The ride is surprisingly comfortable, considering the Legacy’s excellent body control and 18in wheels. Sharp intrusions can catch it out, and on the motorway there’s lots of rumble and thump from the rear suspension. Add tyre and wind noise and it falls short of the insulated quality provided by the class leaders.
But what it lacks in refinement it makes up for with character. From Subaru’s trademark frameless doors to the way the instrument needles swing through a full arc when the ignition is turned on, this car feels different. The driving position isn’t quite right, though. No complaints with the handsome Momo wheel nor the supportive and comfortable seats, but the driver feels perched and the wheel adjusts for rake only, making it a good reach away if there are long legs to accommodate.
The dashboard has a lot of BMW influences in it, and there’s real depth of quality to the plastics. But despite a silver centre console and chrome door handles it lacks the luxury of premium rivals and doesn’t feel that different to lowlier Legacy models.
The Legacy’s narrow cabin will accommodate only two adults comfortably in the rear and the low-set squab means bent knees, but they get do get generous legroom and headroom and the 433-litre boot will swallow luggage for four.
You can’t fault the Legacy’s standard equipment either, which includes front, side and curtain airbags, Isofix child-seat mounts, a dash-mounted six-CD autochanger, electric and heated leather seats, climate control and touch-screen sat-nav. A similarly equipped BMW 325i SE would cost £29,970, while a Ford Mondeo ST220 would cost £25,085.
As a company car, the Spec B is hit hard by a hefty 280g/km CO2 output, placing it in the top 35 per cent tax bracket, and the £570 you’ll pay per month on contract hire will net a BMW 330i SE (£553) or Audi A4 3.0 Quattro Sport (£564). You’ll need a company fuel card, too; even with extensive motorway driving we averaged just 23.9mpg.
