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26 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday February 4, 2009 www.oakvillebeaver.com Subaru matches its European AWD sport sedan rivals on the go or in the snow By Jim Robinson Carguide Magazine Metroland Media Group Let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow. In the summer of last year tested on these pages was the 2009 Subaru Legacy 3.0R with standard all-wheel-drive (AWD) that I compared to its German sports sedan rivals with the same displacement and performance, but at a third of the price. Recently, it happened a colleague of mine was returning a 3.0R to Subaru and, as it happened, it was available for a week's road test just as the Weather Network was predicting another 15-25 cm of snow. Subaru's AWD and its horizontally opposed engine are the foundation upon which all Subarus are now produced. Ergo, I jumped at the chance to drive it through yet another dump of snow that was starting to fall as I picked up the car. This is the latest product of Subaru's "boxer" evolution is the 2009 Legacy 3.0R. The Legacy started out in the 1990s as a compact sedan and wagon, but it has grown to mid-size. The Legacy comes in a variety of models with a choice of a 2.5-litre, and 2.5-litre turbo, 2.5-litre PZEV (Partial Zero Emission Vehicle) four-cylinder engines and a 3.0-litre six-cylinder all based on the Subaru boxer principle. The 3.0-litre DOHC engine produces 245 hp and 215 lb/ft of torque. Fuel numbers for the 3.0R are 12.1L/100 km city, 8.3L/100 km highway. The 3.0R comes in two models, the Limited, and the new for 2009, Premier Package. At $36,995 and $38,995 respectively they are priced far below its main competitors. For instance, the Audi A4 with quattro permanent all-wheel-drive is about the same size as the Subaru inside and out. With the 3.2-litre six-cylinder engine it produces 20 more hp and costs $50,900 (audi.ca). The similarly sized BMW 328Xi with X-Drive allwheel-drive has a 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine with 15 less hp and costs $45,500 (BMWgroup.ca). The Audi and BMW are magnificent road cars, but what they don't have is an enhancement that Subaru calls Si-Drive. There is a rotary knob on the transmission tunnel marked as Intelligent, Sport and Sport Sharp. By twisting the knob, the response from the engine and transmission can be changed to best suit one of three driving modes. Intelligent smoothes out the engine and improves fuel economy by as much as 10 per cent for highway and in-town daily cruising. Sport is more for general use giving more linear throttle response and extra punch when SUBARU LEGACY 3.0R 2009 AT A GLANCE BODY STYLE: Mid-size sedan. DRIVE METHOD: front-engine, allwheel-drive ENGINE: 3.0-litre, horizontally opposed six-cylinder (245 hp, 215 lb/ft.) FUEL ECONOMY: 12.1L/100 km city; 8.3L/100 km highway. PRICE: Limited, $36,995; Premier (as tested), $38,995 WEB: subaru.ca was so measured that the brakes weren't needed. So it's a luxury car, but it also lets you enjoy motoring without breaking any laws. And speaking of luxury, the 3.0R shows how far Subaru has come from the days when you could have any interior color as long as it was gray. The 3.0R Premier tested here was finished in a warming two-tone blend with wood and aluminum accents. With heated front seats with dual zone climate control, the Limited and Premier have a nine-speaker Harman Kardon, 385-watt sound system. The Premier adds a GPS DVDbased navigation system with touch-screen monitor. The 3.0R is in its element as a highway cruiser. Sticking it on the cruise and picking your favorite tunes on the Sirius satellite radio (three-month trial period) while putting 400 or 500 km behind you can be taken in stride. But for our weather and driving conditions, especially after last winter and what we have seen so far this season, having Subaru's AWD is a serious buying consideration. Looking very much like a European sports sedan, the 2009 Subaru 3.0R boasts all-wheel-drive and the similar interior room and performance but costs substantially less than its German all-wheel-drive rivals. passing. Sport Sharp changes the engine mapping plus holds lower gears longer for more power plus instantaneous shifts. The 3.0R comes with a five-speed automatic Sportshift transmission with manual shift mode. It is one of the fastest shifting units in the industry, taking 0.2 seconds (literally the blink of an eye) controlled by big paddle shifters mounted to the steering wheel or by the shift handle on the transmission tunnel. It also has a "blipping" mode that matches engine speed on downshifts making for smoother and lurch-free gear changes. In addition to the Si-Drive knob there is a toggle switch on the bottom right of the steering wheel that engages/disengages Sport Sharp without the driver taking his/her hands off the wheel. With a long wheelbase and wide stance, the engine, transmission and Si-Drive are mated to Subaru's patented symmetrical fulltime all-wheel-drive. Developed from the lessons learned in three outright World Rally Championship wins, the Subaru system is at once simple, but very effective, in routing torque back and forth so seamlessly that you don't notice it. For the 3.0R, a limited slip differential is added for more precise torque splitting. Because the boxer engine layout allows it to sit lower, it lets the driveshaft to the rear travel in a straight line and that makes for a lower overall centre of gravity and less power loss in universal joints. The result is a sedan that feels very substantial overall. In the 3.0R the build-up of speed is deceptive in that it's so smooth that you don't get a sense of how fast you are going. Entering and exiting a corner in a Subaru demonstrates the level of grip the AWD system has such is the competency of the pitch and yaw system (Subaru calls it Vehicle Dynamic Control) with traction control, ABS and electronic brake force distribution. In Sport Sharp mode, braking and then accelerating is done in one sweeping motion. With the paddle shifters going and the engine blipping matched gears with engine speeds, it's a lot of fun to feel the car respond so fully. In the snow the first thing you notice at startup is the way the tail hunkers down as all four wheels take up torque and plant it to the surface. Moving off, the Subaru does not take a little step to the right or left like a frontdrive, but tracks true. On a deserted parking lot near my house that had not been plowed, I took the Legacy up to city street speed and then yanked the wheel hard to the left and right to induce a spin. But the VSC was having none of it. Another thing I noticed was at moderate speed and in a corner, engine braking was noticeable. Coupled with the AWD, slowing check out The Oakville Beaver for the best automotive tips every week... www.oakvillebeaver.com www.volvoofoakville.com SERVICE DEPARTMENT OPEN SATURDAYS Phone: (905) 825-8088