And when Subaru reworked its midsize Legacy sedan for 2010, it had the same goal: to make a smallish but delightful driver more appealing to families.
"The previous Legacy was fun to drive, but it was too small to compete with cars like the Camry and Accord," observed Tim Colbeck, Subaru's senior vice president for sales.
Like Mazda, Subaru was able to enlarge the cabin not so much by stretching the car (it grew only 1.4 inches) but by increasing the wheelbase 3.2 inches - to 108.3. That wheelbase bump creates four more inches of rear leg room, enough extra space that a friend could adjust the driver's seat to accept his 6-foot-4 frame and still leave the 6-2 passenger behind him enough room for his legs.
In addition to being considerably roomier than its predecessor, the fifth-generation Legacy arriving in showrooms this month is a lot prettier. The previous Legacy was rather anonymous business, something you can't say about the new guy in town.
Featuring interesting body sculpting behind the predatory gaze of its hawk-eye headlamps, the 2010 car is as stylish as it is civil, which ought to make it appealing to a lot of drivers. In fact, Colbeck expects the good-looking new sedan to cut into the 2-1 sales lead that the company's Outback crossover SUV now enjoys.
Like the previous Legacy - and, indeed, everything Subaru sells - the new car is offered only with all-wheel-drive (AWD), which is a significant feature in this temperate part of the world. It also will be available with several distinctly different personalities.
The first is the 2.5i, which, like the others, is offered in base form and more upmarket Premium and Limited trim levels. The 2.5i, the most affordable Legacy, is a 170-horsepower, four-cylinder model that provides good mileage and enough oomph for most drivers.
It comes with either a six-speed manual gearbox or a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). The 2.5i starts at $19,995. The more heavily equipped 2.5i Premium I'm reviewing today cost $1,000 more.
Next higher face on the Legacy totem is the 3.6R, the most refined Legacy. This is a smooth, quiet sedan with a 3.6-liter, six-cylinder engine, a five-speed automatic, and a base price of $24,995. Rated at 256 horsepower, it gets from zero to 60 in a respectable 7.8 seconds.
The 2.5GT turns out to be the most fun in the Legacy lineup. This is an undisguised driver's car, powered as it is by a 265-horse turbocharged four, and offered only with a six-speed manual gearbox. It makes its $27,995 sticker price more palatable by scooting from zero to 60 in a blistering 5.9 seconds.
(You'll notice the GT is a full three seconds faster to 60 than the 3.6R, even though it's only nine higher in horsepower. I think the answer lies primarily in the 2.5GT's much lower gearing. The GT's final drive ratio is 4.11:1, compared with the 3.6R's 3.66.)
The 2.5i Premium I tested proved to be a satisfying family car with decent power, a nice ride, a quiet, attractive cabin, crisp steering, and good handling. The EPA mileage ratings of the manual gearbox tester (19 city and 27 highway), while acceptable, weren't as good as the 2.5i with the CVT (23 and 31).
My only quibble with the car was its rather notchy gearshift, and the engine's tendency to get a little buzzy when flogged.
The Legacies are well equipped, even in base form. The $19,995 2.5i includes AWD, antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, tire pressure monitor, air-conditioning and filtration, cruise control, power doors and mirrors, and a tilt/telescopic steering wheel. The Premium model I drove added goodies such as alloy wheels and a power driver's seat.
2010 Subaru 2.5i Premium.
Base price: $20,995.
As tested: $21,690 (including shipping).
Standard equipment: Includes AWD, 2.5-liter engine, six-speed manual gearbox, power doors and mirrors, tilt/telescopic wheel, alloy wheels,power driver's seat.
Fuel economy: 19 city and 27 highway.
Engine performance: Average.
Handling: Top-drawer.
Comfort: Very good.
Styling: Nifty.
Warranty: Three years/36,000 miles bumper to bumper.
The Ben Key: Four Bens, Excellent; Three Bens, Good; Two Bens, Fair; One Ben, Poor.
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