garcon magnifique Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 So, for various reasons it seems the time has come to swap the STI for something a little more sensible. Better mpg, more comfortable, bigger, less nickable. Tonight I have a demonstrator Legacy estate Boxer diesel on the drive. Not bought (yet), just borrowed. So far I've been pleasantly surprised at just how good it is. And it certainly doesn't want for equipment. Am I mad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 So, going from 280+ BHP???? STi to a 160 BHP (with a bag of torque) in something that doesn't look as nice as the previous Legacy shapes. It's too boxy (pardon the pun) now. Nice, but not AS nice! The rest of your stuff is standard - more this and more that. Newer always means more equipment anyway. However, we've all done it, and sometimes it's a necessary evil. D'oh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted January 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 330PS to 150PS. Although it really doesn't feel like less than half the power. Time for another drive I think... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TP27 Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Time for another drive I think... I'd think long and hard Garcon - may seem like a sensible step but take your time !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZURES3 Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Audi A1 for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 330PS to 150PS. Although it really doesn't feel like less than half the power. Time for another drive I think... I know when I went from my 4.2 V8 to a 2.5 Straight 6 old skool BMW diesel, the MPG was shocking. I think it was because I was driving it like the V8, rather than to the strengths of the diesel. However, that was the old TD, new and newer TDi's should make a huge difference. Those Boxer Diesel are quite quiet though, so you'd loose that lovely Boxer sound. Anyhitng else on the radar? (silly question?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TP27 Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Audi A1 for you Now it's car of the year, you'll do well to get it from the factory this year - back to the Legacy Estate idea......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milo Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 (edited) So, for various reasons it seems the time has come to swap the STI for something a little more sensible. Better mpg, more comfortable, bigger, less nickable.Tonight I have a demonstrator Legacy estate Boxer diesel on the drive. Not bought (yet), just borrowed. So far I've been pleasantly surprised at just how good it is. And it certainly doesn't want for equipment. Am I mad? If the time is right to get out of the Impreza, then the time's right, regardless of what's next or what the reasons are. Leaving a 330PS full-blooded hooligan car means you're always going to have days when you frown and ponder if whatever you end up with was the right choice, but unless you intend going 400PS+, that's life Personally, I'd look beyond the Subaru badge this time as there are a lot of decent alternatives out there these days (not just Merc/BMW/Audi), I looked very hard at the Insignia VXR thingy for example, a stonking car for the money. Petrol vs diesel? Tough call, many would say diesel but these days, diesel costs the same as 99RON petrol and if you go for anything large/rapid, the attractive diesel economy is often compromised. S'pose it depends on mileage - if you're racking it up on the motorway then the diesel argument still holds strong. But, if like me you do 5-6k miles per year, a petrol car may seem infinitely more attractive. Tell you what, we're looking for a new car for Mrs Milo at the moment and I'm seriously impressed with the Skoda Fabia vrs someone posted up in DHA'a thread. A shade over £13k buys you a brand new one and the 170PS 1.4TFSI engine looks like a winner. You could get rid of the plastic thing, stick some money in the bank, drive the Fabia for 18 months, give it away, and still lose less money than you would have done driving another Legacy off the forecourt!! Edited January 17, 2011 by Milo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuprabob Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Only downside with the Skoda VRS, like other VAG cars, you are looking at a 6 month leadtime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 (edited) I'd go with what Milo has said on this, especially in respect of having a look around at what else is available. There are always going to be benefits of sticking with the same brand, especially in respect of part-exchange, but it can be six and two-threes. I also agree with him on the Insignia (in general, not just the VXR). That is a seriously well specified car with good overall build quality. There are a couple in our car park now and I can't help but think how good they look when compared to a good few supposedly more 'premium' brands. I don't know enough about the Legacy range to comment though, so I don't know how easy it'd be to live with such a significant drop in power. However, I do know that I recently drove a BMW 320i (E90 Saloon) with the 168 bhp engine...and I'll admit it felt a lot different. It was very smooth, well built and the trip was only 5 miles - but despite smelling newer, looking newer, feeling sparkly bright and all that...it wasn't a lumpy engined car. I've always found lower powered cars (than anything you're used to drive) are fine in short periods - but it's when you realise they're less relaxing because you're always on the power more that it starts to grind on you. That, on my use of a car at least, tends to be what would bug me more than anything else. I could easily get away with a car of much less capacity for the trips I do, but whether I could live with it in the long term is another thing. But...something more comfortable and less nickable are important points. I can completely see why that would be appealling. Comfort matters to me. I don't really think about the theft aspect these days but I might do with a newer car like yours that is clearly in a different performance league to mine. In all honesty, cards on the table...I just keep hoping it'll never happen to me (theft, that is). I might change my mind if I'd been as unfortunate as DHA recently. I drove a Saab TiD (strange arrangement of model designation letters if ever I saw one) about 2 years back and that was impressive. Much more so than I expected. Difficult though isn't it? Short term use isn't daily use - and I think you'd probably only really know with a day or two of a loan car. Edited January 17, 2011 by MrMe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tipex Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 This is one instance where I'd say avoid a Legacy. One like Mooks, yes, but a diesel? no, they don't make sense given the competition. The boxer diesel is a nice idea, and when they finally get it right, it will be a stonking engine, but it's currently under powered, and seriously lacking in torque compared it's competition, and it's MPG figures are also poor for a diesel, there are much better cars out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shao_khan Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Just chipping in on the Insignia - my Insignia I had prior to my Golf was far superior to the golf in every way - both cars covered similar mileage (about 5k miles per month), the insignia didnt need any trips to the dealer, it was quieter on the motorway, more pleasent cruiser just better. Golf has just gone and I'm not even vaguely sad to see the back of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted January 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Thanks folks, all very useful comments as ever. Having driven the Legacy a bit further (I've got it til tomorrow afternoon) I must say I'm suitably impressed. BUT I don't really have a benchmark to compare it with. Must admit, Insignia is one of the more interesting alternatives and perhaps the most worthy of a drive. I also like the Mazda6, but I'm not convinced it really competes in the same league. I think I can see what Tipex is saying about the boxer diesel, but again I think I need something to compare it with. I've averaged 45mpg so far over 70 or so pretty mixed miles. The lack of punch low down is a funny one - I suspect Tipex would notice it having driven other diesels for 100s of thousands of miles at 1200 revs, whereas I - having never owned a diesel and driven relatively few - treat it more like a petrol engine; it pulls fine from about 1600 upwards. 20% + off a new Insignia makes the higher end models an interesting prospect... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mort Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 I must admit I wouldn't consider a diesel Legacy after having a GTB. I think there are better diesels out there for the money and a diesel legacy would continuously remind me of how good a car it could be if it weren't for the fact it had a diesel engine in it. If you can justify the cost of getting a diesel (compared to the MPG of your current car) then look for the best one out there and get that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busby Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 20% + off a new Insignia makes the higher end models an interesting prospect... I've been tempted by that deal a few times too! The dealer that bought my VXR8 from me is selling new Insignia VXR's (with Nav) for £23800. Seems like a lot of car for the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Well, as I'm sure some of you will expect, I've gone and completely ignored all your advice. To start with, a little research reassured me that many of the gripes mentioned were more relevant to the first generation diesel, as sold in the last model Legacy (i.e. the facelifted version of Mook's). The 2010 Legacy was an all new car, bigger, better inside, more toys, and - as I discovered, some subtle but important tweaks to the diesel engine. It now has almost identical torque figures to the 160bhp Vauxhall unit in the Insignia, and even though it's a big 4x4 estate it'll pull a genuine 45+ mpg all day long. (The official combined figure for the 4x4 Insignia estate is 47mpg and I really ain't bothered about a couple of mpg when I'm used to 25...). As an overall package, with the deal on the table, and (I'll freely admit) a strong degree of loyalty both to the marque and the dealership, it came out on top. Does that sound like trying to justify the choice?? Feck it, who cares - I love it! I actually tried to get an Insignia test drive last week, but as others have noted in the dealers thread in some places it seems impossible to actually buy a car. I wandered around looking at a couple of used examples outside, then a new one inside, then wandered back out again, loitered a bit and finally gave up and left. Not a single person caught my eye in that time, let alone spoke to me. Ah well, their loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblanc Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Garcon in "I bought a Subaru shocker" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 So let me get this straight - you've bought a Vauxhall... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milo Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 garcon, don't you ever, ever, ever have a go at anyone else, especially Audi drivers, about being brand blinkered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 I think the odds on it not being a Subaru were longer than those for me winning The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and my first England football cap in 2011 - as Captain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 garcon, don't you ever, ever, ever have a go at anyone else, especially Audi drivers, about being brand blinkered Ah, but there's a significant difference! Subarus are worthy cars that deserve loyalty, whereas Audis are crap. I did look around honest, but once I'd decided I didn't want to go for a premium marque I'll admit the dye was probably cast. And it was a good deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flynn Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 ........................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarMad Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 I did look around honest, but once I'd decided I didn't want to go for a premium marque I'll admit the dye was probably cast. Come on admit it you just drove past a few dealers in the Subaru didn't you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Sounds like you did your homework Garcon, checked out the non-premium sector, weighed up the options, test drove lots, considered our thoughts and views and bought the Subaru! Fair enough! When's delivery time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Sounds like you did your homework Garcon, checked out the non-premium sector, weighed up the options, test drove lots, considered our thoughts and views and bought the Subaru! Help us all - Joe is delusional now if he reckons Garcon would do that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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