Like we said earlier, the Legacy is quick and a blast to drive hard. Through the slalom, the Legacy GT wagon clocked in an average speed of 63.9 mph — a number that would make real sports car owners proud.

The all-wheel-drive system isn't just for those who live in the Snowbelt, as it offers a performance edge on dry pavement. With a manual transmission, the GT wagon will get you to 60 mph in less than six seconds

But those numbers mean nothing compared to the fun this car offers. The steering is perfectly weighted — firm without being stubborn — and provides excellent road feel.

The ride remains quiet in almost any condition and the level of refinement is greatly improved

Should you be inclined to take corners aggressively in this car, you'll appreciate the heavy side bolstering of the front seats, which keeps the driver in place during these maneuvers.

under heavy acceleration the Legacy GT is fast and offers almost all the snap of the WRX

this new car shows an attention to detail usually reserved for much pricier brands

Anyone looking for a sporty midsize wagon or sedan should be visiting a Subaru dealership at some point in the shopping process.

Acceleration Comments:
When left in drive, the Legacy upshifts at approximately 6,300 rpm, and redline is set at 6,500 rpm. The power comes on very progressive and smooth, with only slight turbo lag when you first leave the line. By the time you hit 2,500 rpm, it's getting into boost and the wagon really starts to accelerate hard. It's fairly hard to tell the engine is even turbocharged, except for the fact that it pulls so hard, yet it's only a four-cylinder. Power braking to 2,500 rpm knocked nearly a second off our quarter-mile times because we allowed the turbo to spool up. The five-speed automatic has nice crisp shifts, but the manual mode doesn't respond as quickly as we'd like. Overall, these are pretty impressive numbers for a station wagon, considering it accelerates faster than the considerably smaller and lighter Mini Cooper S.


Braking Comments:
The brakes feel extremely confident, both in pedal reaction and overall vehicle dynamics. We experienced almost no ABS noise or vibration. The pedal sinks very slightly during emergency braking, but not enough to be an issue. Feedback through the pedal was very progressive, and the car stopped extremely straight with no front end dive, probably because it sits so low in the first place. These brakes are very confidence inspiring, as fade was not an issue whatsoever. We would have liked to have seeen shorter numbers, but it is a station wagon.


Handling Comments:
Tight and quick steering with very little body roll. The back end tries to come around if you get really aggressive in the slalom, but punching the throttle makes the AWD come in and save the day. We posted some excellent times through the slalom, as 6.40 seconds (63.9 mph) is sports car territory. The Legacy is easy to place, will hold a gear in manual mode and has plenty of power to pull out of the cones. It's also worth noting that the seats have excellent lateral bolstering, which are great for holding you in place during aggressive driving, something you wouldn't expect in a station wagon. This is truly a driver's car. — Karl Braue