Subaru has never been shy nearly getting weird inwards public. Witness its decades-long commitment to the boxer engine, its history of producing slightly off-kilter models, as well as its stewardship of the sensible station carriage through the onrush of the gargantuan SUV, all of which bolster the company’s reputation yesteryear coloring exterior the lines. Yet the 2018 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Sport tested hither shares few of the automaker’s contrarian attitudes, instead trying to blend inwards with the pop crowd. Which is a lilliputian weird—for Subaru, anyway.
Suburban Boxer
The entire Legacy lineup has undergone a mild refresh for 2018 that adds a lilliputian contemporary spice as well as create identity to the Legacy’s front end fascia. (The Sport trim down tested hither was added for 2017 to sit down higher upward the Base as well as Premium as well as below the Limited as well as Limited 3.6R.) Otherwise, it could enshroud on most dealership parking lots without fearfulness of beingness discovered. Likewise, the updated interior with a novel centre console as well as steering cycle position it inwards the same chapter of the modern blueprint majority every bit its rivals, if non the same page. What sets the Legacy 2.5i apart, however, are the keys to virtually all Subarus: touchstone all-wheel stimulate as well as a flat-four boxer engine.
In the illustration of our Legacy, that iv makes 175 horsepower as well as 174 lb-ft of torque, the latter at 4000 rpm. Output travels through a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) to a Symmetrical AWD setup, which is Subie-speak for an electronically controlled as well as continuously variable hydraulic transfer clutch capable of delivering torque to the axle with the best grip. It’s a sturdy combo, but acceleration is non high on its listing of priorities. The zero-to-60-mph run consumes a total 8.6 seconds, with the quarter-mile requiring 16.7 seconds.
While these numbers powerfulness have got been typical family-sedan fare but a decade ago, nosotros straightaway alive inwards a reality where a 2018 Honda Accord EX-L 1.5T CVT tin exercise the same tricks inwards 7.3 as well as 15.7 seconds (or fifty-fifty to a greater extent than speedily with a manual), as well as the naturally aspirated 2018 Toyota Camry XSE V-6 tin wing through the tasks inwards 5.8 as well as 14.4. True, the comparing may live on tilted inwards favor of the Accord via forced induction as well as the Camry via cylinder count, but to paraphrase the urban poets of the ’90s, don’t loathe the players, loathe the game. Subaru faithful interested inwards keeping footstep are gratis to explore the Legacy Limited 3.6R trim down with its 256-hp flat-six, but the privilege volition cost an additional $5600 over the $27,205 base of operations toll of the Legacy 2.5i Sport tested here.
Business every bit Usual
The way inwards which the Legacy goes nearly its concern volition live on familiar to anyone with spot fourth dimension inwards a recent Subaru product. Cold mornings yield a few chugs of the engine’s rotating bits earlier settling into its trademark flat-four low-frequency resonance; it’s non harsh, but you’ll never error it for the close soundless behaviour of some of the latest silky polish inline-fours. Pin the accelerator pedal as well as the CVT lets engine rpm climb, doing its best to plow torque into momentum. Subaru says the transmission’s electronic command unit of measurement was retuned to live on to a greater extent than responsive, but similar most CVTs we’ve experienced, it retains that slightly unsettling as well as disconnected sensation of the engine speed outpacing vehicle acceleration. Moving the selector into its manual mode allows the driver to “shift gears” via wheel-mounted paddles that command the CVT to shuffle with 6 fixed ratios, but the novelty grows one-time speedily since doing therefore isn’t much fun. CVTs have got their place, but we’d have got preferred that Subaru position whatever resources it took to create the CVT play make-believe as well as instead used them to position its electrical flow six-speed manual into the Legacy. (While we’re dreaming, inwards a perfect the world Subaru would prepare a novel top-notch manual gearbox for purpose across its entire lineup.)
The chassis also received some attending for 2018, Subaru retuning both the intermission for a smoother ride as well as the electrically assisted powerfulness steering for enhanced feel. Without the exercise goodness of a back-to-back comparison, we’ll cite that speed bumps as well as route imperfections seemed a lilliputian to a greater extent than isolated than inwards the previous model, at to the lowest degree with the 18-inch aluminum wheels as well as 225/50R-18 Goodyear Eagle LS2 tires that distinguish the Sport from the Legacy pack. The new-for-2018 sound-insulating front end side windows appear to have got been a worthy upgrade, too; per our sound-test meters, in that location may non live on less noise overall, but it’s non concentrated correct beside your ear, either.
Overall, the Legacy demonstrates a tight, solid, as well as rattle-free structure. Directional changes are reasonably stable, but precipitous turns at whatsoever speed let on moderate understeer as well as torso lean; pushed on our 300-foot skidpad, the Subaru pulled 0.85 g of grip. That’s but a pair of ticks behind the 0.87 g generated yesteryear the max-sporty Camry XSE V-6 as well as the 0.89-g figure posted yesteryear the surprisingly grippy Accord EX-L 1.5T.
Adding all-wheel stimulate to whatsoever vehicle tin adversely acquit upon its fuel economy, but Subaru doesn’t create a two-wheel-drive Legacy, therefore the EPA’s city/highway 25/34 mpg estimates are the baseline. Unfortunately, our observed 25 mpg doesn’t come upward about the EPA’s 29-mpg combined mark, but as well as therefore we’re non known for beingness lite on the throttle. By comparison, that’s 1 mpg improve than the 24 mpg nosotros recorded for both an Accord Sport 1.5T with the six-speed manual as well as an Accord 2.0T with the 10-speed automatic. This Legacy returned 34 mpg inwards our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test, just matching the EPA’s estimate.
Priced yesteryear the Cubic Foot
Another expanse where the Legacy excels is interior rider volume. Measuring 101 cubic feet, it’s inwards a dead oestrus with the 100 as well as 103 cubes respectively offered yesteryear the Camry as well as the Accord, but the real-world upshot is fifty-fifty to a greater extent than significant. After many days behind the wheel, we’re confident maxim that folks of the wide, thick, and/or tall persuasions volition discovery to a greater extent than usable room inwards the front end seats than inwards either of its primary rivals, something we’re non accustomed to maxim nearly Subaru products.
A well-curated romp through the cosmetic as well as comfort departments define the touchstone features that laid the Sport apart from the Base as well as Premium trims below it. Interior tweaks include two-tone greyness upholstery with bluish stitching, carbon-fiber-patterned interior trim, a powerfulness sunroof, proximity entry, push-button start, as well as an auto-dimming rearview mirror. Exterior cues include a slightly dissimilar grille treatment, fog lamps with dark bezels, satin silvery power-folding side mirrors, as well as chrome accents on the rocker panels. The Sport badging way zilch beyond the cosmetic presentation—all the mechanical bits rest unchanged.
The sole selection on our exam machine was a $2095 packet that bundles Subaru’s EyeSight driver-assist technologies, including blind-spot monitoring, parent cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure as well as sway warnings, as well as pre-collision automated emergency braking. Seamlessly integrated as well as deftly calibrated, Subaru’s EyeSight security systems perform improve than those constitute inwards some premium brands. What’s more, the packet also includes the Starlink infotainment arrangement with an 8.0-inch touchscreen, navigation, Apple CarPlay as well as Android Auto capability, satellite radio, voice-activated controls, Bluetooth, as well as more. The as-tested toll of $29,300 slips betwixt the $26,670 Honda Accord 1.5T Sport CVT as well as the $30,860 Accord 1.5T EX-L CVT. In that context, the Legacy’s hugger-mugger value weapon is the inclusion of the navigation arrangement inwards the aforementioned package. Adding nav to the Accord bumps the EX-L 1.5T’s toll tag upward to $31,860, as well as it can’t live on had inwards the Sport 1.5T.
Even compared to Subaru’s electrical flow lineup of increasingly mainstream vehicles, the Legacy 2.5i Sport feels every bit if much of its inherent Subaru-ness has been stripped from its someone inwards gild to grab the attending of mid-size-sedan buyers conditioned yesteryear years of Accord as well as Camry ownership. While nosotros sympathise the wish to connect with the mutual man, nosotros holler back Subaru is most appealing when it’s getting a lilliputian funky.
Get the Best Deal on a Subaru Legacy
Source : caranddriver