Car Review: 2016 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Touring

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Canadians may like their midsize family sedans; they just don’t like them as much as they used to, and certainly not as much as the Americans. There were few bright spots in this segment, which saw 2015 calendar year sales drop by 8.3 per cent. The top-selling model in Canada, the Toyota Camry , saw a sales increase (of 4.8 per cent); so did the heavily discounted “old” Chevy Malibu (not the new 2016 four-door) and the underappreciated Buick Regal .

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Every other model, save one, took a dive. This last car on the plus side of the ledger is the Subaru Legacy , completely revamped last year and the holder of the title 2015 Canadian Car of the Year, awarded by the voting members of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (and, yes, I hold membership in that organization). For the year, the Legacy enjoyed a robust 11.4 per cent uptick in sales. What I can’t quite decide is whether the fact it is the most ordinary — and newest — model within Subaru’s increasingly mainstream vehicle lineup helped its sales (and won the award), or whether the increased popularity is despite its normality.

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Car Review: 2016 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Touring Back to video

In no way is this meant as an insult. I am a huge fan of the brand; my wife drives an Impreza . But, for years, part of Subaru’s charm has always been an inherent out-of-sync nature in relation to the rest of the auto industry, with a quirkiness embodied in most of its engineering-focused, hyper-rational, all-wheel-drive products. With this newest Legacy, however, charm takes a back seat, replaced with an “I’m with them” attitude that has it blend right in with the members of the midsize segment’s majority — Camry, Ford Fusion , Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata .

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Here’s the thing, though. I’m not overly concerned about this development. I truly “get” the Legacy’s normalcy. It wins me over not because it does anything extraordinary, but because it has no major faults and few minor ones. It just goes about its business with a competency that lulls.

Caveat here, this is the Legacy 2.5i Touring I’m talking about, one up from the base 2.5i, the test vehicle further augmented with the optional Technology package. So, there’s nothing at all sporty about it, no tie-in with Subaru’s rally heritage or performance-heavy WRX products.

Wait! I lie! Its continuously variable transmission has a manual mode and paddle shifters, ideal when strafing country roads while taking Granny out for a Sunday drive. Actually, that would be the available six-speed manual transmission (standard on the base 2.5i), Subaru being one of the diminishing few offering a stick in the family sedan segment. On behalf of members of the three-pedal club, I thank you. As for the paddle shifters, how silly.

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Said CVT is mated to a 2.5-litre boxer four-cylinder, which puts out a wholly estimable 175 horsepower. Considering the engine is tuned for fuel efficiency, plus the added weight of the full-time all-wheel drivetrain, the 1,600-kilogram Legacy’s 10-second acceleration time to 100 km/h is adequate, if not exactly inspiring. Credit where due, though; Subaru has managed to dampen most of the mechanical discord inherent in a flat-four layout. The engine rarely discernible under normal operation — once warmed up, that is. At highway cruising speeds, the 2.5-litre is ticking over at a low 2,400 rpm at 120 km/h, being very efficient doing so. (If bigger thrills are needed, one can always upgrade to the vastly more potent 256-horsepower, 3.6-litre flat-six.)

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Rated at 6.5 L/100 km on the highway and 9.0 L/100 km in the city, I averaged a far more realistic 10.9 L/100 km during my time with the sedan, with a 50/50 split between highway use and suburban commuting. My only peeve with the company is that it continues to make its Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (PZEV) technology optional instead of standardizing it. (PZEV equipment reduces smog-forming emissions to near zero with little if any compromise to engine performance.)

Ride and handling are very good for a family car, with firm contact on the road and a proper weight to the electric power steering. In addition to the active torque split version of Subaru’s symmetrical AWD system (when equipped with the Lineartronic CVT), the Legacy comes with Active Torque Vectoring, an enhancement of the Vehicle Dynamics Control stability and traction control system, which can apply brake pressure to the inside front wheel to facilitate more neutral cornering. In short, there’s serious grip to be had, even in bad weather. (Still, winter tires are an astute investment.)

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While on the subject of safety, Subaru’s EyeSight driver-assistance system — the key component of the Technology package available on the Touring — is a prudent purchase decision, integrating adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking and a vehicle lane departure warning. It also includes a proximity key with push-button start, steering-responsive fog lights and a larger five-inch colour display. It isn’t foolproof, though, and is capable of shutting down depending on ambient light, road conditions and/or traffic.

Inside, the tester’s dash area sports a Scandinavian, IKEA-like decor — functional, logical, tasteful and cheerful. There’s little high-tech gimmickry to confuse, just well marked buttons and controls, highlighted by a binocular-style instrument pod and a centre LCD information display (measuring 3.5 inches on cars without EyeSight).

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Since the Legacy was all-new last year, updates for 2016 are minor. All trim levels come standard with wiper-linked automatic on/off headlights, which activate headlights if the wipers are on for more than 10 seconds. Also, the rearview parking guide now has a customizable on/off function for the guidelines.
Cabin-wise, the interior is plenty comfy, with more than enough room front and back for six-footers.

What makes the Legacy stand apart from its mid-priced, non-luxury-brand competition and a favoured ride in snow-belt regions is its full-time AWD system, a feature the Ford Fusion, Chrysler 200 S/200C, and the Regal do make available within their model lineups — although at significantly higher prices. Other than that advantage, though, the Subaru is a bit of an introvert, its core attributes — reliability and safety — and competency taking time to reveal. And the bonus of being a new model in 2015 (as was the Camry) is going to take a hit this year as new versions of the Accord, Sonata, Malibu, Kia Optima and Nissan Altima roll out for 2016, not to mention the upcoming 2017 Fusion.

Still, if you aren’t out to make a statement — but you don’t want to be like most of your neighbours, with their crossovers sitting in their driveways — the Legacy should be on your shopping list. Nothing fancy or quirky, it’s just one of those cars you inherently know won’t let you down.