Its the Subaru – Legacy – Wagon, and the OUTBACK is the tan and or green trim, that surrounds the lower half of the vehicle around the wheel wheels.

It isn’t the Outback that people went for initially.. its the Impreza 4dr / 5dr rally car that was made available and the WRX that KIDS used to buy, who grew up.

And Subaru started out in the 70s pushing front drive cars.. soon moving to awd, when the rest of the damn auto WORLD was doing rear drive in the 80s, soon to move to fwd in the 90s, with fwd dominating and awd now being the standard.

It has been AWD that SUBARU has had as a lower cost mass market brand vs Audi’s Quattro.

And.. if you really would like to get picky.
It hasn’t been till just lately that the Legacy is only offered in the wagon (no sedan), and is sized and directly marketed against the Japanese midsize (read: fullsize leaders). But.. I cant honestly imagine ANYONE debating which to purchase.. and buying the generic looking / obese to drive Legacy Wagon / CUV (now marketed to anyone with a checkbook) and or no concept to care / know the difference.

That’s like asking Porsche to stop making the 911.

You’ll save a mint, too.

Its only rudimentary / elementary that the reason why fuel economy isn’t in the 30s for any Subbie (and other vehicles and companies in its competition) is the AWD. Now, regardless of the AWD unit of ANY Subaru, the WEIGHT of the vehicle is still the biggest challenge. Do remember.. that hybrid anything.. ISN’T the answer to fuel economy!! If I wanted good fuel economy, I’d dump a 5-10yr old 4cycl anything and go out and buy a diesel 3/5dr GTI from Wolfsburg. I might even buy and bite the rep bullet, the 2ltr motor and trans combo that is the 2011 GDI Sonata (if I wanted a “midsizer”), or any vehicle they plan to put that GDI motor tranny system into. I wouldn’t pay the 3-5g “surcharge” for the OBESE, hybrid system stuffed into any current midsize / fullsize car OR CUV regardless of the power and or fuel savings available!! Its plain not worth it compared to as long as it would take in miles AND fuel costs over a 10yr period to PAY for the hybrid unit.

Now.
While I absolutely / completely detest the current design, size and heft of the Legacy Wagon. It doesn’t surprise me that its fuel eco sucks. Even when I tested a decent Impreza hatch.. fuel eco is in early 20s, and that ISN’T ground breaking! Most of that issue is the awd, and I refuse to drive a vehicle of its weight, even though it has a hatch!

Now..
I see a total problem with AWD, as its a pointless concept on 95% of vehicles on market (SUV/CUV).. because they don’t have SNOW TIRES, regardless of their ability and or the capacity of those who operate the damn things to have tires that take advantage of the inherent technology.

Now..
As far as the Legacy Wagon itself.. it is now as large as any CUV: Escape, CRV, Patriot / Compass / Liberty. Its just wayy too damn large. I believe the vehicle has a 4 and or a 6cycl. Id also bet money that people don’t buy the 4cycl cause the car wont move with it.. because of its size issue.

And ya dont buy AWD hoping for good fuel economy.

Ya buy AWD, prayin ya safe with driving in snow.. albeit with all seasons.

well, for starters, because they’re awd? Name any awd suv/wagon 4cyl that gets the 29 hwy the new outback is rated at, or its 24mpg overall: You’re either gonna have an extremely short list or, i suspect, no list at all. This site seems populated by people more interested in dramatic statements than fact. Look at the Ford Escape Hybrid: the awd model gets 4-5 mpg LESS than the front drive version with the same engine.

As for the fella who says his Volvo XC 90 gets 29 mpg, for ex: Y’all believe that?

Personally, I like the Outback balance of space and economy. (My other cars: a Boxster, an Infiniti FX, and a Camry Hybrid). I don’t go rock-climbing with any of them, but the FX is the only one (it’s awd) i can count on when i go off-road, in florida sand or kentucky dirt. The Outback would do that at least as well, get 50% better mileage, have better visibility. Yep, the FX’ll take it in a race, but that’s not what i’m buying my cars for. To each his own.

If you forget:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Taurus_X

Freestyle was out about 2yrs, then got redone (in Ford’s terms, a new front / rear clip, nt, renamed and released) to have a new name for 2yrs.. THEN, canned cause its sales were disgusting. Its because it was selling the Exploder, the Escape with the Flex coming and the Edge out… Freestyle was competing against its own vehicles. Just like the Mazda 6 wagon / hatch were competing against Escape for Mazda, CX7 / 9.

Who wants to buy a single “wagon” choice when ya got 3 SUVS / CUVS to choose from. This is the reason why modern wagons arent being sold. An Im not even getting into how TIGHT this vehicle (Freestyle) was in the Taurus DEBACLE.. can you say.. NOSE TO NOSE! I bet you could pick one up for a song.

Its a roll of the dice for the rest.
The resale should be low enough on the 500/ Taurus wagon..

Stick a set of snows on it.. should be just fine.

I never mentioned Audi / Volvo etc…
Just the dirtbox useless UTE bunch…
Look cute do nothing.. couldnt pull ya out of tapioca pudding with a winch and a plow!

Im my own twisted belief..
Any vehicle made by anyone (CRINGE) would suffice for pretty much anyone’s needs. No one has any need so specific that a Kia or Chrysler vehicle couldnt suffice. None have any ability over the other, NTM the abilities arent used anyway…

Escape fights a size v power v weight v cost battle with Explorer / Edge, just like RAV4.
The CRV from Honda.. just irks me. They made the vehicle larger.. to fix the size / packaging issues the old one had.
The Jeep stuff.. is so horrible to even mention, is so gutless and pathetic to even be produced. They are essentially fine as vehicles.. but dilute the purpose / concept of what a Jeep is.
I cant mention Chrapco / GM stuff.. because I have a morale clause not to buy shit from a company that OWES ME FUCKIN MONEY (and everyone else on the board) ntm the whole bankruptcy thing.

So in the end…
Buy a decent sedan from pretty much anyone or some 3yr old Ford Freeestyle (leaving off GM / Chrapco) with snow tires.. and ya should be fine.

For the past 2-5yrs Subaru was pushing the Legacy in a dozen different ads.. with the word SUV.. used to make my blood pressure rise!

The vehicle was a WAGON! It has a wagon shape (long and low), little to no clearance needed.

Now.. its high enough that its comparable to basically any SUV / CUV POS on the road now!

And Toyota didnt iron them out..
It yanked it out with FORCE.

Im sure, its also not difficult to actually DRIVE the DAMN car as intended (last gens only.) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2RxGj-2ebY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATZts5gCKdg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QwcSD0hkAs

1. Its virtually impossible to find a manual tranny in a vehicle that people dont buy to DRIVE.
2. Only reason for the larger motor.. is cause the WAGON is a PIG.
3. Obviously a CVT isnt the right choice of tranny for everyone?…. Few people even know the benefits of what the unit could do.. besides knowing about the belts and its non shifting nature. Forget about the differences in who makes them.. and their quality.
4. Is 2″ in extra ground clearance.. an issue with performance/ reliabilty/ safety issues. You should see Ford about the groudn clearance issue… they are still paying court fees from people who bought SUVS and died / horribly maimed and or permenantly disfigured because they trusted the clearance of their exploder.  But enough of that. I was hoping that the LACK of clearance would be a boon to cornering or handling.
5. And no, it doesnt LOOK like other “popular cars” his issue is its big / took on weight for the heck of it. Subaru is desperate to sell its larger car.. on the idea that Toyota Camry/ Honda Accord owners cross shop with their cars.

Also…
Car and Driver, R&T have lost credibility due to the fact of their CONTINUOUS bias towards certain vehicles.. and inaccurate reporting. Then there is the whole concept of if ya pay enough for advertising.. and pay enough for marketing.. its got to win something. — STINKS of JD Power B.S

NTM the adding of SUVS in a mag for (3 BOX) CARS.

Also..
I give LESS than NO credit to Motor Trend for giving it an award based on the concept that the Legacy IS A WAGON! Its not an SUV. Its not built on a TRUCK FRAME. It doesnt have LADDER FRAME construction. It was designed as a UNIBODY (3 box CAR). There is no reason or rhyme. If you truely want reviews ya look to Insideline by edmunds.. not the car mags.

The new Impreza sedan is soo horrible looking…
I mistake it for a Corolla..

And this is coming froma guy who can tell make, model AND YEAR of cars, in the dark, at night, from BEHIND ME.

Hmmmhmmm

Check out who owns their strings now..

Then again..
Finding someone who actually HAS snows.. and a manual is virtually impossible.

But this LEGACY.. is everything thats fucked up about the CUV / SUV market.

The GOD DAMN car was being marketed for coming on 2yrs as a suv.. when in fact it was a CUV in the least (the difference meaning the frame the vehicle is built on).

The vehicle is / was in essence a WAGON!
A WAGON in every shape and or form of the word as we know it…

Its ugly.. to the point that ya cant even kill it with FIRE!
Its large to compete with every other “midsize” car (read: Accord and Camry) that have suddenly packed on the donuts.
To me.. it represents EVERYTHING that is Its popular in the market NOW (Read WRONG).
A clad vehicle.. (quietly masquerading as a sedan with a hatch shhh WAGON, thats been jacked up to holy hell.)
It DOESNT have SNOW TIRES – the basic essentials of a vehicle with AWD. Essentially VOIDING any and all traction ability this thing MIGHT have.. on the most positive ot notes. It essentially doesnt matter if it has a viscious coupling operating each tire through a pumpkin indepentdantly of the other with a million sensors and or shafts.. it doesnt have snows.. so the purpose of actually driving it as designed or intended..is now MOOT.

Is there a problem with 2.5i with Manual or 3.6R with Automatic?
Can the 2″ ground clearance increase cause any performance/reliability/safety issues?
Is there anything else I should consider before buying this car?

Any car has its strength and weakness. Depending on what you’re looking for and personal preference.

I bought a 2009 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport for my son in college. It is a great car in every aspect. I will have no second thought to purchase a second Subaru.

BTW, it is odd to see this review pictures from a dealer’s lot.