DCAWD.com

Hi Guys,

I test drove a new 4 cylinder Legacy and a Forester. Both are nice, but both seem bigger and heavier than my current 04 Legacy. Also being higher up in the Forester felt a big weird. I also looked at a new Impreza just for its size, but did not have time to drive it. The Impreza felt closer in size to my 04 Legacy at least on the inside.

I know the Impreza and Legacy are fairly new, but I was wondering if there are likes and dislikes about the new cars, in terms of features, maintenance costs etc. My Subie was pretty good to me in its 200,000 miles but it did seem to be a bit costly to maintain compared to friends Hondas or Toyotas. I also the 08/09 Legacy looks more than that of the 2010, but thats not a big deal.

More importanly, I noticed that the Legacy with CVT transmission is claiming significantly better mileage than the Impreza or Forester. I do a lot of highway driving. Are owners really experiencing close to 30 mpg with highway driving in the new Legacy's with CVT?

Any impressions or ownership experience with the current Legacy or Impreza would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Dino

i know matt (thermobox) is pretty smitten with the cvt in the new outback and leggys. i personally haven't tried either out. might be worth asking him. i definitely prefer the looks of the older legacy. though i'm pretty interested in the new outback. big and pricey, but supposedly gets some really decent mileage with the cvt.

offroad clearance, awd, good mileage and a nice interior? sounds like a big bag of win to me! it is a really large car though.

My MiL purchased a 2011 Outback with the CVT and she loves it. Her commute has her going up/down 2000ft every day (she lives on top of a mountain in CT) and she regularly gets 29MPG. I've ridden in the car and it's VERY nice.

I totally agree with you on the styling of the 09 vs. the 10+. I was very sad to see that Subaru had released bigger cars in the newer models.

Sabre wrote:My MiL purchased a 2011 Outback with the CVT and she loves it. Her commute has her going up/down 2000ft every day (she lives on top of a mountain in CT) and she regularly gets 29MPG. I've ridden in the car and it's VERY nice.

I totally agree with you on the styling of the 09 vs. the 10+. I was very sad to see that Subaru had released bigger cars in the newer models.

at bolded part!

I'd love to have my wife go down every day

^^^^ Same here...

Complacent: Ya, pretty crazy, eh? The CVT is pretty smooth too.

Sabre wrote:My MiL purchased a 2011 Outback with the CVT and she loves it. Her commute has her going up/down 2000ft every day (she lives on top of a mountain in CT) and she regularly gets 29MPG. I've ridden in the car and it's VERY nice.

I totally agree with you on the styling of the 09 vs. the 10+. I was very sad to see that Subaru had released bigger cars in the newer models.

Thanks for the info on your MiL's Outback with CVT. Its always good to hear about experiences from actual owners or their relatives. 29 MPG sounds like CVT a huge improvement over the old 4 speed auto in my current Legacy. I do a lot of highway driving so I'm hoping if I go the Legacy CVT route that I'll see similar mileage.

Thanks again.
Best regards,
Dino