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Legacy GT Limited vs. Acura TSX and TL
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We have a 2005 Legacy GT Ltd (manual) and a 2005 Outback XT Ltd (auto). 10,000 miles on one, 14,000 on the other. We live up a moderately rough dirt road. No rattles on either car, and I am very sensitive. I HATE rattles. Our oldest daughter, who lives in DC has a 2005 GT manual with 14,000 miles on it. It pounds over terrible roads and up and down some dirt farm roads every day. Never had a rattle.
I did think I had a rattle in the Outback when the car was new. Turned out to be something my wife had left in the passenger door side pocket. And, I once heard a rattle from the passenger side B pillar in the GT. When I investigated I found that the buckle on the passenger side seat belt was turned funny and was striking the B pillar. I straightened it out and the sound never returned.
Summary: three cars, 38,000 miles, zero problems.
We much prefer the manuals. Subaru transmissions smooth out as the car breaks in. The combination of an easy transmission and clutch and lots of low-end pull makes these cars a pleasure to drive in traffic as well as on a back road. The manual cars feel MUCH quicker and responsive. They also get considerably better gas mileage. Daughter gets 25mpg in a reverse commute from DC into the Md countryside and 28 mpg on speed-constrained east coast interstates. I get 26 mpg at 85mph in the West, 22 around LA when I take the car there, and 20.5 in strictly stop & go driving in Santa Fe. The automatic Outback gets 22mpg at 85, 20 around LA and 18 in Santa Fe.
I had driven exclusively BMW's and Audi's since 1967. The Legacy GT is the best car I have ever owned. I recently test drove a 2006 BMW 330i Sport back-to-back with the GT. The BMW has a creamy smooth engine and transmission, excellent handling on smooth roads, and is incredibly quiet. The Subaru feels a lot faster in normal driving, is easier to drive in traffic, is more comfortable, and just flat kills the BMW on New Mexico back roads even in dry weather: much more compliant suspension over less-than-smooth roads, power, and AWD unflappability. And, the GT laughs at rain, ice and snow. As an all-purpose, all-road, all-weather car, the GT wins. (It also cost $13,000 less than the BMW.)
The worst thing about Subarus: the Potenza tires. I arranged with a local tire store to swap these out when I took delivery of the cars. The GT got Blizzaks on the OEM wheels plus 225 summer performance tires on light weight rims from the Tire Rack. The Outback got Turanza LS-V's, which are perfect for its less sporting, more "lux" demeanor.
-juice
nice to hear that NOBODY is complaining about rattles in Legacy's.. I have heard a few complaints about "clutch stink" haven't had that in test driving.. I did however kind of rode the clutch a bit and I did get some smell but it went a way quick so I think that the clutch stink is a combo between new drivers and/or all wheel drive stick.?
thanks for the long explanation.. my wife and I are seriously considering getting a 06 Legacy from the TSX we have now.. but I am taking my time as to not get another car that drives me nuts!
http://www.designenergy.com/jtso/Misc/04-042.pdf
https://home.comcast.net/~brian.galicia/servicebulletin1.gif
as far as other ones.. I can deal with a lot of them. but not that one..
Do you mean a rattle coming from behind the face of the door panel just below where the the door lock prong sticks up through the hole?
I had rattles there on both front doors, but could stop them by pressing gently on the door panel just below the door lock prong. My dealer fixed those rattles (actually more of a "buzzing" sound) by replacing the door panels. It seems the panels are multi-piece affairs, and a batch of early ones had defective plastic welds joining them together. The welds would buzz whenever I drove over textured roads or cranked the stereo up past "20."
Anyways, good luck with your quest!
and yes that is what I was referring to. However to me it sounds like it is coming from the middle of the door panel (at the top still).. I can stop it by slightly pushing on the door panel. and I have already had both door panels replaced about two months ago.
this rattle alone isn't what is making us consider others.. However, it is a big help.
Curious though what dealership fixed your buzz problem as the problem you had sounds like the problem I have and would like to maybe get in contact with your dealership? Although my dealership has tried very diligently in trying to fix my problem, they have been unsuccessful and maybe tips from your dealership may help them?
The fact that the TSX is not as roomy is a GOOD thing, and taste in styling of any sort is purely subjective. The statement that the TL is "far superior in fit and finish regarding the interior" is preposterous.
Enjoy your new yacht!
Johnny
Do you want a tight cockpit or a spacious cabin? To each his/her own.
On another subject, could you believe Autoweek?
0-60 mph: 5.23 sec for their Legacy GT! Yowsah.
-juice
Has anyone compared the 2.5i non-turbo vs. the TSX? Of course, none of the car reviews are of the 2.5i - all are the GT! Like the TSX, there seems to be a number of comments that the 2.5i isn't too quick.
Thanks,
Mike
C&D tested a 2004 Legacy L 5 speed, which was similar, and got 0-60 in 8.8 seconds, not bad for a basic (not sporty) sedan. The '05 model is about 80 lbs lighter and has a few more horses (same torque), so it should be at least as quick.
That's the only reference I have, and it's not even the same generation! People really do not test these models often.
The 2.5l is probably not unlike the TSX' 2.4l until you get into the high rpm range, then the Acura would walk away from it.
I saw a left over '05 model at fitzmall.com for about $22 grand, this one an automatic. My wife wants to trade in her 5 speed and get an auto for a painful commute she has to take each day. Equipment levels are great for the price - heated seats, AWD, ABS, alloys, heated leather, moonroof, 6CD changer, etc.
We might end up getting one of those and then adding a Garmin c330 NAV unit.
Dislike compared to our 2002 - they ditched the standard double-DIN stereo, so that limits aftermarket options.
-juice
Any how, the c320 does fit in the top bin in my Forester, but then the cover blocks the satellite signal. So we just use the suction cup mount that comes with it, and mount it to the windshield. Works like a charm.
Check out the NAV thread - I've shared plenty of feedback on that unit. Basically a good low-cost option, we paid $424 (plus $70 for a 1GB SD card), which is about a 25% of what it costs as a factory option, for 95% of the functionality.
-juice
ateixeira, "Navigation / GPS Systems" #259, 4 Aug 2005 4:08 pm
BTW, c320 > c330 because it has an SD slot, so you can upgrade or buy maps for Europe, for instance.
-juice
Autoweek must've launched the AWD powertrain perfectly. It was quicker than their V8 Audi S4.
-juice
-juice
This is a load of BS.
06 Legacy got a reinforced structure and got the Gold award for the IIHS. The only other mid-size to match the overall safety is the Saab 9-3, so kudos to them for the improvement.
NAV is also an option, finally.
What about the Acuras? Any significant changes?
-juice
tom
Folks, feel free to jump in if I missed anything. I think that's all of it. :shades:
The early returns on the '06 TSX are that the power boost is definitely noticeable on the butt dyno. Some also claim that build quality is even better than '04-'05's, though I would think this remains to be seen. The cars are brand-new, after all. All this is coming from owners who traded '04-'05 TSX's for '06's.
Hopefully, any rattle issues have been resolved. I've even heard the throttle tip-in/lag issue has been addressed. :shades:
BT is cool, your NAV can use your phone to make a call to a number stored in the points-of-interest.
-juice
auxiliary output (MP3 capable)
I think it is auxiliary INPUT.
Krzys
You can still get that .....at your local Ford dealer with a Mustang GT.
The GT, coupled to a manual transmission, has very little lag at all. With the auto I sensed some lag, but not much with a clutch.
C&D's Forester XT (same engine, tuned for LESS power) ran to 30mph off the line quicker than a Ferrari Enzo. Not much lag there!
-juice
-juice
I called the police after my neighbor's cars dodged the first 3 bullets but got hit by the 4th contestant. The guy in the Land Cruiser went for a 2fer and hit both of their cars! I had called neighbor's twice and gone and knocked on the door to try and warn them and on the third call got the dad (who had been in the shower) and told him he should come outside because his cars were gonna... make that just got hit....
Then a lady in a Suburban locked up on the other hill and just slowly slid towards the curb and rear ended a parked full size Ford pickup that ended up rolling 300 yards before it finally parked itself in a driveway at the bottom of the hill (pointed backwards). The unmanned pickup managed to pick off one neighbors car on the way by (they don't count in the total since they didn't have drivers). It was kind of like one of those insurance ads on TV where that golf ball causes all the damage...
I think I may have decided in favor of the subie just based on this short display - that crash test rating it got recently might be more important than I thought! :-)
I hope no one was seriously injured in that accident!
Ken
It was feet in the air flat on your back slick out. I made the mistake of stepping off the grass once and barely avoided my own fall before I gingerly turned around and shuffled my way back to the grass.
Bwa-ha-ha-ha-haaah!
The AWD is secondary, then.
-juice
When my wife's Acura CL lease was up, we looked at the three cars. The Mazda 6 was out because of its lower performance, throttle lag and the poor reputation (and experience) with Mazda dealers in the DC area.
The TSX was a really nice car, but it just didn't match the performance and handling of the Legacy GT Limited (both with Automatic).
We have had the Legacy for 12,000 miles and one year and it is a really nice, comfortable car. The Bridgestone tires on it are terrible, but not as bad as the ones that came with the WRX.
All-in-all, I recommend the Legacy GT without hesitation.
You're absolutely right. The TSX's handling is superior to the Legacy GT's. :shades: And please, if you're going to drive a TSX, drive the 6 MT version.
MazdaSpeed6 looks pretty interesting...sort of a gentleman's STI/EVO. It competes with the Legacy Spec B, sort of.
-juice