Monster

I kinda wish i had, but they stopped selling the GT for about 9 months in Australia last year because the GT didnt' meet the new emission standards, so i got the 3.0L engine. Insurance is slightly cheaper because it doesn't have a turbo in it. The 3.0L engine lacks a bit of low end torque, so usually i have to rev the engine a bit to get it moving, and that probably contribute to the high fuel consumption. I know the 2.5 turbo is a different engine but i can't imagine it being more economical.

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Monster

here you go another photo, i have posted the 2nd one before

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martinbo

Ah, the sublime 3.0R Spec B. My choice of steed around the handling test track... on the skidpan it's a bit more of a handful because of its sudden transition from grip to no grip so balancing it for a nice four wheel drift is trickier than say a Forester... (here's me getting the car sideways at my local haunt )

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Fabulous car, massively underrated. I hope you're getting lots of enjoyment out of it!

BMW_Dude

The front of this car looks so hot, unlike all other subarus at the moment, they need to do something about their design department!

The sides are starting to look a bit dated though!

Monster

Looks like you are having a lot of fun, have you tried drifting the car on dry surface? i think it will be difficult because the car has so much grip and the engine does not have enough torque to spin the wheels.

I would like to take my car out to a test track of some sort and test the full ability of my car. My friend has warned me about the sudden transition from grip to non grip, he was going around a corner a bit too fast in his Forester GT, and the transitioni from grip to no grip was too quick he couldn't save it. So with that in mind, i don't do anything stupid on the roads.

I am definitely enjoying driving my liberty but there are 2 things that bothers me a little. Cause mine is a wagon, when in corner, the rear roll more than the front, so it feels a bit strange when the rear is rolling more than the front. The brakes are another thing i want to improve. They are not as powerful as i hoped, and i have to use more than half of the peddle travel to have any noticable braking effect on the car.

Mikael

Now that looks great! It's very attractive a car. I don't think the new Impreza is ugly but it isn't near as good-looking as this is.

martinbo

Indeed drifting the Legacy 3.0 R on a dry surface - as in sustained four-wheel drift - is pretty much impossible on public roads. What you must be aware of is the Legacy's ability to snap into oversteer on throttle lift off in a corner at high speeds. In the wet this is less likely as the car will understeer first. But on a dry road... oh dear I've lost it several times on the limit. In every case it was the same mistake: commit to a corner, lost nerve, sudden throttle lift and hey presto. Some days I've caught it and others I was on the grass. I've even managed to spin the car down a long straight test track! (Don't ask me how [embarrassment] but judging by the reaction of the Police reservists in the back of the car it was, in the end, a funny story with a happy ending...)

The Legacy is every bit a driver's car and if you're willing to step beyond its prodigious limits then one treads the fine line between a car that's very rewarding to the experienced driver and a car that can catch out the unwary. But then, aren't all the best drivers cars like that?

Forester on its standard Yokohama Geolandar G900 is very predictable and has relatively low levels of grip so the oversteer moment is communicated quite transparently. However, if your friend is running more performance-oriented road tyres on wider alloys then yes, the transition from grip to no grip will be quicker. On your Legacy, as I've explained above, this transition is typically quite sudden, particularly if the surface is dry and has a good level of adhesion.

Note that the rear "roly-ness" of the wagon is actually a handling trademark of Subarus. The cars are so nicely balanced left to right that any mid corner lift clearly transmits the fact the the front outside wheel is more loaded than the outer rear wheel, hence the sensation that the roll rate at the two axles is different. The wagon configuration with the higher centre of gravity at the rear merely enhances this sensation. Brakes aren't as confidence-inspiring as the Germans - one has to stand harder on them to get the same level of brake force, however I have noticed that they are quite resistant to fading on the track if one follows a few basic procedures.

Monster

Thanks heaps mate!!! Thanks for answering my questions and explaining in detail. I didn't notice your reply earlier.

My friend had 18 inch wheels on his Forester GT, that explains why. The car snapped back at him while he tried to correct it and the car hit the side of the road, damaging the rims and the front suspension.

The brakes are definitely one thing i am looking at for some improvement, i am thinking of getting different pads, can you give some suggestions? And tell us about the funny story, don't worry if it is off topic i dont' think other members are watching this thread.

martinbo

No worries and you’re welcome…

Yeah, all-wheel drive cars – great if you treat them right but when asking too much of them then be sure to be on your toes… My commiserations with your friend but hey I guess it happens to all of us. My advice in this instance is to test the handling limits at a track day or on a nice, wide and deserted bend (I don’t think such a thing exists in Sydney!) so that your friend can regain his confidence in his car’s handling – it’s really just about practice.

Monster, be wary of brake pads that are not OEM spec for the Legacy. If the compound is too grippy then this can cause the disks to overheat and warp. I have noticed that Legacy’s brake disks need a skim from time to time to cure brake shudder.

When presenting Subaru’s to prospective customers in a “try-before-you-buy” experience at a renowned test facility, one of the events we prepare is a “giant gymkhana” which involves a set of exercises on wet and dry surfaces to give customers a feel for the cars in the various dynamic disciplines. Some of it involves cornering and braking on a skidpad, another part entailing straight-line acceleration and then a coned slalom down a long straight in the dry. The customers love it but before we unleash them, the instructors are required to do a demonstration lap with passengers in the car to explain the sequence of exercises.

For the second session of the day I ended up with a dealer and two reservists in a Legacy 2.5i. When demonstrating the giant slalom we advise a speed of 80 km/h so that the inexperienced don’t get caught out (wait for it…) On the return leg of the slalom said police reservists said “C’mon man – show us what this thing can really do…” and naturally I obliged. So I executed the slalom at a higher speed – I estimate at around 120 km/h – in an inelegant lairy fashion by swinging the car from side to side through the cones. I managed to negotiate the last cone and relieved I simply lifted off without settling the car back onto its line. Needless to say I was still “mid-corner”… Oversteer moment number 1, I caught. The car snapped back into oversteer moment number 2, which I caught. Oversteer moment number 3 back in the other direction… I didn’t catch. And I got spat done a long, high grip concrete straight in two beautiful pirouettes – narrowly missing the bank and a “slow down” signpost. After coming to a stop I hooked first gear and moved off. The two reservists in the back were laughing so hard I didn’t hear the other instructors over the radio pulling the piss…

One of my more auspicious moments in life.

ateekt

One word, "awesome" & I love Subarus, since very first day ...!

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