Two years ago, Subaru moved upscale with the Legacy sedans and wagons. For 2007, the carmaker hits its stride with premium technology, including and upgraded engine and a sporty new Legacy GT spec.B.
The 2.5-liter turbocharged boxer engine has been upgraded to an impressive degree, with the introduction of a technology that's currently only available on some BMWs and Ferraris. Called Subaru Intelligent Drive (SI-Drive), it allows a driver to twist a knob to select one of three engine performance levels: Intelligent (economy), Sport (sport) and Sport Sharp (high performance).
The Legacy GT spec.B is much like the WRX is to the Impreza, except it's far more refined; it's a gentleman's sports sedan, complete with a navigation system, exotic sound system and charcoal leather seats with smoky blue suede-like Alcantara inserts. It also has a six-speed gearbox, Bilstein suspension and wide, low-profile summer performance tires on 10-spoke, 18-inch alloy rims.
The Legacy still comes in tamer versions, each with Symmetrical All-wheel-drive, standard on all Subaru models. The GT Limited uses the same engine as the spec.B, but an excellent five-speed automatic transmission is available, and its suspension is not so aggressive.
If you're not excited by all this performance, and simply want the trusty, reknowned around-town Subaru, there's still the Legacy 2.5i Sedan, non-turbocharged, which hasn't changed much from 2006, other than the addition of a 60/40 fold-down rear seat with trunk pass-through. The Legacy 2.5i harks back to the Subarus we know and love.
And of course there are the extremely popular wagons. The Legacy Limited and Outback wagons use the turbocharged engine with SI-Drive, but there's still the bread-and-butter Legacy 2.5i wagon that remains one of the best values in versatile transportation.