REVIEW
Gavin Foster Subaru Legacy 2,5 Outback R248 950 If you admire those who have the balls to do things differently, Subaru must be high on your list of heroes. While most manufacturers went the route of front-wheel-drive, the Fuji Heavy Industries subsidiary decided that permanent all-wheel-drive was the way to go. And while everybody else virtually stuck to in-line or V-formation cylinder layouts, Subaru went with its big-bore boxer engines, la Volkswagens Beetle. Why? Because the lightweight, compact, torquey engines with their very low centres of gravity combined with unlimited traction endowed the Subarus with world-class handling.
Although Subarus Legacy is an all-wheel-drive its not really a 4×4 in the South African sense you wouldnt want to tackle Africas worst terrain in the little wagon, and although it might surprise you with its ability off-road its relatively low ground clearance and long overhangs render it unsuitable for proper cross-country work. The all-wheel-drive makes it great for European conditions though ice, snow, slush and mud. Enter the Outback, a slightly less Eurocentric version of the Legacy wagon. With beefed up suspension hoiking ground clearance from 165mm to 200mm the Legacy suddenly becomes more suitable for the rougher conditions of Africa or Australia. Its still not a Land Rover or a Jeep, but its more likely to get where you need to be along back-roads and trails without doing itself serious damage or jeopardising its primary role that of a street-friendly family wagon. The Legacy we got to spend some time with was the 2,5 Outback manual wagon theres also an auto version, and a 3-litre six-cylinder offering. Although not Executive specced, the R248 950 test car came with just about everything one could ask for in terms of luxury and safety twin airbags, cruise control, ABS, a CD/radio, electric windows, aircon, central locking and a tilt-adjustable steering wheel are standard. Firm, well-shaped cloth seats (leather in the Executive) do a good job of providing support, and leg and head room are generous. Theres 616dm3 of boot space, which can be almost doubled by collapsing the rear seats. The 2 457cc horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine of the Subaru is a beauty. With 115kW available at 5 600rpm and 223Nm on tap from 3 600rpm it gets the Outback to a top speed of around 200kph, and hauls the wagon to 100kph in about 10,5 seconds. Happy as it is to lug along, the motors equally enthusiastic about revving to its 6 200rpm red line, which is when we discovered just how much we enjoyed its smoothness and its sound. Build quality was very good, and despite a fair amount of gravel-road driving we encountered no rattles or squeaks from the bodywork or trim. Handling was excellent, and we found that the harder we drove the car the better it responded. The manual versions of the Outback offer a low range transmission thats not really what weve come to expect in a 4×4 but then this isnt really a 4×4, is it? The options very useful, though, dropping ratios by the equivalent of about half a normal gear. At 120kph in fifth (high ratio) the engines spinning at 3 250rpm, in fourth (high) at 4 500rpm, and in fifth (low) at 4 100rpm. That offers a bit of an edge in that theres always a perfect ratio for hill climbing or towing, and it also helps performance over areas offering poor traction. For those who want something a little more off-roadable Subarus Forester would be more appropriate, but having driven the two we feel that the Legacy Outback would be the one that suits most peoples needs best, and the buying public obviously agrees of the 74 Subarus sold in this country last month, 52 were Legacys. Well bet a fair proportion of those were Outbacks.