9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
2000 Legacy Test Drive
Date of Review: Feb 10, 2000
**UPDATE: My search for a car is complete! I ordered a Legacy GT Ltd in Black and after waiting 3 months, just received it. I'm very happy! Read on though, this review was written BEFORE I decided to buy this car!
PS: May 4th: I just picked up my car from the dealer yesterday and he said that new federal crash reports list the Legacy as #1 above Volvo in 5mph, frontal offset and side impact crashes!
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Hello all,
I recently test drove the new 2000 series Subaru Legacy. I'm zeroing in on an auto purchase, and I'm really doing a lot of research and legwork to make sure the decision is sound.
THE ENGINE:
All of the 2000 Legacy's use the same 2.5 Liter 165hp Boxer design engine (this is the one where 2 cylinders face one way and two the other). The engine is strong and the car has power and is a bit zippier than most sedans you might test drive. The engine sound is quiet because they do a lot of soundproofing on this vehicle. Interesting to note is that the same engine is in the Impreza 2.5 RS (sportier car) and you can hear it a lot more. It's actually got quite a thrilling sound when you drive it hard, but I suspect that they did that intentionally because the market for the Impreza RS is different than the Legacy.
TRANSMISSION:
I've tested both the automatic and the standard transmission. The standard is very smooth and easy to get into first gear without it being jumpy. The clutch is smooth and predictable as was the shifting. By Comparison, the Tranny and clutch in the Impreza RS did not seem as refined. Shifting was a bit notchier and the car would jump around a lot more in first gear (I suspect this is because it's a lighter- performance oriented car).
The automatic transmission in the Legacy is excellent. The one I drove had overdrive and shifting between the gears was very smooth. The tranny didn't seem to rob the engine of much power at all, which is a nice treat.
SUSPENSION / HANDLING:
The Legacy L (base model of Legacy) isn't that exciting to drive in any direction other than forwards. On Highway onramps and offramps, it pitches slightly more than I would like, and it's even easy to get the tires to squeal when doing this. However, the Legacy GT and GT Limited is much stickier and flat on the onramps/offramps. It still feels like a bigger car and doesn't feel as solid in the suspension as the Impreza RS, but it's not bad either. I wasn't impressed with the handling of the Legacy L, but I was satisfied with the handling of the GT although if it was closer to the Impreza RS, I would be happier.
INTERIOR / FEATURES
The interior of the Legacy is nice, no matter what model you are looking at. It is well laid out with many of the common controls found on the door-armrest. I really like the cupholders in the front and the back because they don't interfere with any other controls on the dashboard, and they are not in a spot where it is easy to knock drinks over with your elbow. The seats are comfortable, and the GT and GT LTD feature an electic 6 way adjustable seat which can go very far forward for short people (like my 4'10" tall girlfriend). I like the interior in the legacy better than almost any other car I've test driven because everything is simple to operate, in smart locations, and is aesthetically pleasing.
The differences in features between the models boil down to the following:
LEGACY L: Base model, not frills other than 4 wheel disk brakes and ABS
LEGACY GT: "Sport Suspension", power seat, moonroof.
LEGACY GT LIMITED: Leather, Side airbags.
When computing the cost for these vehicles, if you want leather, there is no reason not to get the GT LTD because the difference in price is only a 2000 or so - much less than having leather installed yourself.
FINAL NOTES:
-This car has fantastic back seats. I think that they will be great for long ski trips to tahoe
-It also has a nice ski-pass through from the trunk which looks to be quite functional. It also doubles as an armrest for rear-seat passengers, and is VERY comfortable!
-This vehicle is designed in Japan and I believe most of the parts are mad e in Japan, but the auto is assembled in the united states. That may be a concern for some people. For those folks, they may want to look at the Impreza RS which is 100% made in Japan.
-If you hate simulated woodgrain and want the GT or GT LTD, you are out of luck. There is a small amount of simulated woodgrain on the interior (that makes me feel old and fat!) of the upper model Legacy's which is standard and cannot be removed.
-doesn't quite fit in my garage (184 inches)
-The GT is incredibly quiet. It features "Sound deadening" which works quite well. Conversations are easy at highway speeds.
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