My first road-legal car was a 1986 Acura Legend. When I took possession, it had a lofty 214,000 miles on the clock, and though the 2.5-liter V6 had let a few of its 151 ponies escape from the farm, it was still plenty powerful for a 16 year-old in the back woods of Virginia. Mated to a five-speed manual transmission, the engine’s torque was more than enough to push the car all the way up to its 135 mph top speed. Or so I hear. What I loved most about the Legend was its clear tilt toward being driven. There were no cup holders anywhere in the car. Instead, you got heavily bolstered seats front and rear, a sporty air-bag free steering wheel and a quickly-sloping nose that gave you a wide view of the road ahead of you. Since then, my idea of the perfect sedan has been somewhat skewed from the rest of the world. I know sedans are supposed to ferry business associates or family members about without any of the apex-pushing glory I became accustomed to in the Legend, but every time I slide behind the wheel of anything with four doors, I pine for the sporty feel of the Acura. And that’s exactly why the 2010 Subaru Legacy tickled my fancy so. Hop the jump for a look.

Subaru first unveiled the new look of the Legacy way back in January at the Detroit Auto Show. At the time, Subaru loyalists immediately cried foul at the car’s more mainstream styling, but the reality is the look is an improvement over the last generation. Sure the car has lost some of its quirky, homely-but-cute-girl proportions, but it’s grown into a form with proper curves and a well-styled nose. Kinda like the girl at your high school reunion who could finally afford plastic surgery. Who knew a Legacy could look so good? The swept headlights are both bold and attractive and house high-intensity lamps. The hood boasts a few sexy curves that translate well through the rest of the car. While the rear fender arches come off as Subaru quirky, the front spans give the Legacy a muscular stance.

Inside, you’ll find a host of materials familiar to the Subaru family. The front seats offer stout bolsters and are stitched in durable, high-quality fabric. The rear sees a similar treatment, complete with ample head and leg room for anyone in the ball park of six feet tall. Not too shabby. The dash and door panels are treated to brushed accents, helping to brighten an otherwise dark cabin, and the soft-touch cover has a modern, center-stack oriented design. It’s clean and handsome without the usual bombardment of buttons and dials, and we like that. The best part of the interior has to be the tri-spoke steering wheel. The smallish unit has a distinct sport feel to it thanks in no small part to the high-quality leather wrap and precise paddle shifters at the tips of your fingers.

In 3.6R trim, the Legacy is powered by a 3.6-liter flat six-cylinder engine with 256 horsepower and 247 lb-ft of torque. Those aren’t astronomical numbers, especially when you consider the car weighs a full 3,400 lbs, and the six-pot is only available with a five-speed automatic transmission. Still, you get the instant go of Subaru’s great all-wheel drive system to scoot you down the road, and acceleration is surprisingly quick. I’m guessing there’s some gearing voodoo going on there.

The first thing you notice when you go to step into the 2010 Legacy is just how low this car is, especially compared to the rest of the company’s offerings. You actually step down into the Legacy instead of swinging a leg up like Charlton Heston on some wild-west horse. Hit the key, drop the car into gear and you’re rewarded with a demure driving experience on par with the flotillas of Camrys and Accords clogging the passing lane. The cabin keeps wind and road noise at bay, and the five-speed auto box provides quick and smooth shifts without any drama. The suspension overcomes variations in pavement sans complaint, too.

Really romp on the accelerator, and you’re rewarded with the kind of cacophony only available from a flat six. The slick dual-exhaust out back open up, the transmission quickly drops the necessary cogs to put the reps in the air and the Legacy scoots right along. That’s fun and all, but the really exciting part is how well this saloon handles. Come into an onramp clover, feed the steering wheel a little input and you get a surprisingly flat cornering vehicle. Subaru says that has as much to do with the suspension as it does the flat engine design and its low position in the chassis. Whatever the reason, it’s addictive. While the paddle shifters behind the steering wheel do an acceptable job of putting the transmission in whatever gear you fancy, most of the time you’re better off letting the Legacy do the thinking. It’s smarter anyway.

So, would I take this car to have and to hold? Not exactly. The big flat six is better suited for real-estate agents and suburban mothers than any real flogging, and the absences of a third pedal puts a serious damper on any Fiendish fun. I would snap up a Legacy 2.5GT Premium, however. That car’s powered by a turbo’d 2.5-liter four-pot, and you can have it with a sweet-shifting six-speed manual transmission. I haven’t had any time behind the wheel of that particular car, but with 265 horsepower, I’m guessing it would be more entertaining than my old Legend ever thought about being. The 2010 Subaru Legacy 3.6R holds a price tag of $25,995, excluding options and destination, and if you want the slick turbo’d four, get ready to shell out closer to $27,995. For a sedan with a pulse, that’s not too bad at all.