The time has come to get something new, and I have pretty much narrowed my choices down to these two models. I will probably go for the 5-speed in either one of them. I am sure that many folks have faced this same choice, so what swayed you in either direction?
I think that the only thing that would bother me about the Forester XT is the ride height. I love the feel of a low-to-the-ground, fast cornering, sporty car. Just how "SUV like" is the handling going to be on a day-to- day basis?
Why not test drive each? I for one look at keeping a car for X years so what may be fun and exciting for the first year may not be for the next 5 years. I opted for the higher ride(step-in) and ground clearance for bad weather and visibility. ed
It's not SUV-like, but it ain't no sports car. It leans in fast turns, but never feels like it will loose its grip or tip over- it just leans a bit, but not nearly as much as a Camry. I drove an 04 XT, and even going straight, it felt like it was getting away from me. I think it was due more to the tires than anything else- they're a bit truck-like. You'll need to drive both, but you'll want the WRX, but only if you get the STi or some other turbo version. The turbo makes a world of difference.We wound up with an OBW 3.0 LL Bean, mainly because of the nice interior and slightly better ride and handling- no turbo:( The other Impreza-based vehicles felt very stiff and, well, cheapish (not cheap, just cheaper in feel than the Legacy-based vehicles). But kids seem to love'em.
Either you want the performance and handling of the Rex or you need the extra space, ground clearance and carrying capacity of the Forester. I assume you don't get the Forester Turbo where you are, which does offer something of a compromise. There is no doubt that the Forester is the best handling and most car-like of the so-called SUVs, but it can't compete with the Rex... especially without the turbo.
David Betts snipped-for-privacy@motorsport.org.uk
What David said. I went from Impreza turbo 5 door to Forester turbo. The Forester performance/handling was adequate and I enjoyed the leather, auto etc for about 3 months. The fun factor was sadly missing and I got very bored driving it. I bailed out of the lease agreement early at some cost and got the WRX 5 door. Big smile on face every day since then. It all depends what you want from an every day car.
-- Clive Norris Selectron (UK) Ltd Musical Equipment Distribution
David Betts wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
The Forester XT is the turbo version. Perhaps it is not called that outside of the USA. From what I have read, the Forester XT has comparable
0-60 times to the WRX, but the WRX needs quite a bit of revving up and perhaps mistreatment of the clutch to get there. The Forester XT (turbo) has more low-end torque, but corners like a family sedan. I hear that it is not as bad as an SUV, however.The Forester XT in Australia is a turbo-ed 2.5 litre engine. Quite a goer I believe - I have the older GT (2 litre turbo) which is quick enough, but I would love to upgrade if I could afford it. The GT develops 125 KW, I think the XT develops 160KW+. As Lung Fish says, the power is less peaky than the WRX, which makes for a more relaxed driving style, if you are not a boy racer type.
The XT/GT use 16" wheels with low profile tyres, against 17" for the X/XS, and the suspension seems to be a bit lower, which makes the handling slightly better, without excessive lean around corners. Nothing like the "on rails" WRX of course, but then you can't drive over rough terrain in a WRX (unless you hate your internal organs).
Dave
Then you'll want the WRX wagon.
Get the XT -
see subaruforester.com
XT outperforms wrx in acceleration and 1/4 mile stock for stock. In
5mt the XT is fastest production car available in the states 0-30 according to car and driver. 0-30 it even beats the Ferrari Enzo. Wicked fast and easy to make faster.I too was looking at the wrx wagon. We now own a wrx sedan and forester xt. Just yesterday on the way home I beat a bmw 540 at a stoplight race. We chatted during the red and didn't see any cops so decided to give it a go. He was surprised. We went again at the next light, same result. And I've got the automatic XT.
The xt, stock, handles nearly as well as the wrx stock. The biggest limiting factor on both is the hard compound factory tires. change those out to some good rubber and you'll see worlds of change.
Finally, the XT has a 2.5 litre engine vs 2.0 for the WRX. Same turbo on both. AND the XT's horsepower is underrated. It's closer to 250 than 210 at the crank.
After driving the WRX again, I decided that I love to lower feel and handling over the high ride of the Forester. But, the Forester's engine is certainly superior to the 2.0L of the WRX. So... I ended up buying a Legacy GT.
I think that the Forester XT is definitely a sleeper. This is one fast and smooth wagon. I hope that the 2.5L turbo in the Legacy GT lends itself to easy mods as well that can bring mine up to the stellar performance that others have seen with the similar engine in the Forester.
Nothing like outperforming a Bimmer or a Mustang in an AWD station wagon!
A most excellent choice. Same engine as what is in the forester. same turbo, injectors, etc.
I wish those would have been out when I bought the forester cuz I would have bought the LGT wagon.
Make sure you visit
Enjoy!
Good call. The new Legacy is beautiful. Wasn't available in that form when I bought mine.
The 2.5t engine, like all Subie turbos, will be easy to make faster. There are some new CARB regulations about ECU reflashes to be dealt with, but give the tuners a few months and there will be some meaningful performance upgrades available for the Legacy. And due to Subaru's traditional conservative tuning, they will likely provide more 'bang for your buck' than you would get with other makes. Enjoy your new car.
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