Subaru Legacy 2.5GT Wagon: Perfect Symmetry

MANILA, Philippines - Too often buying a car is not so much about choices but about compromise. If you want a cheap car be prepared for average performance and not much image. If you want a vehicle that’ll roll over every pothole in sight without breaking a sweat, with enough space for all your gear, you get a pickup truck. Just don’t expect it to ride like a cloud. In the realm of executive-class wheels, the class is pretty much defined by more-than-adequate performance, ample space for five, a price bracket just short of the European marques, and a driving experience that’s anesthetized but for a few exceptions. So when a model comes along proving that performance doesn’t have to come at too high a price, and that good ol’ family values aren’t jettisoned in the name of a sports-oriented package, you just have to sit up and take notice.

Available in two variants – 4-door sedan and 5-door wagon – the Legacy GT’s brash style is the first thing that people notice. Subaru has never been ashamed of its trademark hood scoop for its turbocharged models, and with the Legacy it’s the equivalent of Manny Pacquiao flaring his nostrils. Except, dare I say it, the car looks better than our famed pugilist. Especially the wagon, whose low profile, taut shoulders, and multi-spoke wheels combine to give it a confident aura that’s almost Teutonic. It is a design that exudes confidence, and it facilitates the right-of-way at intersections, opens guarded subdivision gates, and deters bullies from crowding your lane just as effectively as a Euro brand costing fifty percent more.

Wagons have never been in high style in the Philippine market, and this is a good thing if you’re the type of driver that Subaru is looking for. The brand has never been for the “Me too” crowd, mainly because its best products have all been about leaving the pack in its dust. For example, who would ever think that a wagon – you know, a “mommy car” – would actually pack 265 horsepower under that hood? And that all energy would be coming from a horizontally opposed, four-cylinder engine? That’s less than what the V6 models of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord punch out (280 HP and 277 HP, respectively), and it doesn’t have an edge in power-to-weight, either, but things get very interesting when the road is anything but dry or straight.

Equipped with Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, a sophisticated center differential that constantly apportions torque between the front and rear wheels, the Legacy GT clings to the road with more tenacity than some disgraced Presidents cling to their office. Personally, I was of the mindset that the Forester 2.5XT was just about the best family sports wagon you could get, but being an SUV the high center of gravity prevents you from really pushing it in the curves if you want to preserve your marriage.

With the Legacy’s low center of gravity and excellent underpinnings – all independent suspension with 18-inch, 45-series Bridgestone Potenzas – you would have to be brain dead to drive the wagon like it was just a grocery car. Instead, when the road clears you are just so tempted to floor it and get that all-wheel drive gripping the road as you go ever faster ‘round the curves.

With the all-wheel drive, you can get on the power sooner after clearing an apex, so exit speeds are faster than with a front-wheel drive. Naturally, given the unpredictable condition of our roads and the inclement weather, the added traction also boosts your confidence even at less-than-flat-out speeds. The suspension is tuned in the Germanic tradition – taut but never harsh – striking the balance between stability and all-day comfort. It understeers at the limit, but modulating the throttle gets the nose to come around nicely. With a professional driver at the helm and a clear, safe area it’s easy to visualize the Legacy doing a 4-wheel drift. As it is, the average owner will get a very nicely sorted out wagon that won’t bite back unless he foolishly attempts to break the laws of physics.

The Legacy also comes with an excellent 5-speed transmission with the lovely complement of manumatic shifting. You can manually shift using the gear lever, or you can use the magnesium paddle shifters. Acceleration feels excellent in either “Drive” or manual override, and the five ratios do an excellent job of helping to cope with turbo lag. For added fun, a console dial lets you customize the responsiveness of the throttle and transmission: “I” is for economical driving, “S” is for sportier performance, and “S#” is for when you want to light up the afterburners.

All of this driving fun would be pointless if the family couldn’t get even a tiny piece of the action, and here the wagon’s more congenial side comes into play. Simply put, there is a lot of room to flop around in. The backseat is big enough to accommodate most adults, and the leg- and headroom will never leave you wanting an SUV. I was able to fit a bulky infant car seat in the middle of the backseat (it has a shoulder belt, not just a cheap lap belt), and the two outboard passengers never felt cramped up. Likewise, I and the front passenger didn’t need to adjust our seats to make some room for the backseat passengers. Cargo area is also something you’ll want to consider if you’re choosing between the sedan or the wagon. For the latter, you can fit several golf bags. In my case I was able to fit one stroller, 3 large gym bags, and there was still enough space for several more bags.

Gadget-wise, the Legacy has expected features like the dual-zone climate control, power adjustable front seats, the power moonroof, the premium sound system, and the 6 airbags spread throughout the cabin. Other safety features include the usual all-disk brakes with ABS and stability control. Staying true to its sports wagon package, the Legacy eschews the faux wood trim for carbon fiber strips in the cockpit and door panels. Look down and you will behold racy aluminum pedals.

Finally, if you find yourself groping for the emergency brake lever, there is none. Neither is there a retro umbrella-type e-brake. Instead, mimicking the biggabuck priced Mercedes Benz S-Class, the Legacy has an electronic parking brake. Don’t ask us why it has to be that way; we just think it looks very cool.

With a price tag of P2.098M, the Legacy is not for everyone. If you feel that’s too much then perhaps you’re better off shopping somewhere else. For performance-minded buyers, the kind that wants a fast, fun-to-drive car that’ll fit the family and still give him enough wattage to smoke a few cocky European brands at two-thirds the price, then it’s an excellent choice. Actually, it’s probably the only one of its kind.

THE GOOD

• Smooth, turbo drivetrain.

• Dynamic performance that’s so refreshing for the class.

• All the expected luxury and safety features.

• Real space for five.

THE BAD

• You’ll have to fall in line to get yours.

• Having to clean the brake dust from those flashy wheels.

THE VERDICT

• A sports wagon that’ll let you take the family along for a wild ride.