darryl Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 hello all! I am an owner of an 02 WRX sedan. I am looking at the Legacy GT Limited for the wife. We intend to test drive one soon. but I found this forum, and wanted to post here to get owner impressions of the Limited with the auto tranny (for her). Any input about the build integrity, the interior, ride comfort, fuel economy_real world, etc for the auto will be appreciated. She is interested in this car, but has hesitations about the turbo, and is also interested in the Acura TL. SHe likes the interior 0f both. thanks! Darryl PS my '02 has the Cobb stage2 reflash with the old CLub PSec itake and exhaust, plus the REV-Lab 11.5:1 steering rack. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gt_ltd Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 i love my 5EAT, except that it's not fast enough and fuel economy isn't that impressive. if it doesn't snow in your state, you may consider the new TL (or RL if you are willing to spend ~50K). This Space For Rent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B4GT Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 I'm enjoying my 5EAT so far too. It's about a month old. I just broke it in, so the fun starts :) Build quality is pretty good. It's pretty solid all around, comparable to my integra. (when it was new of course). Though it's developed a couple of minor rattles when going over bumps, not sure if they'll go away or not. This is more apparent in the morning when it's cold. I'm not sure where TL is built, but the legacy is assembled in Indiana. The TL may have a better interior fit and finish if that's important to you. Also the TL's interior definitely looks and feels much more upscale and classy. I've sat in it so I know. That's not to say the legacy is bad, it's definitely the best interior you'll find in a subaru. The performance of the 5EAT is going to be a bit less than the manual, but that shouldn't be a surprise. Aside from that, it's got plenty of power. I'd much rather take 250 hp applied to all four wheels than 270 to only the front wheels. The 5EAT's turbo lag is a bit more apparent. If you want lots of low end torque, the TL is probably a better bet. But once the legacy revs up, it's got plenty of pull. I find myself easily going too fast on the highway. It's also very smooth, so you don't realize how fast you're going. The sportshift is very good, I find the steering wheel shifters to be extremely useful. Especially when you need to downshift from 5 to 4 to pass. You don't need to move the shifter at all, just press the button and it down shifts. It'll even default back to auto mode once you ease up on the gas. Handling wise it's about the same as a manual. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darryl Posted October 26, 2004 Author Share Posted October 26, 2004 thank you both for you earnest replies. Since it's the wife who's gonna get a new car (no STi for me at the monent :( ) I only want her to be happy and get what she wants. It came to pass that she really liked the TL, especially the ventilated leather and wood trim, plus she was impressed with how the car drove (moving up from the frumpy 93 Camry). AND she is not a turbo person. Go figure. The Legacy sedan even seems to have more rear leg room than the TL. Though the TL has more power, the Legacy is more to my liking. Plus, such a car would be wasted because my wife drives a bit too conservatively for my cut-and-thrust taste. Besides, if the snow gets too bad we can always jump in my car! :) thanks again, DArryl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim1969 Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 I miss my manual. My 5EAT works great but it is what it is. The buttons on the steering wheel work well as does sportmode. Fuel economy stinks in city driving which I do. Highway is okay. For those clutch-impaired (or like myself married to one who is) it's a great option. Just accept it's limitations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT Ski Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 I love my Auto GT, I do kinda wish I had a MT but I don't regret having the AT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John M Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 Why is she not a turbo person? What's so wrong with them that it's almost an automatic "no" when choosing a car? Turbos last over 150k miles as long as you do regular oil changes. They make power from what otherwise would have been wasted energy (exhaust). When you're not making use of this power, you don't pay for it in terms of fuel economy - you get the gas mileage of a 2.5 liter when your foot isn't in it. Any power defecit can be quickly cured with a turbo car too... [i]I say that as my LGT is already at 17 psi and unafraid of any Acura sedan.[/i] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim1969 Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 She's a turbo person. She's not a manual transmission person. What have you done to your car to get up to 17 psi? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darryl Posted October 27, 2004 Author Share Posted October 27, 2004 [quote name='John M']Why is she not a turbo person? What's so wrong with them that it's almost an automatic "no" when choosing a car? Turbos last over 150k miles as long as you do regular oil changes. They make power from what otherwise would have been wasted energy (exhaust). When you're not making use of this power, you don't pay for it in terms of fuel economy - you get the gas mileage of a 2.5 liter when your foot isn't in it. Any power defecit can be quickly cured with a turbo car too... [i]I say that as my LGT is already at 17 psi and unafraid of any Acura sedan.[/i][/QUOTE] My wife just does not desire a turbo. Perhaps it has to do with my sometimes ferocious driving style. She even asked what special car I had to take with my turbo. I told her I just change the oil (Mobil1 Super-Synth). But I do disagree with you John about the fuel economy, but you did say "when your foot isn't in it". This probably applies to the EJ25 turbo motor, rather than my puny EJ20 turbo. At 225hp at the wheels, I have to be very disciplined in shifting at around 3k to try to ensure an average of 18.5 mpg in mostly urban driving! :eek: Anyway, the wife has settled on the Acura TL, and it's got everything she wants, so her happiness is my happiness. You know turbos, on boost consume some fuel purely for cooling the combustion temps, and so they run even richer than na cars at power. That turbo costs mpg. CHA_CHING!!!!:lol: thanks for the replies, guys Darryl PS if stock boost is less than 17 psi, I say to anyone trying to turn up the boost to an egt gage, and watch it. Turning boost up can lead to lean running with high egts, because at some point you are just pumping hot air into the engine at higher boost levels without proper tuning, and soon you may say "it ran great, right up until the engine blew up".:p Best to wait until you can get an ecu reflash from Cobb Tuning or someone similar. I have a reflashed ecu in my car, but my boost levels are kept near stock while the rated power has gone from 227hp/217tq to 285/285 ( flywheel). It's all in programming the boost, and timing, and fueling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim1969 Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 [quote name='darryl'] I have a reflashed ecu in my car, but my boost levels are kept near stock while the rated power has gone from 227hp/217tq to 285/285 ( flywheel). It's all in programming the boost, and timing, and fueling.[/QUOTE] Is that increase only from a reflash or were there other mods. You used EcuTek, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken S Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 Well, if you have the means to buy a TL, want luxury features, tend to drive conservatively and don't need AWD, it's a no-brainer. I think your wife would be happier with that choice in the long run. Interesting if anyone would cross-shop the two models if it were not for an external influence (spouse/friend) that was pro-Subaru. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darryl Posted October 27, 2004 Author Share Posted October 27, 2004 The increase is from the reflash, but my car is also outfitted with the older style APS intake, and APS turbo-back exhaust (both from the APS Club Spec kit). Mine is the stage 2 reflash for 93 octane, and mapped for the intake and exhaust. Cobb Tuning reflashed the stock ecu. No EcuTek here. I even have the intercooler sprayer left over from the Club Spec kit too, though I modified it to be used manually. It's definitely a sleeper. The first thing I did to the car was take it 0.6 miles to have the stock RE92 tires taken off and replaced with 225x16x50 RE950 tires. The wider footprint aids cornering and braking. Best bang for the Buck is still the 11.5:1 quick rack though. Darryl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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