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Legacy GT Wagon: A True SUV


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Sport Utility Vehicle. We all know what it means, but taken literally, I think the Legacy GT Wagon defines the class. Good cargo room, four doors, AWD to deal with inclement weather, manual transmission availability, and very good performance and handling. What else is there on the market that combines 'sport' and 'utility' so well? V50? Can't think of too many others... -B
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Good point. I've always believed that for most people, a wagon makes a better "SUV" than a truck. Wagons haul as much, if not more, handle much better and are available with AWD and extra ground clearance. Ken
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[quote name='Beanboy']Sport Utility Vehicle. We all know what it means, but taken literally, I think the Legacy GT Wagon defines the class. Good cargo room, four doors, AWD to deal with inclement weather, manual transmission availability, and very good performance and handling. What else is there on the market that combines 'sport' and 'utility' so well? V50? Can't think of too many others... [/QUOTE]Outback XT

2005 Legacy GT Wagon Ltd 5EAT Garnet Red :cool:

1999 GTI VR6 Black - sold but not forgotten... :(

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Ride heigt has become part of SUV expectation. I agree with all that was said about Leg GT being an SUV, but the Outback's extra ride hieght better fits market expectation and is still much better than truck based monsters. Even my wife, who will never go off main highway, wants to sit a bit higher than normal car. Go figure. SUV providers have determined that they "must have" a third row seat option for their SUV. I guess that is why Suby is comming out with the Tribeca? With a car as great as the OBXT, I just do not get a bigger SUV for Suby, but I am sure there mktg research has all the numbers to prove its need. Accept for the third row seat, the OB has better offroad specs than most SUV and more cargo space behind second row, plus performance that no SUV short of AMG/M/Porsche Turbo can offer. I must be the odd one because I just do not get it.
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Well, SUV's are essentially just an extension of the Wagon. Too bad most people don't understand that a Wagon will do everything most SUV's will and better, particularly if they always keep them on the road and never carry enough to fill the cargo room up. Most SUV's I see have only one person in them, and it often tends to look to be too much vehicle to handle for many of them. A car in many cases gets the job done just as good or better and be more efficient and allow people to get into tighter places and be safer at the same time. An OB or Legacy fits the bill much better for probably 80% or greater of SUV buyers.
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I think what complicates this discussion is the definition of "sport". Off-road: while my off-roading days are pretty much behind me, I've taken my Jeeps through some god-awfull situations that I wouldn't even think of taking my Legacy through, streams 2-3 feet deep for example. I remember many years back taking my Jeep out on what I thought was a sand flat on the end of Brigantine NJ while monitoring sand movements, only to find out that part of it was a salt marsh that had been covered over by sand during a storm. The only way I was able to extricate the vehicle was to put it in 4-wheel low. Most of these car-like SUV's don't have that option. Augmenting other sports: These days I use my full size SUV to pull our 6000 lb. boat. These are the only vehicles that can still seat 6-7 people and perform that function. Snow: If there were only 2-5 inches of snow on the roads, I'd feel confident in taking the Legacy. However, given a foot or more of snow, the Legacy would stay in the driveway and the Jeep would be our mode of transportation. So it really depends on how you use the vehicle.
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I think the new Outbacks are great. But I was reminded a few weeks ago why they are not total replacements for SUVs. Two Outbacks aborted an attempt to make it through Iron Mountain Rd (Lake Tahoe area) with about a 1.5 feet of snow on the road. My Bronco made it through just fine. And as TonyDB points out, car-based SUV/wagons cannot tow 6000lbs. For those who don't need massive ground clearance or mega towing capacity, car-based SUVs are easily the better choice.
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[quote]For those who don't need massive ground clearance or mega towing capacity, car-based SUVs are easily the better choice.[/quote] Yup, which pretty much describes 90% of SUV owners out there. Ken
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I did make it out of my driveway and out & about in a foot or so of snow in my LGTwagon when I lived in Salt Lake City a few years ago. It was slow going, but it happened. The snow was fresh and loose. Had it been packed & icy, it would not have happened. So, I know my new one should be capable of that feat should the real need arise. It almost seems as though the SUV craze is dying down just a bit. It takes people quite a while to smarten up and figure out what they really want. If only we could get the uber-intellectuals and trendsetters like Susan Sarandon, Jeff Goldblum, and Tom Hanks to drive legacies, then we'd get somewhere.
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  • 2 years later...

Just came across with this thread while doing a search, too bad that 3 years ago (almost) we already liked our wagons that much, too bad SoA canceled first the 5MT and now the car itself!!!!

 

Flavio Zanetti

Boston, MA

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If only we could get the uber-intellectuals and trendsetters like Susan Sarandon, Jeff Goldblum, and Tom Hanks to drive legacies, then we'd get somewhere.

 

Can't forget about Chuck Norris. He made karate cool.:lol:

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Moms want to "sit higher" because it evokes a "more commanding view of the road." Visability seems to be a key the same goes with "I'm higher up in a huge hunk of metal, of course I'm safe."

 

:rofl:

 

Yeah, but they still look straight down their stinking noses, right over the hood, and onto the ground 5 feet in front of their bumper...I HATE people that don't look ahead while driving...

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Just came across with this thread while doing a search, too bad that 3 years ago (almost) we already liked our wagons that much, too bad SoA canceled first the 5MT and now the car itself!!!!

 

Flavio Zanetti

Boston, MA

 

It's interesting that they kept the 2.5i wagon with a 5mt as well....

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like to see the Infiniti FX35 in a manual trans.
258k miles - Stock engine/minor suspension upgrades/original shocks/rear struts replaced at 222k/4 passenger side wheel bearings/3 clutches/1 radiator/3 turbos
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I've been to places like Salt Lake City that usually receive snow and I can tell you that there are nowhere near the amount of trucks and SUVs in those places than are in Georgia. Atlanta is chocked with them because of the women who like to ride higher and the cosmetic cowboys who drive them to their office jobs.
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I definitely make the most of the "utility" of both my vehicles. I have the LGT wagon but have left it at the 6.1 inch ride heigh so I can still use it for my ski trips (every weekend plus some weekdays). I also have a 98 4Runner with the larger tires for running the fire roads that would eat up my wagon. The swap for my 4Runner typically happens when I need to go deep into the woods for a hiking/climbing trip where vehicles with less then 9-10 inches of clearance end up loosing some part of their under-carriage. Don't think I won't take my LGT wagon on rough roads because I do, but some of the roads I access change over from fire road to more trail like. Both are great cars but do have some seperation of functionality.

 

Cheers,

mike

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+1

 

Anyone here ever driven an FX35? They're growing on me big-time.....

 

Tim G.

 

 

not yet, PGT has one. hope to drive it soon:icon_bigg

258k miles - Stock engine/minor suspension upgrades/original shocks/rear struts replaced at 222k/4 passenger side wheel bearings/3 clutches/1 radiator/3 turbos
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