We Get Behind the Wheel in Japan
By Peter Lyon, Contributor
Date posted: 05-25-2009


The thing about niche carmakers is that you pretty much know what their new cars are going to offer. You don't even have to read the catalogs.

So what about the all-new 2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT? Will it have a revised four-cylinder boxer turbo? Yep. And will it get a rehashed version of Subaru's symmetrical all-wheel drive? Yes. Will it be quick off the mark, will it handle well and will it deliver good value for money? Ah, yes, yes and yes again.

Now that wasn't too hard.

But in this, the Legacy's 20th anniversary year, Subaru engineers were not content to just produce another same-old, same-old. They decided to up the ante and shoot for leadership with the fifth-generation Legacy sedan. As to whether they have achieved that goal aesthetically with this edgy yet chunky exterior, we'll reserve judgment. But on the road, it's a winner.

Bigger Is Better
To compete squarely against all-wheel-drive sedans like the Audi A4 2.0T and BMW 325xi, Subaru has come up with a meaner, more muscular look, increased the package's overall dimensions, redesigned the suspension system, rebuilt the engine and turbo and even added some high-tech gadgetry like a radar-controlled cruise control unit.

Coming face to face with the turbocharged 2010 Subaru Legacy B4 2.5GT for the first time at our drive at Subaru's proving ground in the mountains near Tochigi, Japan, the car practically screams "street presence." The new Legacy sedan looks taller and bigger all around with its substantially modified sheet metal. It's also bigger under the skin, some 3.7 inches longer, 2 inches wider and 3.1 inches higher, and the wheelbase has stretched by 3.1 inches. Meanwhile, the curb weight has only risen by 44 pounds. All this translates into oodles more head- and legroom, especially in the backseat.

When you take a quick walkaround, it's easy to see that stylists had challenges incorporating the new bigger dimensions.

By far the most obvious modification is the overall height of the car and the thicker-looking front end. With the hood about 3.7 inches taller than before to accommodate more stringent regulations for pedestrian safety in crashes, the designers have had to wrap the headlights around the front end. This styling nuance makes the Legacy seem uncomfortably tall and gives it a look that's more like a crossover than a sport sedan. The aggressively flared wheel arches and neatly penned tail section are by far the car's best design features.

Relocated Turbo Packs a Punch
Powered by a fully revised, turbocharged 2.5-liter boxer-4, the Japanese-market Legacy B4 2.5GT makes 281 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, a sizable jump from the previous engine's 256 hp. Torque rises to 258 pound-feet between 2,000 and 5,600 rpm.

This engine might employ its predecessor's engine block, but every other component is new, including the piston design, cylinder heads, cam profiles, intake manifold and electronically controlled throttle. Of special note is the redesigned turbo, which now sits low down at the front of the engine bay, where it's a lot closer to the exhaust ports, a modification that helps reduce turbo lag.

On the tight, winding road course at Subaru's proving grounds, the new engine struts its stuff, begging us to push harder. On this test day, we have access only to a car equipped with the five-speed automatic transmission, so we dial in the fussy Subaru SI-Drive to Sport Sharp (which anyone who has ever driven a recent-generation Legacy knows is the only mode worth worrying about).

Standard for the Legacy 2.5GT, the SI-Drive knob sits on the center console and offers drivers a choice of one of three programmed engine maps — Intelligent, Sport and Sport Sharp. It's almost like having a choice of three different engines, two of which you don't need. Trouble is, once you get used to the lightning-quick throttle response of the Sport Sharp, the other modes can leave you feeling humiliated in traffic situations, because power drops by as much as 20 percent.

Quicker Jumps to 60 mph
So in Sport Sharp mode we select 1st gear and plant our right boot on the floor. With only a slight chirp from the 18-inch Bridgestone Potenza RE050s, the car's clever all-wheel-drive system leads the car to squat for a split second as it channels optimum drive to all four corners, then rockets to 60 mph from a standstill in a breath over 5 seconds.

The power delivery is linear and strong, with maximum torque coming on tap as low as 2,000 rpm and staying on the boil to 5,500 rpm. The Legacy's five-speed automatic devours shift commands from the polished-aluminum shift paddles with almost no shift shock. A retuned blipping control on the downshifts also expedites seamless entry into corners, which allows you to focus on smoother braking and a more precise turn into the apex.

A six-speed manual will also be available, of course.

Transformed by Wishbones
On the road, the Legacy feels even more planted than before, largely thanks to the new SI (Subaru Intelligent) chassis concept, which was introduced by the Impreza. Ask Chief Engineer Takeshi Tachimori to name the most critical piece of hardware on his new baby, and he doesn't hesitate to reply, "Obviously the front end's suspension struts have been retuned, but our new double-wishbone setup at the rear is a must-see. This new chassis enabled us to replace the predecessor's rear multilink setup with a completely new double-wishbone design that really improves handling."

As we negotiate our first corner at the proving ground, we see what he means. As we turn the wheel of the newly fitted, electronically assisted power steering, the car's nose tucks in nicely while the rear end stays low and flat. The new rear wishbones counteract unwanted camber fluctuations, producing prodigious levels of grip. And that equals quicker, more stable cornering. Surprisingly, ride quality has also improved, especially for rear-seat passengers.

As this car inherits the current Legacy's two-piston calipers with vented discs, braking isn't really an issue and the car pulls up on a dime.

Quality Cabin
Now that the Legacy's living space has expanded, Subaru's designers have also focused on an improved level of comfort and quality.

The interior feels more luxurious thanks to higher-quality materials that include the leather seats and plastics, while the front seats have grown in height by 2.3 inches, offering better back support to taller drivers. The dash layout is simple yet functional, although the stylists have worked so hard on the polished aluminum of the center console that the brightwork reflects a little too much sunlight for our tastes.

One other addition to the Legacy's makeup is a radar cruise control system that, when switched on, locks onto the car ahead and regulates brakes and throttle response accordingly, especially effective in heavy traffic.

One of the Legacy's talking points since its third generation landed in 1998 has been the option of a McIntosh sound system, arguably the best in-car sound system in the world, we think. The revamped McIntosh audio unit is matched with 10 speakers and 5.1 surround sound, while the 40GB hard drive is capable of storing 2,000 MP3 songs. The system will now even play DVDs and it's compatible with iPod, MP3 and WMA files.

A New Legacy
Priced at $32,000 in Japan, the 2010 Subaru Legacy B4 2.5GT is bigger all around, offers the best combination of handling and performance in its class and challenges the best from Germany in ride quality.

Here in the U.S., we expect the same from our 265-hp 2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT, which will start at $27,995 for the premium model with its 18-inch cast-aluminum wheels, P225/45R18 summer tires, chrome exhaust tips and all-weather package. The 2.5GT Limited will have a starting price of $29,995, including its black-and-white seat upholstery, power-adjustable driver seat and Harman Kardon audio system.

This new Legacy is meant to be a breakthrough vehicle for Subaru, a legitimate rival for the world's best sedans. Since Subaru seems to be enjoying relative success in America as its rivals fade in a declining economy, it might be that the company will be able to escape its niche-market identity at last. How the market takes to the Legacy's quirky new exterior might just hold the key to the Legacy's success.

Is There a WRX Inside?
By Michael Jordan, Executive Editor
Date posted: 10-18-2009


It growls, almost as if it's chewing up the road ahead. And then when you shift gears, it gives a kind of a cough, the way a turbocharged engine does. When you hear this engine, you can almost see the blue rally cars coming toward you through the trees. It makes us think of WRC rally champion Petter Solberg, and we can practically see his face as he turned to us and laughed — and since we were a couple of feet in the air in a WRX rally car, there was plenty to laugh about.

So these are the sounds that Subaru's turbocharged 2.5-liter boxer-4 makes, a soundtrack so familiar to anyone who has spent time around an Impreza WRX. The only thing you ask yourself is what this engine is doing in this grown-up American-style sedan, the 2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT?

Bigness and the Backseat
Probably for as long as any of us can remember, Subaru has been trying to show the world that it's more than a fringe player from Subaru City, a place in Japan that is near, well, it's actually not near anyplace. And now with the 2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT, the little company has an opportunity to get on equal footing with Honda, Mazda and Toyota.

When the planning began for the current crop of sedans some five years or so ago, most of the Japanese-label sedans were preparing to abandon their international-size platforms and adopt dimensions scaled for Americans. And so in the same way that the Honda Accord and Mazda 6 have been scaled up for the corn-fed inhabitants of this country, so, too, the Subaru Legacy's wheelbase has been stretched 3.2 inches to 108.3 inches. The car now measures 1.4 inches longer at 186.4 inches overall, plus it's about 3 inches more in its other dimensions, some 71.7 inches wide and 59.3 inches tall.

There are 103 cubic feet of passenger volume within the 2010 Subaru Legacy, a huge amount. At the same time, you most notice the increase in the rear seat, where legroom has increased nearly 4 inches. It is perhaps the curse of being American that we seem to measure space-efficiency by the size of our sedan's backseat, even though hardly anyone packs the whole family into the sedan for a trip to grandma's house when there's a crossover utility vehicle sitting right next to it in the garage.

And we shouldn't forget about the turbocharged, intercooled 2,457cc boxer-4, which delivers 265 horsepower at 5,600 rpm (it gets noisy when you go there) and 258 pound-feet of torque between 2,000 rpm and 5,200 rpm (where it's happy). The 2.5GT's all-wheel-drive system has a viscous-type center differential and distributes torque 50 percent front/50 percent rear.

American Cruising
The 2010 Subaru Legacy seems to love the American highway. It looks kind of bold and upright, like a traditional American car. Actually, it might look a little too upright thanks to the high hood line required to meet forthcoming pedestrian impact standards, and even the gorgeous headlights, hood scoop and extended rocker sills can't quite deliver a long, lean look.

Though this 2.5GT wears 45-series 18-inch tires, it rides pretty happily on asphalt (though not concrete), and it's resilient, albeit a bit springy in the same fashion as the Subaru Impreza. There's some tire roar from the summer-performance Bridgestone RE050As, but the turbocharged boxer-4 is smooth, although growly, in that typical Subie way. In fact, the car registers only 59 dBA while cruising at 70 mph — far, far quieter than a Mazda 6, in fact.

At the same time, the Legacy seems a little traditional in the American style while you're behind the wheel, as the color palette and materials and even the architecture are as plain as Lafayette, Indiana, where the car is built. The GT has a slightly tougher performance-style aspect inside the cabin than the plain (2.5i) or fancy (3.6R Limited) examples of the Legacy we've driven, yet it's still a step behind the competition.

American Speed
You'd never guess that the 2010 Subaru Legacy has any speed in its soul. It's packing 3,586 pounds now (not that much more, yet still a lot), and the persistent torque reaction from the front end as you lay into the throttle and the tendency of the car to bound over bumps combine to detune your enthusiasm when you're pressing toward the big numbers on the speedometer. But it turns out that the Legacy is quicker and faster than you think.

To get to 60 mph takes 5.7 seconds (5.4 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip), and if you don't abuse the clutch during the getaway and leave the traction control engaged, the time lengthens only to 6.4 seconds. The quarter-mile comes up in 14.0 seconds at 99.3 mph.

Nevertheless, the 2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT doesn't seem like a platform that loves fast driving, especially compared to the former model. There's just not quite enough precision from the steering, and the rear end of the car might be a bit too lively for a sedan of this scale. And yet perhaps this is really a matter of taste, as we recorded an excellent 67.7 mph in our slalom test once we disengaged the stability control. The front end feels a bit soft initially, yet this helps the car carve through the slalom gates, and you'll never feel any understeering compromise from the setup of this all-wheel-drive car.

Not for Grown-Ups
The Legacy is so big now that you expect it to be more helpmate than playmate. You know, there's that big backseat and then that trunk of 14.7 cubic feet. But we still found ourselves on a narrow little road in the middle of nowhere, perhaps longing for those days when a Legacy sedan felt more like an Impreza WRX sedan with a certificate from charm school.

And what should we discover but a little of the old magic. The initial roll from the front end that feels like imprecision at speed helps the car turn quickly into slow corners, and the car then arcs around with its nose down and tail up while holding its line effortlessly. Then as it reaches the exit, the Legacy seems to spring up on its suspension and bound forward, now on an even keel and ready for the next corner.

We could see evidence of this goodness on the skid pad, where the car delivers 0.84g of cornering grip, and indeed the stability control is so finely calibrated that the Legacy achieves the same performance whether the system is engaged or not. Even the Legacy's braking seems to measure up, as a relatively soft pedal action doesn't keep it from coming to a stop on its relatively sticky 225/45R18 91W Bridgestone RE050As in just 111 feet, which the car does time and again without fading.

We confess there were moments when we almost could hear Spaniards cheering for us in the mountains behind Barcelona (they had neglected to paint any encouraging messages on the pavement here in the Santa Monica Mountains, however).

And then we shifted the six-speed manual transmission, and the dream evaporated. This is the best shift linkage ever from a Subaru, so our in-house Subie expert tells us, with more positive action and smoother engagement, and yet you still need help from the GPS to find the shift gates when you're going quickly.

The Subaru Connection
The 2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT is very much the grown-up car that Subaru has been seeking, more in tune with the way Americans drive (and the way Americans eat, which is what makes us so big). But when you stack it up against the competition, it's also very much in the same place as before. It's as big as the other guys, has the right kind of features and comes in the right kind of trim levels, and yet it's still a half step behind in refinement, style and driving enjoyment.

What makes the Legacy 2.5GT interesting is the same thing that has always made a Subaru special — quirkiness. It's got a funny engine that is very vocal, all-wheel drive that's effective when the weather is terrible or when the roads are fun, and an overall personality that's pleasantly off the beam. The turbo 2.5GT is also quicker than the underpowered Legacy 2.5i and more fun than the expensive Legacy 3.6R.

If you're hoping to find a WRX, you won't find it here, as the Legacy 2.5GT is a little too big and a little too nice to be the aggressive sport sedan of your dreams. And yet the 2.5GT is far less grown up than its mainstream competition from Honda and Mazda (and even the Acura TSX) — after all, it offers you a manual transmission, doesn't it? It's a kind of quirky combination of qualities, but Subaru people love that quirkiness and (perhaps most of all) love explaining that quirkiness to others.

The Subaru Legacy concept will debut alongside the production version of the 2015 Subaru WRX at the 2013 Los Angeles auto show, the automaker announced. While Subaru has only released a teaser image of the 2015 WRX, the automaker has revealed several images of the Legacy concept coming to the L.A. auto show. Like the BRZ and WRX concept, the Legacy concept features horseshoe-shaped LED accent lights around the “hawk eye” headlights. Though similar in shape to the WRX concept, the Legacy concept’s hexagonal grille also features a chrome surround with three horizontal chrome bars. The Legacy concept also has a unique lower grille and air intakes. From the side, we can see the Legacy concept’s sloping greenhouse that gives it more of a coupe-like look. A strong character line runs from just behind the front wheel to the top of the taillights. Flared wheel arches house 21-inch wheels. 2015 Subaru Legacy Concept Rear Side View Around back, the horseshoe-shaped theme repeats with LED taillights. While the WRX concept featured four large exhaust tips framing the rear splitter, the Legacy concept has two vertical rectangular exhaust tips protruding from the rear bumper. Subaru calls the Legacy concept’s paint Ocean Silver Metallic. The big wheels, slim side mirrors, and lack of door handles are standard concept car fare, and will likely be changed for production. While Subaru hasn’t announced powertrain options for the next-generation Legacy, we expect the turbocharged 2.0-liter flat-four from the 2014 Subaru Forester, Motor Trend's 2014 SUV of the Year, to appear under the hood in some form. Another possible powertrain is a version of the 2011 Subaru Advanced Tourer concept’s hybrid powertrain featuring a turbocharged 1.6-liter flat-four, electric motor, and lithium-ion battery.

Subaru has been one of the industry's hottest automakers, recording record sales month after month. Those handsome figures have come largely on the backs of its crossover lineup, however – models like Forester, Outback and XV Crosstrek have been carrying all the water. The Japanese marque has seen less noteworthy performance out of its midsize sedan, the Legacy, but a new one is slated to be revealed later this week at the Chicago Auto Show, and it hopes to improve the company's family sedan fortunes.

Leaked here in these first photos, the 2015 Legacy picks up some cues from the brash Legacy Concept revealed at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show, but it loses some impact and gains a pair of rear doors versus the showcar. There's little new visual ground broken, but the overall look is more harmonious than its balloon-fendered predecessor. As is often the case, it has features that make us think of other cars, but overall, it looks to be a handsome (if conservative) design. We particularly like the sleeker roofline and the bold front grille treatment – the latter will likely serve well as the face of the next Outback.

Subaru has traditionally offered function-over-form interiors, and while the new dashboard remains visually staid, it looks to have picked up a number of nice new features, including improved HVAC controls, a new steering wheel and freshened touchscreen navigation system.

No word yet on what lurks underneath, but as ever, we're expecting standard all-wheel drive and a naturally aspirated boxer four-cylinder at the bottom end of the range – either the company's 2.0-liter engine or its 2.5-liter four shared with the Impreza and Forester. No word on the likelihood of the six-cylinder model returning, but it's possible that the turbocharged WRX engine could appear under its hood as a premium offering.