Subaru has a reputation for building quick cars that are fun to drive, while looking very ordinary. All of their offerings are fitted with horizontally opposed four or six-cylinder engines to provide a low centre of gravity, and all deliver power to all four wheels. Until a year or two back the cars were somewhat marred by relatively low luxury specifications and a lack of quality ”feel”, but that’s changed recently, and the latest Legacy 2.0 GT Premium comes with most of the toys you’d expect, and feels very well built. Styling is now also more striking, thanks to the Japanese company having pinched Alfa’s head stylist, Andreas Zapatinas.
The Legacy 2.0 GT Premium delivered to us for evaluation was a handsome car indeed, with a few subtle hints to its status as a performance car. These include a broad, low scoop to feed air to the intercooler, 17” rims shod with low-profile Bridgestones and dual big-bore tailpipes.
Open the door to climb behind the wheel and the first thing you notice is another Subaru idiosyncrasy — the frameless side windows. The dash is still understated, but when you switch on the ignition the illuminated red speedo and rev counter needles sweep majestically across the black dials before returning to take up duty in their usual positions. Standard features include front airbags, airbags in the backs of the front seats and side-curtain airbags all round. Add an aircon, electric windows, a classy front-loading six CD sound system, electrically adjustable leather front seats and rear view mirrors, cruise control, and a rake adjustable Momo steering wheel and you have a car that can compete with the German opposition on even terms.
The car we drove was the recently released five speed manual version of the Legacy. This delivers even more stem than the auto version, with the quad cam 16 valve turbocharged four-cylinder unit delivering 190 kW at 6 400 rpm and a very useful 330 Nm at 2 400. We initially found the car easy to stall off the line, thanks to a degree of turbo lag, but once up and trotting power delivery is linear, with a huge booming wave of torque providing a rapid response to throttle response at virtually any revs. At the coast the car’s performance is impressive, and at altitude it’ll stand out even further from the crowd, thanks to the 17% power loss most of the naturally aspirated opposition will experience at Gauteng altitudes. We don’t have the equipment to carry out proper performance tests, but specialist motoring magazines have recorded the 0-100 dash as taking around 6,5 seconds, with a rev-limiter restricting top speed to a slightly disappointing 220 km/hr. On paper the car should be good for at least 235 or so without the electronic interference.
Like most Subarus, this car comes into its own on tight, twisty roads and it’s hard to imagine anything in its class sticking with the taut-handling Legacy in these conditions. Grip is prodigious, thanks to the power being delivered to four sticky tyres, and the car loves to be slung around like a go-kart. Braking is also excellent, with the ABS and EBD equipped ventilated discs (316mm up front and 290mm at the rear) putting firm clamps on forward progress when necessary.
The Subaru Legacy 2.0 GT Premium costs R346 000, which pits it squarely against some formidable performance saloons such as the Alfa 156 GTA, the BMW 330i and the Audi A4 Quattro. We think it can hold its head high in such illustrious company, and the fact that it’s still a relatively rare sight on South African roads gives it an appeal that will suit many enthusiasts.