Today's test drive of the 2008 Subaru Legacy 3.0 R Limited is almost the exact opposite of yesterday's 2008 VW Jetta test. The Jetta was a car I didn't expect to like very much, but ended up falling in love with. The Legacy is one of my favorite mid-size cars, but after a week with the new top-of-the-line 3.0R version, it was clear that there wasn't going to be a love connection. Ah, how I pine for the base-model Legacy... but enough pining. Get the full story in my 2008 Subaru Legacy 3.0 R Limited quick test drive. -- Aaron Gold
Photo © Subaru
I think comparing the base Legacy to the 3.0 R does a disservice to the latter. It’s sort of like comparing a V-6 Mustang to a Shelby. Sure, they’re different, but aimed at a different audience. OK, so we dinged the 3.0 R on price as well, but it was largely because of the perception of a Legacy in terms of driveway status. Despite everything it has done, Subaru is still saddled with a Volkswagen effect: VW couldn’t get away with the W8-powered Passat – though really, the power there didn’t justify the extra cost – and Subaru hit the wall with the SVX (remember that?). Does the 2999cc six give more power than one needs? Of course. But all other things being equal, we always want more power, don’t we? And if there’s one thing we loved it was the creamy smoothness of the six, better than the turbo four any day…
So you didn’t like the Subaru Legacy 3.0R Limited much, huh? OK, I agree. What a piece of @#$%. So can I have it?
I often extolled my admiration of Subies, but there’s nothing in this “Plain Jane” that says 30K. Unfotunately it says 1994 Toyota Tercel, which doesn’t say anything at all to me. I think that Subaru had better jazz their styles up a bit, or they may drift off to be totally dependant, like they used to be, on a super loyal but extremely limited customer base.