The 2015 Subaru Legacy sits alongside its sister vehicles on the busy floor of NYIAS 2015 this week, offering up one of the most affordable and carefree ways to get into a Subaru. While machines like the BRZ and WRX are pricier cars aimed at more dedicated driving enthusiasts, the Legacy is a car for anyone with that familiar, solid Subaru build quality.
During a recent test drive opportunity thousands of miles from New York out in Palm Springs, Subaru set me free with a Legacy out into the Joshua Tree National Forest to test both its urban and highway driving comfort and performance. Heading out of dealerships around $22,000, the 2.5 liter, flat four cylinder engine and variable speed transmission manages 26/36 mpg and enough pick up for its short or long haul, family friendly use.
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The driving experience is carefree and solid. No, there’s not power to give you a tingle. No, it doesn’t bite into a turn with sharp-toothed precision. But, that’s not what the car is about in favor of such useful drive features as heated seats, ABS, power everything and an Emergency Braking Assist system that will save car and driver from a rear-end accident. And, most importantly, a buyer piles all of those features and more into a car anyone can get for a little over $20K.
While the car is under styled at the risk of coming off a little too safe or boring, the build quality is outstanding and never a concern. That’s business as usual for Subaru. The car feels solid and never spongy. The interior is quiet, while the dials and switches never feel cheesy or on the verge of falling apart. I can’t say that about some of the cars put out by Subaru’s bigger Japanese competitors.
The most charming aspect of the Legacy and Subaru’s approach in general is that both car and automaker know what they’re about and what they’re doing. If you consider Subaru’s direct regional competitors in Japan and Korea, Toyota can and will both outbuild and outsell Subaru for years to come. The same can be said for Hyundai, though they also chase Toyota’s output. Honda also outstrips Subaru with massive sellers like the Civic. Unless you’re talking about rally cars, Subaru doesn’t build the more playful, driving enthusiasts designs that Mazda uses. Instead, Subaru had to find its own branding and legacy.
So, Subaru relies on a mix of affordability and build quality — and this new Legacy fits that bill to the letter. Subaru seems set on delivering the best built car possible for an approachable price, including enough in-car tech and comfort features to make the buyer/driver feel like they really got a cozy deal.
From behind the wheel of the capable, competent, non-pretentious Legacy, it seems like Subaru is on point with that mission.
