Subaru has never been afraid to chart its own path. From its first passenger car, the rear-engine, two-cylinder, two-stroke Subaru 360, to the import-duty-skirting Subaru Brat of the 1970s, the company built its reputation filling niches that many manufacturers never even knew existed. This resourcefulness served Subaru well, helping it develop a small but dedicated following. But after watching the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord hit the big time, Subaru decided it was time to nudge the brand away from the left of the dial and introduced the larger, slightly less funky Legacy to the U.S. market in 1990. Even though the car had its fans—it arrived packing the brand’s trademark flat-four engine and an all-wheel-drive chassis—it never established enough of a customer base to bring Subaru mainstream success.

While the Forester, Impreza, and Outback wagon continued to leverage the brand’s idiosyncrasies to win fans in Contraryville, the Legacy’s identity crisis continued unabated. Subaru concedes that the Legacy’s sales were not only far below those of its crossovers, but essentially a rounding error of the Toyota Camry’s, which outsold the Subie sedan by as much as 17 to 1 in recent years. Yet Subaru says the sixth-gen 2015 Legacy is “a Subaru first, and sedan second,” adding, “we are not just a crossover brand.”

Good Vibes

But fire up the engine, and you question the whole “Subaru first” shtick. The standard flat-four and the upgrade flat-six engines now are tethered via new liquid-filled motor mounts that filter out a remarkable amount of vibration. The motor mounts are aided in their quest to tamp down NVH by an acoustical-glass windshield, expanded use of foam-filled frame members, thicker panels, and extensive use of underfloor sound-deadening material. Matting the throttle in the 2.5-liter four-cylinder yields an instant and determined response—and a familiar oversquare soundtrack, if you listen attentively—that feels about on the mark for its rated output of 175 horsepower and 174 lb-ft of torque. The four-banger Legacy’s not quick by any measure, but it doesn’t lack gumption.

Producing 256 horsepower and 247 lb-ft of torque, the 3.6-liter six-cylinder is just as subdued, but it delivers a far more rewarding driving experience. It’s not as if the six-pot transformed the Legacy into a quarter-mile demon (we’ll have test numbers as soon as we can strap on our gear), but the added output is welcome when it comes to navigating the tight, winding switchbacks and uphill sections of roads like California’s Pacific Coast Highway, which is where we drove the Legacy.

Killing Me Softly

Not as welcome is the continuously variable transmission that is the only available “gearbox” for either engine. The four-cylinder 2.5i model shares the same Lineartronic CVT found in other Subaru models. The six-cylinder Legacy Limited comes equipped with the high-torque version from the WRX and Forester Turbo. Both suffer the general disconnect of all CVTs between engine speed and road speed, but they’re reasonably quiet in operation. They handle torque efficiently and stay out of the way until the driver summons control by tugging on one of the steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles. Our biggest complaint with the stepped-gear function is the nearly complete lack of engine braking when downshifting. We didn’t detect any differences in operation between the two units: Both move between “gears” swiftly and become nearly transparent in automatic mode.

One of the wisest decisions Subaru made for the 2015 Legacy was to make its excellent all-wheel drive and brake-based active torque-vectoring standard. The latter brakes the inside front wheel to sharpen turn-in and reduce understeer. Paired with a recently calibrated version of Subaru’s active-torque-split symmetrical AWD, the setup allows the driver to stay on the throttle and leave the system to sort out the particulars. Along the high rocky bluffs of PCH, where turning the Legacy into a piece of cliff graffiti or vanishing into the drink below are very real possibilities, it required a small leap of faith to leave our foot planted when understeer reared its ugly head. But all four tires howl in unison at the limit, giving plenty of warning before things get religious. An electric-power-assisted steering setup finds center easily and transmits inputs from the wheel accurately but remains otherwise cold and indifferent. The Legacy’s braking comes from the same gene pool—linear in response and more than up to the task at hand but unsympathetic to pedal finesse.

Inside Story

We covered the 2015 Legacy’s particulars when it bowed at the 2014 Chicago auto show, but here’s a quick refresher: Underneath the all-new sheetmetal resides a unitized structure with a claimed 43-percent increase in torsional rigidity made possible without significant weight gain by the use of high-strength steel. An aluminum hood helps keep weight in check, and Subaru says active grille shutters, a more steeply raked windshield, and the coupelike roofline contribute to a 10-percent improvement in aerodynamic efficiency. Four-cylinder Legacys come in three trim levels, and each gets its own wheels. The 2.5i receives 17-inch steelies with hubcaps, the 2.5i Premium gets 17-inch aluminum wheels, and the 2.5 Limited rolls on 18-inchers. The six-cylinder 3.6 Limited gets 18-inch aluminum wheels. A rearview camera is now standard on all trims, and in addition to blind-spot detection, lane-change assist, and cross-traffic alert, all Legacys have a seat-mounted under-knee airbag in the front seats that inflates to keep passengers from “submarining” in front collisions. We tested them all—except the latter, thankfully—including the well-calibrated adaptive cruise control that comes bundled with precollision braking and lane-departure warning when you order Subaru’s $1195 EyeSight driver-assist package.

It’s been a few years since our long-term 2010 Legacy departed, and in the interim, we’d forgotten how much space Subaru managed to carve out of the interior in the last redesign. Space is up even more for 2015, increasing to 104.6 cubic feet from 103 in the previous model. Incremental gains are made all around, most noticeably another two inches of width between windowsills. The trunk now swallows an even-steven 15 cubic feet of stuff. Particularly impressive is the clean, logical layout of the navigation and infotainment system. A far cry from the ridiculously fussy touch-screen setup in our long-term Subaru BRZ, the major functions (map, radio, satellite, climate) are on the outer frame of the screen, thoughtfully minimizing the number of screen taps needed to complete any function. Genuine volume and tuning knobs are welcome here, as are the redundant wheel-mounted controls.

So, does the new Legacy have what it takes to please its traditional fans while attracting significant numbers of new buyers? Subaru tells us that’s the plan, but the competition in the mid-size-sedan segment is tougher than ever. The Legacy does have a leg up in the mid-size sales race, however: It’s always running on all fours.

Specifications VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: 2.5i, $22,490; 2.5i Premium, $24,290; 2.5i Limited, $27,290; 3.6R Limited, $30,390

ENGINES: DOHC 16-valve 2.5-liter flat-4, 175 hp, 174 lb-ft; DOHC 24-valve 3.6-liter flat-6, 256 hp, 247 lb-ft

TRANSMISSION: continuously variable automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:

Wheelbase: 108.3 in

Length: 188.8 in

Width: 72.4 in Height: 59.0 in

Curb weight (C/D est): 3500-3700 lb

PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):

Zero to 60 mph: 6.4-8.7 sec

Zero to 100 mph: 16.7-25.9 sec

Standing ¼-mile: 15.0-16.8 sec

Top speed: 125-145 mph

FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST):

EPA city/highway driving: 2.5-liter, 26/36 mpg; 3.6-liter, 20/27 mpg

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