2005 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT: A Pleasant Surprise For the Driving Enthusiast!

I must admit that I have never been a big fan of Subaru’s. I always thought they were frumpy looking, boring cars that sold themselves based on the availability of A.W.D. Several people in my family over the years have purchased Subaru’s, and they swear by their reliability, and overall good driving characteristics. Once the WRX arrived in the United States, I began to take notice. Subaru’s could be fun in addition to being practical, yet the WRX’s styling still didn’t do anything for me.

However, I think Subaru’s new Legacy sedan is a very clean and stylish looking car. It won’t turn any heads, but it certainly is appealing to my eyes. My college bound son is currently in the market for a new car that will handle well in the snow, and we decided to take a test drive of a Legacy 2.5 GT sedan with the 250 horsepower boxer four engine.

Exterior/ Interior Impressions: As previously stated, I happen to like the styling of the new Legacy sedan. The front end is nicely sculpted, and this particular version had a sporty air scoop popping out of the hood. The side profile of the Legacy could have been more original in my opinion, as it is very plain. The back of the car is muscular with large twin barrel exhaust pipes, and sleek tail lamps.

The interior of the new Legacy was what really impressed me. Shutting the door upon entering the interior, you are rewarded with a solid sound. The car feels well built and sturdy. The interior materials are as good as any luxury car maker in its class, and puts some to shame. The seats in my test model were a soft perforated beige leather, which felt like it was of a very good quality. The plastics on the dashboard were nicely molded, and their was a sporty faux metallic finish covering parts of the center console, I was not as big of a fan of the wood trim, which is used sparingly. The faux wood looked convincing yet it featured a matte finish, and I personally am fonder of the glossier looking wood trims. All of the controls seemed well placed, and there were no glaring ergonomic mishaps that I was able to note.

The Legacy’s seats were very comfortable and supportive, yet the center armrest could not be adjusted, and I had difficulty finding a good position to rest my right arm.

The thick steering wheel was a beautiful piece of finely stitched leather designed by MOMO. The Legacy also featured an ample backseat, with good head and legroom.

Driving Impressions: Driving the new Legacy was a lot of fun! The car drives really well, but it has some quirks that may take some getting used to for some. One problem for me with the driving experience was the dead pedal. I found it to be positioned to close, and as a result I was not able to find an ideal driving position.

The 250 horse boxer engine is a real gem. Power for the most part is very strong, and the car pulls very hard. I was also surprised by how refined and quiet the engine was. Standstill starts are uneventful until the needle swings past about 3500 RPM, and then you better hold on, because then the car really screams. It just takes off, and sometimes I found the power to come on too strong and too suddenly. I would have liked a more linear delivery of power.

The turbo lag is also quite noticeable. Stepping on the gas in most situations results in a substantial pause, and then after what seems like a couple of seconds, the turbo will kick in. In some instances, I would try and accelerate around a corner, and nothing would happen, and then all of a sudden the car would take off. This is probably something that one could get used to, but at first it can be a bit surprising, and in some instances potentially dangerous.

The steering on the Legacy is very nicely and heavily weighted. There is a lot of resistance to the wheel, and it transmits good feedback. When I took the Legacy hard around corners, I was shocked by how well it handled. It definitely was up there with the sportiest of B.M.W.’s. The AWD system really helps in this department, and the Legacy cornered extremely hard and flat. I was very impressed.

The ride on the Legacy was nothing noteworthy. The suspension is tuned to a firmer setting, and most bumps are soaked up, but it certainly doesn’t ride like a Lexus, or as well as an Audi A4 for example. The Legacy also had very strong brakes, which fortunately were not to grabby.

Overall my son and I walked away from the Legacy very positive. We didn’t go in having high expectations, so we were pleasantly surprised. The drive of the car is a bit ‘quirky,’ yet it was these quirks that really made the car fun and unique. One big nail in the coffin for this particular, loaded model was its price. The M.S.R.P for our 2.5 model was over $31,500. That’s a lot of money for a Subaru, although it did drive well and have a nice interior. I would wait until there are some discounts on them, and then they would seem like a better value.