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Subaru calls its 1999 Legacy SUS “the world’s first Sport Utility Sedan.” Subaru is wrong.

Assuming that “sport utility” is used in the sense of four-wheel drive, the world’s first sport-utility sedan — the “world” encompassing the United States — was the 1980 AMC Eagle.

Surely some of you remember the Eagle.

It was a boxy thing derived from the AMC Concord and Hornet sedans. Most folks would have ignored it, had it not been for its unusual drivetrain. The Eagle was the first mass-produced car in this country with a four-wheel-drive system.

Put another way, the Eagle was a hybrid-mobile — a combination car and truck — before hybrids were cool. It was the kind of a car bought by people who used plastic pocket protectors and carried slide rules. We used to laugh at them and their Eagles — until we needed a ride in a rainstorm. (What? You thought I was going to say “snowstorm”? I grew up in Louisiana. We didn’t have snow.)

Anyway, I don’t know what Subaru means by “first” when it’s talking about its Legacy SUS. Maybe the company means that this is the first affordable all-wheel-drive sedan that’s actually attractive — though Subaru did mess up the test model with the addition of a dumb rear air spoiler that does nothing at all for the car.

Perhaps Subaru means “first” as in the first four-wheel-drive Legacy sedan that handles like a sports coupe. No stuff. Four-wheel-drive vehicles — be they pickups or traditional sport-utility models — tend to lack grace in movement, especially in sharp turns. This is to be expected.

Four-wheel-drive vehicles have high centers of gravity — the center of gravity (cg) being the exact point around which a vehicle is balanced in every direction. The higher the cg, the more difficult it is for the vehicle to remain stable in challenging situations, such as in sharp turns or crash-avoidance maneuvers.

That is why four-wheel-drive trucks and traditional sport-utility models are affixed with stickers warning motorists not to try to drive them like cars. They can tip over.

The Legacy SUS can tip over, too. Indeed, any car or truck can. But you’d have to be doing something awfully silly to roll the Legacy SUS on its sides. This is a sure-footed runner, at highway speeds and in corners.

The Legacy SUS comes with a fully independent suspension system with coil springs and struts, with stabilizer bars front and rear. Though it rides about three inches higher off the ground than regular Legacy models, it’s not the least bit tippy on paved and gravel roads. It’s basically the same height off the ground as the Subaru Outback.

Rougher roads, however, are another story. Subaru says that the Legacy SUS can be used for “recreational off-roading.” That, however, translates to slow rides over beach sand and pitted, unimproved roads. It does not mean romps through the wild — traversing boulders, fording streams, that sort of thing.

Power is impressive. The Legacy SUS is equipped with a 2. 5-liter, horizontally opposed, double-overhead-cam four-cylinder engine designed to produce 165 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 162 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm. The car is no slouch in the fast lanes.

An electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission is standard. And the four-wheel-drive system is really all-wheel drive, meaning that it automatically redirects power between front and rear wheels, depending on traction needs. There is no transfer case designed to send power to all four wheels at the same time.

All in all, it’s a nice little package — perfect for people who don’t want a hybrid sport-ute wagon, such as a Honda CR-V or Subaru Forester, or who don’t look too kindly on paying lots of money for an Audi A4 or A6.

1999 Subaru Legacy SUS

Complaints: Lordy, I wish somebody would get rid of those goofy rear-deck air spoilers on cars. They do nothing for aerodynamic efficiency, and they can impede vision.

Praise: The Legacy SUS may n ot be a bon a fide”first,” but it’s a heck of a versatile little car. It’s exceptionally well built and easy to drive. Look for this one to zoom off the lots as soon as we get the first snows of winter.

Head-turning quotient: Kind of dorky, but lovable. Lose the spoiler, Subaru!

Ride, acceleration and handling: Triple aces. Really enjoyable. All-around smoothness. Excellent braking. Four-wheel antilocks are standard.

Safety: Dual front air bags, side-impact door beams, child-safety rear door locks, child-safety seat anchors in rear (check with dealer for information on most compatible safety seat), front and rear crumple zones, all-wheel-drive system, and antilock brakes.

Capacities: Seats five people, four of them comfortably. Trunk space is 12.6 cubic feet.

Mileage: Disappointing. Barely 20 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving. Fuel tank holds 15.9 gallons of recommended regular unleaded. Estimated range on usable volume is 310 miles.

Sound system: AM-FM stereo radio and cassette with weather band. Installed by Subaru. Okay.

Price: Preliminary pricing on the 1999 Subaru Legacy SUS puts the base sticker at $23,395. Estimated dealer invoice is $21,000. Prices are subject to change, especially as winter approaches.

Purse-strings note: Keep in mind that Subaru makes a wide range of all-wheel-drive vehicles, including less-expensive Legacy models, such as the base Legacy L sedan, which starts at $19,195.