Category: Large Family 
Price Range: £20,400 to £27,400
Unusual, distinctive, tough and durable, utterly useful and practical yet sporting to drive, should be excellent value for money
Too idiosyncratic for some?
A car for those not drawn to the obvious choices, the thinking person's option.
Subaru claims the brakes on this Legacy are up to 50 per cent more effective than those on the 2002 model - itself not slow to stop. All models have ABS anti-locking with EBD (electronic brakeforce distribution), and the full-time four-wheel drive, which distributes torque to the axle with the most grip in slippery conditions.
3.0R Legacy and Outback also have a limited-slip differential, allowing torque to be split in appropriate ratios between the rear wheels. There VDC (vehicle dynamics control), which uses sensors on all four wheels to detect slippage. This system also monitors G-forces and sudden swerves in all directions, and will reduce engine power and apply brakes to appropriate wheels if necessary (this can be switched off if desired).
Standard kit also now includes front, side and side curtain airbags, active front head restraints, three rear three-point seatbelts, ISOFIX child seat mounting points , 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.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Subaru Legacy
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