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The Subaru Legacy and its wagon counterpart, the Outback, share a lot of mechanicals, yet these two vehicles are quite different in how they drive. The Legacy sedan handles and steers much better, with noticeably less float. The continuously variable transmission is a bit of a drag, however. If you peg the throttle from a stop, it's painful to watch how slowly the tachometer needle climbs to its redline. In most situations, you run out of road before the needle reaches 5000 rpm. And yet peak power isn't made until 5600 rpm. The manual shift mode actually works quite well and makes the CVT more tolerable. The transmission also helps the Legacy return an EPA-estimated 31 mpg on the highway.