I put a high priority on how fun a car is to drive, so despite having three small children I own quite compact but very agile Mazda Protege5. When my sister saw the car she responded, "What did you do, buy the smallest wagon you could find?" Before buying it, my parents offered to give me $15,000 to buy a larger car. But I didn't want a larger car. So the youth-oriented (check out that tasteful body kit) Mazda it was.

But if I had to buy a larger car today, I think it would be the Legacy GT wagon.

Months ago I drove and reviewed the Legacy GT sedan along with a pair of related Outback wagons. And I liked them. Then, after testing a WRX STi and concluding that despite my emphasis on driving enjoyment I also needed some comfort and refinement, I spied a Legacy GT wagon on the lot. With a stick, no less. Interested in learning whether my impressions from the sedan would hold up (actually, not much excuse was necessary) I took it for a drive.

I’ve already written comprehensive reviews of the Legacy GT sedan and Outback, so I’ll try to keep this one brief.

Styling

Each redesign of the Legacy makes it a bit less quirky and a bit more attractive. The current wagon is cleanly and conservatively styled, with a subtly upscale flavor. The sedan has a slightly sportier edge to it.

The interior has changed much more. Compared to last year’s car it has been thoroughly upgraded. Like that of the exterior, the styling of the interior is attractive in a strictly conventional way. No funky control schemes or instrument graphics. Just attractive forms and nicely executed details. Nearly every piece of trim is of the soft-touch variety. Especially with the perforated leather found in the GT, this is one sharp-looking interior.

Accommodations

When I drove a Legacy a couple of years ago I found the interior hardly an roomier than that in the Forester. Perhaps the next one would be roomier? Well, no. The new car is fractionally larger on the outside, with an inch more length, width, and height, but the interior dimensions have remained largely the same. Surprisingly, the rear seat in my much smaller Mazda is roomier and more comfortable. So you can forget about that reason for getting a larger car.

The front seat is roomy enough, even if shoulder room is a little tighter than in the average midsize car. The driver’s seat itself is fairly comfortable. Much like that in the typical Japanese midsize car it could be a little larger and more supportive for my taste. In other words, more like a Volvo seat. The seats in the turbo four models are more heavily bolstered, and this did help keep me in place in turns. As in most Japanese cars, the driving position is moderately high for a car, affording a good view over the hood.

To make room for a pair of cupholders the center armrest is positioned too far rearward to be of much use. It's also too low. The wagon I drove was fitted with the optional armrest extender. You want it.

One reason to get the wagon instead of the sedan: a huge two-panel sunroof is standard in all leather-trimmed wagons. Very nice. It automatically opens and closes in three stages, so there’s no need to keep a finger continuously on the ceiling-mounted switch.

With the wagon, cargo fares better than rear seat passengers. With the rear seat up 32 cubic feet are available; this increases to 62 with the seat folded. (Unlike last year the headrests do not have to be removed before folding the seat.) Cargo volume figures are a bit slippery, since there are multiple valid ways to calculate them. Those for the Legacy are similar to those in most similarly-sized wagons (Mazda6, Passat). Interior storage compartments are on the small side, though.

The cargo situation is not so good with the sedan, as its the rear seat does not fold down. Only a pass-through is available. This would kill it for me.

On the Road

I’ve driven the 250-horsepower turbo four with both transmissions. It's much better with the manual. With the automatic the flow of power feels soft and uneven (with minor surging and lagging) below 3,000 RPM. With the manual getting the engine into the 3000 to 4000 RPM range for acceleration comes more naturally (to me at least), such that the shortcomings of the engine are far less evident. Once over 3,000 RPM you’ll find buckets of thrust with zero or nearly zero lag. It’s obviously not as strong as the 300-horsepower STi engine (especially since that latter is paired with less mass and shorter gearing), and the Legacy’s much lower noise levels also reduce the sensation of acceleration, but plenty strong nonetheless. Not that I’d mind the STi engine in this car…

The wagon, like the sedan I drove earlier, was fitted with the optional short-throw shifter. It’s marvelous, far superior to that in the STi—and just about any other car. Throws are extremely short, among the shortest in any car I’ve driven, and while shift feel is a bit notchy and effort not quite finger-light this is how I personally like it. A very accurate, satisfying shifter to operate. The clutch travel is short and clutch effort is moderate—certainly acceptable.

Fuel economy could be ugly. I’d guess high-teens in typical suburban driving.

The Legacy rides lower than the Outback and is fitted with stickier tires. Not surprisingly, it corners more flatly and sticks to the road better. Steering effort remains higher than today’s norm, but I found this less an issue with more thrust to help move the car about the road. Compared to the ultra-high-performance STi’s steering, I actually preferred the Legacy GT’s. The latter felt quicker and more responsive.

That said, the Legacy still responds to steering inputs less quickly than I’d like. A quicker turn-in, and perhaps a faster ratio as well, would be welcome, especially at lower speeds. On the other hand, steering accuracy is excellent, and steering feel is good if not great. Maybe I should just accept that this is, after all, a grand touring wagon, and that no one is going to make a wagon feel like a sports car.

Nah, I don’t think I will yield on this issue. I'd like more of a "point and squirt" feel with the Legacy's compact packaging. Subaru—give the car quicker responses.

With all-wheel-drive, floor the throttle in turns and the Subaru wagon just bites and goes. Don’t try this in a front-drive Acura TL or rear-drive Infiniti G35—you’ll just invite the intervention of the traction control and in the TL will find a ton of torque steer to boot. In the Subaru it’s possible to induce a touch of oversteer with a heavy throttle in turns, but just a touch and it’s very easily controllable. Normally the chassis is inclined towards moderate understeer—not sporting but certainly safe. The front tires slide wide well before the rears work up much of a sweat.

But this is not to discredit the overall experience of driving the car. On sweeping curves--the faster the better--it handles very well and inspires confidence. (For low-speed turns see my comments above.) Frankly, the major issue with the car’s handling might be that it’s so powerful and sticks so well that it’s very hard to find a road where you can safely explore its potential. This car gains speed scary fast when the revs are up and the pedal is down.

The Legacy GT’s sport-tuned suspension irons out the small stuff very well—lending it a very “premium” feel—but can be upset by large bumps and potholes. Noise levels are very low around town but grow to moderate on the highway. The structure feels stiff and worthy of a premium price. Especially after the noisy and rough STi experience, a very pleasant place to be.

Subaru Legacy GT Price Comparisons and Pricing

A Mazda6 wagon runs about $3,000 less, but adjusting for features (especially all-wheel-drive) reduces the gap to about $800.

A Passat GLX 4Motion, on the other hand, lists for about $3,000 more, and adjusting for features cuts this to a still sizable $2,400.

So the price seems at once high (over $30,000 for a Subaru???) and reasonable (where else can you get a fast all-wheel-drive wagon for just over $30,000?).

Prices change frequently, and differences will vary based on feature level. To quickly generate these and other comparisons with the specific features you want, visit my Web site, www.truedelta.com. (It's the only site that provides true "apples-to-apples" price comparisons.)

TrueDelta's page for the Subaru Legacy:

http://www.truedelta.com/models/Legacy.php

Last Words

Another test drive only confirmed my impression that I’d really like to own this car. Yes, my lowly Protege5 is still more fun to drive in most suburban situations (i.e. those where big power isn't a huge advantage), but the Legacy is much smoother and simply feels so nice. And all that power can be fun...

I might like somewhat sportier handling, but the Legacy does just about everything else so well. (Well, except for carry rear-seat passengers, but mine would be small.) If I was spending $30,000 on a car today, I’d look long and hard at this one and the Mazda6, and problem end up in this one. Good thing this car wasn't out a year ago, or I might have had to grow up.

A Note on Subaru Legacy GT Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've started collecting my own data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy a Legacy GT rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Subaru Legacy reliability comparisons.

Before I can report results, I need data on all cars--not just the Legacy GT--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. Non-participants will have to pay an access fee.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.

If you're an Epinions member, and you want to receive an email alert from Epinions when I post a new review, click here.

Some of my reviews of related vehicles:
Subaru Legacy GT sedan review
Subaru Outback review [2.5 turbo with auto trans]
Acura TL review
Acura TSX review
Audi S4 review
Dodge Magnum RT review
Mazda6 review
Nissan Altima review
VW Passat review
Volvo S60 R review

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 31000
Model and Options: GT Limited with 5-speed