cloudy

Has anyone had or driven and can compare a Legacy GTB with an Impreza Turbo ?
My 98 5door turbo is due for replacement, and I need something a bit bigger.
How does the GTB handle ? I know it'll probably be a compromise as I need a bigger estate car but I'm not prepared to sacrifice performance for it. I know lots of people will slag GTBs off, but I just need a fast and safe estate without being bothered by ultimate performance.
I understand manual GTBs are rare. Is the auto box that bad or should I wait for a manual to come along ? Any other tips ?
I love my Impreza and I'd love to stay a Scooby driver !

cheers

cloudy

No Legacy drivers here ?

Richard Curtis

Although i've not owned a GTB I used to have a UK 92 Legacy Turbo for three years. A really great car that had excellent handling for a big car. Quite hard suspension with very little roll (17" wheels tho), the steering didn't as much feel as the impreza.

It had a few special mods which brought the performance close to a 280BHP GTB. Having changed to a standard UK impreza turbo I was a little disapointed because the Legacy seemed the quicker car.

It also had a more luxurious feel (if a subaru can be called luxurious), with nice leather bits and better controls.

Where the impreza scores is that its a lot more nimble and of course its an enthusiasts icon.

But if u want a practical Q car the Legacy (turbo / GTB / RSK etc.) is excellent value for money and hard to beat.

Regacy

I've done lots of miles in imprezas and have owned a GTB for nearly a year now. The impreza is fantastic in standard UK spec and assuming you're not into lots of scary mods is a fast, medium-sized car. I need something bigger than that but still want the speed and handling. It's useful to draw comparisons with the impreza but if what you need is a large estate then it's not in the running. The shortlist you need to work from is unfortunately very short and exceedingly expensive

Audi A4 Avant S4 Quattro £37,552
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate E55 AMG £56,940
Both have a top speed of 155 and manage 0-60 in 5.7 and 5.9 respectively, but for that money they should do!
On the slightly smaller side is the Legnum, a Mitsubishi galant under the skin with twin turbo and active yaw (one here

mutant_matt

There are a bunch of Legacy owners chatting on this BBS on this thread:

SJobson

I asked the same question about 3 weeks ago -

Ed Hodgson

Yes - i thought it was a useful response anyway

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by cloudy:
<B>Has anyone had or driven and can compare a Legacy GTB with an Impreza Turbo ?</B>

see if you can track down colin urquhart (colin_urquhart@agilent.com) . He posted on here a while back with the same issue He's just bought a new GTB. I don't need an estate, & the B4 saloon is a better car for me - quieter & with a better suspension package i believe (although think the GTB E-tune now comes with Bilsteins etc..)

<B> I understand manual GTBs are rare. Is the auto box that bad or should I wait for a manual to come along ?
cheers[/quote]

get a manual if you can - best suited to the engine I think, & 20hp more than the auto. I've seen manuals around - the estate I tested at park lane was certainly a manual

don't think you'll be disappointed with the Legacy (unless you've got £50K to spend on an AMG merc) - you should be able to pick one up for less than 20K used or 23-25K new, depending where you go

Ed

MattN

I've owned 3 of the buggers now.

Great cars. Quick, handle well, good spec.

Manuals are quick, and, not that rare. I by mine direct from Japan for the biggest savings.

Mail me if you want details.

Matt