Subaru Legacy estate diesel: Test Drive

Date: 09 April 2008   |   Author: Tristan Young

Legacy

Category: Upeper medium Price range: £17,995-£30,105 Key rival: VW Passat

Rather than take the easy option and buying an engine from another manufacturer, it has put great efforts into developing a smooth driving, remarkably quiet cruiser that is still capable of 0-60mph in 8.5secs - all for £19,795 in entry trim level 'R'.

Permanent four-wheel drive prevents CO2 figures dropping lower than an admittedly impressive 151g/km, but it makes for a great cornering grip.

The only slight downside is a lack of torque at the lower end of the rev range, which led to a couple of embarrassing stalling instances when attempting to move in traffic in second gear.

Building its own diesel could have been a big success or a big disappointment for Subaru. This is definitely the former.

Verdict: New diesel makes the Legacy so good we've ordered one for our long-term fleet

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