By FRANK A. AUKOFER
Scripps Howard News ServiceEven if you're not a movie buff, you probably know about the old western film cliche where the gunslinger shoots at the feet of his hapless victim, forcing him to dance.
In the automotive world, Subaru has played both parts.
When crazed sport utility customers took potshots at Subaru's lack of SUVs in its lineup, the Japanese company danced around and jacked up some of its existing cars and wagons to produce Outback models, which eventually led the entire industry in the direction of what are now called crossovers.
Subaru also reversed roles and fired a shot of its own with the Forester crossover, a car-based utility vehicle that wasn't all that much different mechanically from the Outback but looked more like a boxy truck-based SUV.
Because of its ability to adapt with fancy footwork, as well as to take well-timed shots of its own, Subaru has been a rare star in the recession-plagued vehicle industry.
It also has had other ammunition. Early on, the company decided to make all-wheel drive standard on every model. From an engineering standpoint, it was relatively easy because Subaru is committed to using horizontally-opposed engines, also known as boxers.
The original Volkswagen Beetles and Karmann-Ghias all were powered with boxer engines, and Germany's Porsche still installs them in its pricey 911, Boxster and Cayman models. Porsche currently is the only major manufacturer besides Subaru to use boxers.
H engines have their cylinders lying horizontally, feet to feet, on both sides of the crankshaft, instead of standing straight up or leaning sideways as in conventional engines. It gives the vehicle a lower center of gravity and also makes it relatively easy to run a shaft off the back of the engine to drive the rear wheels as well as those in front.
About the only drawback with horizontally-opposed engines is that they are, all other things equal, more fuel thirsty than in-line or V engines. But much of that has been ameliorated with computer control of fuel injection and valve timing.
Subaru has taken that a step farther in the 2010 Legacy sedan, its all-new entry into the spirited mid-size class, where it competes against the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Fusion, Nissan Altima, Mazda 6 and Volkswagen Passat.
The advance is a new continuously-variable automatic transmission, called a CVT, which uses belts and pulleys to produce a seamless multiplication of power. From rest all the way up to top speed, the transmission feeds the correct power without shift pauses, though you can shift manually with shift points inserted by a computer.
Because slippage is minimized, a CVT can produce better fuel economy than a conventional automatic transmission or even a manual gearbox. That's the case on the new Legacy 2.5i, where the version with the new six-speed manual gearbox is rated at 19/27 miles to the gallon on the EPA's city/highway cycle. When equipped with the optional CVT, the same car jumps to a 23/31 rating.
There are eight versions of the new Legacy, which now is offered only as a four-door sedan. If you want a wagon, you have to order an Outback.
The base 2.5i with the six-speed manual has an uncommon list of standard equipment. With a base price of $20,690, it arrives with an electronic pushbutton parking brake, a feature currently found mainly on luxury machinery. It also comes with a hill holder system, which keeps the stopped car from rolling forward or backward on hills. Studebaker had the feature back in the late 1930s, but it's rare nowadays.
Standard equipment also includes a tilt-and-telescope steering wheel, remote keyless locking, air conditioning, audio system with CD player and lighted vanity mirrors on the sun visors.
The tested 2.5i Premium came with the $1,000 CVT option, along with a power driver's seat, an upgraded audio system, heated front seats, windshield wiper de-icer, heated outside mirrors and a motorized glass sunroof, which brought the suggested sticker price up to $25,180.
The new Legacy is a looker, with terrific interior space and comfort, especially in the back seat. Its interior volume is at the upper reaches of the mid-size class, and close to that of large cars. Comfort, ride and taut handling with the all-wheel drive are first-rate.
Powering the 2.5i is a 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter boxer engine, which is the only area where the new Legacy doesn't measure up to or beat the competition.
It's adequate in most circumstances, but frequently feels underpowered moving the Legacy's 3,384 pounds. Subaru's test figure of 9.5 seconds for zero-to-60 acceleration with the CVT means it can be bested by some economy cars.
You can eliminate embarrassment by moving up to the turbocharged 2.5GT model, which has 265 horsepower on premium fuel. Unfortunately for most American customers, it comes only with a six-speed manual gearbox.
If you want the extra performance with an automatic transmission, you have to move up to the 3.6R, which has a silky six-cylinder boxer engine and 256 horsepower, but price tags ranging from $25,690 to $28,690 and 18/25 fuel economy.
Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service. For more columns, go to scrippsnews.com
