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Most of my driving is rural/back roads with varying speeds. After 1000 miles, the engine will be "broken in" and mileage should get better.
After break-in, I'll put some highway miles on too.
I had considered a new TL, but price and tranny problems have put me off.
How do Subaru's stack up quality and reliability wise? Is it as comfortable
as the Acura on long drives?
Will I regret making the switch? I am not a fast driver but like the idea of having AWD and knowing that I have the power on tap if needed. I have test driven the GT and it seems to ride as good as my Acura.
Thanks for any feedback!
Note that with kids, the mess is usually on their safety seat or booster seat. If you want, just put a towel or liner under the seat to catch spills.
My back seats still look great, with 5 years worth of kids back there. The safety seats, OTOH...
-juice
However, I bought my GT LTD because of the AWD- FWD doesn't even come close in terms of handling, especially when the weather gets bad. The other reason is I was very impressed with the design of the car. Almost everything was very well thought out, the interior is nicely appointed (especially for a Subaru, maybe not as nice as the new TL though) and the car is solid. I have been extremely happy with my car, more than any car has made me happy in a long time (and I have had quite a few)
Reliability wise, it's early to tell. I'm sure it will have no problem getting you to 100K miles (even domestics get you there these days) but Acura's are usually quite reliable too.
It is comfortable on long drives to me, but seats are very size dependent- I find some seats comfortable that my friends don't, and vice versa. It is quite adjustable, and I haven't heard any complaints except the parking brake can ride against your right leg if you're tall.
One caveat, if you're not a fast driver, this car may accidentally turn you into one. There's such a rush when the turbo kicks in you just want to experience it- unfortunately by the time the rush is over you're going 90mph! Just be careful of your speed.
I don't know what else you're considering, but this is a great car, fun to drive, comfortable, quiet, and with AWD will get you where you need to go short of a blizzard. If you regularly drive in blizzards, get an OB.;-).
If you're nervous about the reliability- lease one. You'll even get 3 yrs free maintenance with a lease. Uh, I'm starting to sound like a saleperson. Sorry.
hope this helps ;-)
tom
I'm sure some of the tolerances and the attention to fine detail is better on the JDM cars. Although I too am impressed by the overall fit and finish of my car. There are some very coarse roads around my house which is rough on a car, but my Subie is almost noise free (not totally though). I rode around in my friend's v6 XLE camry, also new and noticed a lot of noise coming out of the dashboard. And that's a very quiet and well built car.
I have not had my kids put the perforated leather seats to the full test yet (thankfully) but I'm sure it will be easier to clean than cloth. Probably not as easy as non-perf leather though.
Just clean up spills quickly and you'll be fine.
Or you could get sheepskin seat covers from down under. ;-)
tom
Avi
Ken
I have solid leather on my Miata, and on a hot day, it's gets sticky/wet.
Even with 2 kids I'd prefer perforated leather.
-juice
Craig
I had a long-term rolling average going since the car was new (on trip but accidentally reset it last week. It had indicated about 20.5 mpg.
Craig
Mark
I could care less about. I won't use the Bluetooth feature and although the DVD-A audio sounds good, I am not going to rush out and buy
new discs. Acura has had automatic transmission
problems the last few years also.
Also the Acura dealers are not that willing to discount much on the TL, whereas the Subaru dealers are. The Legacy GT ltd with auto trans,
subwoofer/amp, wheel locks,perimiter alarm and auto dimming mirror is over $3000.00 less than the Acura.
We live in Los Angeles, and the car is driven 25 miles a day over surface streets, with lots of traffic and stop lights every other block.
Does that sound like reasonable milage considering? It sure isn't the 22 city advertised!
I was pretty surprised by the town figure - I expected it to be about 18mpg.
Also - Tom - in regards to what we do with our sheep - well...we might be getting a bit off topic here! Anyway, being a New Zealander who now lives in Australia (albeit after 4 years in the UK 2000-04), I know better than to get into discussions about sheep with folks from bigger countries - it only ends in tears (mine)!
Final word on the topic? Apparently sheepskins work well in summer as well - wool is an extremely good insulator, so for example in summer, you won't get that clammy back feeling from driving with leather seats. Can anybody confirm and boost our lamb exports to the US?!
- Aussie Outback
Urmez
I hope this helps. In the end, you win either way, they're both great cars, the OB handles pavement pretty well and the GT will do some of the easier rough stuff which is more than most people ever get into. Sometimes I think I should've bought the XT, but then I go drive some twisty roads and all thoughts of the OB fade away with a smile.
Good luck! ;-)
tom
Krzys
I do like the looks of the GT better overall, but I love the Outback's champagne gold color with the black side/rear skirts and black interior. It was about the only color choice I liked on the Outback. On the GT wagon, I would have been happy with silver or atlantic blue.
SO for me, it came down to ground clearance in the end. As far as I am concerned, that is the main reason to choose an Outback over a GT. For regluar on-road driving, the GT is probably a better choice and it's cheaper too!
Craig
My commute is about 15 mi on freeway and 4 mi on streets each way, so I've got no complaints on mileage.
Anybody know why US has different gallons to the rest of us?!
- Aussie Outback
Probably for the same reason the US refuses to embrace the metric system: Arrogance and stubbornness.
Bob
The GT is more driver-oriented.
So if its yours, get the GT, if it's your spouse's car, get the XT.
LOL
-juice
14-17 mpg on city is pretty bad, but then again LA traffic is about as bad as it gets. A quick check -- are your tires inflated at least to the minimum settings? Are you using regular or high octane? The 2.5 is designed for regular so sometimes running high octane will actuall decrease fuel milage.
In my case, my Legacy GT 5EAT gets about 23mpg on freeway, but city driving will drop it down to 19mpg.
XT vs GT:
In my case, I was coming from a Forester. While I loved thought of light off roading or having to push through deep snow, I rarely had the chance. I spent 99% of my driving on roads and wishing that I would have less body roll and better handling.
So, this time around I went with the Legacy GT. I do miss the extra ground clearance for going up steep driveways or pulling in to parking spots, but the much flatter cornering and larger brakes were more than enough to offset the difference for me. Like Craig, there were also few OB color combos I liked.
Ken
When the US was a British colony it relied on supplies being bought in from the British Isles. It became standard prctice for the supply ships to either filter off or re-distribute the supplies such that the end result was a smaller "official" pint and gallon. The standard was formalized based on the custom and has never been changed to correct the original error
ps - As a Brit, I am allowed to say bad things about them
LOL
Pete
-Dave [former British Subject]
Anyway, my best tank has been 24.18 and my worst 20.15 (using the first method described above). The 20.15 tank was the last one I used while the 24.18 was about 5 tanks ago.
I'm getting a descrepancy of 1.09 mpg between what I call "actual" and what the on board computer is telling me. I don't know why and yes I keep my tires inflated to spec.
Overall averages are 22.3 and 23.4 respectively.
I'll be going on a long highway road trip starting next week. I'll have a lot of catching up to do on the boards when I return, but I'll also come back with some pure highway miles to report (yes, I'll be removing the bike rack for the trip). ;-)
Cheers!
-Ian
p.s. I've got the GT Limited Wagon with 5MT.
Off road maybe, on paved roads with snow,it has not been my experience that degree of extra clearance makes a difference when the height is already decent. Unlike an Audi where it starts off way low!!
Cruisin in Asian studies 101
Who controls the British crown? Who keeps the metric system down? We do! We do! Who leaves Atlantis off the maps? Who keeps the Martians under wraps? We do! We do! Who holds back the electric car? Who makes Steve Guttenberg a star? We do! We do! Who robs the cave fish of their sight? Who rigs every Oscar night? We do! WE DO!
I believe I am going to purchase my 2005 Legacy today. I think I like the white pearl, but it's so hard to choose!
Do you think maybe the US could like send coke to Japan and China today to get rid of the present trade imbalance??? We could make Afghanistan and Colombia a colony and grow whatever nasty crop you would like there and then sell the refined product to unsuspecting foreigners in places we have a trade imbalance with. ?? Saudi, Iraq???
My will power is fading fast, I test drove a Silver GT Sedan (Non-Ltd) with the auto yesterday and it was amazing... hopefully by the new year I'll have on in my driveway.
Got a quote today for a Champagne Gold/Taupe Outback XT Ltd 5M ---> $28900 + tax + $95 "doc fees" + plates, title etc.
For an extended warranty the are offering me a
Subaru Gold Plus 5yr/100K $0 deductible for $1195
Do you think it's a reasonable quote?
Thanks,
Avi
Warren
FYI for those that are looking to buy a new Subaru in the LA and Orange County area, I bought mine at Irvine Subaru from Jeremy and would have no problem recommending them.
Keith
I just bought a 05 Legacy GT Sedan with leather. Is it true that the arm rest is height adjustable? If it is, does anyone know how to adjust it? Many thanks for your anticipated in-put.-----Bob
What color did you get?
The ride there and back was clearly more comfortable. I drove the entire way and didn't feel as tired as I would have with the Forester. It's amazing what the difference in NVH over the course of 4.5 hours will make.
As expected, going up twisty mountain roads was a pleasure. The turbo kept the power even at high altitude and passing slower vehicles was a piece of cake. No longer did I have to plan way ahead or drop the transmission into 3rd to pass on a section with a broken center line.
For the most part, I drove with the tranny in "Normal" mode. When I hit the twisties, I left it in "Sport" to keep the revs up. On some very twisty or hilly parts, I went to full manual switching between 3rd and 4th as I found the auto modes dropped the revs a bit too much for my tastes.
The only times when I missed my Forester (or wished I had an OB) was when I needed to go over some badly rutted roads or up a steep driveway to our lodging. Otherwise, the GT suspension did fine on the slightly bumpy roads aroud Yosemite from winter chain driving.
Gas milage impressed me quite a bit. I averaged 26mpg with steady freeway driving going to Yosemite. This was through some bumper-to-bumper traffice, A/C on all the way (it was 100 degrees in the central valley) and with a medium load. At Yosemite, my average dropped down to about 21mpg due to keeping the revs up for the hills.
Oh, and while I was there, I saw no other 05 models. Lots of Subies as expected, but no new OB or Legacys.
Ken
I think I will amend my previous Legacy GT versus Outback XT comparisons to include bumpy back roads being in favor of the Outback....
Craig
Bob
-B
I got the silver GT Ltd,with the black perforated leather, auto. I checked with my Subaru dealer, and they said the acc. armrest will be in stock by the end of Aug. My last 3 cars over about 18 years have all been Acura Legends, and I really miss the armrests. My wife has a 04 Subaru Turbo, with black leather, silver, sunroof etc. with the acc. armrest, and I think it makes all the difference in the world. What is it with Subaru with these low armrests, no stability in most models, no lighted sunroof switch, no lighted door lock switch, etc. I had 2 or 3 Subarus 20 years or more ago, and they seemed great then. Maybe I've become spoiled with the Acuras and to old to appreciate the many eccentricities of Subarus. On the positive side the car rides, looks and handles great, AND GOES LIKE HELL!----Bob
the honda odyssey seems to be the only car i have seen that seems to understand the importance of interior lighting, as in i need light RIGHT NOW without trying to recall where they hid the interior light switch. the ody has a large lit toggle switch right above the radio. praise to honda odyssey.....
Anyone want to loan me theirs for a month just so I can confirm? ;-)
-juice