Reader Review: 2023 Subaru Legacy GT

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Reader Review: 2023 Subaru Legacy GT Back to video

Brian Smith recently learned a young colleague was expecting their first child – and that meant upgrading to a more respectable family vehicle. For them, the respectable family vehicle was a pickup truck.

“That just seems so wrong to me,” the Calgarian says. “A sedan seems to be a much more economical and useful way of moving people around as opposed to a pickup where the box might get used to really haul something only a couple of times a year.”

As a fan of sedans, Brian spent a week with the freshened-up 2023 Subaru Legacy GT. The five-passenger midsize Legacy sedan is in its seventh generation, a version that was launched in 2019. For ’23, Subaru gave the Legacy a new look with modified grille, headlights and bumpers. Available in three trims, the Touring and Limited are powered by a 182 horsepower 4-cylinder boxer-style engine backed up by a CVT transmission. The GT, which is top of the Legacy line, gets its own grille design with a red highlight, more powerful 260 hp turbocharged 4-cylinder boxer-style engine with the CVT and unique decklid badging. Smith’s tester was finished in Cosmic Blue Pearl paint and all GTs get black Nappa leather for the interior.

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It should be noted the Legacy is essentially based on Subaru’s SUV Outback platform – that vehicle rides on taller suspension. The Legacy, however, has the stance of a car, and the GT has what Subaru calls ‘sport-tuned’ suspension. Other GT niceties include a leather-wrapped heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, power folding rearview mirrors and dual tip exhaust, It would have cost Smith, before taxes, close to $44,000 to drive the Legacy GT off the lot.

“I’ve not had any experience with Subaru before,” Smith says, who owns a 2018 Audi S4 while his wife drives a 2021 BMW X5. “But when I think of Subaru, I have a positive reaction as I think of them as quality vehicles with great all-wheel drive systems.”

His first impression of the Legacy GT? “It has nice, pleasant lines and is a classy looking car, but nothing made me go ‘wow!’” he admits.

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Getting in the car was an easy proposition for Smith, which isn’t always the case for the 6-feet 2-incher. The driver’s seat is 12-way power adjustable with 4-way power-adjustable lumbar support and features manual cushion length adjustment for extra thigh support.

“I was able to get in and find all of the controls right away, everything was intuitive to set up including the mirrors, and you could just put it in ‘D’ for drive and go,” he says. “Even with the sunroof, I had lots of headroom and the seat was comfortable. Fit and finish was solid, and it was all nicely done with nothing being over the top.”

Smith learned to drive in an era when many vehicles had standard transmissions. And, when knobs and switches were the only controls on the dashboard. He laments the loss of some of that simplicity, but found the Subaru’s 11.6-inch tablet-style touchscreen (which controls many systems in the car) relatively easy to navigate.

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“With a tactile control, you can adjust something while driving without looking, but you can’t do that with a touchscreen and I don’t find it quite as functional,” Smith says.

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The Legacy GT’s turbocharged engine impressed Smith.

“Looking at the specs before I got the car, I wondered if it would have enough horsepower,” he says, and continues, “but this was responsive and the car did what I asked of it. It has two drive modes, and in Sport Plus it raises the rpm and I really enjoyed driving it in that setting.”

He adds, “I’ve heard people complain about a CVT, but I kind of liked this one. Instead of the rpm’s going up and dropping as a normal automatic shifts through gears, this transmission would just increase rpm on a constant basis depending on the amount of gas that was given. Even with harder acceleration the engine wasn’t overly whiney and never seemed to be straining.”

Smith drove the Subaru in the city and he and his wife toured west to Canmore for a day trip. He appreciated the size of the car, and says it carried his family of four quite comfortably.

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“This would be a perfect family vehicle and it’s ideal for zipping into grocery store parking spots, while also being very manoeuvrable on the highway,” he says. “It’s well-planted, and actually feels like a tighter, larger more rugged vehicle than it looks.”

There was plenty of snow and ice on the roads when Smith had the Legacy, and he says the Subaru symmetrical all-wheel drive system inspired confidence.

“Overall, I felt this might be the perfect midsize sedan for Calgary,” he says. “The AWD system means the car could be driven confidently throughout the winter months, the rugged suspension and slightly higher height means a person could safely take the car to a trailhead in Kananaskis or to a rough parking lot at a ski hill, and the lively acceleration and crisp handling of the vehicle would give an enjoyable drive during the warmer months.”

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He concludes, “I think the Legacy is a really good all-around vehicle, and if someone is in the market for a (Toyota) Camry or (Honda) Accord I really think they should include this one in the mix as I’m guessing it could provide the best overall value based on its included features, its performance and its great AWD system.”

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DRIVER’S JOURNAL

DAY 1

Picked up the car during a cold snap and large snow fall; quick drive to get comfortable over some snowy and icy roads. Loaded with lots of options and safety features such as blind spot monitoring, rear and front cameras, rear traffic alert and automatic rear braking. Massive touch screen display as large as an iPad which controls various car settings, climate control and the infotainment system. Wirelessly connected my phone to the car relatively easily. I’m a bit old school so I’m happy to see that the car still has an actual gear shifter instead of buttons or dials.

DAY 2

Drop the kids off at school then off to work. It’s a mixture of side roads, Stoney Trail, Deerfoot and downtown streets. The AWD works wonderfully providing the car great traction. The car has cold weather functions such as heated steering wheel and heated seats (front and back). Having the button for the front heated seats on the touch screen display did cause some aggravation as you would have to wait for the system to boot up before you could start the seat warmer.

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DAY 3

Car is a nice deep blue with a distinct red stripe on the grille to indicate it is the GT model. May not have a “wow” factor, it does have nice smooth lines that will age well. Roads were starting to get cleared so was able to drive the car a bit more aggressively. The Legacy has loads of torque and accelerates very quickly, at least when in “sport” mode. Merging onto Deerfoot was a breeze as the AWD system provided superior driving control over the packed snow.

DAY 4

Made a point of asking my 13 and 15-year-old boys their thoughts on the car. Not surprisingly they only gave it a middle grade for looks, but they did comment that they found the rear seat comfy and more spacious than the Toyota Camry that I had recently driven for about three weeks. This car was just the right height to make entering and exiting very easy.

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DAY 5

Costco run. Parking lot is full and notice a lot of Subaru Outbacks and SUVs, but no Legacy sedans. If a person wants a car that is more unique and can find in the parking lot this one definitely would be it. Trunk is deep and had no trouble getting two shopping crates and a few extra bags in the back without having to use the backseat. The seats do fold down if needed though for longer items.

DAY 6

Highway trip to Canmore. Lots of passing power, even going up some of the larger hills on the Trans-Canada. Adaptive cruise control with automatic steering is nice. Not only will the car brake on its own to keep a safe distance behind other vehicles, but it will also actually steer the vehicle for up to about 20 seconds without holding the wheel, even around corners, after which the warning beeps start demanding that you take control of the wheel. Not self-driving by any means, but the function does reduce the amount of active driving that you have to do.

DAY 7

The car is a great commuting vehicle since it is easy to drive. Power when you need it to stay with or get ahead of traffic, quiet interior and nice stereo. My parking space at work is really designed for a smaller car and tough to get into without doing a three-point turn. The Legacy has a good turning radius; easily able to get into my spot. Unlike some sports sedans that require premium gas, this takes regular which is a plus. Did a quick check and looks like the car got about 9.6L/100km for fuel economy, not bad in my opinion.