Impressions of my 2010 Legacy

[Dino944]

Hi Guys,

We got a leftover 2010 Legacy in Febrary of 2011, and so far we like it a lot. We previously owned a 2004 Legacy 35 Ltd Ed., and it gave us 201,000 miles of good service. But it did not get great gas mileage, I didn't like the frameless windows, nor did like like its old style flip up exterior door handles (which could make the doors tough to open when we would get a night of steady rain that turns to a sheet of ice). Overall, we loved its ability to handle the worst snow and ice, but it seemed costly to maintain and lacked certain features like availability of 5 speed auto transmission, traction control, HID headlamps etc. Also, we discovered recently that according to Consumer Reports the 2004 Legacy was one of the worst years to buy it in terms of problematic issues.

When I saw the new car I was not sold on its looks. I found it a bit weird looking. But in the last 8 weeks its looks have slowly grown on me. We looked at 2010 leftovers and had a choice from 2 dealers with cars that were nearly identical. Both were black silica on ivory, 4 cylinders equipped with CVT transmission, and the all weather package. One came with the high end sound system, the other had foglamps, a sunroof, and rear spoiler. We went with the one equipped with foglamps, sun roof and rear spoiler, as we got a better price on it. Although, I'm sure the rear spoiler does little for the car's performance, I think it adds a bit to its appearance, and I do like the additional high mounted brake light set into it. On my old car the rear defroster did not go across the section of glass with the high mounted brake light so it would sometime get covered with snow in slow moving traffic.

We have covered 5,500 miles and so far we are really happy with our 2010 Legacy. I was skeptical about potential gas mileage but with use of the cruise control and driving conservatively, I managed to get 30.5 mpg today! My previous best with this car was about 28.5, but I found a route to work with fewer stop lights, and my wife didn't drive the car this week (she has a bit of a lead foot). 28.5 was about 3-6 MPG better than our old car, but 30.5 really impressed me!

As for features, we love the heated seats, the CVT transmission, the interior space, and ride. In addition, although the headlmps on the new car are not HID, they are projector style headlamps, that are far more effective and cut a broader, brighter path than the old ones from our 2004 Subie. The car feels more solidly built than our old car. The doors sound and feel more solid in terms of their closing. They give you a sold thunk. The door handles pull outward (like on MBs and BMWs) and give it a higher quality feel. Also there is less wind noise, and in rain storms there is less water dripping onto passengers when they open the doors, thanks to the "framed windows."

I'm still trying to get used to the car's overall size. It does feel considerably larger than the old Legacy. I generally prefer a smaller car feel, but it provides a better ride, and more space than our old car.

I hope that this car will be less costly to maintain, and require fewer repairs than our old Legacy (which cost more to maintain than my Wife's old Altima that we kept until it had 200K on the odometer). If it can manage to do that, I will be an extremely happy customer and will buy another Subaru when the time comes.

I will try to pop in occasionally with my ownership experiences since we generally keep daily drivers for about 200,000 miles.
Best regards,
Dino

[sirwilliam]

Thanks for the update

[chicken n waffles]

[Mr Kleen]

By all accounts it's a great car, but it's not aimed at me any more...

[Raven]

I'd consider one in Spec B form. I have a soft spot for big sedans, but I'd need 3 pedals.

[sirwilliam]

I'd consider one in Spec B form. I have a soft spot for big sedans, but I'd need 3 pedals.

The GT has 3 pedals.

[Mr Kleen]

I think it has a 6 speed, right?

[chicken n waffles]

yes it does.

[Dino944]

By all accounts it's a great car, but it's not aimed at me any more...

I can definitely understand that. Its taken me some time to get use to this car, both in terms of size and looks. But for a full size sedan, with excellent winter capabilities it fit the bill for us. We already have a sports sedan and a sports car, so for us this made sense as a daily commuter.

Best regards,
Dino

[Sabre]

We already have a sports sedan and a sports car, so for us this made sense as a daily commuter.

Oh do tell! From your name, I'm guessing the sports car is a 944?

[Dino944]

We already have a sports sedan and a sports car, so for us this made sense as a daily commuter.

Oh do tell! From your name, I'm guessing the sports car is a 944?

We had a 944 for many years. We now have a 2008 Boxster RS60 (GT silver, black roof, and dark gray natural leather interior). It's a blast to drive!

Best regards,
Dino

[Sabre]

That's a hell of a car, bring it out to a meet some time!

[Raven]

I'd consider one in Spec B form. I have a soft spot for big sedans, but I'd need 3 pedals.

The GT has 3 pedals.

True, but the suspension is still quite squishy. I'll wait for a Spec B before I consider it.