Classy, comfortable and safe Legacy

Besides Subaru's trademark appeal of all-wheel-drive and growling Boxer engine, the latest Legacy is also bang on target in the looks department.

Very similar in appearance to the Lexus, particularly from the side and rear, the car has a distinctive chiselled presence; nose in the air but without being flashy or show-off.

Looking to the US

Particularly attractive features are its elegant projector-type headlights, tastefully flared wheel-arches and large, raked front window which appears even bigger because the windscreen wipers are tucked away below the bonnet line.

From the front the Legacy also bears a strong resemblance to its direct opponent, the Honda Accord, but just a tad classier.

It's clear that the Subaru white coats were very much focussed on the American market when they designed the new Legacy, with strong emphasis on space and comfort, fancy features and better fuel efficiency.

Sporty, but...?

No doubt Americans will love it but local Subaru fans might be a little disappointed for although Subaru describes it as a “sports sedan” its performance is far from exciting.

In fact, the top of the range 2.5i Sport Premium model with the CVT transmission which I drove at the motoring media introduction felt rather average. OK, so it was up on the thin Reef air where performance is generally down from at the coast, but then the biggest car market is up there.

What also didn't help is the CVT transmission which, while ultra smooth and fast, makes for rather droning, one-toned progress.

So where's the oomph?

Snappy looks; a distinctive chiselled presence.

The transmission does offer a manual mode choice by either shifting the selector lever or by using the steering wheel paddles…. But that sort of defeats the object - and the price - of the CVT, doesn't it?

Three models were launched - a 2.0-litre manual (R299 000), a 2.0-litre CVT (R311 000) and a 2.5-litre Sport Premium with a six-speed manual or CVT auto transmission.

At the Subaru Media launch I only got to drive the one model, but fellow motoring scribes who drove the 2.0-litre Legacy also muttered about the smaller-engined model's lack of oomph.

The 2.5-litre, high-revving Boxer engine makes 123 kW and 229 Nm but how this translates to on-road dash I don't know as Subaru provided no acceleration or top speed figures.

Safety first

But whatever the Legacy may lack under the bonnet it more than makes up for in many other ways.

The well-appointed dash and driving position. The steering is nicely weighted and responsive enough to cope with the twisties, even at fair lick.

Subaru claims a combined cycle fuel consumption of 8.4 litres per 100 km and emissions of 198 grams of carbon dioxide both of which are better than the previous model.

Safety is high up on the list with features such as seven airbags (including a driver's knee-bag), front seatbelts with pre-tensioners and load limiters, child seat anchor points, all three brake “degrees”, ABS, EBD and BAS, plus traction control, front fog lights and hill start assist.

The Legacy scored a five-star rating for occupant safety from the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP), five-star overall rating in the European New Car Assessment Programme (EnCap) and ‘Top Safety Pick' rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the USA which gives Subaru the bragging rights to describe it as “the safest car we have ever manufactured”.

Sit back, relax and enjoy

The electric parking brake - a step too far for the average SA driver?

Like all Subarus, the new Legacy handles extremely well thanks to Billstein sporty suspension, 18-inch alloys, its ‘cradle frame' engine mounting superstructure and a chassis which feels noticeably stiffer than the previous model.

The steering is nicely weighted and responsive enough to cope with the twisties, even at fair lick.

But probably the best feature of the new Legacy is its spacious, comfortable and fell furnished (and finished) cabin.

Leg room - particularly at the back - has been vastly improved, thanks to an 80mm increase in the wheelbase and an 80mm stretch in the car's overall length.

With 50mm more cabin width even three Daddy Long Legs can travel in comfort at the back.

The leather seats are well-moulded and really comfortable and the two up front are now also electronically adjustable

It suits - whether you're from Venus or Mars

Nice boot - big too.

The living quarters have a decidedly upmarket ambience with metal-finish across the facia and doors, dual-zone climate control with rear air vents for the backseat travellers, electric sunroof, cruise control, multi-function trip computer, fully adjustable steering wheel with audio buttons and in-dash 6-CD shuttle playing through six speakers.

The Legacy now also has an electric parking brake which is activated either by a switch to the right of the steering column or which releases automatically on take-off. Unfortunately this won't work for a great many slack South African drivers because this will only happen if the seatbelt is in use!

The 2.0i engine - so where's the oomph?

The 2.5is powerplant - it produces 123 kW and 229 Nm but...

In tune with the substantially upgraded interior the new Legacy also boasts class-leading boot space and a bigger fuel tank.

All Legacy models come with a three-year/100 000 km warranty and three-year/63 000 km maintenance plan (which can be extended to five-year/200 000 km).

The new Legacy is a top quality, well-priced vehicle that will suit smart professionals from Venus or Mars, families looking for space and a touch of class, and anybody who is interested more in travelling in comfort and style than getting to their destinations in a hurry or taking on the odd boy racer at the traffic lights.