Green Reviews, Green Scene, Inside Story, Subaru

Inside Story: 2010 Subaru Legacy PZEV

February 18, 2010

Seat Treat

Part of the PZEV’s price bump includes, other than the exclusive embroidered front floor mats, the comfort possibilities of a 10-way power driver’s seat, with power lumbar bladder. Two-step heat occurs for the front passengers.

Cargo Embargo

2010 Subaru Legacy PZEV. Click image to enlarge

What starts off as a trunk space with slick finishing is spoiled by the absence of a finisher for the underside of the parcel shelf. Actually finishing it in the body colour would be a nice gesture. The protruding white box is the centre seat belt assembly. Seatback releases are trunk-mounted, though they are not spring-loaded enough to fold the seatbacks into flat. This is one of the largest pass-through gaps ever experienced by Inside Story. The folded 60/40 seatbacks do kick up slightly when folded, though the angle is pretty darn near flat. Easy trunk closures without fear of drycleaning are affected by the interior deck lid trunk pull. If you’ve still got to stow before you go, hang up the cargo floor, and fill the partitions of this removable foam biscuit. In a funk with a non-releasing trunk? Go old school entry, via a cleverly hidden key dock, hidden next to the rear license plate right-hand lamp.

Spare Care

An anti-rattle foam biscuit holds the jacking tools, within the rim of the temporary spare tire. Subaru will change it for you, during the first three years of ownership, with no mileage caveat.

The Mill

How novel; a mill you can actually service without three-foot long socket extensions. The 170-horsepower 2.5-litre boxer four should provide minimal service access concerns. Note the purpose-fill oil neck, in the same postal code as the dipstick. The longitudinal arrangement of the mill makes for easy access to the accessory drive belt, and related components. How many alternators ever get to feel sunlight on their casings? Subaru rates the PZEV at 9.2 litres per 100 kilometres City, and 6.5 litres Highway. A heavy Urban/foot route was able to muster 12.8 litres per 100 kilometres during Inside Story evaluations. Blame it on the paddles.

The Verdict

A little bit more digging was required to confirm/deny the PZEV’s squeaky clean exhaust pipe image. The US-based Environmental Protection Agency lists the Legacy PZEV as a SmartWay pick, with the cleanest operation observed with California emissions equipment. Interesting to note that the greenhouse gas emissions for the EPA-tested 2.5-litre Legacy pack are identical, even in California. The difference is in smog-forming pollution, for which the California product produces 0.99 pounds per year, with the closest contender being the Bin 4 classification, with 3.64 pounds of smoggy-stuff per year. What did appear in the EPA data were the engine codes for such cleanliness. In the wee small hours of the morning, I ventured out to the driveway with fob, and flashlight in hand. AFJXNO2.5NVD: that engine code appears on the EPA information for the Bin 4, and the California engine. Conclusion; it’s a smidge cleaner. Fuel economy is not affected. It appears that what we are dealing with here is one fancy catalytic convertor. There are bound to be additional technologies to affect the reduction of smog-forming emissions, which probably only matters to you if you live in a smog-infested area.

When compared to the 2.5i sedan with CVT, the PZEV adds alloy wheels, and the power driver’s seat, for an $800 bump on MSRP, which seems more than reasonable on its own. You could say that Subie is throwing the magic cat in for free. It may not include a crimson cape, but we’re sure it’s heroic on some level. If you’re still not convinced to kick a Legacy’s rubbery shins, consider that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has placed the 2010 Legacy in its Top Safety Pick category, which includes the new roof crush test.

Next week: Lincoln MKT

Pages: 1 2