Subaru - the car platform for the future?

I've been thinking about this for a while... Is the Subaru the best design for the future? As technology improves (in any area), you hit limitations. Buy a big fast 'puter to replace your old one and then you notice that your monitor is mediocre. You get a great new, high-def TV and then notice that the TV programming is just as bad. You buy the new Acura TL with 270 HP and then notice that the car can't handle it! What you need is balance! (Quote from ApexJapan2 in another thread.) I've looked at lots of cars in the last several months to replace my Audi A4. I wanted something that was fun to drive, reliable, handled well and quite fast. When I looked at higher-performance cars, I noticed that the FWD and RWD cars used fancy gizmos to deal with the power. And lots of the AWD cars and SUVs are very heavy. I think many of these cars have reached the end of their development cycle. I.e., there's not much that can be done with many of these cars to significantly improve overall performance and handling. The best that we will see is incremental improvements. Then we have the Subie Legacy GT. Relatively light, fast, fun to drive and pretty reliable. The boxer engine is light and set low for good handling. Ergonomics are very nice. But will it last? Is this the platform of the future? I'm negotiating price right now for a Legacy GT Limited 5EAT in Garnet Red (with spoiler, thank you). So I'm biased. But... Frankly, I think so. The platform is the right size. The suspension is very well balanced. It is seriously fun to drive. The Quality is there and looks are improving. They have three very nice, light, compact, low CG engines to meet different needs. And the cost? This is one of the great buys out there. IMO, Subie is strategically placed very well. It has all of the components to mix and match to meet a large number of car buyers' needs. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that, within 3 years, Subie will offer a premium version of one of their cars that will sell for $40K+ I think they are eating into the lower end of Audi sales right now. My Audi A4 cost me $38,000. But, I feel like the Legacy GT is a much better car for far less money. Within three I think they will have a chewing up the A6 sales. BMW? Why pay $40+ for a RWD car when you can get very close to equal handling PLUS the advantages of AWD for $10,000 less? I test drove 330i's and 530i's. The BMWs have better amenities. But the Subie is the better car overall. Add snow or rain? No comparison. Am I over the top and biased right now? Probably more than a little. But I also think I'm right. What do you think? Regards, Dan.

I think you might be looking a little over the top, but if you look aside from names and look at value, driving dynamics & performance, overall quality, what you get for your buck, the Legacy line does sit very well. Everyone just has to see it. BTW, they will have a $40k vehicle coming out, it's their 7-Pax XUV. MY06 IIRC, like a bigger Outback essentially. One possible name floating around is Tribeca, but Halifax is another possible name. Some people have seen it and supposedly they call it a big step up in quality from an OB/Legacy! Sure better be and have all the bells and whistles for those kind of greenbacks and it being a Subaru with their percieved brand position.

why does everyone love the garnet red.....the car looks best in black(not opinion) and silver looks great(opinion)....my lgt is silver....red doesnt look bad...it looks really good...but i wouldn't choose it when you got a couple of other colors that make the car look so damn sexy. what i want to know is why rally blue wasn't an option as a color....they're prolly waiting for the legacysti to bring that color in.

[quote name='KayGT']why does everyone love the garnet red.....the car looks best in black(not opinion) and silver looks great(opinion)....my lgt is silver....red doesnt look bad...it looks really good...but i wouldn't choose it when you got a couple of other colors that make the car look so damn sexy. what i want to know is why rally blue wasn't an option as a color....they're prolly waiting for the legacysti to bring that color in.[/quote] Because the red r0x0rZ your b0x0rZ! 8)

No way, definetly not the Legacy for the following reasons (for America only) -not SUV sized, hence no secure feeling -boxer 4? Puhleez... a Hemi is a man's engine to the buying public. I don't care if it's a twin-turbo STi tuned engine (which would be cool as hell), the avg. joe is gonna choose a Hemi-engined SUV. A man's car. I don't think the Legacy platform is the future- I think the a SUV design is the future- Subaru's upcoming SUV has potential to be a big seller. Bigger is better. As for competing with the luxury brands, it will be a long time before they can truly compete- A Subaru has no status. BMW, MB, Audi, even Lexus- they all have status that people are willing to pay more for. Sure, the Legacy may steal some A4 buyers away, but that's mainly due to the price difference. It's a poor man's Audi. They lack the toys to compete with the big boys- like navi, keyless entry, etc or at least in America they do. And the biggest factor I think hindering Subaru is their dealer network- a Subaru dealer still looks like any normal Toyota, Ford dealer- there's nothing special to it. And the service dept. is still treating people like crap, in other words like the avg. dealer. If you want to go the luxury route, you have to be prepared to treat the customers better like Lexus. Buying a luxury brand is more than buying a nice car with a status symbol badge- it's also how you're treated. It's about free car washes, free loaner cars, Internet service while you wait, cleaning the car throughly after you bring it in, the salespeople handing you keys to the new Subaru model they got in and letting you drive it without any attitude or a cheap sales angle("I can get 3% financing only today on it"), and most importantly being polite. That's how Lexus was able to catch up with the status-symbols of Germany so quickly and I think Subaru has to do the same. If Subaru's sales/service center starts treating their customers like Lexus, that will do more to boost their image as a luxury brand than slopping on some wood, a upgraded stereo, and a navi system.

Future designs will be based around gas-electric hybrid and diesel-electric hybrid powertrains, and further in the future around fuel cell powertrains. Boxer motors will be considered antiques. Toyota and Honda will be the leaders, not Subaru. And if you believe the hype from General Motors, they will be the leader.

Subaru has one of the best customer satisfaction ratings of all dealers. Not to mention customer loyalty, look how many wrx drivers are going right to the legacy. I don't think its going to be the platform of the future, but for what it offers its pretty damn good. Most of the people who are in the market for the Legacy aren't really looking at Lexus. The closest model is the IS 300 and to be perfectly honest, I'll take a LGT over that anyday! Its overpriced for what Lexus offers with it. Sure it has all sorts of options, but there is a point when things become overkill. (Example: wipers on the lights...there really is no need for this) When you take and compare the LGT to competitors from all platforms, it stack up extremely well against many of them, for a much cheaper price. Sure its not as noticable name as BMW, but why do i care about paying for the name. I want a car which performs to what i am looking for, for what i am willing to pay. Don't think that because service may be included in a Lexus, that its not in a Subaru. I've got free service up untill my warranty ends. It doesn't really matter either way, because nothing is for free. The cost of that is factored into the price somewhere...remember at the end of the day, the House always wins, otherwise they wouldn't be in business. No the legacy isn't the best car ever, but it has a lot to offer.

I doubt very much popualrity equates to an excellent car. After all there are plenty of really good cars out there today but none are "popular" Why? There are a number of actors but the two main ones are price and size (seating capacity). If price was not an issue for me, I'd be driving a Lambo Gallardo - I've fallen in love with that one. Back to reallity now.

Lets not forget the reverse "snobbery" factor. If they are too dumb to evaluate performance and engineering, and prefer a name without true substance then they don't deserve an LGT. I don't believe most people actually think when they select a car. It's all based on guts and image. Whoops! I better stop before I start on Volvo drivers...

There is not "Platform Car for the 21st Century". In the G-7 and beyond, consumers buy cars to fit their (perceived) needs and personal taste. That's why there are so many different levels, all which seem to slide. Look at VW. It used to be the ubiquitous college car. Now it's spread from college car (well, I walked in college, uphill in waist-deep snow both ways, but that's another story) to the luxurious Phaeton. Toyota, which used to be the cheap Japanese import, now spans from Scion to Toyota to Lexus. So on and so on. In economics, they call it the Walmart and Nordstrom differentiation. (Don't get me started on Walmart's impact on the US economy....) ANYWAY- There is a great deal of reverse snobbery in my decision to stay with Subaru. Yes, I looked at the Infiniti, quick glance at Jaguar, and a deep study of the Audi and Volvo. In the end, though, I opted for the cheaper car with the cool engineering and background. It's geek pride. :)

I like your comments Mindflyer. :) For as upscale talk as Subaru is, I still don't percieve their position in the automotive world much if any above Toyota or Honda, which both have similarly priced models, even that new 7-pax will still sit in the same rough area. Subaru does exceed those others in sheer value and vehicle performance / fun factor. :) I would rather seem them as the less expensive and more reliable alternative to BMW, Audi and VW versus add all those do-dads and put their overall reliability in the same hole because they can't keep all the extras in good working order and trouble-free. Mmm, geek. I want to be one of them. :P Oh wait, I own a Subaru, an Apple comp, and watch the sci-fi channel. I MUST be one! :lol:

[quote name='SUBE555']I like your comments Mindflyer. :) [/quote] I concur with both. I pretty much said the same thing when I was looking for a new car. I looked at the latest BMWs, Audis, etc. But they were all much higher cost. I refuse to pay for the badge as well as quality when one can buy similar quality at a much lower price. I then looked at the new Mazdas, Hondas - almost chose the Honda Accord but said to myself - I want something with power. Hence the Sub GT - it's really a no brainer if you think about it (or don't?). Sure the Honda and Mazda do have a bit more room inside and have better looks at some angles but overall the GT is excellent value IMHO.

[quote name='SUBE555']I like your comments Mindflyer. :) ....Mmm, geek. I want to be one of them. :P Oh wait, I own a Subaru, an Apple comp, and watch the sci-fi channel. I MUST be one! :lol:[/quote] Hehe, thanks. Subaru, Powerbook, and Discovery/TLC/History channel freak here (plus Linux and Windows gaming box and iPod and....) Somehow, the power:engineering:cost efficiencies just seem to suit geeks. I work at ^H^H^H a very large ISP HQd in Dulles, Virginia, and I see a LOT of Subarus.

I think the difference between the general market, and the people on this board, is interest. Most people want what they see everyone else having. People like those here, are more interested, more interested in what things do, how they work, and how well they are made. This from another Apple user, (although I work on Mac and Windows laptops in almost equal numbers at work) I also ride a Honda Hawk GT motorcycle, 2 points for those who know what that is. I am new to the Subaru universe, but have been bowled over so far by the new Legacy. I hope to have one in the medium/short term. there will always be "cult" cars, motorcycles, and other products that are favorites of those in the know, even if they aren't popular in the rest of the market. Personally, I think SUVs, especially Hemi powered ones, are overkill, and "compensation", if you know what I mean, in more cases than not. Some people do need them, and more power to 'em, but most are just rolling beheamoths driven by one person. They should be free to buy and drive them, but I think it is on the side of stupid at that point.