Months in Fleet: 16 months
Current Mileage: 40,164 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 22 mpg
Range: 407 miles
Service: $740
Normal Wear: $349
Repair: $68
After our 2010 Subaru Legacy 3.6R spent 40,000 miles in our care, Subaru chose not to leave the car with us. This is, of course, always the case: Manufacturers whisk their cars away to poke, prod, and otherwise debrief them on what they saw and heard in their months with the Car and Driver staff. But the Legacy surely left a legacy.
It was a legacy of comfort, of open spaces and soft seats, the Scooby earning trunkloads of praise for its long-haul behavior and accommodations. Five people fit without much pinching, and four could stretch out for hours at a time and still feel fresh enough to rave about the plush seats. Speaking of fresh, the interior and lightly colored leather held up well during the car’s stay.
It also left a legacy of enthusiasm, a refusal on the Subie’s part to disappoint those looking for a little fun and adventure behind the wheel of their family four-door. In spite of its cushy suspension, the Legacy’s balance and quick steering relished playing cat and mouse over serpentine stretches. That’s not to say it was a thoroughbred sports sedan, but the jack-of-all-trades sedan was always happy to try.
And it was a legacy of quiet strength—as Teddy Roosevelt was known for saying, “Speak softly and carry a flat-six.” The snarling boxer isn’t the most powerful engine in this class, nor is the Legacy the quickest car among its peers. But after 40,000 miles, it found a 10th in our acceleration tests, dropping its 0-to-60-mph time from 6.4 seconds to 6.3 and its quarter-mile from 15.0 at 94 mph to 14.9 at 95. Although we wanted a bit more volume for its voice, that’s not a sentiment shared by many buyers in the Camry segment, and the flat-six’s unique sound at least held our attention. Its flood of torque was sufficient to keep complaints about the transmission’s having only five ratios—in an era of six or more—at bay. We found joy in the slushbox’s paddle shifters and impersonation of a rev-matching automated manual gearbox on downshifts.
Unfortunately, our Subaru’s legacy was also one of aggravation.
Read More: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/10q2/2010_subaru_legacy_3.6r_limited-long-term_road_test_wrap-up
