rallispec Posted July 30, 2006 Share Posted July 30, 2006 Link By Warren Brown Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, July 30, 2006; Page G01 LONG POND, Pa. Getting here was easy. We drove up from Virginia in the Legacy GT Limited, Subaru's midsize luxury sport sedan, replete with an onboard navigation system, faux-wood interior accents and other cosmetic and functional upgrades for 2006. We arrived at the beginning of the Pennsylvania 500, the 20th of 36 Nextel Cup series races held under the auspices of NASCAR, the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. We were latecomers. NASCAR weekends are exactly that -- long weekends starting as early as Thursday, but well underway by Friday evening. Most fans in the grandstands and infields of the Pocono International Raceway had been in the area for at least two days. Incoming traffic was light on the Sunday afternoon we showed up. It was a good race. Rookie Denny Hamlin, driving No. 11, the FedEx Kinko-sponsored Chevrolet owned by Washington Redskins Head Coach Joe Gibbs, finished first after dominating the track for most of the contest. We started cheering for Hamlin after the 32nd lap of the 200-lap race, primarily because he was a rookie, but also because he exhibited a dignity absent from the rude track behavior of defending NASCAR Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart. We need not go into the details of Stewart's bit of track rage for which he was penalized one lap. We were juiced by Hamlin's victory. But that good feeling faded when we were trapped by the traffic inching out of the track after the race. We spent 90 minutes crawling along Long Pond Road. You notice a lot about a car in that circumstance, and none of it has anything to do with horsepower or vehicle handling. You concentrate on where you are -- the car's cabin. We focused on the Legacy GT Limited's new-for-2006 navigation system. We were impressed by its accuracy, right down to depicting vacant fields and campgrounds on the right side of Long Pond Road. But we were frustrated by its operation. We're accustomed to navigation systems that literally tell us turn-by-turn where we are and where we are going, that gently ask us to make a U-turn or take some other corrective measure when we've made a wrong move. By comparison, the synthesized female's voice in the Subaru was unkind, snippy. We touched the navigational screen's voice tab to ascertain if we were driving in the right direction on Long Pond Road. She curtly responded: "Refer to the map!" We reluctantly touched the voice tab again, fearing that the irascible electronic maiden on the other end would shout back: "You idiots! Refer to the map!" We shut her off after discovering we'd been driving in the wrong direction on Long Pond Road. We noticed other things, such as the Legacy GT Limited's perforated leather seats. All leather is not the same. Some leather seat coverings are supple, seductive. Your body touches them and wants to stay there. Other leather seats are tight, hard and slippery. Your body touches them and moves all over the place. The Legacy GT Limited's leather was, well, limited -- hard and slippery despite perforation, less than ideal for long-drive comfort. But the rest of the Legacy GT Limited's interior was pleasant enough to make roadway incarceration tolerable. All gauges on the instrument panel were easy to read. Most dials and buttons were easily reached. Overall interior presentation was attractive. After wandering various Pennsylvania back roads for what seemed an eternity, we made it to Interstate 81 heading south. There the Legacy GT Limited's performance virtues became evident. Its 2.5-liter, turbocharged, horizontally opposed four-cylinder, 250-horsepower engine was gutsy, although sometimes afflicted by turbo-lag -- a brief go-nowhere pause between pressing the accelerator and experiencing turbo boost. Handling and road feel were impressive. We were happy finally to be moving at speed on an open highway. We drove all the way into West Virginia before crossing into Virginia and making our way home. The detour was unintentional. That nasty woman in the GT Legacy Limited's navigation system was right. We should have referred to the map. and... Nuts & Bolts 2006 Subaru Legacy GT Limited Complaints: The navigation system should be more user-friendly. "Refer to the map" isn't what you want to hear when you need to be told to turn right or left. Also, the Legacy GT remains without traction or stability control. Ride, acceleration and handling: I and two other drivers -- my wife, Mary Anne, and road test assistant, Ria Manglapus -- agreed that the Legacy GT Limited was an easy driver. But Ria didn't like the turbo-lag, which she said slowed highway lane changes. Mary Anne gave the car top marks as a suburban-urban commuter. Head-turning quotient: The Legacy Limited is an oddity -- a good-looking sedan from Subaru, long the master of ugly exterior automotive design. Body style/layout: The Legacy GT Limited is a front-engine, all-wheel-drive, entry-level luxury, midsize sport sedan with a traditional notchback trunk. A Legacy GT spec.B sedan with 18-inch diameter wheels (compared with 17-inch wheels on the Limited) and an upgraded suspension is available. Engine/transmission: The Legacy GT Limited comes with a 2.5-liter, turbocharged, horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine that develops 250 horsepower at 6,000 revolutions per minute and 250 foot-pounds of torque at 3,600 rpm. The engine is mated to a five-speed automatic transmission that also can be shifted manually. Capacities: The Legacy GT Limited has seating for five people. Luggage capacity is 11.4 cubic feet. The fuel tank holds 16.9 gallons of required premium unleaded gasoline. Mileage: Disappointing, especially with the premium gasoline requirement. We averaged 22 miles per gallon in combined city-highway driving. Safety: Antilock brakes, head and side air bags are standard. There is still no availability of traction or stability control at this time. Price: Base price on the tested 2006 Subaru Limited GT "with ivory interior" is $31,995. Dealer's invoice price on base model is $29,700. Price as tested is $32,924, including $304 in options ("Atlantic blue pearl" exterior appearance package with rocker panels and rear spoiler) and a $625 destination charge. Dealer's price as tested is $30,523. Prices sourced from Subaru and http://www.edmunds.com . Purse-strings note: It's nice, but not the best value in a very crowded sports sedan market. Compare with Audi A4, Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan, Hyundai Azera SE, Lexus IS 250, Pontiac G6 GTP, Volkswagen Passat and Volvo S60. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rallispec Posted July 30, 2006 Author Share Posted July 30, 2006 nothing great to say about it, nothing terrible either... overall, the more reviews i read by Warren Brown - the less and less I like them. And what is with him reviewing an '06 when the '07's are out now?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slissner Posted July 30, 2006 Share Posted July 30, 2006 He is right that the 2006 Legacy 2.5 GT should have had traction control and yaw-and-pitch control, which Subaru calls VDC. Those features are standard in other countries. Of course most 2007 Legacy models do have these desirable safety features Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slissner Posted July 30, 2006 Share Posted July 30, 2006 Warren Brown's write-ups are usually fluff. He is right that the 2006 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT should have had yaw-and-pitch control and traction control, desirable safety features that are standard on Subarus sold outside North America. Some 2007 Subaru models will have VDC and VTD. For a better newspaper review of cars and trucks, see the Detroit News, which reviewed the 2006 Legacy 2.5 GT spec.B: Auto Reviews It's a shame that the Washington Post can't do better, but then what can one expect of a once great paper which has declined so markedly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon in CT Posted July 30, 2006 Share Posted July 30, 2006 He is right that the 2006 Legacy 2.5 GT should have had traction control and yaw-and-pitch control, which Subaru calls VDC. Those features are standard in other countries. Of course most 2007 Legacy models do have these desirable safety featuresThe only 2007 Legacy models with VDC are Legacy turbo models equipped with navigation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommyh Posted July 30, 2006 Share Posted July 30, 2006 Why do all new cars "need" VDC, or its brand equivalent? Isn't VDC just a substitute for a driver being able to actually drive and control the car they're suppose to be in control of? I hate cars with all of the electronic ninnies and nannies that I believe people who can't actually DRIVE think that they need because they secretly know they don't really know how to drive. In this regard I'm a firm believer in Darwinism, learn to actually control the car, or die. Yeah, I am in a bad mood. I almost got hit today by some dumb jerk who was talking on his cell phone when he should have been PAYING ATTENTION WHEN DRIVING THROUGH A PARKING LOT!!! Friggen retard. Martin Luther - "Who loves not women, wine and song remains a fool his whole life long." EL4NFZT7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommyh Posted July 30, 2006 Share Posted July 30, 2006 And yes, one of the reasons I bought my car is because it doesn't have SDA(Substitute for Driver Ability) systems. Martin Luther - "Who loves not women, wine and song remains a fool his whole life long." EL4NFZT7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJMC Posted July 30, 2006 Share Posted July 30, 2006 This review sucks. This is a car review, why in the hell are you going to waste a whole paragraph talking about Nascar?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_knoxville Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 so....... a ford fusion and a hyundai azera are considered sports sedans? learn something new everyday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommyh Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 so....... a ford fusion and a hyundai azera are considered sports sedans? learn something new everyday Hey, don't screw with the Frod Fusions!!! They race in NASCAR! Martin Luther - "Who loves not women, wine and song remains a fool his whole life long." EL4NFZT7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relhok Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Umm...Symmetrical all-wheel-drive IS traction control in the purest form. It's all I need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommyh Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Umm...Symmetrical all-wheel-drive IS traction control in the purest form. It's all I need. That's what I figgured. Though I guess it could be argued that LSDs are a form of traction control, just they don't limit/retard engine output, apply the brakes when they want to, or make up for the driver's inability to drive. Martin Luther - "Who loves not women, wine and song remains a fool his whole life long." EL4NFZT7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 the car doesn't need traction control....it's got AWD. VDC? Meh. I purposefully avoided the feature on the Mini Cooper S. As for the author - his target audience must be old ladies. He's not a skilled writer.....I could do better. Anybody could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rallispec Posted July 31, 2006 Author Share Posted July 31, 2006 whats funny is how much his tone has changed since he first reviewed the car in 2004 when it was released (link) where he was impressed with it's handling, power, style and had almost nothing negative to say about it. no comments on lack of stability control, nor the gas mileage, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue_virginia Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 oh noes the navigation lady is mean! I read this in the paper and laughed. 7 hack paragraphs about Pocono and the nav system. I've not seen a more boring car review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daedalus Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Agreed. I read this article and came to the conclusion that the author is a dousche bag. He was nitpicking the car left and right. Didn't even mention anything worth reading. Pah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moosedaddy Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 The Nav Lady IS mean...That's why I switched mine to the British dude. He's the MAN! :lol: BTW...turbo lag? What turbo lag? I have virtually none... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTGT Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 Yeah my dad gave it to me and he was like they complained about the leather seats and nav (neither of which i have non limited) best they could say was the engine was gutsy, did mention its good handling though. Overall the review sucked, didn't really say anything. What kills me is the part where it says there are other better values out there. I know you can't get the non limited anymore but for me this car was mucho bang for the buck. alright i'm done haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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