2015 Subaru Legacy 3.6R

There is no doubt Subaru has figured out how to build cars that Americans want to buy; sales go up every year and they have passed many former competitors in market share, while making inroads into southern states that long had been anathema to the brand. The Outback and Legacy have just undergone their first major reengineering since 2010, and it will be interesting to see whether these trends continue.

While the Outback crossover has been a very strong seller, the Legacy has had a harder time of it, not really matching up well to the big movers in the midsize sedan class. This new one certainly is more desirable looking, with real presence. Detailing is classy, and now that the headlamps are properly sized to the body, it looks much more upmarket.

Inside it is better than the outgoing Legacy as well, and on par with the current Honda Accord and Toyota Camry for perceived quality of materials and roominess. A Mazda6 has nicer trim, though not the size. The new Subaru infotainment interface is also a big step forward, with clean graphics and faster responses.

The Legacy’s dynamics are traditional Subaru, which means a generally absorbent ride combined with athletic handling. This latest iteration trades some compliance over bumps for less roll in corners; steering accuracy and precision are near the top of the class, though not on par with the class-leading Mazda. One thing the Subaru is excellent at is suppressing noise, both of the wind and road variety. Its structure is also very rigid feeling, though the downside is that it tips the scales about 150 pounds heavier.

In one area the Legacy has gone backwards though, and that is in performance. Gone is the old 256hp 3.6R’s five-speed automatic, replaced by a newer version of the corporate continuously variable transmission. Honestly, why companies continue to move forward with CVTs eludes those of us in the automotive press; these devices make cars sound horrid under full bore acceleration, blunt throttle response and don’t seem to deliver on the promise of better fuel economy. Certainly not in the Legacy’s case; the test car returned a miserable 17.6mpg in city/mixed use, way off its EPA ratings and far behind the real world numbers a Honda or Mazda serves up.

There’s no benefit in acceleration either, for this six cylinder Legacy is slower in independent 0-60mph testing than competitors with only fours under the hood. Granted it has all wheel drive, but the older Legacy 3.6R (tested here) turned in at least as good economy and was over 1.5 seconds faster in that yardstick sprint. Even the paddle shifters don’t help, for the powerband is plagued by flat spots and surges, meaning there’s no joy to be had in wringing out this formally compelling engine.

This is a real shame, as the Legacy is an otherwise compelling choice for those wanting an Asian AWD sedan. It is priced well, matching up in performance and features neatly to the new Chrysler 200 AWD (tested here), but until Subaru gets the tuning of this powertrain sorted it will be somewhat hard to recommend, and doesn’t seem likely to bolster the brand’s cachet or sales figures.

EPA ratings: 20/29mpg; 23mpg combined

Price as tested: $33,380

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