forester vs 05 legacy

[John Su]

any thoughts? my 95 legacy wagon at 150k and i'm considering replacing
it with one of the newer more refined subies with more hp to boot!

the legacy looks great but the forester seems a bit more compact in that
boxy kind of way. gas mileage is moderately important and it seems the
forester xt gets close to suv-level crappy gas mileage in exchange for
the speed/power.

hope to test drive soon, but any of you ahve thoughts?

thanks,
john

 

[hippo]

any thoughts? my 95 legacy wagon at 150k and i'm >considering replacing

it with one of the newer more refined subies with more hp >to boot!

the legacy looks great but the forester seems a bit more >compact in that

boxy kind of way. gas mileage is moderately important >and it seems the

forester xt gets close to suv-level crappy gas mileage in >exchange for
the speed/power.

hope to test drive soon, but any of you ahve thoughts?

thanks,
john

Legacy /OB
+ves, longer wheelbase, more refinement, more rear leg room, more solid
feel, better planted on the road, less body roll, greater cargo floor
area
-ves, more weight so greater fuel consumption

Forester
+ves, more compact (based on Impreza), lower cost *or* more toys for the
same money, lower fuel consumption for a given engine, more headroom
(important if you're about 7'),
slightly shorter overhangs (could help off road)
-ves, less rear legroom, cargo space more vertical, rolly - even new ones

Turbos in *any* model (not just Subs) will use more fuel than the
equivalent non-t (unless you never use the power - and then what's the
point?)

Note that with the improvements in the new models, fuel use has probably
improved back to 10-12 years ago levels.
Hope all this is of some help. Test drive freely and enjoy your choice!
Cheers

 

[H]

I had the same questions earlier. My 90 Legacy was getting
long-in-the-tooth. I tested 04 Legacy wagons and thought that I was ready to
deal. I decided that I owed it to myself to test the Forester, even though I
had never considered it before. It was just to see, I told myself. I was
impressed with the drive. The vehicle is about 400lbs lighter than the
Legacy (04) and the cargo room was very usable. It was mostly a toss up. The
Forester had enough room for my purposes and I very much liked the driving
position. The deciding factor was that in Canada the Forester is a Japan
build, while the Legacy is US build. This may sway your decision either way
depending on your politics, For me the 400lb lighter plus Japan build
cinched it. I now own the 04 Forester XS. Now when I get into our old 90
Legacy I find it too low.