The annual Car of the Year TestFest held in October and described here in recent weeks was no doubt an event to look forward to. It's where 70 journalists from across Canada descended upon Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, a new location after 15 straight years at Shannonville Raceway near Belleville, to evaluate nearly every new vehicle that is available to Canadian consumers for 2007.

One manufacturer that didn't participate this year was Subaru. It's not because of a lack of company interest in the Car of the Year competition, but rather because none of the vehicles in its line-up qualified as new or significantly revised for 2007. The Legacy and Outback models were all-new for 2005 and the company's oddly-named B9 Tribeca crossover came to us as an early 2006 model. We expect to see an all-new 2008 Impreza at next year's TestFest, and that won't be a moment too soon.

But Subaru did maintain a presence at this year's competition by offering up some of its current fleet for journalists to drive while participating in the competition. This was a great opportunity for me to try the flagship of Subaru's sedan line-up, the Legacy 2.5GT spec.B.

Once the competition was over, we took a quick tour through the Niagara region to take in the sights and, more importantly, the tastes that it has to offer. As it turns out, a couple of days of driving in and around the Niagara region made for a perfect post-TestFest retreat.

2007 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Spec.B. Click image to enlarge

While the base 175-hp Legacy has adequate propulsion and starts at an affordable $26,995, Subaru has a tradition of offering up hefty power upgrades at even heftier price premiums. Such is the case with the spec.B.

All Legacys come with Subaru's renowned all-wheel drive system, as well as a full complement of standard-issue items that rivals those offered by Volkswagen: four-wheel discs with ABS, independent suspension all around, MP3 audio pre-wired for satellite radio, 16-inch alloys, six airbags, and split folding rear seats, to name but a few.

The journey up from the base Legacy spans $18,000, though, and if you're like me, you want to see some serious value included in a 67% price hike. For those who demand performance and toys, Subaru delivers with the spec.B.

Starting with the powertrain, the spec.B shares its engine with the Legacy GT models: a 2.5-litre turbocharged and intercooled horizontally-opposed (aka "boxer") four that pumps out 243 hp and 241 lb-ft of torque. The resulting effect on the car's acceleration transforms it from adequate to audacious, and the engine alone makes this an appealing proposition. Also shared with the GT models is "SI-Drive," a fancy name for a function that lets the driver choose between three drive modes.

2007 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Spec.B. Click image to enlarge

Although Subaru says the driver's selection also affects the variable valve timing and turbocharger operation, I found the most obvious effect to be on the response of the car's electronic throttle. The so-called "Sport Sharp" mode provides a more hair-trigger throttle that maximizes the fun at the expense of stop-and-go smoothness. The function also has an "Intelligent" mode that smoothes out the response and is programmed to maximize fuel economy.

The spec.B also gets some performance enhancements that aren't available on other Legacy models: a short-throw six-speed stick, Bilstein suspension bits, electronic stability control, and a torque-sensing limited-slip rear differential that controls the side-to-side distribution of power. In a word: fun.

I'm a big fan of the current generation car, and the Spec. B adds all kinds of good stuff. The turbocharged engine rarely suffers from turbo lag and is smooth and refined all the way to redline. Clutch and shifter work together wonderfully, and having that sixth cog to shift into allows for both closer ratios when needed and more relaxed cruising on the highway.

We also had a chance to flog some spec.Bs on the track, allowing us to appreciate just how honestly these cars handle. So well balanced and communicative is the car's chassis that it was easy to concentrate on learning the track and driving the cars quickly around the course.

2007 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Spec.B. Click image to enlarge

Interior treatments are also unique to this model, the most prominent being the blue perforated Alcantara (a synthetic Ultrasuede product) seat inserts flanked by black leather. The aluminum pedals and Momo steering wheel are there just in case people need to be hit over the head to appreciate the concept that this is a car with sporting intentions.

These extras are added to a driving environment that is already a great place to spend lots of seat time: high quality plastics are used and the overall layout is both ergonomically sound and pleasing to the eye.

A spec.B-exclusive is the DVD-based navigation system which proved both useful and frustrating during our drive in unfamiliar territory. The system was armed with all of the street information we needed, and gave detailed directions for getting to our destination. I liked the touch screen operation: these systems are invariably more intuitive and quicker to operate than the various knob or joystick ones.

2007 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Spec.B. Click image to enlarge

But the system faltered in two ways: first, it didn't necessarily take us to our destination in the most direct manner. The driver makes the choice of whether to allow freeways and toll roads on the route, but the system seemed to ignore those directions, taking us on side roads that ran parallel to the QEW until I drove over to the QEW, forcing the system to rethink the directions it was giving us. The other frustration was that we couldn't figure out how to disable the route guidance if, for example, we decided to go a different way or had a change of plans.

But those little quirks didn't keep us from enjoying our Niagara tour. The car was otherwise the perfect companion: fast, comfortable, and eager to be driven. Now if only it were about $6,000 cheaper …

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