Comparison review: Eight family sedans (seventh place)

The Subaru Legacy has long been an unusual vehicle in the midsize sedan market. It was rare in its class for offering – and now unique in its class for including as standard equipment – an all-wheel-drive system, and it's significantly smaller than some of the other eight cars in this comparison.

Some iterations of Legacy over the years have also been sportier than the competition – including the generation that wrapped up for the 2009 model year. That disappeared in a redesign that focused on improving the car's most glaring shortcomings: interior space and gas mileage.

Those definitely have been resolved. Despite its compact size and all-wheel-drive, the 2010 Legacy boasts a spacious cabin and impressive fuel economy ratings of 23 miles per gallon in the city and 31 on the highway with its new continuously variable automatic transmission. And the ride is now smoother, at the expense of taut handling control.

But even as Subaru has pushed the Legacy more mainstream, the standard all-wheel-drive will still represent an unnecessary hindrance to many mainstream buyers. Even though it no longer prevents the car from returning competitive gas mileage, a slow, droning engine still results from the AWD's weight and the transmission's programming. And Subaru is able to charge a price premium to get customers who want all-weather traction – a premium that someone more ambivalent to that feature needn't bother paying.

To be sure, some of that price premium is going to an interior that's upscale of a few competing midsize sedans. Assembly is solid and the design offers more than the usual flair, and even though some interior appointments don't quite feel rich – there are too many hard-touch, hollow-sounding plastics, and some won't be a fan of the all-silvery center stack – you can do much worse at this price point. The cloth seat trimmings on the mid-trim car driven for this review also impressed by feeling durable yet plush, and their grippiness helps offset marginal lateral bolstering to hold occupants in place.

SEE MORE PHOTOS OF THE LEGACY IN TODAY'S SLIDESHOW

The rear seat is roomy and comfortable for two adults, with space for a third; a major negative on past Legacys has become a strong point on the new car. The trunk remains on the small side for the class at 14.7 cubic feet.

Like the spacious interior, the Legacy's smooth ride aims at the heart of the family car market, absorbing bumps well without giving up too much control. The car cruises quietly, with low levels of wind, road and engine noise intruding at a steady speed.

Getting up to speed is another story – a story that's more drawn out than in most competitors, and less pleasant to listen to. Subaru boasts that its familiar horizontally-opposed “boxer” engine – with its four cylinders across from each other rather than in a line – improves the symmetry of its all-wheel-drive, but that engine ends up noisier than the more conventional competition.

Furthermore, while the Legacy's continuously-variable automatic transmission – which constantly varies gear ratios to keep the engine at its most efficient speed – helps it achieve impressive gas mileage figures, it also keeps the engine at a steady, high-rpm drone as the car accelerates. CVTs are fine in a car with a great engine note and plenty of power, but rare is the four-cylinder car that pulls that off. The Legacy is something of a slug and feels slower. The Legacy's standard manual transmission or a choice of larger engines help combat that problem, at the expense of gas mileage.

The tested Legacy wasn't just slow to accelerate, but it also lacks quick handling moves. The suspension is tuned for ride comfort over handling, and the car feels bulky and sloppy on narrow windy roads. The car isn't too far beyond the family sedan norm, but the Legacy's ride isn't super-cushy either to compensate.

One Legacy strong point that's particularly good to see in a family car is its top-notch safety ratings from the IIHS and NHTSA, common among recent Subarus. Several competitors are similarly impressive, but it's notable that the Legacy aces the IIHS's challenging roof strength test without compromising outward visibility.

And thanks to its redesign, the Legacy is now a thoroughly competent family sedan – comfortable, safe, roomy and fuel-efficient. But it's still only one of many, with all-wheel-drive remaining the principal reason to choose it over other thoroughly competent family sedans.

Someone who picks the Legacy is trading acceleration, handling, and engine refinement for the primary advantage of that AWD system. And someone who especially wants that all-weather traction would be served very well by that tradeoff, and still doesn't end up with a car that's terribly slow, clumsy or noisy.

But someone who doesn't especially want the benefits of AWD would be making those tradeoffs for little reason with the Legacy, and should look elsewhere first.

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Vehicle tested: 2010 Subaru Legacy
Vehicle base price (MSRP): $19,995
Version tested: 2.5i Premium
Version base price (MSRP): $20,995
Vehicle price as tested (MSRP): $26,196
Vehicle price as comparable (MSRP)*: $23,185
Estimated transaction price as comparable**: $21,579
Test vehicle provided by: Wes Greenway's Waldorf Subaru of Waldorf, Md.

Key specifications:
Length: 186.4 inches
Width: 71.7 inches
Height: 59.3 inches
Wheelbase: 108.3 inches
Weight: 3,384 pounds
Trunk volume: 14.7 cubic feet
Turning radius: 18.4 feet
Engine (as tested): 2.5-liter H4 with 170 horsepower
Transmission (as tested): CVT automatic
EPA city mileage: 23 miles per gallon
EPA highway mileage: 31 miles per gallon
EPA combined mileage: 26 miles per gallon
For more information: Subaru website

*Prices as comparable reflect the cost of the car with a four-cylinder engine, automatic transmission, power windows, locks, mirrors and driver's seat, sunroof, and alloy wheels.

**Estimated transaction prices are based on online estimators and on quotes from dealers in the Washington, D.C., area.