Subaru Legacy Tourer review

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Subaru Legacy 2.0 D SE Road Test

Test date 30 October 2009 Price as tested £27,015

For Cavernous interior, good value, boxer diesel engine, standard all-wheel drive

Against Reduced driver appeal, awkward gearing, unsettled ride, vague steering

The Subaru brand is changing. It began with the controversial move from saloon to hatchback in the recent Impreza – a move that started a shift from the traditional performance focus towards more mainstream, practical brand values.

The new Legacy estate follows that same brief. A narrow model range incorporating only two engines and one body shape (a saloon is predicted, but not confirmed, to arrive next year) and the conspicuous absence of the likeable Spec B all highlight the fact that the Legacy is targeting a different kind of buyer this time around.

But the market for roomy family estates is full of talented and affordable competition. To find a place at the top, the Legacy must prove that its unique combination of standard all-wheel drive and 2.0-litre boxer (horizontally opposed) engine is enough to recommend it over similar-sized, similar-priced front-wheel-drive offerings such as the Ford Mondeo estate, not to mention the forthcoming 4x4 Skoda Superb estate, potentially the Subaru’s fiercest rival.