Subaru Legacy 3.0 R — a luxury family saloon

The biggest difference between this car and its sibling, the Legacy 2.0 GT, is that where the smaller version uses a turbocharger to extract 190kW and 330Nm from its four cylinder engine, the 3.0 R generates ten kilowatts and 33 Newton Metres less from a naturally aspirated flat-six displacing 50% more. The three-litre, though slower in terms of absolute performance, also costs R18 000 more than its R346 000 “baby” sister, which could lead some buyers into thinking they “wuz robbed!”

That’s not, however, the case. The reason for this apparent anomaly is that many drivers rate larger, naturally aspirated engines over smaller high-output technically-complicated turbo options. And the six-speed transmission that comes with the manual version of the flat-six is such a delight to use that it alone makes the six-cylinder option more appealing.

The 3.0 R is a little more of a plain Jane than the turbo version, in that it lacks the aggressive bonnet scoop that ducts outside air to the force-fed Legacy’s intercooler, but the massive 215/45 R18 tyres on their big alloy rims still make the point that this is a car for serious drivers. The interior is understated, but all the toys you could wish for are tucked away inside. These include an electric sun-roof, cruise control, aircon, and satellite controls for the McIntosh 12 speaker entertainment system that comes with a separate amplifier, a 20 centimetre sub-woofer and an in-dash six CD shuttle. There’s also full leather upholstery, electrically-adjustable front seats, six airbags and ventilated disc brakes with ABS front and rear. Drilled aluminium pedals and a stubby gear lever add a sporting touch to an otherwise rather bland facade.

Snick the gear lever into first, step on the gas and ease out the clutch and the Subaru very quickly establishes its credentials as a performance car. The short-stroke quad-cam 24 valve motor utilises variable valve timing and lift, so there’s always loads of grunt available. The 0-100 dash takes around seven seconds, while top speed is marginally over 240 km/hr, but the thing the Legacy does best is get around corners in a hurry. The flat-six engine layout keeps the weight low in the vehicle, and the symmetrical all-wheel-drive system and limited-slip differential keep the four massive tyres glued to the road no matter how aggressively the car is driven. The Subaru can be chucked into corners at seemingly lunatic speeds without biting back at the unwary driver.

The Subaru Legacy 3.0 R manual is a luxury family saloon that’s capable of taking off the gloves and getting involved in a little bare-knuckle street fighting when it has to. Boy racers might prefer the in-your-face Subaru Impreza WRX STi or the turbocharged Legacy GT, but for those who want be a little more discrete about their hooligan side I believe the Legacy 3.0 R will be more appealing.

The Subaru Legacy 3.0 R Spec B comes with a three year /100 000 km warranty and a three year /63 000 km service plan.

Toyota joins airbag and ABS club

Toyota South Africa has announced that ABS brakes and dual airbags will from now on be included as standard in all Corolla and RunX models. The extra safety features will however add an amount of R4 800 to the costs of the models affected. New prices for the cars concerned are as follows: