Well I've had my 2012 Legacy GT a little over a year now, so it's time I take a look at how my first year of turbocharged boxer all wheel driven ownership went. As family transport I can't say I have real issues with the BM9 Legacy. There's plenty of room in the back for both of my kids in their forward facing Recaros, without much fear of my wife or I getting kicked in the back. Plus the trunk can hold our double stroller and about five bags of groceries or so, not bad for a mid-size sedan in my opinion. Looking at the interior happenings where I spend all of my time in the car for the most part I'm relatively pleased. The gauges are clear, the leather is decent quality, every dial/control that I may need to reach is easily accessible, and the stereo sounds better than any car I've owned (though I wouldn't say it's audiophile quality). That being said there is certainly room for improvement; the front seats need more side bolstering, soft touch plastics and real aluminum would be very welcome, and that asinine economy gauge just needs to go (Subaru replaced this with a standard engine temp gauge on some MY13 cars). The overall fit and finish inside and out isn't bad, I've learned to live faux aluminum but paint is the very definition of weak. With only about 25,000-miles there are a few more chips than I care for.
On to performance and handling, in this regard I can't say that my Legacy has let me down. It's quick and confident in both dry and wet conditions, even with some understeer while cornering there is still plenty of grip as well. Bringing everything to a stop is also something the Legacy does well, though I'm not sure how fade resistant the stock brakes are. Since my Legacy is still stock (something I'll be addressing and tracking as this series goes on) I'm not gong to focus too much areas of its performance that can be improved. I will however mention my main gripe, mileage. As an enthusiast mileage isn't usually high on my list, but averaging between 25-26mpg it is something I have noticed. With fuel prices the way they are right now better mileage would definitely be appreciated. Would I trade mileage for performance? Honestly, probably not but I would be lying if I said it doesn't factor into my daily driving. Besides, I keep telling myself the money saved over time by not hanging out in the fun gears can be used towards more parts or even something baking or gaming related.
2012 Legacy GT 1-Year Review TLDR:
+ Great acceleration
+ Good braking and handling
+ AWD grip
+ Excellent interior room
- Below average fuel mileage
- Hard plastics and faux carbon and aluminum
- Chip prone paint
- Under bolstered front seats
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