2002 Subaru Legacy Outback, L.L. Bean Edition Wagon

A professional colleague recently observed, “When Subaru gets design right, it will really be dangerous.”

The slogan “The Beauty of All-Wheel-Drive” notwithstanding, Subarus (with, perhaps, the exception of the WRX) aren’t the most striking vehicles on the highway.  The Legacy Outback LL. Bean Edition wagon under consideration is far from being an eyesore or vehicular curiosity.  That said, it is not particularly striking from the outside.  Paul “Crocodile Dundee” Hogan notwithstanding, this vehicle is suited for the highway, not the outback (although the conditions on most of the major highways in and around Detroit qualify for being rather off-road-like, and in this regard, the vehicle handles well).  The L.L. Bean raiment provides some nice touches (leather/wood Momo steering wheel; two-tone leather-trimmed upholstery; eight-way power driver’s seat; heated front seats; solid AM/FM/cassette/CD/weather band audio system); it even offers the “Carefree Performance Protection,” three year/36,000-mile basic warranty supplemented with roadside assistance.

However, the best feature of the vehicle is not visible unless you pop the hood: the H6, 3.0-liter double-overhead cam engine.  That’s right, not a V6, but a horizontally opposed H6.  A.k.a., a boxer-style engine.

If we made ten-best engine lists, this engine would be on it.  And somewhere near the top.

The engine is exceedingly well suited to the vehicle, providing consistent linear acceleration that compliments the all-wheel-drive: the combination results in a car that is quick and well-placed on the road.  There is nothing of the Japanese sewing-machine-on-amphetamines whine to the engine when you step on the accelerator pedal.  It simply moves.  Fast and sure.

Another colleague who had the opportunity to drive the vehicle, a man who is currently in a Jeep Grand Cherokee, will soon be turning the leased Jeep in.  He has tired of sport utes and wants to get into something else.  His real desire is a Volvo Cross Country, but knows the budget doesn’t stretch that far.  After he climbed out of the L.L. Bean-fitted wagon, he checked out all aspects, all the way to the cargo area mat cover (a good feature, by the way, as things like luggage stay in place and don’t go sliding around when you make a turn).  At $30K, he is serious about getting one.  Which is a hell of a compliment, as the drive was all of about 20 minutes long, and he’s talking about spending three years on one.