2005 Subaru Legacy And Outback

If it's all over between you and the sport/utility craze, Subaru can bring you down easy with the 2005 Outback. First- and second-gen Outbacks were pumped up with two-tone cladding and Cherokee-esque raised-white-letter tires, but the all-new Outback won't remind you one bit of any big old truck: It looks like a 2005 Legacy with 2.8 inches more ground clearance and subtle overfenders, a beefier front bumper, and foglamps. Tires are blackwall only. Trim options still include dark-beige bumpers and lower-side body trim, but the automaker is fond of showing off the Outback in all white or all black, positioning it as more a Zen rally car best suited for serious loose-gravel sideways driving. Subaru calls it a "new urban crossover," and there's some meat to this descriptor.

The 2005 Legacy and Outback have gone upmarket, with seriously improved interiors and much cleaner-looking exteriors replacing the old models' frumpery. This all-new duo is loaded with cool features, such as a large, two-piece sunroof available on Legacy GT Limited and Outback Limited wagons.

More important, the Legacy and Outback are two of the most fun-to-drive cars on pavement in this class. Both models are available with naturally aspirated and turbocharged 2.5-liter H-4s, the latter based on the WRX STi's. A redesigned 3.0-liter flat-six is offered in the Outback, but we like the turbo four in either car.

Both models are lighter and structurally stiffer, shedding as much as 180 pounds depending on drivetrain and trim level, lowering the center of gravity. This pays off on the road, with comfortable ride and impressive cornering ability. The 250-horsepower Legacy 2.5 GT's claim to sport-sedan prowess is legit. With its turbo-pancake engine and slick-shifting five-speed, it's an adult's WRX that handles twisty mountain roads offering good, quick transitions and slight roll at turn-in giving way to flat, hard cornering. But its steering feels darty and overboosted, with more quickness than feel and feedback, making us tentative in fast sweepers on the outside lane of the mountain road. We had no such complaints with Japanese-spec 2.0-liter turbo Legacy GTs last year at the Fuji racetrack ("First Drive," October 2003). Subaru says the only difference is all-season tires in place of the Japanese version's 17-inch summer tires, but on this side of the Pacific, the slower-ratio Outback steering (16:1 versus 15:1 for Legacy GT) feels better.