2005 Subaru Legacy GT: opinions?

[RSPDiver]

Hello all. Newbie poster, but I've been lurking off and on for a few months. I'm shopping for a fun 4 door (baby on the way) and am torn between the G35 6MT Sedan and the Subie Legacy GT. I haven't driven the GT yet (they arrive in early June) but did drive the 2.5i wagon the other day, and it does drive nicely.

I'm curious what the boards opinions of the car and potential may be, especially in comparison to the G35. My heart says go with the G35, but that damn practical voice says not to discount the Legacy GT.

A couple of stats:
2.5 l boxer 4, turbo
250hp/250 tq
~$28,500 base on the GT Limited, which is pretty well appointed.

Edmunds review

Thanks for the input. If nothing else, it may be a car to watch for on the streets.

[JDMan]

Tough call. Are you not considering the G35x because it's AT?

Early June isn't that far away. I'd wait to drive them both. That will also give you a better sense for the interiors. On the other hand, it looks like there's not as big a price difference as you might hope.

Drive 'em. Driving tells you everything. Uh, except reliability and resale value.

-Jack
Obsidian '03 G35 Sports Coupe (for sale)

[RSPDiver]

Exactly! If the G35x came with an MT, there would simply be no decision to make.

From the accessory builds I've done, there would be about 3-4k diff in price, depending on what kind of deal I can get. I'll come back and give a comparison review once I testdrive it. I plan on taking a G35 out right afterward, just for the back-to-back feel. Thanks!

[G4Teej]

Be sure to come back here with your review. I'm interested to hear how it stacks up to the G's performance and I would also like to hear your opinion on the build quality.

2003.5 Garnet Fire 5AT

[Rumble]

The 2005 Legacy GT will be a first year car, so issues may come up. Where as the G35 will have gone through close to 3 years of production.

The GT would be an awsome choice however. Having AWD and turbo is definitely a good thing. Are you planning to tune the car a bit? Adding a few mods to the GT can out perform the G35. I'm sure the baby would love to hear an aftermarket blow-off valve. Vrooooooom....pssssssssssssssst [img]/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/img]


It's still a G thang!!

[G4Teej]

I've been thinking of this as a second car since I saw the pictures a few months before any auto shows. I know the early models will have their problems and may even get a few changes like the G did bringing on the 2003 and 2003.5 models. I sat in one Subaru Legacy at the autoshow and when I shut the door it sounded like marbles falling on the floor. I would really like to hear someone's opinion on their feel for build quality and if they drive it, the road noise.

2003.5 Garnet Fire 5AT

[DHCrocks]

totally off track but if you're looking for a good 4 door, I would receommend the Acura TL, that is one sweet sedan.

btw if you're concerned about road noise forget the G35, it has more road noise then any car I've ever owned including a 4runner and a S10 pickup, it borders on rediculous.

[RSPDiver]

I would probably mod it a little, but from what I hear Subaru does a pretty good job engineering the intake system. So, that leaves downpipe and exhaust, turbo, fuel system, electronices, and intercooler. It's a 2.5L, which isn't small, but is smaller than the G. My concern is that mods will be really really fun at the expense of drivability and reliability.

For the G, I would stay NA completely (no FI, no big bottles of nawwwwz :P ) and concentrate on finishing what the engineers probably wanted to do, without strict EPA and Govm't intervention.

From the test drive I took in the NA 2.5i, it's a solid car. Not sure what it would be like after a few thousand miles, though. As far as first year reliability, my first year (2000) Eclipse was almost universally as good as or better than my 2001 (current car). They scaled back on features year-by-year, too, on that car.

Right now, the Subie will have to be DAMN good to win me over. That Twilight Blue G35 just has my heart. From the test drives I took of the G, a 5AT and a 6MT, they ride like a dream and are quiet enough. That's why it "needs" headers.

Thanks for all the input so far!

[RSPDiver]

Oh, and the TL is WWD (Wrong Wheel Drive)!

[G4Teej]

Wouldn't mind this Legacy...
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1420931

2003.5 Garnet Fire 5AT

[fdnytrucky]

I really would not worry about reliabilty with the Subaru engine. I have 2 Subaru's in the house (I am such a traitor selling the G35 coupe for a forester xt)....One of which is a wrx that puts well over 270awhp and runs 12.7 in the 1320. The BIGGEST thing about Subaru engines is that they tend to run rich stock, but with say...a wrx 400 bucks can net you 30whp more via a ECU reflash. IMHO, stylewise the G35 wins...but unfortunatly when it comes to performance and aftermarket accessories I think the Legacy will walk away hands down. Also I would wait a bit to see some DYNO charts of the Legacy's. The Forester XT is rated at 210chp, but has been putting down 192whp stock. A stock WRX puts 227 chp and ~165whp. That being said, it appears subaru has under rated the XT and could VERY easily have underated the Legacy. It is a choice of AWD practicality vs RWD fun, Easy tuning and lots of parts (Legacy shares alot with the STi) vs. not so easy tuning and a smaller parts following. And the eternal I own a INFINITI vs. I own a subaru.

Either way I think you will be happy with whatever you get.

Rick

All I gotta say is DAYMN!!!!





272268-hippo_sleek.jpg

[JDMan]

Nice picture. The white one in back almost looks like a Skyline GT-R.

-Jack
Obsidian '03 G35 Sports Coupe (for sale)

[DaveB]

The Legacy isn't a first year car. It's been over in Japan for well over a year now. The Legacy Outback turbo 5 speed wagon has been tested to run 5.9 0-60s so I'd assume the 150lb lighter GT sedan will probably do 0-60 in the neighborhood of around 5.4 seconds and the 1/4 mile in the high 13s. The great thing about the turbo 2.5 is that it doesn't require tranny killing high rpm launches to get strong performance. Thanks to the quick spooling turbo and large displacement, the underrated 250hp motor makes strong power at 2500rpms. This car doesn't drive anything like the 2.0 WRX. The interior in the Legacy is to die for and Subaru did a great job. My wife has a 98 Legacy GT wagon with 80K miles and it's been trouble free except that the car is suffering from a common torque bind problem. When going around tight and slow turns, you can feel the drivetrain binding much like a 4wd system feels like. It's a $700 fix and the wife doesn't really care so it's been like that for nearly 2 years now. Another common problem which we haven't encountered yet is blown headgaskets. Apparently the 2.5 motor is infamous for blowing headgaskets thanks to it's open deck design. It's my understanding that Subaru has developed heavy duty gaskets that solve the gasket problem, the only issue is you have to pay $600-700 a side to fix it. The new turbo 2.5 doesn't share much with the NA 2.5 so hopefully head gaskets won't be an issue. Tranmission wise, AWD puts hellacious strain on any manual tranny so buyer beware. The standard WRX is infamous for destroying trannies regardless of mods or driving style. A friend of mine who is clueless about launching AWD is suffering from a failing tranny on his 02 WRX with 12K miles. The good news is the Legacy GT comes with a more beefed up JDM Sti 5 speed so hopefully it can handle the increased torque of the 2.5 turbo.

I'm facing the same deliema as many concerning between the G35 sedan or Legacy. My pockets aren't deep so that means I'll be getting a used 2003 G sedan or a pretty basic Legacy GT and installing an aftermarket leather kit. I know how the G35 drives, but I'm curious as to the way the GT drives. Turbo and AWD could be really fun.

Dave

96 Maxima SE
14.40@97mph, 2.20 60 foot. Best mph 99mph.

JDM intake manifold, JWT ECU, Y-pipe, CAI, 2K Maxima muffler