Legacy or Outback ?

Fun, Liberty 3.0RB. Anything offroad / luggage hauling, Outback.

-mark

I've owned both a 95 Legacy wagon (2.2 liter with auto trans) and 2000 Outback with auto trans). An Outback may be better off-road as it has more clearance, but on the highway the Legacy wins hands down. Even though my 95 Legacy had 30 less hp than the Outback it handled so much beeter because it is lower to the ground. If you enjoy having fun on a curvy road, I'd definitely choose the Legacy. I put on about

125,000 miles on the Legacy and gave it to my son and I have about 75,000 miles on the Outback. Both have been very reliable (other than headgastket on the Outback that was replaced under warranty.)

It partly depends on your definition of fun. The Legacy is lower to the ground and lighter. Therefore, on the road, it will have better cornering and acceleration. The Outback is more capable for unpaved conditions, due to higher clearance.

Here's a vote for the "Outback Sport," which is the sole Outback based on the Impreza.

I picked it, the 2006, as it had some decent cargo capacity, enough headroom for me (6'1.5"), and was "sporty," meaning, "nimble."

The full Outback Legacy models didn't seem to have significantly more features that I would want and cost $8-10K more. (For the L.L. Bean Edition vs. my Special Edition (SE) of the OBS.)

In the past 25 years I have been driving: Mazda RX-7 (12 years), Ford Explorer (10 years), Mercedes-Benz 300SE (5 years), and now this. And I can say it's the most fun I've had driving the whole time, including my RX-7 years. Very nice on curvy, mountain roads (the Santa Cruz Mountains, where I live).

A great car. And almost as much indoor storage space as my Explorer, for all but the largest of items (I only loaded my Explorer "to the gills" one time).

Around town and on the highways, I'm averaging 27 mpg.

And Yakima bike holders on the roof.

--Tim May

I test-drove the Legacy Outback station wagon (estate) and ended up buying a Legacy L wagon (estate). It wasn't because I prefer this model. It just happened to be the right price at the right time. I didn't notice any difference in handling characteristics. I'm sure there is one, but it's probably fairly subtle for most people. If you are that discerning, I guess the Legacy non-Outback would handle a bit better. I do know that this is the best cornering car I have ever owned. If you want to go off-road or expect to hit deep snow, the Outback is probably a better choice.

What city are you in?

Another DUMB question. Get the vehicle that suits your needs

Do you haul a lot of cargo? Get the Outback

Or just people? Get the Legacy.

Jeez, can't you figure this out yourself!?

well, if you're going to use it mostly in the city, isn't your question already answered? i have the legacy, and it is great, mostly driven in the city or sometimes dirt road and it handles itself just fine in both conditions. don't even think comfort is less in the legacy, everybody who drives along is just blown away by the comfort of this car. also as a european i have the manual shift so i have the high/low gear stick which makes it even better for towing stuff around! i really like this car so much.

The Legacy and Outback are identical in size -- 97.4 cu. ft. for the wagons and 33.5 cu. ft cargo capacity (without moonroof) for the wagons. Thus an Outback can't haul any more than a Legacy.

What high/low gear stick? Mine just has a five-speed stick.

i have a 5 speed gear, as well as a high/low gear ratio stick, much like you have in jeeps. this is handy in several situations, going up a steep hill, when heavily loaded or towing a lot of stuff and also in 'muddy' situations ;)

perhaps the legacy in the US does not come with this feature? all manual sticks in EU have it though...

the biggest difference is the ground clearance.

with a trailer hitch on the back of my legacy wagon, i actually "bang the tail" on some (not particularly abrupt) ramps. but it has nicer ride and better cornering with the low centre of gravity.

otherwise, the outback version looks a lot "tougher" with the higher ground clearance, bigger tires, and off-road look.

Both the Legacy wagon and the Outback wagon have the same cargo volume.

-- Vic Roberts Replace xxx with vdr in e-mail address.