Although Subaru doesn’t race in any NASCAR venue, it could. The all-wheel-drive Subaru Legacy is superb on hills, curves, and straight-aways. Precise steering, four-wheel independent suspension, and a 243 horsepower turbocharged boxer engine made the test-driven Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Limited a flat-out fun and fast car. Subaru Legacy is akin to an all-terrain car with the 2.5 GT Limited providing standard fare staples like vehicle dynamics control, limited slip rear differential, and a 5-speed automatic transmission that can be enhanced by clutching the four-inch, half-moon shaped paddle shifters on the steering wheel.

As much fun as the Legacy is on the road (it also proved very capable at handling ruts and other off-road traps), the four-door sedan doesn’t skim on its interior attributes, which underscores why a Harmon Kardon premium audio system with nine speakers is standard fare. One stamp of dislike, however, was the information center’s steering wheel interface. It added unnecessary clutter, and re-setting the trip odometer (which should be an extremely quick, no-thought activity) required the owner’s manual for assistance. (As an added nuisance, the trip odometer didn’t re-set as indicated via the owner’s manual.) The Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Limited has fuel economy estimates of 18 city and 24 highway and carries a MSRP of $32,395.