Category: Large Family 
Price Range: £20,400 to £27,400
Strong, smooth performance; refinement; a unique proposition; the usual Legacy strengths.
A little noisy at start-up; too idiosyncratic?
The most petrol-like diesel we've yet driven.
The brakes - always strong anyway - have been uprated in this diesel version of the Legacy/Outback, with the latest mechanical brake-assist system as well as ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution.
The four-wheel-drive system continuously monitors road conditions to distribute torque to the axle with the most grip when surfaces get slippery and the central limited-slip differential gives further fine-tuning, splitting the torque between each of the rear wheels as well. Outback models add a further rear differential.
Standard equipment includes vehicle dynamics control (an advanced combined stability/traction control system that can brake each wheel individually as well as cut engine power), high-intensity gas-discharge headlamps with washers, front, side and curtain airbags, curtain airbags, active front head restraints, three rear three-point seatbelts and Isofix child seat mounting points, plus deadlocks, shielded door locks, keyless entry and a Thatcham Category 1 alarm/immobiliser.
This generation of the Legacy hasn't been through the Euro NCAP crash tests, but it has achieved five-star results in both US and Australian tests.
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