The entry-level Subaru Legacy, with its two-litre flat-four engine, may not be anything like as quick as the 2.5 GX, but when you take into account the cabin space, the handling, and the fact that four-wheel drive comes as standard, the price tag on the low side of £15,500 is quite something. Look at what's offered in the Vectra and Mondeo ranges for the same cost.Subaru used to let the technical specification of the Legacy speak for itself, but all it did was mumble. The previous models were very dull-looking, and even their competition record as Subaru's World Rally Championship cars in the pre-Impreza days didn't help much.Somebody must have taken the styling department by the scruff of the neck. The latest cars are really handsome, and there are even some pretty good metallic colours. The paintwork carries a one-year warranty, and there's six-year anti-corrosion cover.The interior has been spruced up too, although the GL suffers from cheap-looking seat and door trim, and you don't get a lot of padding for the old Sitzfleisch. There's no extra-cost luxury pack, with leather upholstery and so on, as can be ordered for the GX.All the same, the Legacy has far more passenger room than any of its price rivals, and there's plenty of luggage space too. Side airbags are standard on this year's cars.The latest engine is torquier than the old two-litre and, although it still has that characteristic flat-four beat, noise levels are reduced. You can't expect a car like this to bullet off the line, partly because of its size and partly because the engine has to power the 4WD transmission, but the GL is quite a brisk mover once it gets under way.It's a car that can appeal to non-sporting drivers because of its appearance, price and generous dimensions. But that four-wheel drive layout, and the low centre of gravity allowed by the boxer engine, mean that there's some excellent traction and cornering power waiting to be exploited.The Legacy GL may not have quite the pin-point accuracy of the Impreza Sport - Subaru's best-handling saloon, regardless of anything the Impreza Turbo fanciers say - but it's intriguing to feel the four-wheel drive working in your favour if you go earholing too smartly round a corner. In confined spaces, the turning circle is nothing special, but you can't have four-wheel drive and a taxi-like lock.A certain element in CARkeys would like the suspension firmed up, but the present settings make the Legacy, even as a two-litre, not only an unexpectedly sporting saloon, but also one with better than the class average ride quality.Bear in mind, too, that the Legacy was placed second in last year's J D Power customer satisfaction survey, beaten only by the Impreza.Second opinion: Superb. Typical Subaru suspension - soft but always controlled - plus a fine engine, handsome looks and lots of space (though I'd have liked another half inch of seat travel). The GL is intended to be little more than a repmobile, but it does the job so well that anyone who buys one of its rivals without at least giving this car some serious consideration is missing out big time. David Finlay. Engine 1994cc, 4 cylinders Power 122bhp Fuel 31.4mpg Acceleration 0-60mph: 10.3 seconds Top speed 120mph Price £15,495 Release date 15/05/2010