2000 Subaru Legacy GT Limited

Although the Outback wagon remains the big gun in Subaru's Legacy lineup, the family tree also includes a GT variant that may finally come into its own for 2000. Available as a sedan or wagon, it shares the same powertrain and all-wheel-drive system as the base L model, but a sport-tuned suspension and limited-slip differential plus bigger wheels and tires endow the GT with sufficient performance gains to merit closer inspection by mid-level enthusiasts.

Inside, this sporting sedan boasts a well-finished, well-appointed, and largely well-configured passenger compartment that can carry four adults with ease and take five on shorter stints. To the Legacy's already generous list of upline standards, the GT adds a power driver's seat, moonroof, and keyless remote, while the Limited version we tested piles on leather upholstery, a primo sound system with CD, and front-side airbags. In fact, the sole option on a Limited is a four-speed automatic transmission.

Smooth, free-revving, and LEV-level clean for the new year, the Legacy's 2.5-liter SOHC 16-valve flat four still comes across as a slight underachiever. On the plus side, it makes 165 horses at 5600 rpm and 166 pound-feet of torque at 4000 revs, while enjoying tangible improvements to low- and midrange torque. But even paired with a slick-shifting standard five-speed manual gearbox, it needed 9.1 seconds to propel this 3360-pound four-door to 60 mph and 16.6 ticks to reach 82.0 mph in the quarter mile.

Along with a much stiffer unibody structure, the new Legacy benefits from revised suspension hardware that improves ride and handling. Carryover front MacStruts now work with an all-new rear multilink setup that's smaller, lighter, and subframe-mounted to improve space utilization and ride isolation. Complementing the GT's slightly tauter underpinnings is a "Plus-1" wheel/tire fitment of 205/55HR16 rubber wrapped around cast alloy wheels. Despite some on-center deadness, the new rack-and-pinion power steering system provides good feedback and positive self-centering action. Judicious use of trailing throttle/brake can help offset the GT's progressive push in tight corners, allowing it to be hustled through the twisties with brio. However, hard numbers like 0.81 g on the skidpad and a 62.9-mph slalom rightfully indicate that it's still happier being driven through, rather than tossed into, corners.