Well ... I Got Myself A 2011 Legacy 2.5I Premium!!!

[Mean Green z28]

The time came and I was ready to get rid of the family car. Fuel prices are expected to go up and a gas guzzling SUV wasn't an option I wanted to be stuck with. After going over my options of buying a used vehicle and my finances, we decided to go with a Ruby Red 2011 Legacy 2.5i Premium. Getting a pretty decent trade-in offer on the truck made the deal just right too. Nothing fancy, not-turbo, a few options to keep the wife happy and AWD to keep us on the road in the winter. Having a 4x4 SUV kinda spoiled us, so AWD was a minimum. I was pretty impressed with the rear seat room 'cos we need to have a baby seat in there for my son. It rides pretty nice and the suspension is firm while not being too harsh. The CVT transmission is taking some getting used to with its unlimited gearing, but the manual mode with the 6-ratios is fun. Trying to keep the RPM's low 'cos we have barely 600miles on her right now. Hopefully I'll decide to keep her (currently leasing) and start modding; Planning on tint, and hopefully a nice set of wheels. The 16" alloys look really tiny under that huge body/wheel arches.

I was propositioned by MotoMag to write a review and get a bunch of pics on it so hopefully, you'll will see that on the mag if everything goes well.

Only sad news it that the day after we bought her home, we were driving and the truck next to us must've run over a rock ... it flung it at the passenger door and put a pretty big dent on it; NOT EVEN 24HRS OF OWNING HER!!!! Door will need to be repainted when we're ready to get it fixed ... CrAP!@

Edited March 9, 2011 by Mean Green z28

[rangerover]

Nice! how much BHP does it pack?

[MeanGreenZ28]

  On 3/9/2011 at 4:54 PM, rangerover said:

Nice! how much BHP does it pack?

not much .. haha rated at 170 ... going from the 240HP V8 Explorer to this was like WTF!!! We'll get used to being patient drivers I guess. Edited March 9, 2011 by MeanGreenZ28

[fuzzo]

congrats on the new buy..is the turbo version offered in the US? that's the GT right?

[MeanGreenZ28]

  On 3/9/2011 at 5:30 PM, fuzzo said:

congrats on the new buy..is the turbo version offered in the US? that's the GT right?

yeah, it's offered only in the GT. The GT has a long waiting list (maybe 3-4 months) and also puts the base price at like $31k ... whereas the base Legacy 2.5i is like $19k. Ours was $23k

[madmax]

  On 3/9/2011 at 6:11 PM, MeanGreenZ28 said:

yeah, it's offered only in the GT. The GT has a long waiting list (maybe 3-4 months) and also puts the base price at like $31k ... whereas the base Legacy 2.5i is like $19k. Ours was $23k

Nice! Subaru seems to be doing very well here in the US, specially in areas with brutal winters, plus they seem to be a bit more upmarket that most other Japanese brands.

[MeanGreenZ28]

  On 3/9/2011 at 6:19 PM, madmax said:

Nice! Subaru seems to be doing very well here in the US, specially in areas with brutal winters, plus they seem to be a bit more upmarket that most other Japanese brands.

well I think the Accord a built a bit better and has nice soft touch surfacing on the dash/etc. The Legacy is hard plastic (but with a nice matt/grain finish that doesn't make it look cheap) and only the doors are padded. Other than that, I'd say it's on par with the rest. The main edge it's got is the AWD still having almost the same fuel economy of the others and also pricing at or below the others. Honestly, I didn't even consider the New Accord; I think it's ugly, and the New Camry; it's just plain boring.

[Kavvz]

  On 3/9/2011 at 5:11 PM, MeanGreenZ28 said:

not much .. haha rated at 170 ... going from the 240HP V8 Explorer to this was like WTF!!! We'll get used to being patient drivers I guess.

Congratulations on the new buy! Despite the drop in horse power it IS a lot lighter than the Ford, and better built ..

Edited March 9, 2011 by Kavvz

[chris_abayasinghe]

  On 3/9/2011 at 4:09 PM, Mean Green z28 said:

The time came and I was ready to get rid of the family car. Fuel prices are expected to go up and a gas guzzling SUV wasn't an option I wanted to be stuck with. After going over my options of buying a used vehicle and my finances, we decided to go with a Ruby Red 2011 Legacy 2.5i Premium. Getting a pretty decent trade-in offer on the truck made the deal just right too. Nothing fancy, not-turbo, a few options to keep the wife happy and AWD to keep us on the road in the winter. Having a 4x4 SUV kinda spoiled us, so AWD was a minimum. I was pretty impressed with the rear seat room 'cos we need to have a baby seat in there for my son. It rides pretty nice and the suspension is firm while not being too harsh. The CVT transmission is taking some getting used to with its unlimited gearing, but the manual mode with the 6-ratios is fun. Trying to keep the RPM's low 'cos we have barely 600miles on her right now. Hopefully I'll decide to keep her (currently leasing) and start modding; Planning on tint, and hopefully a nice set of wheels. The 16" alloys look really tiny under that huge body/wheel arches.

I was propositioned by MotoMag to write a review and get a bunch of pics on it so hopefully, you'll will see that on the mag if everything goes well.

Only sad news it that the day after we bought her home, we were driving and the truck next to us must've run over a rock ... it flung it at the passenger door and put a pretty big dent on it; NOT EVEN 24HRS OF OWNING HER!!!! Door will need to be repainted when we're ready to get it fixed ... CrAP!@

Congrats on the purchase! As a fellow Subaru USA owner, welcome to the club! The Legacy is really in a class of its own - AWD for under 20K.

We have a Subaru Outback XT (yes... a 2.5 liter turbo with AWD) that comes with the VDC. Tuned it up a bit and it really does run strong - I really enjoy pulling up on the usual suspects and passing them by. The Subaru community is pretty large and there are so many great forums and information out there if you need any thoughts on the car, or just want to share the love!

I've attached some pics from the most recent snow storm my way - enjoy!

Chris

[MeanGreenZ28]

Hey Chris! That's a beautiful car you've got right there! The wife set eyes on the new Outback and went straight for it but it was just a bit above our budget right now. She's still kinda sad about that. Maybe in a year or so, when she gets out of nursing school, we'll either trade this one in or just go get her the beloved "Outback" so I can play with this ... lol, I would prefer the LGT though.

I just joined www.legacyGT.com so maybe I'll see you there if you're there ... I go as "That Guy 2-1" over there. It's really hard to NOT want to modify this car after seeing all the neat stuff people are doing to their's ... haha

[Ripper]

congrats on the new buy mate! i bet with your mechanical skills...it wont be too long before she is pumping out a lot more than that 170 ponies you speak of

[chris_abayasinghe]

  On 3/11/2011 at 3:42 AM, MeanGreenZ28 said:

Hey Chris! That's a beautiful car you've got right there! The wife set eyes on the new Outback and went straight for it but it was just a bit above our budget right now. She's still kinda sad about that. Maybe in a year or so, when she gets out of nursing school, we'll either trade this one in or just go get her the beloved "Outback" so I can play with this ... lol, I would prefer the LGT though.

I just joined www.legacyGT.com so maybe I'll see you there if you're there ... I go as "That Guy 2-1" over there. It's really hard to NOT want to modify this car after seeing all the neat stuff people are doing to their's ... haha

Hey Thuan,

Glad to share! Legacygt.com is pretty neat with a lot of the more hard core tuners on it. I participate on subaruoutback.org (since I have the Outback). It really is a great car and with the mods, makes it quite a hoot to drive. The COBB accesport was a good addition plus some more work done to help it breathe easier, boost harder, run cooler and exhaust better. Its pushing about 300 whp now without sacrificing any of the reliability pieces Subaru's are well know for. I did toy around with a wet NOS application but decided for the better with now 2 boys to place in the back seat!

The new Outback is really nice though I miss the turbo application. I've driven the 3.6 R and would recommend that model. Don't do any mods until the warranty expires on it - some dealers are real sticklers to that notion (why I'm not sure).

Best,

Chris

[esdeez]

Awaiting the article, but this teaser pic looks good. Can't wait to read about it

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150160935128143&set=a.10150160930873143.291581.668803142&type=1&ref=nf

[MeanGreenZ28]

  On 4/15/2011 at 6:54 AM, esdeez said:

Awaiting the article, but this teaser pic looks good. Can't wait to read about it

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150160935128143&set=a.10150160930873143.291581.668803142&type=1&ref=nf

haha, look at my goofyness! I may start writing for them on a regular basis, if everything goes well, and wouldn't mind some constructive criticism...

[Az]

  On 3/9/2011 at 4:09 PM, Mean Green z28 said:

I was propositioned by MotoMag to write a review and get a bunch of pics on it so hopefully, you'll will see that on the mag if everything goes well.

Are you Azmin Burah? Saw an article on a Legacy 2.5l on Motor Mag, April issue.

[MeanGreenZ28]

  On 4/19/2011 at 1:24 PM, Az said:

Are you Azmin Burah? Saw an article on a Legacy 2.5l on Motor Mag, April issue.

yup ... dammit, I need to get myself a copy!

[Az]

  On 4/19/2011 at 10:15 PM, MeanGreenZ28 said:

yup ... dammit, I need to get myself a copy!

Cool. Nice article.

[Mean Green z28]

just got new wheels for the Legacy. The 19" rims weren't gonna work out in the winter due to their design inherently collecting water in the barrels between two ridges; thereby causing the wheel to go out of balance at highway speeds. These are 18" and a manageable size/weight

[Mean Green z28]

Well guys, my OCD with cars has made me sell this car. I def. loved the ride and the comfort it afforded me, but I had to move on and get something that really makes me happy as a car anthusiast ... look for my other thread, muhahahahh!!!!lol