For those of generation Y, the Subaru Legacy is what the mid-Fifties Chevrolet is to Baby Boomers. Introduced in North America in 1990, the Legacy has gone through various incarnations and now, with the GT Spec-B, it could be considered something akin to a fuellie '57 Bel Air – a Q-ship of sorts. You don't know what a Q-ship was? The German submariners of World War II found out, straightaway, when what looked like a merchant ship brought out a deck gun and started throwing off depth charges.
To look at the Legacy GT Spec-B, no one could blame you if you didn't know that this is supposed to be a performance car. There's no mile high spoiler on the rear deck; but there is a fully functional hood scoop on a hood that itself comes in long and low. The rear deck is hiked up like the stubby end of a doorstop; and a line of indentation slices the sides, starting at the back of the front wheel-well and going through the four doors. And just as Henry Ford painted his model "T" one color, there's a model-specific color here, too: silver (although in this case, you can get other colors, but silver comes just on the GT Spec B).
Breaking up all this tepidity, are 18-inch wheels that look like alloy wagon wheels and fit the Bridgestone Potenza 215-45 89Y summer performance tires as tight as the Fed on inflation rates.
The interior has a bit more spice. A Momo ® weather-wrapped steering wheel falls readily to hand. For those who want to change the radio while locked in the midst of steering, there are radio controls on the wheel – something exclusive to the Spec-B.
Crank on the 250 horsepower, turbocharged 2.5-liter boxer four-cylinder engine, and watch the Dance of the Light Sabers, as the red needles on the four gauges in the instrument panel (water temperature, tachometer, speedometer and gas gauge) peg right and then fall back to where they should be. (Since Subaru is, essentially, an affiliate of
Look below and you'll see aluminum alloy covering on the pedals. As you'd expect on a car designed to go anywhere – Subaru builds rally cars, right? – the all-weather package features heated front seats, heated mirrors and a windshield wiper deicer.
But the weird deal is that little device called SI-Drive (for Subaru Intelligent Drive). It's where you can literally
"dial it in." The "intelligent" mode makes the acceleration in the range of your grandmother's mode. Then, there's "sport" to get a bit more on the pipe. And finally, there's "sport sharp" designed to change the engine's throttle mapping to something that might satisfy Subaru rally driver Colin McRae (or at least someone playing WRC games on a computer screen). The last setting should get you to 60 miles-per-hour, from zero, in about 5 seconds; and if you are inclined towards bracket racing, a quarter mile can be dusted off in 14 seconds.
A sports sedan worth its money must have a firm suspension; and Subaru worked that trick by swapping out the front MacPherson struts you'd find on a more plebian Legacy for the inverted struts from corporate cousin the WRX STi ®. The multi-link rear suspension features aluminum-alloy rear trailing arms and upper links, to reduce weight. Add stiffened shocks – Bilsteins, in this case – and springs all around and you have the beginning of a Q-ship. Yes, just the beginning.
This version of the Legacy, like all Subes sold in the States features all-wheel drive (with a TORSEN ® limited slip rear differential and torque split of 50-50, under normal conditions); so the thing holds the road, on gravel or wet pavement, like an in-flight crow holds a crust of bread. But for a sport sedan, there's more body roll than you wish for.
Go deep into a corner, and you feel like a surfer catching a wave, moving back and forth, carefully feeling out the terrain. As you power out of the turn, the nose bobs up, like Orcas coming up for air, as that turbo boost kicks in.
The Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDI) works good enough on slippery pavement, to allow enough steering correction to keep your groove on. But at the price point this car sets at ($33,995.00), the platform should be doing more work than the driver has to.
What's the point of this car? It's not a racer for the street, as is the WRX STi. Nor is it as versatile as the Outback. If you're a Legacy fan, since they're only making 500 examples of the GT Spec-B, you can call it "potentially collectible."
Price as tested: Manufacturer's Suggested Retail at $33,995.00 plus destination and delivery charge of $625.00 for a total of $34,620.00
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