Opie Posted June 25, 2004 Posted June 25, 2004 Picked mine up yesterday morning! '05 GT Limited 5-spd. w/Compass Mirror, Security Upgrade & STI Short Shift Kit. [img]http://www.subaruchallenge.com/Wills/Photos/LegGT.JPG[/img] It's the next chapter in my interesting history of Subaru's; '91 Legacy Turbo '95 Impreza L Coupe '99 Legacy 30th Anniversary '00 Impreza 2.5RS '03 Legacy SE (Still have this one!) and now the new baby! :D [img]http://www.subaruchallenge.com/Wills/Photos/LegInt.JPG[/img] [img]http://www.subaruchallenge.com/Wills/Photos/LegRear.JPG[/img] [img]http://www.subaruchallenge.com/Wills/Photos/LegMtr.JPG[/img]
MaStaMooN Posted June 25, 2004 Posted June 25, 2004 NICE... Picking a color is the hardest part about buying one of these!!! Beautiful car man! Congrats. Jon - vBGarage Profile
Mines Posted June 25, 2004 Posted June 25, 2004 Wow, that pic of ur legacy, is the best one i seen yet..
Drift Monkey Posted June 25, 2004 Posted June 25, 2004 Wow, nice opie! I got to see ABP is person and I have to agree...it does looks VERY nice. Driving impressions? Opinions?
Dr. Zevil Posted June 25, 2004 Posted June 25, 2004 Very nice car! Absolutely beautiful. You should post your impressions soon!
SubaruDeac Posted June 25, 2004 Posted June 25, 2004 Congrats! Beautiful car. Please give your review soon. And for those of still on the fence, let us know what other choices you were considering and why you went with the Subaru.
racerdave Posted June 25, 2004 Posted June 25, 2004 Congrats! That's the first AB pic I've seen taken in direct sunlight... and it looks pretty darn good. Better than in the flat light of the dealership. I'm going to have to see it in person on a sunny day.
Opie Posted June 25, 2004 Author Posted June 25, 2004 Thanks for all the compliments! :) As far as driving impressions, let me say I'll be basing them on the two cars I've been driving most recently; a heavily modified '00 Impreza 2.5RS and a stock '03 Legacy SE Auto. The '05 is worlds apart from both of those cars, when we originally picked up the '03 I was impressed then by how much better built it was compared to my '00. The '05 impresses me even more. The feel of the materials is top rate, the build quality is astounding and the ride is more comfortable and quiet than any other Subaru I've ever driven. The car starts out in first very unassuming, then as boost begins to build it changes almost immeadiately from unassuming to almost scary, it certainly induces an uncontrolable smile. If you've driven an STi, imagine that feel on acceleration, but in a quieter, more comfortable setting. The transmission is crisp and feels very properly geared, even the new shift knob which looks a little strange at first just feels perfectly balanced once in hand. While cruising on the interstate in 5th at 70mph it only takes a push on the accelerator for the turbo to react and propel the car forward very quickly, changing gears to get around a slower car is unnecessary. The stock suspension feels somewhat floaty, but of course I'm comparing to the Impreza that had a full STi Ver.6 suspension & bushings. While more floaty than the Impreza, I never felt disconnected from the road, steering feedback and feel are excellent and actually feels a bit quicker than the Impreza. While driving around curves the suspension feels well within it's limits and never felt surprised by any of my inputs. Braking is also excellent and very balanced. The nose dosen't seem to dive excessively during hard braking and the pedal has almost the same firmness as the Impreza did with 22b 4-pots, H6 rears and stainless lines. I honestly think that just the addition af stainless lines to the Legacy GT brakes will make them as firm, if not firmer than what I am used to. The RE92's are not as bad as the 16" variety. In the 215/45VR17 size they have a very short sidewall yet retain their quiet ride and adequate grip. While out for dinner last night I ran into a heavy downpour, the tires did not give up any traction in the wet conditions and the car felt as sure footed as it did in the dry. Another impressive feature is the A/C system, it has not trouble whatsoever cooling the car down very rapidly. I live in Florida where afternoon temps yesterday were very high (103 according to the outside temp gauge) and the car was always completely cooled down within 5 miutes of starting the car. I can't image how much better it will be once I get the windows tinted. As far as other cars I was considering, there really wern't any. I am a die hard Subaru owner and for the money, nothing in my opinioncomes close in terms of reliability, safety and performance. Since purchasing the RS new in '99 several new Subaru's have peaked my interest; Forester XT, STi...but none enough to put my hard earned cash on one. The '05 Legacy GT just came along at the right time, the RS was just getting to small for my family and it still gives me the performance I enjoy. It was a win, win situation in my eyes.
antelope Posted June 25, 2004 Posted June 25, 2004 Thanks for the excellent review and the pics - they're the best shots of the Atlantic Blue I've seen so far. Congrats!
Dr. Zevil Posted June 25, 2004 Posted June 25, 2004 So how do you like the leather? How about it's feeling and temperatures when exposed to that hot florida sun? This was my concern, i was going to get the taupe but I think my dog would demolish it in a hurry and I think that black will wear better. What are your thoughts?
axis008 Posted June 25, 2004 Posted June 25, 2004 Congrats on your purchase!! Once again, pictures do no justice! Everyone who hasn't seen ABP in person HAS TO!! Haha. Also, I think this is the first car I've seen pictures of with the short shift kit. Does it lower the "height" of the shifter as well? -ben
WRXTom Posted June 25, 2004 Posted June 25, 2004 [quote]The stock suspension feels somewhat floaty, but of course I'm comparing to the Impreza that had a full STi Ver.6 suspension & bushings. While more floaty than the Impreza, I never felt disconnected from the road, steering feedback and feel are excellent and actually feels a bit quicker than the Impreza. While driving around curves the suspension feels well within it's limits and never felt surprised by any of my inputs. [/quote] I had STi V7 in my WRX. This accurately reflects my experience. The limits are somewhat lower when compared to the STi gear...which is not unexpected. Tom
goneskiian Posted June 25, 2004 Posted June 25, 2004 Welcome to the boards here Opie! And congrats on you're new purchase! I posted a question to you over at NASIOC, guess I'll have to get over there to see if you answered. :wink: Cheers! -Ian
Opie Posted June 25, 2004 Author Posted June 25, 2004 Dr. Zevil - The leather is great, much higher quality than I expected. I was origionally going to get the standard GT without the leather, then I saw the quality and had to have it! :D It gets warm in the sun here (see pic), but has yet to be uncomfortable and is nowhere close to being "burning". Not sure what a dog might do to it...I've got a 4-year old though ;) [img]http://www.subaruchallenge.com/Wills/Photos/LegConsole.JPG[/img] axis008 - I don't believe the shift kit changed the height at all, it dod however greatly reduce the throw and improved the overall feel. goneskiian - Did I answer your question over on Nasioc? There have been so many! :D More pics: [img]http://www.subaruchallenge.com/Wills/Photos/LegInt.JPG[/img] First trunkmonkey spotting in an '05 :lol: [img]http://www.subaruchallenge.com/Wills/Photos/LegTrunk.JPG[/img] [img]http://www.subaruchallenge.com/Wills/Photos/LegMtr.JPG[/img]
MtnSub Posted June 25, 2004 Posted June 25, 2004 What a beautiful car. The color and simple lines are so tasteful and so sport GT. Your first driving impression was the best I have read. You and gtguy seem to be arriving a almost the same position on stock set-up. Thanks for pictures and review. Bummer is that you have made my absolute choice for silver a question.
brakemans Posted June 25, 2004 Posted June 25, 2004 Now that's a nice trunk. It looks like it can fit three or four bodies... ok, j/k :D That's a nicely designed trunk though. At least those bars don't get in the way anymore.
k9noles Posted June 26, 2004 Posted June 26, 2004 Hello...we can relate to your new arrival...just took delivery of my wife's Atlantic blue (w/taupe interior) Legacy GT Limited 5MT with every option (yes, the lady loves the M/T) and man, what a rush! Am told it's one of the first here in CO-at least in the Boulder area. (Noticed your plate-we're both native Floridians, but we were lucky enough to escape to Colorado-30 years in the swamp was enough for us!!!) The power band on the car is truly amazing for a $30K car. Trying hard to stay way below redline during break in, but not easy. No discernible turbo lag, very taut suspension for excellent road feel, and very precise AWD handling, of course. Rowing 'em with the short throw shifter and Momo shift knob is a joy-very close ratio, and instant engine response. What else can I say? No wonder it was Japan's 03 COTY...ordered ours in April for invoice+3%, which dealer here says is only a dream now! Well worth the wait! Well done Subie! Steve in CO :)
gtguy Posted June 26, 2004 Posted June 26, 2004 Congrats, Opie, and welcome. Nice car. The GT my dealer had was an Atlantic Blue also, and I was very impressed by the color. Not enough to be swayed from my silver, however. Nice monkey. Here's an interesting question about the feeling of "floatiness." Is this a feeling, or does it correlate to handling instability, as well? I ask because what I felt was simply a lack of the directness that I am used to from my WRX wagon with the STi struts/springs/rear pink bits. I sort of had to readjust to the car's quietude. There is a bit more roll, but you don't have to wait for the car to set before carving the corner. The other interesting thing is that you can really feel the attention that Subaru paid to anti-dive and squat geometry in the Legacy. That's a very nice feature, as well. Glad you like the car. I'll be happiest when I can drive my own, instead of someone else's. Kevin
outahere Posted June 26, 2004 Posted June 26, 2004 The back of your trunk is in serious need of debadging, starting with the dealer badge. :D
Opie Posted June 26, 2004 Author Posted June 26, 2004 [quote name='gtguy']Here's an interesting question about the feeling of "floatiness." Is this a feeling, or does it correlate to handling instability, as well? I ask because what I felt was simply a lack of the directness that I am used to from my WRX wagon with the STi struts/springs/rear pink bits. I sort of had to readjust to the car's quietude. There is a bit more roll, but you don't have to wait for the car to set before carving the corner. The other interesting thing is that you can really feel the attention that Subaru paid to anti-dive and squat geometry in the Legacy. That's a very nice feature, as well.[/quote] It's more of a "feel" issue than a problem with the suspension, it still has no trouble going where I ask it to...it just "feels" floaty compared to what I was used to in the RS (that was stiff and had no lean what-so-ever). "Lack of directness" is a perfect explanation, it works superbly, just not the way I'm used to! :D [quote name='outahere']The back of your trunk is in serious need of debadging, starting with the dealer badge.[/quote] Taken care of this afternoon...everything is gone except the 2.5GT...and that might go too! :D
gtguy Posted June 26, 2004 Posted June 26, 2004 Thanks, Opie. Indeed, my GT wagon's butt will be nude as possible, except for the Subaru logo at the center. Unlike the WRX, which needed to have the WRX left intact for visual balance with the chrome key slot, now that the key slot has been relocated to the Pleiades, the wagon lift gate (and sedan trunk) can look fabulous fully nude. A nice touch by Subaru, btw...just lends more feeling of sophistication. Kevin
7stars Posted June 26, 2004 Posted June 26, 2004 Speaking of the Pleiades, it's called the 7 sisters (there's actually way more stars in the cluster), which is what my nick is based on. Why are there only 6 stars on the emblem? Is the car the 7th star? :)
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