Shadow Boxing

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

The legacy is about to be replaced, but the most important thing is already on board: the new diesel engine is convincing across the board. Now the car is only missing fine-tuning in the interior.

By Sebastian Viehmann

The Subaru brand and especially the Legacy sedan have always been overshadowed by other mid-range cars. Last but not least, the lack of a diesel engine played its part. Since the new two-liter diesel engine - which of course works according to the boxer principle at Subaru - the Japanese have been fighting in a different league in the sum of their properties. It may not look particularly exciting, but at least it stands out from the crowd through the air scoop on the hood and exudes a bit of rally flair. However, it does not stop at the flair, because with the standard permanent all-wheel drive, the Subaru leaves front-wheel drive middle-class vehicles behind in rows. Traction problems are alien to him, and you can chase the Legacy around corners in a pace where the ESP lamp in other cars has long been flashing hectically. There are only two things that bothers you while driving: the chassis sometimes does not absorb short bumps and the steering of the 4.6 meter long car could be a little more direct.

Lighter shorter crankshaft

The two-liter common-rail diesel engine has an output of 110 kW / 150 hp and develops a maximum torque of 350 Newton meters at 1800 tours. Advantage of the boxer principle: the engine is very short, the crankshaft is about half the weight of a four-cylinder in-line engine and no balance shafts are required. The Subaru unit runs very quietly and with little vibration and does not make a strained impression even under full load. Particularly noticeable compared to many other diesel engines in this performance class is its high elasticity. The Legacy not only comes out of the lower rev range quickly, but also has enough steam even in fifth gear on inclines on the motorway and at high speeds. The car accelerates from 0 to 100 km / h in 8.7 seconds, and the top speed of 208 km / h is reached with ease.

Without automatic

Subaru promises an average consumption of 5.6 liters per 100 kilometers, the inspection at the petrol pump on our test car showed average values between 6.2 and 6.8 liters. It is shifted with a five-speed gearbox, which sometimes hackles a bit. Many other manufacturers offer six-speed gearboxes, but thanks to the good gearbox setting, you can live with five gears in the Legacy. An automatic transmission has not yet been available for the diesel. The Subaru's brakes could do with a little more sensitivity - they can't always be optimally dosed. However, as much fun driving the car is, it is sobering inside. The space is decent, apart from the not too lush headroom in the rear. But the plastic materials in the cockpit are neither particularly appealing nor of high quality,and the controls are distributed without attention to detail compared to many mid-range competitors.

Small trunk

The DVD navigation system with its outdated graphics is also less than convincing, and some functions can only be operated when the vehicle is stationary - even Toyota annoys with this instruction function. The traffic jam bypass with TMC is also not included in the Subaru-Navi, but must be purchased with a separate module. Instead, the information display has little meaningful functions such as a calculator. The trunk of the Legacy has a capacity of 433 liters and is therefore quite small compared to the class (Audi A4: 480 liters, Ford Mondeo: 550 liters, Toyota Avensis: 509 liters, Opel Insignia: 500 liters, Alfa 159: 405 liters, Renault Laguna: 462 liters). Impractical: There is no handle on the inside of the trunk to pull it shut.

Special position in the segment

The prices of the Legacy sedan with diesel start at 29,580 euros (station wagon: 30,810 euros), which is 2000 euros more than the basic version with 150 hp petrol engine. In the recommended Comfort equipment it is 33,790 euros. On board are, among other things, CD radio, electrically adjustable driver's seat, multifunction steering wheel, electric sliding glass roof, cruise control, automatic air conditioning, leather upholstery, seat heating, fog lights and xenon headlights with washing system. Thanks to all-wheel drive, the Legacy has a special position in the segment and limits the number of competitors. Models that are roughly comparable in size and performance are the VW Passat 2.0 TDI 4Motion (140 PS, from 29,725 euros), Audi A4 2.0 TDI quattro (143 PS, from 33,500 euros) or Opel Insignia 2.0 CDTI 4x4 (190 PS, 36,535 euros).