(Thu 08 Oct 09)

The fifth-generation Subaru Legacy Tourer has gone on sale at prices starting from £23,295. Larger than the previous model in all dimensions, the new Tourer has more room for passengers, and has 526 litres of luggage space with the rear seats up, an increase of 67 litres over its predecessor. With the seats folded the capacity rises to 1677 litres.

All versions have four-wheel drive, of course, and there's also a choice of two-litre diesel and 2.5-litre petrol engines. The former, which is likely to be far more popular, gives the Legacy a top speed of 120mph, 0-62mph in 9.6 seconds, combined fuel economy of 46.3mpg and 161g/km CO2 emissions.

The diesel engine is available only with manual transmission. The 2.5 petrol, in contrast, gets Subaru's new CVT automatic transmission, and is slower and uses more fuel.

The entry-level car is the 2.0D S, which gets alloy wheels, a tilt-and-slide sunroof, heated front seats, a 6-CD audio system, dual-zone air-conditioning, cruise control, Bluetooth connectivity and automatic wipers and headlights, and costs £23,295. There's also a better-equipped SE model for £25,295, and one called SE NavPlus, with satellite navigation, for £27,295. The petrol automatic comes in SE and SE NavPlus forms, costing the same as the diesels.

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