The optional navigation system includes a large screen with excellent graphics and plenty of street labels, but some simple actions — canceling route guidance, for instance — require an excessive number of intermediary screens.

An MP3 jack is standard on all trims, and the navigation system adds USB/iPod integration. The iPod controls leave something to be desired: A few songs into my iPod's classic rock playlist, I wanted to meander off into some deeper Who cuts. No dice. As Subaru later confirmed, the Legacy's system doesn't let you change playlists, albums or artists unless the car is stopped. I'll agree that distracted driving should be avoided — which is why a lot of navigation systems don't allow you to enter new destinations while you're on the move — but locking out simple music changes is equivalent to barring radio-station changes during a road trip. I've never seen another system that does this. It's nannying at its worst, and it defeats the point of having a massive song library on your iPod in the first place.

The navigation system includes a backup camera, something many family sedans now include. Just a few years ago, you were lucky to find backup cameras in luxury cars.