Many of Subaru's products have earned high marks in government and insurance industry crash tests over the last several years, and this new Legacy is engineered to continue that trend.

To that end, even this base model Legacy gets a long list of important safety features as standard equipment, including dual-stage front airbags, torso-protecting side-impact airbags for driver and front seat passenger, and side curtain airbags designed to protect front and rear-seat passengers from head injuries. Three-point lap/shoulder belts and head restraints for all five seating positions, four-wheel-disc antilock brakes, and daytime running lights are also standard.

The Legacy 2.5i is also well equipped in the creature comforts department. Air conditioning, keyless entry, variable intermittent windshield wipers, cruise control, power windows, power door locks, power mirrors, and a 120-watt stereo with a CD player and six speakers were all included in our wagon's $22,295 base price.

Ultimately, the 2005 Subaru Legacy 2.5i proves there's more than one way to build an environmentally friendly family car. We can only hope it's wildly popular so that all those automakers who complain they can't build cleaner cars will no longer have an excuse for dragging their feet.