Vehicle: 2005 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT Limited sedan with 5-speed Sportshift
Priced as tested: CDN$37495

Performance: The biggest highlight of new Legacy GT has to be its engine. The 2.5L horizontally opposed 4 cylinder DOHC 16-valver is basically a detuned version of STi’s awesome powerplant. With 250 horses and lb/ft, power has never been an issue. There are tons of low-end torque and its willing to rev through the rev range. It also doesn’t have obvious turbo lag for smoother power delivery. Throttle response is exceptional. Its surprisingly quiet and refined for a family sedan with sporty intentions, given this engine shares with a rocketship. On the other hand, the 5-speed Sportshift allows you to shift pass redline when driven enthuisastically. There is one drawback, however, is its relatively lazy to upshifts in auto mode. Other than that, its a very good system that is smooth and downright responsive when needed. All you need is to rev for upshifting if you are too lazy to use manumatic mode.

Handling: Legacy begins with a great chassis that is stiff and lack of flex, along with Subaru’s proven assymertrical AWD and you got an extremely balanced car in twisties. The steering has great feedback and responsiveness, its also surprisingly precise. There is a slight amount of understeer and body rolls when pushed through corners. As I have experienced in an autocross track, its a very agile and dynamic car that shines itself through the pylons. The suspension is firm for aggressive driving without sacificing the ride comfort. Thanks to the right amount of suspension stiffness and spring damping, Legacy probably has the best ride/handling balance in the Japanese mid-size family sedan segment. However, the tires are not as capable as chassis itself when pushed. If I happen to buy this car, the first thing to do is to ditch the tires.

Brakes: With 4-channel, 4-sensor ABS and all wheel discs. The pedal feel and moduation are excellent. It also got great pedal effort when needed. Upon trying a few hard stops from 80 km/h, its stops are short and straight without any serious fades.

Interior: Inside the Limited tester, it all comes in one way which is loaded. It got a nice sets of leather sports seats, clear analog instrumentation gauges and climate control/stereo knobs large enough for human beings. There are also plenty of head and legroom at the backseat. The use of materials and build quality are remarkable improvements over its predecessor. There are plenty of soft-touch plastic and textures that make it feels like an upscale car. However, there are 2 large drawbacks in this Legacy. Firstly, the leather seats feel slippery and texture feel more vinyl than a leather. Secondly, the lack of 40/60 split fold-down rear seats really kill the practicality equation although it got a ski pass through.

Conclusion: This generation has to be the most revolutionary of all the Legacies ever made. It finally got the performance and interior it deserves. With the turbo engine, you can view it as a toned-down, less boy-racer like and more gentle STi for the family. It also has better performance than most V6 family sedans and entry-level premium luxury sports sedans. On a contrary, here lies the problems. While many people who are looking for a family sedan is not looking for rocket-like performance, those who are shopping for a premium sports sedan think Subaru has charged its price tag too much due to the lack of cachet. The 38 grand Legacy GT could repeat the history of the underappreciated SVX sports coupe a decade ago if Subaru doesn’t price the GT right in between a loaded Altima/Camry/6/ Accord V6 and A4 Quattro 1.8T/C240 4Matic/325Xi. Or, better yet, offer H6 3.0 from the Outback wagon as an optional engine that could appeal more to the “appliance” public who are shopping at Accord and Camry.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2005 SUBARU LEGACY 2.5GT LIMITED SEDAN
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Performance: 5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4.75/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4.5/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4.5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 3/5
Value-for-money: 2/5

Overall rating: 4/5