slissner Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 The lease for the 2004 allroad 4.2 ended October 28. I've now driven the 2006 Subaru Legacy GT spec.B about 1,800 miles in six weeks. These certainly different vehicles, separated by $20,000 in list price. I miss the Audi's v8 for its smoothness, torque, and instant response. The Subaru's turbocharged flat-four, on the other hand, achieves about twenty-five percent better fuel economy. For my wife and me, the Legacy's large enough, but I do miss the convenience of a station wagon. The Subaru's seats are comfortable and have good bolstering. (I'm 5'8" and 180 pounds.) Neither the allroad nor my 2001 A6 4.2 with sport package had comfortable seats. The lowest setting of the Legacy's heated front seats is a little too hot, unlike the allroad's lowest setting which I thought was just right. The Subaru is certainly more fun to drive. It feels so light and agile against the allroad's ponderousness. The Subaru's five-speed, short-throw manual gearbox is a little notchy, but the light clutch and short throws make it easy to drive in heavy traffic. The Subaru is a four-door sports sedan, akin to an Audi S4. The Subaru's touchscreen sat-nav is league's superior to the 2004 Audi's primitive and frustrating sat-nav. The allroad's sound system is audibly better, especially the FM. We miss XM, which isn't available in any Subaru. Though the allroad's xenon low-beam headlights were good, the Legacy's halogens seem to be just as good in reach and breadth. I prefer the whiteness of the xenons. The Subaru's fit and finish are good, but the materials are clearly inferior to the Audi. For example, the front carpets in the spec.B look good, but are thin and held in place by a single hook on the floor which fits through a grommet on the carpet. A particularly thoughtful and useful convenience is the Legacy's electrically heated windshield area where the windshield wipers park. The spec.B is too noisy. The elaborate door seals are inadequate to quench wind noise. Add to that the roar and rumble from the 215/45ZR18 Bridgestone RE-050A summer tires and the four-cylinder engine and the result is that the spec.B isn't a quiet tourer. The upside side is that the noise can be a deterrent to travelling at very high speeds, which the spec.B can easily do. The Subaru is much quicker than the allroad 4.2. The spec.B does 0-60 seconds in 5.5 to 6.0 seconds, depending on how well the driver shifts, and top speed is probably about 140 mph. Strong acceleration and a great roadholding and handling make the spec.B a joy to drive. I hope that the Subaru will motor past the dealer without expressing a desire to visit, unlike the allroad which had too many problems for a $55,000 car. So why did I buy the Subaru? I wanted a reliable, AWD sedan that would be fun to drive. Price wasn't a consideration. I think the Subaru Legacy GT spec.B is a blast to drive and suitable for suburban driving around the Washington DC area. I do miss the Audi's luxuries, but not the absence of a local Audi dealer. I'm thinking of ordering a 2007 Lexus LS 460 with AWD. In the meantime, I think that my wife will soon have either a 2006 Subaru Outback 3.0 R VDC or a Tribeca, despite its odd appearance. It's a Subaru, after all. For many years I drove a Subaru SVX, probably the coolest car that I've ever had. The 2004 Audi allroad 4.2 and the 2006 Subaru Legacy GT spec.B may both have four doors and AWD, but they are apples and oranges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandwood Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 yeah, road noise is greater in the subaru, but I think the windnoise might actually be slightly less than the 2 audis I owned (A4 and an S4). nice writeup. Did you consider getting an outback? that would have had more in common with the allroad... getting out of the legacy game Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Coming from a Jeep Wrangler, Honda CRX and Subaru WRX wagon, my LGT wagon is quiet like a bank vault on the highway in comparison. I guess it's all relative. Nice writeup!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The B4 Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 rfd425...what do you think about a GT/XT being faster than the allroad? [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfd425 Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 rfd425...what do you think about a GT/XT being faster than the allroad? The XT wouldn't touch it, mate. (despite the fact that the data from every known test shows that the XT is faster by any measure). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobY Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 The top speed is WAYYYYYYY more than 140. There are a few undisclosed members on this board who have come close to burrying the speedo with a bit more to go With the limiter removed and the appropriate "software" of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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