speedyblue Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Anyone go from a 2005 LGT Wagon to a 2011 WRX Hatch? My 2005 LGT wagon has 86,600 miles and runs flawlessly but I guess I have a taste for STRANGE. I miss a smaller car. I actually test drove the VW GTI for grins. The size was perfect.. but FWD and a turbo just was not doing it for me. What say you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueWhiteBoy Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I'm a ways away from a new car, but I have a feeling that in 2013 I may be making a similar jump (although from 05 Sedan to a hatch) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Take a look at this thread: 2011 wrx limited vs 2005 legacy gt limited The OP in it went from a 2005 LGT to a 2011 WRX. I went from a 2005 LGT wagon to a 2010 STI SE hatch, and posted my thoughts on the switch as well. As far as the smaller car thing goes, the only thing smaller is the trunk (LGT wagon vs STI hatch). Interior space is virtually dead on (actually a lot more headroom in the STI thanks to no sunroof), and the STI is notably wider thanks to the sexy fender flares. The 2011 WRX is just as wide since it gained the same widebody. The shorter length does help a lot when parking. My STI hatch fits in many spaces that my LGT wagon couldn't touch, so 90% of the time I prefer the hatch shape/dimensions. On the other hand I occasionally miss the wagon's cargo space. I'd never give up my STI for an LGT, but honestly I'd rather have my old LGT wagon than a WRX. The LGT is much nicer inside, and the WRX doesn't have enough mechanical improvements over the LGT to warrant the cost of upgrading IMO. I'd rather spend the money on a 6MT swap, engine build, BBK, and fresh bushings/shocks/etc. Or on an STI. YMMV though, many people have gone LGT -> 2011 WRX and liked the switch, and the STI's upgrades may be useless to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedyblue Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 Thank you for the link and impressions. What bothers me most about the LGT wagon is the weight when trying to throw it into corners. My previous car was an Acura RSX-S that we traded in on a Mazda CX-9. So we have the utility we need.. but I'm missing my pocket rocket (that's what she said). I see the curb weight of the WRX hatch is only like 200 lbs less than the LGT wagon. I know I need to test drive the WRX.. but they are hard to find on dealer lots right now. Would appreciate any more comments from people who have made the switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gire Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 What you say makes sense to me. There's no substitute for a short wheelbase sporty car. When I drove my wagon off the lot and put it in to the first corner I thought "damn I'm going to miss my Honda". It took a lot of work and several years to get the wagon to handle almost as good. If I didn't have a big family of my own I'd be in a smaller WRX sized car again. That's why I'm loving the new turbo Focus soon to be released. It'll be awesome too. Like the GTi and the WRX. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nm Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 ^^^^^^^^^ I dunno, I like the longer wheelbase. The legacy is the most predictable car in a slide I've ever driven. Great track car, not great autocross car. Thank you for the link and impressions. What bothers me most about the LGT wagon is the weight when trying to throw it into corners. My previous car was an Acura RSX-S that we traded in on a Mazda CX-9. So we have the utility we need.. but I'm missing my pocket rocket (that's what she said). I see the curb weight of the WRX hatch is only like 200 lbs less than the LGT wagon. I know I need to test drive the WRX.. but they are hard to find on dealer lots right now. Would appreciate any more comments from people who have made the switch. It is more like 100lbs lighter. And the STI is actually heavier than the LGT (if 2005 manual). It is all the the suspension tuning. The LGT feels heavy because the suspension is so damn soft. Even more so when your dampers have 80k mi on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedyblue Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 Interesting.. I've never thought of suspension causing the weighty feel of the car. Just figured it was the longer wheelbase and general size. I will say the suspension has held up fantastically.. I don't detect any degradation. Overall the wagon has been rock solid. I had the timing belt done at 70k though cause the dealer said one of the tensioner pulleys was bad and the labor was the same. My point is it's a hard sell to my wife to turn in a perfectly functioning paid off vehicle for something more 'fun'. Oh well.. the eternal struggle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Thank you for the link and impressions. What bothers me most about the LGT wagon is the weight when trying to throw it into corners. My previous car was an Acura RSX-S that we traded in on a Mazda CX-9. So we have the utility we need.. but I'm missing my pocket rocket (that's what she said). I see the curb weight of the WRX hatch is only like 200 lbs less than the LGT wagon. I know I need to test drive the WRX.. but they are hard to find on dealer lots right now. Would appreciate any more comments from people who have made the switch. Coming from a 2800 lbs sedan before the LGT I know exactly what you're talking about with feeling the weight. In my experience there's no disguising the feeling of a heavy car. Some do much better (e.g. Evo) than others (e.g. Audi), but hop in any 3400+ lbs car after driving a 2800 lbs one and it will feel heavy. The wheelbase also plays a big role in how light and tossable a car feels but it's harder for me to quantify - I haven't always paid attention to the relative wheelbases of cars I've driven, vs their overall size and weight. Also the 2008-2011 Impreza wheelbase is pretty much identical to the 2005-2009 LGT. The length difference is all in the hatch vs wagon body. I dunno, I like the longer wheelbase. The legacy is the most predictable car in a slide I've ever driven. Great track car, not great autocross car. A longer wheelbase certainly makes a car more stable ride smoother, but I think there's a pretty linear tradeoff between that and tossability. It is more like 100lbs lighter. And the STI is actually heavier than the LGT (if 2005 manual). My STI hatch is 92 lbs lighter than my 05 LGT 5MT wagon was, according to the spec sheets. The LGT sedan may be lighter but who wants a sedan? It is all the the suspension tuning. The LGT feels heavy because the suspension is so damn soft. Even more so when your dampers have 80k mi on them. I disagree with this. A firmer suspension can help but it will not fully disguise the car's weight or wheelbase. My STI is much more responsive than my LGT was thanks to the firmer suspension (and a few other things) but the STI still feels its weight. Or take another example, 2006 WRX vs 2010 STI SE. The STI handles far, far better than the soft, sloppy WRX, but you can feel the old WRX's shorter wheelbase and lighter weight. 2006 WRX vs 2005 LGT was also an interesting comparison. Both have a softly tuned suspension, but the LGT has a longer wheelbase, is a longer car, and weights a bit more. The WRX is far more tossable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 One more thought: I think the Evo's quick steering ratio and response contribute greatly to its tossable feeling for a heavy car. The Evo VIII-IX has 13:1 steering from the factory, which is quicker than anything else I've driven or heard of. The STI and LGT have 15:1 steering, and the difference is HUGE. I'm sure more things contribute to the Evo's ability to disguise its weight, including its seats and suspension, but I bet the steering plays a big role. To that end I have an 11.5:1 Q-Rack going in my STI tomorrow, along with stiffer rack bushings (initially poly, later Delrin). It's seriously pricey but it's something I've wanted since before I bought the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nm Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 My STI hatch is 92 lbs lighter than my 05 LGT 5MT wagon was, according to the spec sheets. The LGT sedan may be lighter but who wants a sedan? spec says: 2005 LGT wagon (base) 3355lbs 2011 STI Hatch 3373 lbs, which is lighter than it used to be, 2009 was 3400 (3395) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 My LGT wagon was a Limited with the big, heavy sunroof. (Totally worth the weight on the Legacy, wouldn't want a sunroof on the STI though.) I just looked up the weight, it's 3435 lbs. Less than I remembered but still more than my STI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nm Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 My LGT wagon was a Limited with the big, heavy sunroof. (Totally worth the weight on the Legacy, wouldn't want a sunroof on the STI though.) I just looked up the weight, it's 3435 lbs. Less than I remembered but still more than my STI. I suspect 80lbs in the roof will make your car feel a lot heavier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I sometimes wondered if I could feel the difference. I never drove a non-Limited LGT though. I loved that sunroof and it totally fit the LGT's character, but I wouldn't even consider one in an STI. Too much weight in the wrong place, eats into helmet room, and just doesn't fit the character of the car. Btw I'm virtually certain that if you built a 2005 Legacy STI wagon with the 6MT, bigger wheels, beefier hubs, bigger brakes, bigger intercooler, bigger fenders, etc it would weight more than the STI hatchback. (Non-limited to non-limited.) Those things can add up. Also the STI chassis feels stiffer to me, so it would take some extra bracing to bring the LGT wagon up to STI hatch stiffness. I know the two chassis are closely related but if nothing else the shorter cargo area helps. Or to think of it another way, the 2008+ WRX is much more comparable to the LGT, and the WRX weighs less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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