Despite the Legacy 2.5i sedan's relatively modest rubber, steering is surprisingly well weighted, and has a very quick ratio with lots of feel as well. Even in this base car you get a nice, three-spoke soft grip steering wheel that would not look out of place in a BMW. Antilock disc brakes all around with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution are standard. And further to Subaru's dedication to improving the driving experience: engineers have installed a new brake booster mount to give the pedal a firmer, more progressive feel.
Once one has spent a few hours thrashing the Legacy around one's favourite Sunday morning backroads, as I happened to, one will find the new 2005 Legacy's more rigid body also provides a quiet ride on the highway for the cool-down trot back home.
As I was discovering that the new Legacy could dance with the class leaders, my mind drifted to Subaru's secondary goal: to improve the driver's environment. To say it's better than the 2004 model is like saying Michael Schumacher's on a bit of a streak. The overall sense of refinement in the ride and handling qualities, and the much-improved driving environment, are the two attributes that will jump out immediately when you first drive this car.
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After I settled myself into a great driving position - found easily courtesy of the tilt steering wheel and multi-adjustable driver's seat - I discovered a cockpit that is one of the nicest for the price. Visors, pillars, and the headliner are all covered in woven fabric and the dash and door skins have a fine grain and soft feel. The standard cloth seat upholstery is grippy, and the seats are German-firm. The design and feel of the dials for the four-level heated front seats reminded me of those found in Porsche's Cayenne. A combination of Mazda (with its fake aluminum trim), and Volkswagen (with clear, well marked instrumentation, including a tachometer and speedometer given equal billing hooded under a symmetrical, sweeping cowl), the interior will make you feel like you are sitting in a car costing at least $10K more.
I guess the handling improvements and the interior gentrification ate up most of the 2005 model development funds, because the naturally aspirated 2.5-litre flat-four cylinder base engine is a carryover. There is an unnoticeable 3 horsepower improvement to 168, with the pound-feet of torque number remaining at 166. As in the 2004 model, power delivery is smooth and available low in the rev range with the fun ending around the 5,500-rpm mark. So, the base mill will not blow your socks off. However, those numbers are competitive to the 1.8-litre turbocharged-four found in the Passat and A4, and are 8 horsepower and 11 pound-feet of torque respectively more than found in the Mazda6 GT I-4. Once again, if this is not enough performance for you, for a little more coin, Subaru will gladly put you into its more powerful 2.5 GT sedan with its 250 horsepower, 250 pound-feet of torque produced by a modified version of the WRX STi's 2.5-litre turbocharged engine.
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Another leftover is last year's four-speed automatic transmission that was found in our test car. Slow downshifts, a wide gap between second and third gears, and the fact that it is a four speed, has me recommending the five-speed manual quicker than a Greek Olympic sprinter falling off a motorcycle. The only redeeming factor of this manumatic slushbox - that was offered on the previous-generation Baja and Legacy GT - is that it allows blasts to the redline without shifting up to a higher gear on its own accord. Small consolation.
