Hi there Suba,
Yep, I read the October issue too, as well as the medium-sized sedan battle last month. In the very same October issue, in the news section, Wheels reporters claim the Japanese spec H6 powered Legacy sedan is the best car in the lineup, and better than the GT, yet they seemed slightly less impressed with the drivetrain in this issue....strange. They certainly seemed "picky" in their critisicms in both the Nov and Dec issues (small back seat, not much under thigh support, steering wheel doesn't have enough adjustment, etc).
It seemed a little strange that in the Oct issue, they said the transmission in the Premium sedan was "slick and intuitively eager in sports mode", yet this month (although a different 5 speed auto) they say it struggles due to a lack of torque.
Motoring journalists sometimes are finnicky and pedantic, so it's good to hear some feedback from those who actually live with the vehicles for an extended period of time