KansasCity.com's view

Back in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit,

Subaru unveiled its Legacy Sport Utility Sedan (SUS), a dolled-up four-door with the look of its popular Outback station wagon and a long list of luxury amenities.

Given the popularity of sport-utility vehicles (SUVs), and given the ascendance of carlike hybrid SUVs such as the Lexus RX 300 and Outback station wagon, why build a Sport Utility Sedan? Presumably, to cash in on the SUV craze, not to mention giving buyers an all-wheel-drive sedan that rides high enough to scamper over rough roads with the surefootedness of a mountain goat.

While that description may not apply to many of us here in the heartland, there are many rural or mountain communities where a plush and comfortable all-wheel-drive sedan is just the ticket for folks who live at the end of unimproved or washed-out gravel roads. They will be thankful for the extra

ground clearance when they have to trudge through a spring floods or winter’s snow.

For the rest of us, who spend most of our time in urban environments, the appeal of the SUS may be more visual than practical. It does look good, especially in the black-over-dark gray color scheme of our test car. The front end is dominated by large driving lights and a wide-mouthed opening that scoops up air for the radiator. The gold accents on the polished, 15-inch alloy wheels look good too.

The SUS’s taller ride height is actually a drawback to handling on dry pavement. The standard Legacy GT, on the other hand, retains the security of all-wheel-drive but with handling that feels tighter and more responsive.

Four-wheel, anti-lock disc brakes are standard. The all-wheel-drive system sends power to the rear wheels when the fronts begin to slip, and it does so without any detectable change in behavior. Combined with anti-lock brakes,the SUS has a high level of traction in all types of weather, which is bound to be one of its most appealing traits.

Like the Legacy GT, the SUS has the same 2.5-liter, horizontally opposed four-cylinder perched over the front wheels. This engine, whose configuration is similar to that of a Porsche or the original Volkswagen Beetle, has 165 horsepower. On an hour-long road trip, with four adults aboard, it zipped along with 70 mph traffic and never once seemed strained, although on some hills and in certain passing situations I would have liked more mid-range power.

The flat 4-cylinder, all-aluminum engine has four valves per cylinder and dual-overhead camshafts (DOHC). It feels quite civilized, without excessive noise and vibration. The automatic transmission helps out considerably in that regard.

Slide inside the SUS Limited and you are greeted with yards of leather, woodgrain trim, and nifty things like an AM/FM/CD stereo with Weatherband. Other convenience items, such as power windows, power locks, heated seats, electric sunroof, air conditioning, cruise control, tilt wheel, heated outside mirrors and a windshield deicer are standard.

The instrument panel is laid out clearly with simple dial gauges that are easy to read. The climate control uses pushbuttons to direct airflow and a sliding lever for temperature settings, which is not as intuitive as rotary controls but certainly adequate.

Up front, leather bucket seats were comfortable and reasonably supportive. In back, the split-folding rear seat had enough legroom so that our friends were comfortable for our hour-long trip.

Whether the idea of a Sport Utility Sedan catches on remains to be seen. American Motors had a similar idea years ago, but that was a concept well ahead of its time.

Price

The base price of our full-loaded test car was $25,595. Freight charges of $495 brought the sticker price to $26,090.

Warranty

The basic warranty is for three years or 36,000 miles.

Vehicles for The Star’s week-long t t drives are supplied by the auto manufacturers.

Point: The SUS blends the look of a sport-utility wagon with the luxury

of a sedan in a package that has all-wheel-drive and anti-lock brakes.

Counterpoint: It remains to be seen whether buyers warm to the notion of a fairly pricey sport-utility sedan with leather and all-wheel drive.

SPECIFICATIONS:

ENGINE: 2.5-liter, 4-cyl.

TRANSMISSION: Automatic

WHEELBASE: 103.5 inches

CURB WEIGHT: n

BASE PRICE: $25,595

PRICE AS DRIVEN: $26,090

MPG RATING: 21 city, 27 hwy.