As the bad weather sets in on Chicago I'm really bummed the super stable AWD Legacy GT is leaving the garage. Especially since I have a long haul tonight out to the suburbs. Despite all the great performance and nice ride the Legacy didn't knock me off my feet but it still has plenty going for it.

It is a terrific vehicle. Everything I?ve mentioned over the past few days still holds up. The speed, minimal turbo lag, sharp cornering, light clutch, low ride height and quiet cabin make it an excellent driver?s car. You could drive it everyday and thoroughly enjoy the experience.

The interior is substantial enough to compete with the others in its class and the controls and layout are well done. What?s my problem you may ask? I just never totally relaxed in the driver?s seat. The cramped driving position had my thighs too close to the steering wheel even though it was tilted as far up as possible. My left foot originally seemed cramped underneath the dash while shifting. But I had an epiphany and realized that the thick (half inch at least) all-weather floor mats on top of the standard carpet floor mats actually took up significant room my toes could?ve used.

People in the back won?t be so lucky. There is about an inch of room underneath the front seats so rear passengers will have to hope the driver is at least as short as I am (5?10) to have acceptable space for their own feet. All the leather seats are comfortable on the short drives I took in my week in the car. I?m not sure how they?d hold up for longer drives as they are a tad firm.

My main problems were the little annoyances like an unlock button on the key fob that required multiple pushes to unlock all the doors, the power window with only an automatic down function for just the driver?s side, no fold down rear seats and poor mileage. The computer only read an average of 14 mpg in the city where I did all of my driving except for a 30-mile trip on the highway. I am a little happier with the back end now after following an Acura TL this morning to work. The rear lights on that are too small and the larger Legacy stoppers seem more appropriate in size (apologies for the stock image here of the rear, camera issues).

And none of those annoyances would really prevent me from considering the Legacy GT as potential purchase. But they certainly make you think twice about it and will warrant more drive time with that powerful turbo engine to sway opinion.