What Subaru to choose (WRX, RS or Legacy) ?

Hi there,

I drove a non-turbo Subaru Impreza, and I was impressed with its handling and acceleration. I would like to buy a few-years old Subaru. The question is, which one. In the beginning, I wanted an Impreza WRX because it had a turbo and allegedly provided loads of fun. On the second thought, I realised that I am not that young anymore, and I do not value the acceleration capability of a car as much as I value getting pleasure from handling the car. The best handling, I heard, is provided by BMW, and the model 325 was named most often. German card are expensive in here, but I heard that Subaru is the one out of the Japanese makers which manufactures the cars most resembling German cars in handling.

At the moment, I am thinking about:

Impreza WRX -- 2L or 2.5L turbo Impreza RS -- 2.5L Legacy/Liberty -- 2.5L or 3L

It occurs to me that RS should be almost as good as WRX only accelerating slower, but still with more grunt than I normally need. Compared with the plain RX version, the RS has larger wheels, and a larger engine (2.5L vs 2L). RS has its engine from Legacy, and thus it has less torque at mid-range revs, but more torque at low revs than RX. I wonder if this makes handling RS more pleasureable compared with handling the RX. And generally, I wonder if RS handles better than plain RX.

My other thought was to "grow up" and get a larger car, a Legacy. It is larger than Impreza and thus it occurs to me it might be less maneurable. Is the pleasure from driving Legacy better than from Impreza ? People say that Legacy with 2L is a slug, so they strongly recommend a 2.5-L engine. I wonder if the 3L engine is a must ?

My last thought was that perhaps the differences in driving RS or RX or Legacy were marginal, and thus I just might have a cheaper option of RX and be happy with it.

Thanks in advance. I guess I would like to have some pointers before I start taking the cars for test drive.

D.

Reply to
droci11o
Loading thread data ...

Stay with the Impreza platform. What year models are you shopping? Some are more likely to have headgasket failures than others. make sure you take that into account if there is no proof the HGs have already been changed.

just my thoughts on the matter

Carl

Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

Why "stay with Impreza platform" and not with Legacy/Liberty ?

Yes, and my other criterion for choice is the longevity of the mechanics of the car. Obviously, the turbo WRX has a greater pressure in the cylinder than RX, so the mechanics of RX should last longer (inlcuding headgaskets). I am thinking about buying a 2-4 year old car.

D.

Reply to
droci11o

On 2006-02-28, snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com penned:

I have heard the WRX praised with handling on par with BMWs; not so any other Subaru model. I don't know if the non-turbo Impreza has the same handling; pretty sure the WRX has a stiffer suspension. Which also means you do feel every bump on the road.

I have also heard a lot of stories about WRX transmissions falling apart. Then again, I have also observed a lot of WRX drivers, and their driving is analogous to flogging a horse till it's in a bloody froth. The service manager at my dealership even commented on how well my WRX drives after 30K miles; he says many have been so abused by that point that they drive horribly. Which is another thing to think about, buying used.

Here are some things to know about the WRX:

1) It is NOT a luxury car. If you are looking for creature comforts, look elsewhere. 2) Find out if you mind turbo lag. Until turbo kicks in, it will feel slow, especially compared to what it feels like when turbo is engaged. 3) Do you drive at altitude much? The turbo really seems to help when, say, driving I-70 in Colorado at 8,000 feet.

Still, if the main question is handling, why not test drive all three models on exactly the same stretch of road? You should be able to tell pretty easily which one feels best to you.

Reply to
Monique Y. Mudama

Pretty much my thoughts exactly. Plus, if he buys a more 'sedate' Impreza - say a 2.2L OBS, there will be more suspension options as take-offs and after market than for the Legacy platform. I suppose it would be good to know if the OP will be driving any non-paved roads. Then, the xtra clearance of some models comes into play.

good post

Carl

Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

We recently got a 2006 Impreza sport wagon (non-turbo) for my wife. I've driven some pretty decent handling cars of late, I have a 2003 EVO, very similar to the STI, maybe just a tad stiffer in the spring department, and my inlaws own a 2002 BMW 330ci & a 2002 BMW 530i 4 door, both of which I have driven fairly extensively. I must say I am very favorably impressed with the Impreza's handling, even in the context of the other 3. I'd say the EVO is tops in terms of sheer capability in that department, but that definitely comes at the expensive of ride compliance. The interior trim quality of the Impreza is in general higher than that of my Mitsu, though I greatly prefer the EVO's Recaro seats (the lower seat cushions on the Impreza is a bit short for me). The carrying capacity of the wagon is really useful as well.

Dan

Reply to
Dan

High praise from an EVO pilot. (nice cars BTW)

Carl

Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

Yeah, I like it ok ;-) In terms of handling vs ride though, I must say though, I enjoy driving it more since I replaced the original all-out Yoko tires (at 10k! SHEESH that sticky rubber wears out fast!) with a set of Michelin pilot sport all seasons. I really like these tires. Better ride & quieter, though no doubt the absolute handling is reduced. Plus you COULD NOT drive this car in even an inch of snow with the Yoko's.

Reply to
Dan

"Only" 10k? The stock RE070's on the STi are only rated for 14KM, or 8K miles..! (Err.. which are you talking about? :)

Reply to
k. ote

Talking about the original Yokohama ADVAN A046's on my EVO. Real sticky. Real soft. You don't expect any of these to last long, but 8K miles? Yikes.

Reply to
Dan

The stock RE070's on the STi are pretty much slicks. Barely any tread, lots of rubber contact with the road, super-stiff sidewalls (I joke that you can chip a tooth driving over a dime,) and while they're only rated for about

14KM (their treadwear rating is 140) I've driven them pretty softly and still have about half (or more) of the tread left after 20KM.

I always get the impression that I'm disappointing someone because I don't drive the car any harder. I mean I do squeal tires and tear through windies with a wide-open throttle, but of course my comfort zone ends when I don't have any visibility on a corner that could have wildlife or parked cars sitting on the side of the road.

Maybe they rated it at 140 because they're expecting people to track race their STIs the first opportunity they get.

Reply to
k. ote

I agree about driving the cars hard. I enjoy my EVO, but no 7,000 rpm clutch drops. Wish I had a nickel for every time I've had some kid in a rusty 89 Accord riding my tail trying to egg me on ;-)

Reply to
Dan

Not many people egg me on around here, but when they do, I think they just want to see me tear away from them like a rocket, because it always seems like they never actually floor it.

I think I disappointed some superbikers a while back. They thumbs-upped my car but seemed very put off when I didn't do a hard launch. wtf?! :) I'm not glazing my clutch just to make you happy man..! :)

Reply to
k. ote

I don't think the increased pressure is that big a problem. The engine can take the abuse in factory form (not sure about some of the extreme aftermarket mods though). The issue may be turbo longevity, but it rebuilding/replacing a turbo is supposed to be fairly painless, compared to an engine rebuild.

Reply to
y_p_w

Plus, the overall pressure is not that much different since the NA soobs DON'T have a turbo, the compression is higher all the time. If there is no boost, the turbo models have LOWER CRs and less pressure. Think of it as high performance on demand versus moderate performance all the time whether needed or not .

Carl

Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

This advise is from a Subaru owner who also has a Porsche. Get the Beemer! While the WRX may be fun to drive, there's a reason BMW is always on everybody's top 10 list. You only live once. :-)

Reply to
Sheldon

Subarus do have more european feel than other jap brands. nissans and hondas have dull jap handling

Reply to
bigjim

No Germans on the Consumer Reports top 10 :)

Reply to
Theodrake

I'm talking Car And Driver, etc. Ever since Consumer Reports wouldn't rate my Triumph (convertibles are dangerous), I haven't put much faith in them. :-)

Reply to
Sheldon

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.