Traded-in 2002 White Wrx Wagon 5MT for 05 GT LTD Wagon 5EAT

I did the deal about three weeks ago (I did a write-up of my initial test drives in previous threads - [url=http://www.legacysti.com/viewtopic.php?t=893]Drove 5EAT and 5MT Non-Limited GT Wagons[/url], [url=http://www.legacysti.com/viewtopic.php?t=952]Round 2 - Drove a 5MT Non-Limited GT Wagon[/url]). Before I drove the new Legacy, I was planning on getting the 5EAT since the Sportshift was rumored to work really well. After the numerous drives, I really liked the 5EAT but was leaning towards the 5MT, primarily since it is probably around 1 second faster 0-60 on paper (I know that is a stupid reason, but I am sure a lot of people on this forum can admit that it is nice to know that your car is faster than certain cars - actually the majority of cars - on paper). Anyway, I went to the dealer and they did not have a white LTD wagon 5MT in stock but tried to locate one, which after a few possibilities was not successful. However, they did get in a white LTD wagon 5EAT in with basically everything I wanted on it. My options were to reconsider the 5EAT or wait 6-8 weeks (I believe the summer vacation at the plant was occurring the following week or so) for a 5MT, since I would not consider another color. I took a drive in the 5EAT car (which had just been prepped - it had never been driven except for off the truck), and really liked it. After some thought, I realized that my reason for the 5MT was not rational and that the 5EAT would be the perfect car 80%-90% of the time, so I took it. All I can say is that I made the right decision. I have been driving manual cars for the last 15 years and really enjoy them, but the 5EAT works really well. The shifts are really quick most of the time and the auto mode is great for daily rush hour. As others have noted, the car does not respond well to foot-to-the-floor throttle (neither did my WRX), but rolling-on the throttle provides very good acceleration. My WRX was very good at freeway rush-hour driving (to quickly accelerate to a gap in traffic) and the GT is just as good. Anyway, some general observations: Turbo lag and delayed standing-start acceleration (mentioned by some) - all I can say is if you think this car has turbo lag or does not come off the line strong, then I suggest you drive a WRX to really understand the meaning of those terms. I lived with a WRX for three years (and loved the car) and the GT feels as if it has a ton of low-end torque and appears to really jump off of the line. Now it does not have the throttle response and immediate power delivery of a BMW 330, but it is not far off from my memory (it has been a while since I last drove a 330). Weight - I did not feel much of a weight difference between the WRX and GT during my test drives, but after living with the GT for three weeks I can say that I definitely feel the weight. But remember, I am driving the heaviest GT (auto LTD wagon) and I spent most of my test drive time in a base 5MT wagon, which weighs less. I am not saying that the weight is a major problem, but it is noticeable and the car is not as flickable as a WRX. The trade-off is that the car feels significantly more solid, which also adds an expensive, quality feel. Gas mileage - this is my current sore point. I have about 800 miles and have averaged 16.7 MPG (computer indicated 16.2), 15.9 MPG and 14.7 MPG (full tanks and in that order, which is not good since it is going down). I do mostly city driving but I have been taking it fairly easy on the car and cannot believe the MPG I am getting. I have no idea how people are getting low to mid twenties. Exterior/interior - I may be biased, but I think the car looks really good, both inside and out. The taupe interior looks great and the pearl white paint looks even better. Please take the next comment for the point I am trying to make and not some type of snob comment - the night I took delivery, I drove directly to a function at our country club and parked alongside various upscale cars and parked right next to a new Audi A6 wagon (on purpose for comparison). I have to say that the GT did not look out of place at all, and in fact I thought it looked quite a bit better than the A6 both inside and out. Now the GT had an unfair advantage in that it was brand new and completely detailed, but the shine of the pearl paint, the rims, the 45-series tires with the black-wet look and new leather really gave it a quality presence. My personal feeling is that my WRX did look a little out of place in the same parking lot with the same cars, but that never was an issue with me and the only reason I am mentioning it is to convey how well the GT looks compared to more expensive cars since there are a lot of posts about Subaru looking to move upscale and people comparing/cross-shopping the GT with BMW, Acura, Audi, etc. Misc - I have some sort of buzzing noise that occurs during acceleration and cannot figure out where it is coming from, but it is really annoying. I guess I will have to take it in for service, but I am waiting to pass 1,000 miles. To summarize, I must say that I am really pleased with the car (except the gas mileage). My initial hopes for the GT was that it would be a more refined WRX, which it turned out not to be (which I commented on in this post and others have posted similar comments). But this is not a bad thing. The car feels very solid, rides nice, has great power and a great auto trans, handles really well, has AWD and looks great. What more could one ask for in a car with as much as it offers for the price (uhhh.... better gas mileage... okay, I will not mention that again). Thanks for reading this lengthy post.

Worst gas mileage I have had yet is about 17 MPG, with just about all city driving, and since my car is broken in, that is with spurts to about 6000 RPM.