2013 Legacy ? Or, Accord/Sonata ?

Hello,

Have never had a Subaru product.
Have been looking at the 2013 Legacy and the Accord.
Also at the Hyundai Sonata.

Really seem to like the Legacy best, particularly with the AWD.
But it does seem, a bit, smaller than the other two.

In the most diplomatic manner I can think of, may I please ask for your opinions, likes and dislikes, caveats, etc. of one over the other ?

Reliability, what's not-so-good, etc. ?

Really appreciate the help in deciding.

Live in New England. Lots of cold and snow.

Thanks,
Bob

I'd either opt for the Legacy or the Accord. I test drove all three when I was buying and got the 2.5i with CVT. I think the new Accord is a great option, but the AWD would win out for me in your case. The tires on the car do suck though. Not sure if the ones on the other Cara are better though.

I never really looked into Hyundai so I can't really compare there. I have had family members who had accords and they seem to always have some issues which the dealer have no intention of repairing despite being within warranty. Complement that with the fact that Honda produces car in the masses with an extremely thin profit margin. The quality of their cars show interior, exterior, and engine.

Now here comes Subaru. I really think they have put quality into the cars. The feel of the car whether you are sitting in it or driving is much more solid. Even the doors feel more solid when you open and close them! I'm also sold on the safety of the vehicle. AWD saved me once when a car swerved into me. I was able to steer away while maintaining control of my vehicle. Had it been another car, I am sure I would've lost control. Both my wife and I drive Subaru - myself a 12' Legacy and my wife a 06' Impreza Wagon. The only real downside is mileage. With AWD, expect poorer MPG than competitors.

Since you're in NE I'd say get the Legacy, but the new Accord is pretty nice. I wouldn't do the Sonata.. I've test driven one and it's great bang for the buck, but I didn't like the overall quality of the car.

At the end of the day, be sure to test drive all three so you truly know what you like and what you don't like.

One thing to consiser if you have a few children.is the legacy has great interior room for hauling bags, eyc and plenty of leg room for long trips, even if adults are in the backseat. I looked a few differemr.options too before picking a sedan, I didn't bother lookin at a honda because my fam has never had good luck with them so call me biased but ill never own one. The hyundai is basically a cheaper version of the kia optima so that's what I test drove and was actaully really impressed. BUT there's just something about the subie, it felt more secure, I preferred yhe position of the steering wheel along with location of the blinker, visibility over the hood, and not big blinds spots. Its the *little* things that made a difference. I've taken several 800-1500mile trips with people and they always say how quiet and smooth it feels (granted too I'm lowered with swaybars too).
If you can find a 3.6r get it if you have 4+ individuals in your family other the 2.5i will be a great choice, plenty of dealers have incentives right now for year end sales too.
Best of luck for your search, drive them all in similiar situations, test the cruise amd see how well it pulls for you from 50-80 for passing do some urban/suburban driving and you'll know which then is a btter choice.
Remeber there's a difference between wants and needs so don't have the salesman sell you something that's out of your budget or unneccessary

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthrea...ing-58200.html

How to buy a subie 2% below dealer invoice ..hope this helps

If you decide on the Legacy, which I do think is the better choice, one thing I'd suggest is try getting credit for the stock tires and pay the difference to have the dealer put on some Michelin Primacy MXV4

Although we live in TX, we're sort of partial to subaru as we owned an 05 2.5i base model. It did see snow during Thanksgiving of 2008 when we took a family road trip up to Utah; put 3k+ miles on her with all five of us and full trunk. Very fine highway cruiser and we were pleased to see so many subarus when we drove through Colorado. Also did another family road trip summer of 08 all the way to east coast for another 3k+ miles (including day trips). Car was very reliable and we did the routine maintenance ourselves. Was approaching 107k miles when our dear son had a single vehicle accident with it, so it was totaled out. We're fixin' now to buy the 2013 model; since you expressed concern about size, here is the dimensions for this car (from cars101.coM) Wheelbase: 108.3" Overall Length 187.2" (2012 was 186.4") Width: 71.7" including outside mirrors folded-in, with outside mirrors out 81", Height: 59.3" Headroom front/rear no moonroof: 40.3"/37.5" Headroom front/rear with moonroof: 38.1/37.5" Legroom front/rear: 43.0"/37.8" Shoulder room front/rear 56.3/56.1 EPA Interior volume, no moonroof 103cf EPA Interior volume, with moonroof 100cf EPA Trunk Cargo volume 14.7cf Ground Clearance: 5.9" Track 2.5i: front/rear 61.6/62.0" Track 2.5i Sport 61/61.2 Track 3.6R: front/rear 61.6/62.0" .....PS>Interior is noticably bigger/roomier than our 05 model, this change began with the 2010 models......Just my two bits

Here's my two cents:

I'm currently a '98 Accord owner. I've been researching different cars to buy for the past year or so, and that's one of the reasons why I joined the LGT community. The two main runners are the 2013 Accord and 2010+ Legacy.

My experience with the Accord has been amazing. I bought the car used at ~72K miles back in 2003; ten years later, the odometer now reads ~233K. I've had a trouble-free experience -- the only non-wear-and-tear items that had to be replaced were the starter (covered by CPO warranty), as well as the ignition switch, which I replaced myself. The other items -- brakes, clutch, spark plugs -- of course had to be replaced a couple of times after a decade of use. I cannot fault Honda for any of those items wearing out. Oh, and I bought some tires at some point as well

Problem is, it looks like Hondas of today aren't as bulletproof as Hondas of yesteryear, so that's why I'm quite divided as well. I know that both of the newer-gen cars won't be as easy to work on, and will have more electronics that could possibly fail. However, as of today I'm leaning on the 2010 Legacy GT, just because I can have AWD with 265 HP for a reasonable price -- since they've been on the market a few years, you can pick up used ones in the early $20K range.

To be honest, I don't think you could go wrong with either choice. Definitely test-drive both, and -- if you're lucky enough to have this option -- try renting the cars for a day or two and drive around as much as possible. You never know what kind of quirks may annoy you (uncomfortable seating position, etc.).

Also, forego the Hyundai.

P.S. Here's how it feels to sit inside the Accord... And here's the inside of the Subie.

(Going to an auto show and sampling a dozen cars is also a great way to eliminate some of the "I wonder how car X feels like" possible choices. In years past, the LGT and VW GTI had that Goldilocks "just right" feeling, while this year the 2013 Accord, BMW 328, and BRZ felt that way. It doesn't feel right in the non-GT Legacys, however. LGT or GTFO, IMO )

LA Auto Show 2012 - a set on Flickr

LA Auto Show 2012 - a set on Flickr

Infiniti G37x, thats awd and NA with power or the new acura tl, that's awd too or the new lexus is350 with awd now.

If not any of those then yes get the Subaru

AWD is key

Originally Posted by mjf419

AWD is key

Not all AWD is the same, so just saying AWD doesn't really mean much.

Subaru symmetrical awd combined with boxer engine for low center of gravity are just two of the advantages against other manufacturers......imho

Although I'm totally content with my Legacy (but the A/C leaves a lot to be desired)...

I'm sorta fawning over the Acura TL AWD - with super handling all wheel drive & a 305 HP v6... sounds like fun to drive. But, I have no personal experience with the car.

I can comment on the accord and legacy. We own a 2008 Honda Accord and for the most part car has given us very few issues (except the premature brake pad wear). In the snow, the car isn't too bad, but don't get me wrong it is nothing compared to the legacy. I am a fan of the 2013 redesign of the accord as well, I think they have revamped it well and offer some nice tech features.

I do love my legacy, but there are still a few things that I wish I had. The technology is dreadful to say the least. The navigation system in the car looks like it is from early 2000. The thing that won me over was the option of having manual and AWD. Those were two major features I looked for when I searched for a new car. The suspension on the other hand can be greatly improved.

Which now leads to what others mentioned, I think the Acura TL AWD is a great vehicle. I think it is a large price difference between an Acura vs. Honda/Subaru. There is a $10k+ difference with similar features. If you can find a lightly used TL, I think it would be your best option.