Boasting blistering acceleration times of 0 to 60 in 4.5 seconds and the quarter mile in 13.3 at 101.3 mph, the Subaru Impreza WRX is one formidable four-door. Problem is, if you frequently need to transport adults in the back seat or haul a jumbo load of gear in the trunk, it’s less than ideal, due to 33.5 inches of rear legroom and 11.3 cubic feet of cargo capacity (WRX sedan). Luckily, Subaru has just the showroom solution.
The all-new Subaru Legacy 2.5GT gets the WRX’s 265-horse turbo flat-4 (mated exclusively to a six-speed manual), but bumps rear legroom to 37.8 inches and cargo load to 14.7 cubic feet. Overall interior volume jumps from 93.0 cubic feet in the Impreza to 114.7 in the Legacy. To top it off, NHTSA awarded the Legacy five stars in front, side, and rollover crash tests; the WRX received five stars for front and front-side, but four for rear-side and rollover.
The Legacy’s prospective buyers, many middle-aged and with kids, generally care more about crash scores than eye-popping acceleration.
So is the Legacy 2.5GT a mature WRX? On paper, yes, but in the real world, well, we wanted to find out for ourselves. To get an answer, we contacted Subaru and requested a year with Fuji Heavy’s fifth-generation flagship. We started with the $28,690 2.5GT Premium and quickly checked the $2000 Limited box, which adds a plethora of luxury items, including Bluetooth phone capability, heated front seats, harmon/kardon audio, dual-zone automatic climate control, and leather-trimmed seats. Often light deprived and directionally challenged, we chose the $2995 moonroof and navigation package, upgrading the interior with a power moonroof, voice-activated navigation, Bluetooth audio capability, backup camera, and USB/iPod port. A $461 Sirius satellite radio kit and a $393 trunk lip spoiler rounded out the accessories. Price as tested? A respectable $34,539.
Once we received our Satin White Pearl 2.5GT Limited, we headed for the test track, where it laid down brisk runs of 0 to 60 in 5.6 seconds and the quarter mile in 14.1 at 98.8 mph. Obviously, mature doesn’t necessarily equal unentertaining. Thus far, the Legacy has provided 4397 miles of trouble-free operation, though recently the airbag light has become an IP fixture (we plan to have that inspected during the first service at 7500 miles). While we’re excited to discover whether the 2.5GT is a grownup WRX, we’re hesitant too, as this may require our youthful staff to, um, grow up.
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