Category: Large Family 
Price Range: £20,400 to £27,400
Roomy, reliable, sharp handling, kookiness factor, anonymous styling.
Anonymous styling, low ground clearance for off-roading, dated plasticky cabin. No diesel option.
The Legacy may not look like anything special, but it's a very accomplished all-rounder for motorway cruising, family load-lugging or even fun - take your pick.
The cabin can feel a little claustrophobic, with its dark colours and low roof, and the hard plastics and grey nylon seats are not that pleasant or touchy-feely. However, the seats are very well-shaped and supportive, the driving position and ergonomics well-sorted, the legroom generous and the ride smooth (improved in the late-2001 revisions) - the black marks are really only cosmetic. Air conditioning is now standard, with upper-spec models getting automatic climate control and most mod cons. The headroom is on the low side by modern standards - but then not everyone wants an MPV-like interior with lots of wasted space. The interior room is more usefully apportioned to legroom - good in the rear - and massive boot space, in both saloon and estate models. The load bay is well-designed for load-carrying, and there is good provision for oddments storage, though not a high count of cubby holes and secret stowage areas. Like many Japanese cars, the Legacy is let down by its weedy sound system and fiddly stereo. A single-slot CD player is standard these days, but satellite navigation is still not offered - a decision beginning to look like an oversight in the company car market in particular. No CD autochanger/stack system, either. Still, you could always go to an aftermarket car audio specialist...
Latest Readers' Drives About the Subaru Legacy
wrote on 01 03 2008
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wrote on 09 07 2006