass-through to the rear seat area once the rear seats were folded down.
With presentations done, we headed to the picturesque roads of St. John's and environs to put rubber to sea-salt-encrusted asphalt. It's clear the Legacy has the practicality ammo to get in the fight with the big boys in this class now, but how does it drive?
This is where the Legacy steps away from the mid-size mainstream, by offering three engines instead of the usual four-cylinder and V-6 offerings of its rivals (not counting hybrid versions, which Subaru doesn't offer).
We started off our drive in the six-cylinder Legacy 3.6R, which has a larger 3.6-litre horizontally opposed engine, making 258 hp and 247 ft-lb of torque.
With a starting price of $31,895, it is undoubtedly the most impressive engine offering of the lot on the road, even if it is the thirstiest. On the other hand, it takes regular fuel, unlike the turbocharged 2.5-litre engine that's only slightly more powerful - and that's if you rev it to the moon.
