this is funny, because I feel the opposite..
my old 95 Legacy (with forester struts) felt much more "planted" on the road than my 2002 Forester does (both automatics)
The Forester does fine, but it just does not "feel" the same to me. slightly lighter weight and shorter wheelbase I am sure contribute to this "feeling".
i would love to have another 95 Lego again, a nice clean, mostly rust free, LS model... *dreams*