“Say what you will about the tenets of National Socialism dude, at least it’s an ethos”-Walter Sobchak The Big Lebowski.
I love companies with an ethos. BMW with rear wheel drive. Coca-Cola with Stalinesque world domination. Google for having to remind themselves not to be evil. Dolce & Gabbana with making pants that only fit 14 year old street urchins (which is a nice change to companies whose clothes are made by 14 year old street urchins). The list goes on and Subaru is firmly on it. It’s patented and ubiquitous All Wheel Drive System is second only to quattro perhaps. With Audi bringing out the next generation of its game changing system on the RS5 soon, the new Legacy would have to be better than its last incarnation. That’s kind of the point of making newer versions of cars isn’t it? The brilliant (and not because I just bought one) previous gen has dedicated fan forums all over the world.
The Legacy has always been the more suburbanly urbane older brother of the twitchy-eyed WRX, while still being able to fly into a martial arts and vodka inspired rage. Controlled and aggressive, it was a family car with a dark side. But a good dark side, like Jamie-Lee Curtis in True Lies or Benicio Del Toro in his daily life. I had just received my 2005 Legacy Sportwagon 2.0GT when Subaru dropped the new one in our driveway.
Let’s start with the looks, which is Subaru’s strong point in the same way Bruce Willis’ blues band is his. The previous Legacy was svelte, cultish and purposeful, but the new one just looks a bit flabby. It doesn’t seem to quite fill the wheel arches well enough which adds to its bulbousness. It seems to take styling cues from Honda Accords, Lexi and a bit of a 5-Series around the back. And no-one wants to take “a bit of a 5-Series around the back”.
The Legacy’s strength has always been its understated design, until it punches quicker looking cars out at the lights. But somehow this blandness doesn’t convey that same wolf in sheep’s clothing attitude nearly enough. Little things seem to almost wantonly try and make it less sporty. For instance, putting the Auto into Sport # (sharp) mode makes the car a bristling devil cat, but once you turn off the engine and get back in, it’s reverted to its standard drive setting of “Intelligence” so you presumably don’t gun it up your driveway through your kids’ backs.
The inside bit.
I don’t quite understand keyless ignition in this country. We live in a hijacking jackpot and if a car opens up when you approach with your keys in the pocket at gunpoint, I’m not sure it’s doing you any favours. Unless you can convince your criminal masterminds that your car doesn’t require keys leaving them to push the Start button, drive away and cut out some way down the road while you have made your escape. I think they might have figured that out though.
The Legacy however has gone with the keyless vibe, and there’s always something a bit Le Mans about punching an Engine Start button. Unfortunately the slightly lunatic sound of the 2.5 Turbo boxer is a little muted in the new car, another casualty of it’s sturdier bulk no doubt. Planting it though, you’re in no doubt you’re in a Scooby. It’s amazing how they can still surprise you and bring a smirk to the jaded corners of your mouth. Inside it’s still Subaru and they’ve even started to make it not look like the interior was designed on a lunchbreak in the 90s. It’s a great place to be. It’s more refined and stately, but is that what you’re after in a Subaru? I still want it to feel a bit more rally. Like it should have a leather stitched roll bar and Colin McRae’s signature somewhere you can’t see it.
Make no doubt, this is still a superb car but eyebrows will be raised at the club when you tell them you payed R439 000 for a Subaru. When Subaru will outlive this stigma is anyone’s guess. They’re brilliantly engineered but not within an inch of their lives like say an Audi. There’s still room for some “whoa, fuck me” driving as the Japtech under the surface keeps the car planted as an ancient tree. It has a massive boot and fancy acronyms like LineartronicTM CVT to tell co-workers about. And it’s a hoot, we just wish it was slightly more stripped down. The WRX’s older brother has stopped drinking (12.2km/l!!!!) and now talks about something he saw on TV at braais. It’s alright to grow old, just don’t grow up this quickly.
-Gavin Williams
