Sporty social climber

By BRENDA WARD

The Subaru Outback was the crossover vehicle that started it all in 1996, an all-wheel-drive with rugged good looks overlaid with a patina of city manners.

Well, now the company has unleashed an aggressive new chapter of motoring excitement.

Wallis Dumper, Subaru New Zealand's general manager, could barely suppress his glee as he launched the new generation 2004 Outback in Queenstown earlier this week.

"It's bigger, stronger, better equipped, with better appeal and a higher level of quality," he said.

The new model is slightly longer and wider than its predecessor, with more cabin space.

The Outback 2.5i comes with a 2.5-litre single-overhead cam engine, in your choice of five-speed manual or four-stage automatic transmission with sportshift.

The manual will set you back $45,990, with the auto option $2000 on top of that. Those who hanker for a 3-litre will have to wait until January when the new R will be available.

Dumper pointed out the price advantage the new model has over its European competitors, the big-bucks Volvo XC (Crosscountry), and BMW X5, which were both used as benchmarks for the engineering, safety and specifications of the updated model.

The company appears to have stolen some styling points from the XC in particular, with its rear angularity and general chunkiness reminiscent of that model.

On the mountain passes, the Outback climbed with alacrity, biting into the corners and spooling out over the downhill stretches, never straining, always with power in reserve.

It took in its stride roadworks with patches of metal and fresh chip, and veered off the road with aplomb as a house being moved took up most of the tarmac.

The sound levels in the cabin are exceptional, without even the tyre burr you've come to expect of four-wheel-drives. And it's obviously equally silent from the outside. As it purred past a flock of sheep in the road, the tiniest lambs were barely concerned enough to get out of the way as we passed. A particularly hungry little fella, in fact, started to feed as the car nudged slowly by.

The model has a couple of dinky new developments that will light up a parent's eye. There are green lights on the dash to show if backseat passengers have their seatbelts secured. And a sensor in the passenger seat detects by weight if the seat is occupied, and if it is, will warn if the seatbelt isn't clicked.

Inside, the twin map-lights for each front-seat occupant are a handy accessory, and space-age-style hatches for glasses and receipts make it driver-friendly. Leather trim makes the steering wheel, gear lever and handbrake chunky and easy to handle.

Acceleration is smooth and effortless, but it's hard to detect whether the electronically controlled drive-by-wire throttle, also used in the new Legacy, is an improvement over its mechanical predecessor.

The new Legacy also ran through its paces at the launch. Together the two models make up 50 per cent of Subaru New Zealand's volume.

As New Zealand's No 1 best-selling car (remember the used import volumes, says Dumper), the Legacy has a huge, well, legacy. Dumper says: "The 2004 Legacy is bigger, lighter, refined and more powerful. It will appeal to a lot of our loyal customers, but we think it will also bring a whole new set of first-time Legacy owners."

The car has had 60kg shaved off its weight and increased power up to 9.8 per cent in all engines, and that's apparent in a more lithe and effortless performance.

Take your pick of the 2.0i and more powerful 2.5i models, in sedan or wagon. The 2.5-litre produces 121kW at 5600rpm and 226Nm of torque at 4400rpm. Only the twin exhausts reveal which is the gruntier 2.5-litre model. The 2-litre is priced at $37,990, or $39,990 for the auto, the 2.5-litre at $44,990 ($46,990). The top of the line turbo-charged 2.0 GT will come in at $59,990 ($62,990) and will be the only one of the models with steering wheel buttons for auto stage changes. It produces 191kW at 6000rpm and 343 Nm of torque at 6400rpm.

Eighty per cent of the engine components of the new Legacy have been redesigned and body rigidity is up 10 per cent.