Legacy’s legacy
Wonder where the Legacy’s sporting character has gone? Look no further
More performance, pace and better than ever before 
Testy ride, hard-plastics about in the cabin The spirit of the old Legacy lives on in the 2.5 GT
By Derryn Wong
AS YOU MIGHT have read last issue, with our review of the Legacy 2.0 sedan, Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), Subaru’s parent company, engineers admitted that their new benchmark for the Legacy sedan was, in fact, the Toyota Camry.
It seems a strange decision, considering Toyota itself has a stake in FHI, and that one of the major selling points of the old car was the driving experience itself, along with the Subaru staple of all-wheel drive and boxer engines.
Now, it’s overall length is up by 40mm, but more importantly, the wheelbase stretches 60mm to 2,750mm, which affords the Legacy plenty of legroom than before, although it still falls a little short of rivals such as the Nissan Teana and Honda Accord in wheelbase stakes, which are 25mm and 50mm longer, respectively.
The interior, which in the past was always Subaru’s Achilles’ Heel, once overlooked in the face of superior driving dynamics, has also seen a vast improvement. With a liberal concoction of leather and plastic, it’s got enough quality to stand against the rest of the Japanese pack, although it does feature hard plastics more than soft ones.
Fans of Subaru will be glad to know, though, that the 2.5 GT preserves the driving experience of its predecessor – the engine now makes 265bhp (up from 250bhp last time) and the five-speed automatic gearbox is much better than the CVT in the 2.0.
The Legacy is now also quicker in a straight line, having dropped its 0-100km/h time from 6.9 to 6.2 seconds. Peak torque of 350Nm at 2,400rpm means that it also outguns its rivals in terms of engine flexibility.
In terms of dynamic ability, the 2.5 might as well be a whole different car from its smaller-engined brethren, outward appearances aside. A set of Bilstein shocks and Subaru’s SI Drive are the stand-out features.
It rides a little testily, which is to be expected, but handles sweetly too with no pronounced wallowing or unruly behaviour. The SI drive makes a small difference, too, but it’s nothing that clever gear-shifting can’t replicate. Crucially, while the 2.0 makes do with electric power steering, the 2.5 uses more organic hydraulics for its helm.
The conclusion? The Legacy family hasn’t lost its mojo, thankfully. It’s just been concentrated in the 2.5 GT.
NEED TO KNOW
Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT (A)
ENGINE 2,457cc 16V turbocharged horizontally-opposed 4
MAX POWER 265bhp at 5,600rpm
MAX TORQUE 350Nm at 2,400-5,200rpm
GEARBOX 5-speed automatic
TOP SPEED 245km/h
0-100 KM/H 6.2 seconds
PRICE $117,500 with COE
WARRANTY 3 years / 100,000km
CONTACT Motor Image Enterprises
TELEPHONE 6417-0300
