If you've ever travelled to New England, Vermont specifically, during the winter time (or any time of the year really), you might notice that there are Subarus everywhere. In fact, Vermont's unofficial State Car is the Outback. Having been hit quite hard this winter with... winter, the east coasts of both the US and Canada have been digging through feet and metres of snow.
Snow. I really have a love-hate relationship with it. Very few things burn me more than when my editor tells me that I'll be driving a one-wheel-drive (aka 2WD) vehicle when snow storms are on the upcoming week's weather forecast. And he knows it too... as an FYI, my personal car has AWD.
More often than not, I do get to prance around with four wheels driving in winter, as it does happen to be the best time to test out the system. When I hear: “Matt, you've got a Subaru next week”, I'm all: “Yes!”
Well, almost every time. I also reviewed a 2011 Forester a short while ago and here's what I thought about that ugly duckling.
This time around, I got my mitts on the 2011 Legacy 2.5i with Convenience package, which retails for $26,395. The 2010MY overhaul saw the Legacy do many things, including lose its station wagon counterpart. I still have the scars from the first day I heard the news.
Seriously, the car grew in nearly every considerable way, gaining an identity for some, losing it for others. The Legacy became a Japanese car, what it has always been, by setting aside its unique flavour. Really. Subaru has invested large sums of money in order to remind everyone of their origins.
If you're a car person, you'll understand this to be a polite way of saying that the car became more generic. To others, it transformed into something more desirable. Any way I slice it though, the Legacy and the Outback are, by far, the best-looking cars in Suby's lineup.
On the inside, it's a little bit more of the same. Despite that, the Legacy's cabin is still quite unique and form does follow function. Except in one aspect. I said nothing and overlooked the Bluetooth setup in the Forester but this time around, I can ignore it no more.
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| I tested the 2011 Legacy 2.5i with Convenience package, which retails for $26,395. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
Snow. I really have a love-hate relationship with it. Very few things burn me more than when my editor tells me that I'll be driving a one-wheel-drive (aka 2WD) vehicle when snow storms are on the upcoming week's weather forecast. And he knows it too... as an FYI, my personal car has AWD.
More often than not, I do get to prance around with four wheels driving in winter, as it does happen to be the best time to test out the system. When I hear: “Matt, you've got a Subaru next week”, I'm all: “Yes!”
Well, almost every time. I also reviewed a 2011 Forester a short while ago and here's what I thought about that ugly duckling.
This time around, I got my mitts on the 2011 Legacy 2.5i with Convenience package, which retails for $26,395. The 2010MY overhaul saw the Legacy do many things, including lose its station wagon counterpart. I still have the scars from the first day I heard the news.
Seriously, the car grew in nearly every considerable way, gaining an identity for some, losing it for others. The Legacy became a Japanese car, what it has always been, by setting aside its unique flavour. Really. Subaru has invested large sums of money in order to remind everyone of their origins.
If you're a car person, you'll understand this to be a polite way of saying that the car became more generic. To others, it transformed into something more desirable. Any way I slice it though, the Legacy and the Outback are, by far, the best-looking cars in Suby's lineup.
On the inside, it's a little bit more of the same. Despite that, the Legacy's cabin is still quite unique and form does follow function. Except in one aspect. I said nothing and overlooked the Bluetooth setup in the Forester but this time around, I can ignore it no more.
 |
| The Legacy's cabin is still quite unique and form does follow function. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |