The Legacy endures

The 2005, six-cylinder, three-litre, Subaru Legacy 3.0R is now on the roads. Mark Appleton found this GCC newcomer to be more than a match for many rival performance-driven four-door saloons

The low rumble of a Subaru flat four ‘boxer' engine is one of the most distinctive – if not most common – of automotive sounds. Now there's a new sound on the engine block from the boys at Fuji Heavy Industries.

They've taken the layout of the horizontally opposed ‘four' and added a couple more cylinders to create a new 3.0 litre six-cylinder unit.

The engine is offered in the symmetrical all-wheel-drive Legacy 3.0R in which it finds a chassis and drivetrain worthy of its impressive combination of smoothness and power.

For those who have never previously considered a Subaru saloon, read on, now is a good time to add one to your shortlist.

Of course it's no secret that the Legacy has always been a good proposition for buyers seeking a blend of driver appeal, technical sophistication and near bullet-proof reliability.

For many, however, those bland, almost anonymous looks have seen it passed over in favour of cars with lesser abilities but more personality.

Even within its own family, its tearaway kid brother, the Impreza, has tended to make the Legacy look like the slightly-too-sensible older sibling: generally well-behaved but perhaps a tad dull.

Estate versions have always sold well, however, and in places like the north-western United States, Canada and especially New Zealand where there are long distances, snowy mountain passes and slippery forest tracks to be dealt with, the Legacy Outback is popular almost to the point of cultism.

For those who don't need to accommodate dogs, prams, ill-advised furniture purchases and the like, but who still seek a robust ‘driver's' car, the saloon offers the estate's rugged capabilities, in a more compact, driveable package.

Exterior styling

While the fourth generation Legacy is unlikely to win any awards from the International Guild of Automotive Designers, neither is it displeasing to the eye from any angle.

With its high boot line and distinctive tail lights, the rear-end treatment is the car's strongest suit, while in profile its stance is low and purposeful and not without a touch of elegance.

From the front, well, let's just say that when parking nose-out in an unfamiliar place make sure you know your registration number as little else from this angle is memorable.

On the plus side, the frameless doors are something of a Subaru signature these days, while Mercedes-style door
mirror mounted indicators are a stylish new touch.

Interior

If the exterior styling is at least generally inoffensive, inside the cabin there is more to get excited about. The driving position is superb, offering a near unobstructed view of the road, thanks in part to a low bonnet which disappears beneath the windscreen.

That's no mean feat with those extra two cylinders to accommodate. Subaru achieves it by setting the engine way down in its bay, something made possible by that horizontal configuration of the cylinders.

The test car was fitted with an ivory-coloured leather interior which neatly offset the black door and cockpit trim.

Electrically adjustable front seats lean more towards sporty snugness than cruising comfort while front head and legroom is reasonable rather than outstanding.

In the back, there are inevitably compromises to be made in these departments, given both the low roof line and that extra transmission tunnel. For most shapes and sizes, however, the available space both front and rear will be adequate.

Back in the driving seat, the instrument binnacle is a model of clarity and legibility. Invisible when switched off, the back-lit dials become evident only on ignition.

Their premium-looking white on black layout is complemented by red needles, rendering the basic functions of speed, rpm, fuel and temperature levels easily readable, day or night.

The red, night-time illumination of centre console-mounted climate control and audio instrumentation will not, however, be to everyone's taste.

Sadly it also looks like the designers ran out of ideas or money or both when considering the materials for this centre stack, or perhaps they just had an over-supply of unconvincing metallic-effect, grey plastic to get shot of.

Nevertheless, nit-picking and minor gripes aside, the interior is on the whole an agreeably cosseting environment and successfully conveys a sense of performance-oriented luxury.

Performance

The first incarnation of the Legacy which appeared in 1989 might have gone completely unnoticed such was its slab-sided, square-faced demeanour.

In the hands of the Prodrive motorsport team and Colin McRae, however, it defied its Mr Sensible looks and demonstrated a mean street-fighting streak on the UK and world rally circuits.

Today's Legacy carries those race-bred genes and for those who want to dance, the 3.0R will be more than happy to oblige. The car features a five-speed ‘Sportshift' automatic transmission with semi-manual option.

Potter around town in ‘D' by all means but to get the full experience, the driver needs to move gear lever laterally into ‘Sport' mode. Here you enter a world of fun, where the ability to snick up and down through the sequential box gives a satisfying sense of control.

The only problem is that this eventually stimulates a desire to have total control and thoughts turn to the six-speed manual 3.0R Spec B variant which is currently not available in the UAE.

Subaru tell us they are waiting to see how the 3.0R is received before making a decision on sending the Spec B here. Bring it on, we say.

The Legacy's ride is undoubtedly firm but by no means unacceptably so. Still, if you want to waft in perfectly cushioned comfort over speed bumps and uneven road surfaces, this is not the car for you.

The rigid suspension is set up for stable, high-speed cornering and when combined with the symmetrical all-wheel drive system and beautifully engineered weight distribution the results are highly impressive.

"But I don't want to go round corners at high speeds," I hear you – or perhaps your partner – cry. Fine. Think of it in terms of an ability to perform emergency collision-avoidance manoeuvres at 120 km/h.

If you do like to push on through bends you'll have to be brave to find the traction limits of this car. Hard acceleration through corners will eventually provoke a progressive, easily-controllable four-wheel drift which gives plenty of warning that it's time to get out of the throttle.

Thanks to that low centre of gravity, rapid turn-in doesn't provoke any undue drama and when necessary, the all-round disc brakes will promptly decelerate the car.

Equally its inherent stability will, as alluded to, allow the 3.0R to cope with quick directional changes even under heavy braking.

Acceleration is brisk, both from rest and especially when using Sportshift to shed a couple of gears before kickdown-style overtaking manoeuvres.

Increases in speed are delivered to the sound of that glorious six-cylinder unit which, being normally aspirated, offers up its horses in a smooth, progressive and surprisingly flexible manner.

With all th