Any thoughts on the LGT Spec B?

[equ]

I've always liked subies and in particular the Legacy GT. Made the mistake of driving an 07 Spec B yesterday and thought it covered most shortcomings of the older LGT (improved handling, nicer interior, crisper 6-speed, lower hwy rpm, folding rear seats - that's an 07 feature for all I think).

I know, I know, I shouldn't be shopping but I'm not quite happy with the 528. It's only nice for the really long hauls, anything else it's not so much fun. The perfectionist that I am, I'm likely to dump a LOT of money into it for minor niggles and upgrades such as stereo etc. Being idle between jobs is fun but gives me more time to perseverate. :eeps:

Any 'mudgeon experiences/thoughts on the Spec B?

[iateyourcheese]

First off, I'm glad they changed the interior from last year.

On the Subie boards (our bad weather car is a Forester) lots of people also have Legacy's. One common complaint was about how uncomfortable the driver's seat can be on longer drives. :dunno:

[lemming]

First off, I'm glad they changed the interior from last year.

On the Subie boards (our bad weather car is a Forester) lots of people also have Legacy's. One common complaint was about how uncomfortable the driver's seat can be on longer drives. :dunno:

i never had that complaint --my sole complaint was addressed by the inclusion of the 6th cog.

i always thought the car had plenty of torque at speed but could have used a more fuel friendly overdrive ratio.

[JST]

Seems expensive for what it is. At 28ish K, the LGT seems like an excellent value. Once you get over 30K, I start to rapidly lose interest.

[equ]

i never had that complaint --my sole complaint was addressed by the inclusion of the 6th cog.

i always thought the car had plenty of torque at speed but could have used a more fuel friendly overdrive ratio.

Did you have an LGT? Cool, I thought you'd had an STI. How'd you like it? Why did you sell? Did you find the power delivery to be smooth? I found some hesitation/surging in my 05 test drive. Did not notice same in the 07 - too busy enjoying the nice shifting/interior. :D

I drove a regular LGT & Spec B back to back. 6th made all the difference in hwy NVH (under 3000rpm for 75-80). The gearbox is much nicer as well (STI?).

A regular or Spec B 06 LGT is down in the low to mid 20's. The 07 Spec B is at least 30 or maybe several K more, solidly 3er territory. 10k is a lot of money for an extra cog and some folding seats. However, those and a few other small things push this car over the edge for me.

Also drove the 328i (auto) and 328xi (stick). The LGT is a bit more exciting & special and much nicer to shift than the 3er. The suspension/braking still don't compare to the 3er secure feeling.

The 328xi was very competent, much nicer handling than the e46 325xi but felt very dead - very much like an audi. When I went from that to the 328i, I suddenly felt like I was in a revvy bmw again. I also found it not great to shift - required some focus (whereas my Cayman or the LGT don't) and actually enjoyed the SD mode of the auto 328i more than the manual 328xi. :eek: It's sad that they've ruined the manual and improved the auto to the point that the auto is better to drive. I still won't buy the AT, I will just lament.

[JST]

Did you have an LGT? Cool, I thought you'd had an STI. How'd you like it? Why did you sell? Did you find the power delivery to be smooth? I found some hesitation/surging in my 05 test drive. Did not notice same in the 07 - too busy enjoying the nice shifting/interior. :D

I drove a regular LGT & Spec B back to back. 6th made all the difference in hwy NVH (under 3000rpm for 75-80). The gearbox is much nicer as well (STI?).

A regular or Spec B 06 LGT is down in the low to mid 20's. The 07 Spec B is at least 30 or maybe several K more, solidly 3er territory. 10k is a lot of money for an extra cog and some folding seats. However, those and a few other small things push this car over the edge for me.

Also drove the 328i (auto) and 328xi (stick). The LGT is a bit more exciting & special and much nicer to shift than the 3er. The suspension/braking still don't compare to the 3er secure feeling.

The 328xi was very competent, much nicer handling than the e46 325xi but felt very dead - very much like an audi. When I went from that to the 328i, I suddenly felt like I was in a revvy bmw again. I also found it not great to shift - required some focus (whereas my Cayman or the LGT don't) and actually enjoyed the SD mode of the auto 328i more than the manual 328xi. :eek: It's sad that they've ruined the manual and improved the auto to the point that the auto is better to drive. I still won't buy the AT, I will just lament.

One thing--if it is going to be your winter car, the spec B apparently comes std with summer tires, which kind of defeats the point.

Not sure what mechanical changes there will be with the restyled 08, but the 6M might percolate down.

[Theo]

Did anyone else notice that they dropped the manual from the LGT wagon for 06. I did not know until I tried searching for a used manual gt wagon. They are non-exisitant.

I know a guy that works down the street that has an 05 LGT manual wagon. He has had it for like a year and a half and gets constant offers on it.

[FC]

Did anyone else notice that they dropped the manual from the LGT wagon for 06. I did not know until I tried searching for a used manual gt wagon. They are non-exisitant.

I know a guy that works down the street that has an 05 LGT manual wagon. He has had it for like a year and a half and gets constant offers on it.

There is no more Outback XT either (turbo outback).

[Sharp11]

Any 'mudgeon experiences/thoughts on the Spec B?

Our '05 Outback gets mighty uncomfortable for me behind the wheel after an hour or so. There's no telescoping wheel function and the seats, which feel great when you first get in them, lack support.

On our car (probably different wrt spec B) the throttle pedal is so light, I can't rest my foot on it, when I put my seat back far enough to alleviate that problem, the lack of a telescoping feature keeps the wheel too far away.

Rock solid and built really well though.

Ed

[equ]

I prefer the wagon in the s4 and maybe even the a4's but have lost interest in Legacy wagons on sheer looks. The sedan with folding seats will do the trick for me.

JST: 08 update is important info, I didn't know that. Obviously I don't want to be the sucker paying up for the dolled up old generation. If the 6-speed & VDC do percolate down, I'll probably be happy with a regular LGT. Now I have some research to do... Did I say I really liked driving this car? It felt great.

[iateyourcheese]

i never had that complaint --my sole complaint was addressed by the inclusion of the 6th cog.

i always thought the car had plenty of torque at speed but could have used a more fuel friendly overdrive ratio.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind a Legacy GT at all. But I've seen the seat comment over and over, just passing that along.

My only other complaint is that the car's styling is somewhat bland. The first time I saw the car was in 2003 and I mistook it for an Audi. But now the design is getting a little long in the tooth.

[FC]

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind a Legacy GT at all. But I've seen the seat comment over and over, just passing that along.

My only other complaint is that the car's styling is somewhat bland. The first time I saw the car was in 2003 and I mistook it for an Audi. But now the design is getting a little long in the tooth.

When we first decided to sell the Saabaru all I kept thinking was that my wife should have listened to me and we should have bought an '05 Outback 3.0R instead at the time. That way we wouldn't be losing 6.5K for using the the Saabaru 1.5 years.

The flipside is that the V70R is so MUCH better (especially for us) than the Outback 3.0R that it's worth the extra money. And of course in '05 we couldn't afford a V70R nor would we have gotten $10K off one.

The Outback is a great vehicle, but you do give up some nice features, like comfortable seats. The V70R seats are simply amazing, expecially on long trips.

[JST]

I prefer the wagon in the s4 and maybe even the a4's but have lost interest in Legacy wagons on sheer looks. The sedan with folding seats will do the trick for me.

JST: 08 update is important info, I didn't know that. Obviously I don't want to be the sucker paying up for the dolled up old generation. If the 6-speed & VDC do percolate down, I'll probably be happy with a regular LGT. Now I have some research to do... Did I say I really liked driving this car? It felt great.

From what I can tell, the '08 will not include a 6M GT, but I haven't seen anything definitive--just no mention of that change.

There won't be an LGT wagon at all for 08, just an Outback.

The 08s will have a telescoping wheel though.

[Sharp11]

Did I say I really liked driving this car? It felt great.

Btw, this is the ultimate everything-you-can-want-to-know-about-subies site:

http://www.cars101.com/

Make sure you've got the time.

Ed

[lemming]

a turbo Outback is pretty fun.

do they still offer it with the 5sp manual?

anyway, i digress.

i really like the legacy platform --it will also form the basis for the new Impreza platform. it has decent characteristics, which is more than i can say for the current impreza platform with its struts all around and trailing links.

with the turbo motor, it does have plenty of scoot, too.

give me a year, and i think i could actually be okay with an automatic turbo Outback. (maybe).

[FC]

a turbo Outback is pretty fun.

do they still offer it with the 5sp manual?

anyway, i digress.

i really like the legacy platform --it will also form the basis for the new Impreza platform. it has decent characteristics, which is more than i can say for the current impreza platform with its struts all around and trailing links.

with the turbo motor, it does have plenty of scoot, too.

give me a year, and i think i could actually be okay with an automatic turbo Outback. (maybe).

No you wouldn't. Slushies suck. The V70R has a pretty good one and I still can barely stand it. Subaru sluhies are not as good, so I can't see you happy with one as YOUR car. But you never know.

[Nick M3]

No you wouldn't. Slushies suck. The V70R has a pretty good one and I still can barely stand it. Subaru sluhies are not as good, so I can't see you happy with one as YOUR car. But you never know.
Someone figure out an Allison 6-speed retrofit. :D

[JST]

a turbo Outback is pretty fun.

do they still offer it with the 5sp manual?

anyway, i digress.

i really like the legacy platform --it will also form the basis for the new Impreza platform. it has decent characteristics, which is more than i can say for the current impreza platform with its struts all around and trailing links.

with the turbo motor, it does have plenty of scoot, too.

give me a year, and i think i could actually be okay with an automatic turbo Outback. (maybe).

If I were OK with an auto, there are LOTS of cars I'd buy before an Outback, fer chrissakes.

[FC]

If I were OK with an auto, there are LOTS of cars I'd buy before an Outback, fer chrissakes.

EXACTLY.