RIP Legacy GT 2005-2012

[DLC]

Subaru put another knife deep into the heart of my favorite model. We had to go through a drought once, from 95-04, but will this one shorter?

I hope so. I'll go put a burning bag of dog do-do on the front step of Tokyo Subaru for all of us.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/0 ... -5gt-gone/

The new DOHC Boxer 4 is good for a 1mpg improvement on the highway. The biggest news from an enthusiast standpoint is that the 2.5GT model is making a quiet exit. Another manual transmission notes the dust.

[PhyrraM]

I'm actually OK with it.

The Legacy has grown so much, it's not really even the same class as our, or the '05-'09, models. I do wish the spec.B had a bit longer lifespan and more examples on the market. Would make it easier to find, and then support, one later.

The 2.5 turbo has grown stale - it needs to be updated with direct injection - likely not as an EJ anymore though. I think the H6 fits it better. A new LGT with the H6 and a manual transmission might be a better car overall than the current GT, and likely sell better too.

[DLC]

Unfortunately they've also removed the 6MT option from the 3.6, so it's a 5EAT only.

The current body style is, in a word, boring. It's along the same general malaise as the 08 Impreza sedan, which is to mean it can be mistaken for a Toyota at anything more than 10 feet.

Thankfully I am aware of a very healthy enthusiast market for all subsequent Legacy models.

[PhyrraM]

I was unaware that you could get a 6MT with the H6, so that's good news. I thought they were all 5 EATs from the begining. They must be rare, as I have never ran across one on numerous searches for a spec.B

While the current bloated Legacy is certainly a dull looking car, IMHO Legacies have always had middle of the road, safe, typically Subaru styling. Even our beloved Gen 1s when placed next to a same year Camry or Stanza fit right in - only ranking a middle-of-the-road "5" on a scale of 1-10. The '05-'09 did creep up to a "7" with the '96-'99 GTs (only GTs) topping the entire Legacy range with an "8".

[mike-tracy]

^^ I think it was a foreign-only model, pairing the H6 with the manual. Like the Blitzen6 or Spec-B 6 or something like that.

[Legacy777]

That's unfortunate to hear about the GT. I have mixed feelings on the XV, but overall and from my recent driving experience with the my former 2006 Legacy I'm not too sure any of the newer Subarus will be in my future. I think the WRX & WRX STi's are probably the last hope.

They have grown to about the size of the first & second gen Legacy, which is about the size I want. The new Legacy is ginormous, and not to my liking...

[beatersubi]

Meh.
I stopped caring about new suabrus when I saw the styling of imprezas after '07 and the size of the new legacy. Subaru has gone so middle-of-the-road, main-stream that there's nothing unique about them anymore.
The only product that holds a glimmer of hope for Subaru in my mind is the BR-Z, and that's a RWD half Toyota.

[jp233]

Yeah, the saddest thing (other than the body styling of the 07+ Impreza and the 10+ Legacy/Outback) is that all manufacturers are going after gas mileage first, everything else a distant second (performance and styling). That's why we're seeing CVT's pop up everywhere, more creature comforts and the size they can afford to build them to with same/better MPG as previous models.

Subaru clearly wanted to go after the bigger SUV market (once held very strong by the likes of Tahoes/Blazers and Expeditions/Explorers everywhere), entering the game that Honda (CR-V) and Toyota (RAV4 or as I have laughed at many times, "Rectal Activity Vehicle") took their time to get into and have tried to sink their teeth onto those markets.

If the 2.5 turbo engine was going to live on in the WRX/STi, why would they kill it as an option in a Legacy? Adding DI, or maybe 2 plugs per cyl? could definitely help spruce things up. Or just make it a 2.0 liter 6-banger with a turbo instead

Especially boring and shows that the enthusiast loses is on the manual transmission side, regardless of engine pairing. It really should be a standard option on nearly all sedans (vans and trucks can be auto's, OK).

I still think that other than the 90's cars, nearly the 05-06 entire Subaru lineup was just totally bitchin. The 04-06 Forester XT, 05-06 Legacy GT (and the 05 Leggy 2.5GT wagon still offered with a 5MT), and the 04-05 STi are just the best they did. Albeit, my 06 LGT had a bunch of problems that I got pretty frustrated in dealing with (engine hesitation, turbo banjo bolt, warped rotors at 25k miles, rear window glass w/ antenna + defogger = radio static, had too much of a plastic feel, etc)

Back in 2009-2010 whenever we were looking to trace our 06 LGT, the sales dude at a local Subie dealer was trying to talk to me about the new 2010 Legacy and Outback (I was looking at one in almost utter disgust). I told him he'd better save his words or else I'd vomit all over his nice showroom car. I almost said to him "if I wanted a big 6-cyl semi-performance sedan, I'd get something that's been a huge force in that market for 20 years --- a Maxima".

Let's hope the BRZ gets even more HP and crazy options, starts it's own following?