Subaru Legacy 2.5i or 3.6R

meganspringle · February 2015

My husband and I plan to purchase a 2015 Legacy to replace our 2013 BMW 328i. We have driven the 2.5i Limited, but haven't had a chance to drive the 3.6R Limited. Can anyone offer opinions on these two cars? We found the power on the 2.5i to be sufficient and it has great gas mileage, but we're wondering if the 3.6R is worth the extra money both upfront and in gas considering that it has the bigger engine. Any insight would be appreciated.

stever · February 2015

This relates to the Outback but it's a timely post that should be of interest. Be nice to test drive the six cylinder just to satisfy your curiosity if nothing else.

Michaell · February 2015

meganspringle said:
My husband and I plan to purchase a 2015 Legacy to replace our 2013 BMW 328i. We have driven the 2.5i Limited, but haven't had a chance to drive the 3.6R Limited. Can anyone offer opinions on these two cars? We found the power on the 2.5i to be sufficient and it has great gas mileage, but we're wondering if the 3.6R is worth the extra money both upfront and in gas considering that it has the bigger engine. Any insight would be appreciated.

It really depends on what you're looking for. We test drove both the Outback 2.5i and the 3.6R for my wife's next car and she found the engine in the 2.5i to be lacking. Granted, we live at altitude in Colorado and the wife has a bit of a lead foot, so take that for what you will.

We found the mileage of the 3.6R to be pretty decent for a 6-cylinder AWD wagon (20/27) - and it takes regular unleaded, unlike her current car which requires premium.

There is a long time poster here at Edmunds - @nyccarguy‌ - who last fall came out of a 2011 328i lease and bought a 2.5i Premium. He loves it.

meganspringle · February 2015

Michaell said:

meganspringle said:
My husband and I plan to purchase a 2015 Legacy to replace our 2013 BMW 328i. We have driven the 2.5i Limited, but haven't had a chance to drive the 3.6R Limited. Can anyone offer opinions on these two cars? We found the power on the 2.5i to be sufficient and it has great gas mileage, but we're wondering if the 3.6R is worth the extra money both upfront and in gas considering that it has the bigger engine. Any insight would be appreciated.
It really depends on what you're looking for. We test drove both the Outback 2.5i and the 3.6R for my wife's next car and she found the engine in the 2.5i to be lacking. Granted, we live at altitude in Colorado and the wife has a bit of a lead foot, so take that for what you will.

We found the mileage of the 3.6R to be pretty decent for a 6-cylinder AWD wagon (20/27) - and it takes regular unleaded, unlike her current car which requires premium.

There is a long time poster here at Edmunds - @nyccarguy‌ - who last fall came out of a 2011 328i lease and bought a 2.5i Premium. He loves it.

Do you feel like the 3.6R is appreciably faster than the 2.5i?

Michaell · February 2015

meganspringle said:

My husband and I plan to purchase a 2015 Legacy to replace our 2013 BMW 328i. We have driven the 2.5i Limited, but haven't had a chance to drive the 3.6R Limited. Can anyone offer opinions on these two cars? We found the power on the 2.5i to be sufficient and it has great gas mileage, but we're wondering if the 3.6R is worth the extra money both upfront and in gas considering that it has the bigger engine. Any insight would be appreciated.
It really depends on what you're looking for. We test drove both the Outback 2.5i and the 3.6R for my wife's next car and she found the engine in the 2.5i to be lacking. Granted, we live at altitude in Colorado and the wife has a bit of a lead foot, so take that for what you will. We found the mileage of the 3.6R to be pretty decent for a 6-cylinder AWD wagon (20/27) - and it takes regular unleaded, unlike her current car which requires premium. There is a long time poster here at Edmunds - @nyccarguy‌ - who last fall came out of a 2011 328i lease and bought a 2.5i Premium. He loves it.
Do you feel like the 3.6R is appreciably faster than the 2.5i?

Yes. 75+ horsepower more is noticeable.

meganspringle · February 2015

Thanks! We're definitely going to have to drive the 3.6R, but it sounds like that'll be a much better car for us.

mtnman1 · March 2015

The 2.5 is also the slowest at 0 - 60 out of all the Mid-Sized family sedans tested in the latest CR. Very slow acceleration. I am very interested in buying a Limited but this concerns me. Especially since we have our families in Pittsburgh. When we travel there from Columbus Ohio I am not sure this vehicle with the 2.5 would be able to tackle the steep hills and mountains without lagging. Yet I want the MPG of the smaller engine. My other choice is the new Camry with the 4. Not sure if quickness off the line would translate into better performance carrying 4 adults up steep hills?

johnfl68 · May 2015

I have test driven both and really like the extra power of the 3.6R.. am a lead foot though.

Michaell · May 2015

johnfl68 said:

I have test driven both and really like the extra power of the 3.6R.. am a lead foot though.

so is my wife…

metalmania · May 2016

I haven't drive either yet, so take this with a grain of salt. I have however been doing a lot of research on the new Legacy and Outback in consideration for my next car. I have come across a fair number of reviews (but not ALL of them) that say their real world mpg for the 2.5 in both cars, especially the Outback, falls notably short of the EPA estimates. I've also seen some saying their mileage in the 3.6 has actually been a little bit better than what's on the sticker without really trying too hard. That said - the 2.5 was still more efficient, but it seems like in real world conditions maybe not by as much as the official numbers would suggest The Subaru 3.6 is lower on power and torque than most, if not all, of competing 6 cylinders (and several turbo 4's) and the CVT doesn't seem to do it any favors in terms of feeling fast. The thing is, I hate a car feeling underpowered and there are places where I live where you have to merge from 0 - 60 with very short acceleration lanes. In those cases, I consider 0-60 performance a safety feature - and though I don't need it to be a rocket I do need it to be "strong enough". 9 seconds for the 2.5 is borderline unacceptable to me, and that's with just one person in the car.

Even if the 3.6 doesn't provide a giant bump in performance, it's said to be extremely smooth running and the CVT is a more robust unit than the one that comes with the 2.5. I think if I were to buy a Legacy, I'd have to go with the 3.6. I'd obviously like better mpg, but I just feel like I'd enjoy the 3.6 more.

stever · June 2016

A reporter is looking to speak with someone over the age of 50 who recently purchased a new vehicle within the last six months. If you're willing to assist, please reach out to pr@edmunds.com by June 2, 2016.

Subaru Legacy 2.5i or 3.6R

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