Road Test
Subaru Legacy Tourer
Test date 30 October 2009
Price as tested £25,745
For Cavernous interior, good value, boxer diesel engine, standard all-wheel drive
AgainstReduced 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.
Your Say
Comments: 34 Join the discussion
