5th gen vs 6th

Hey guys, I'm over on the third gen forum but my girlfriend wants to get a newer legacy between 2012 and 2016. She's also debating over getting the four or six cylinder. I guess her big priority is looking for reliability and gas mileage so I was thinking the four cylinder 2.5 would probably be the best bet. But I wanted to know what everyone else's opinions are on the matter. from the reviews Ive been reading, it seems pretty split between the fifth gen and sixth gen so I just wanted to get other people's personal opinions in there. Thanks!

I can't speak on the 5th gens since I've never been in one, but I can say that the 6th gens are really nice. I have a 2015, and absolutely love it! I average 31 mpg with 80% of my driving on the highway. I've got the limited without eyesight, and it was 23k out the door as a certified preowned. If she can afford it, get eyesight. I don't have it but my wifes '16 impreza does, and I wish I would've gotten it. The adaptive cruise control is amazing.

http://i707.photobucket.com/albums/ww76/ticonderoga16/IMG_0728_edited-1_zpsvf3g9qve.jpg

My first is this 2016 2.5i Premium with Eyesight Best purchase I made in years never drove a more confident feeling car in all conditions. Goose is right Eyesight is amazing, great gas mileage and I can't complain about the power. I know the 3.6 will get you there faster but my pockets thank me for the gas money saved. Opted to pass on the nav, leather and moonroof package and use waze on my phone, saved a ton.

My experience being solely based on a 2015 Outback 2.5i and Legacy 3.6r. I will go with the 3.6r any day. I like the extra power from the H6 and it comes with dual exhaust which looks nicer. MPG wise, I get around 25'ish, low 26's doing about 80% highway driving over a 3k mile interval. My fiancee gets about 25-27MPG on her 2.5i. OB, but that's because she has a heavy foot. So it really depends on your style of driving. I would only consider a 5th if it was a LGT with a 6MT. Have her drive both and see what she likes.

^I like the STI wheels on your car.

 

As 5th Gen owner, the 6th Gen has noticeably nicer interior and majority think they look better aesthetically.

 

I would buy a 5th Gen if you wanted either 6MT, Turbo 2.5GT, prefered a traditional automatic with the VTD over CVT in the 3.6R, or wanted to spend less money on buying a used car.

 

If deciding between a 2014 Premium 2.5i CVT and 2015 Premium 2.5i CVT, I would buy the 2015 6th gen. I personally would also buy a 2015 3.6R HTCVT over the 2014 3.6R 5EAT automatic.

Yes the big differences between 5th gen and 6th gen is:

 

* 2.5 SOHC (gen5) vs. to DOHC with VVT (gen6)

* Eyesight

* Styling (though the 5th gen is growing on me)

 

Probably the only reason I'd look at getting the 5th gen is if you wanted a GT.

She can't drive stick... So no GT (which makes me so sad)... She also likes luxury, drove an Audi and now a Lexus, so the sixth gen is winning so far.

Yeah the limited trim is very luxurious. It was a hell of an upgrade coming from my 2015 Tacoma. The leather is very soft and the arm rests are super comfortable.

the 6th gen but not in the same capacity of Audi's and Lexus. They will be much nicer for sure, but maintenance and running costs can add up unless she doesn't care for that sort of thing. My fiancé wanted a Ford Explorer so badly. I convinced her the OB was the better choice because i showed her all these YouTube videos about Subaru driving in 10 feet of snow and all the higher safety ratings, better insurance costs, better MPG, etc... in the end she made the right choice. Her lease is up in January and for her next car she wants EyeSight. That's another reason for choosing Subaru, the EyeSight system. Best bang for you buck.

 

Also why I love Subaru is the Subaru family/brotherhood which to me is unique. You can pull into a parking lot and see another Subaru driver and start to have a conservation about each others car. Happened to me with a STI driver last week and just today I had a WRX keep up with me on the highway, and nod me off when he took his exit. That's is very cool. You do t get that with many other brands.

get the 6th gen, better inside and better fuel economy....

6th generation is a great value - both H4 and H6. Quite refined in Limited trim. CVT w/H6 is amazing.

 

 

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I think the choice is pretty clear. I posted a thread in the 5th gen forum and didn't get much of an argument. It looks like the only reason for going 5th gen is for the GT. I'll try to push for the H6 limited with eyesight. Thanks everyone!

Glad we can help. Worth to mention that not many dealers have new 3.6r in their stock so if she wants to buy it brand new it could become a special order. Best if you could find a CPO with low miles and in good conditions. I have seen some good deal out there, and you could negotiate an extended warranty in for piece of mind.

The 2015 limited I have is my first Subie so I can't offer advice between the 5th and 6th gen cars. What I can say is the Eyesight is worth every cent, It will spoil you big time. For most driving the 2.5 will do just fine. If you live in the mountains the 2.5 struggles allot going up the mountains at 70 to 80 MPH and you have to plan passing the big trucks with the 2.5 on two lane roads.

The 2015 limited I have is my first Subie so I can't offer advice between the 5th and 6th gen cars. What I can say is the Eyesight is worth every cent, It will spoil you big time. For most driving the 2.5 will do just fine. If you live in the mountains the 2.5 struggles allot going up the mountains at 70 to 80 MPH and you have to plan passing the big trucks with the 2.5 on two lane roads.

Can you expand upon this?

I can't speak on the 5th gens since I've never been in one, but I can say that the 6th gens are really nice. I have a 2015, and absolutely love it! I average 31 mpg with 80% of my driving on the highway. I've got the limited without eyesight, and it was 23k out the door as a certified preowned. If she can afford it, get eyesight. I don't have it but my wifes '16 impreza does, and I wish I would've gotten it. The adaptive cruise control is amazing.

http://i707.photobucket.com/albums/ww76/ticonderoga16/IMG_0728_edited-1_zpsvf3g9qve.jpg

 

Damn, what wheels are those? I can see they are STI wheels but from what year?

2012 sti

Can you expand upon this?

 

As a fellow EyeSight owner, I'll add my two cents.

 

The adaptive cruise control is wonderful for just about any situation. Whether you're cruising down the highway or commuting in bad rush hour traffic, you can just set it and let the car do the accelerating and braking for you. It'll keep a safe following distance and come bring you to a complete stop if/when traffic stops. Just tap the gas pedal or resume button and you're on your way again.

 

Obviously, the frontal collision warning, pre-collision throttle management, emergency braking, etc are added peace of mind. EyeSight will admittedly yell at me once or twice on a typical commute to work, but in the ~15 months I've had my car, it's only applied the brakes 3 times. Once was a minivan slowing to turn into a gas station (I let off the gas, but that apparently wasn't enough to make the car happy), once was when I motorcycle in front of me decided to make a last second turn, and the third time I can't recall the details. Although I don't believe I would have hit the person in front of me in any of the situations, it's wonderful to know that it can help me avoid an accident entirely or lessen the severity if needed. It's similar with lane keep assist and lane departure warning. The added peace of mind is hard to beat.

 

Truthfully, after having my 3.6R with EyeSight for over a year now, it'd be very, very difficult for me to switch to another car to use as a daily driver without the features. I can also say that I greatly prefer the Subaru interface and system functionality to systems offered by other automakers as well. I can't say I have experience with all of them, but I have driven a decent number of GM vehicles and the system does not have a very intuitive interface nor is it as user-friendly. About the only thing that may be better on GM vehicles would be their use of a HUD-like warning, where red lights flash onto the windshield more directly in your field of view when the collision alert goes off.

As a fellow EyeSight owner, I'll add my two cents.

 

The adaptive cruise control is wonderful for just about any situation. Whether you're cruising down the highway or commuting in bad rush hour traffic, you can just set it and let the car do the accelerating and braking for you. It'll keep a safe following distance and come bring you to a complete stop if/when traffic stops. Just tap the gas pedal or resume button and you're on your way again.

 

Obviously, the frontal collision warning, pre-collision throttle management, emergency braking, etc are added peace of mind. EyeSight will admittedly yell at me once or twice on a typical commute to work, but in the ~15 months I've had my car, it's only applied the brakes 3 times. Once was a minivan slowing to turn into a gas station (I let off the gas, but that apparently wasn't enough to make the car happy), once was when I motorcycle in front of me decided to make a last second turn, and the third time I can't recall the details. Although I don't believe I would have hit the person in front of me in any of the situations, it's wonderful to know that it can help me avoid an accident entirely or lessen the severity if needed. It's similar with lane keep assist and lane departure warning. The added peace of mind is hard to beat.

 

Truthfully, after having my 3.6R with EyeSight for over a year now, it'd be very, very difficult for me to switch to another car to use as a daily driver without the features. I can also say that I greatly prefer the Subaru interface and system functionality to systems offered by other automakers as well. I can't say I have experience with all of them, but I have driven a decent number of GM vehicles and the system does not have a very intuitive interface nor is it as user-friendly. About the only thing that may be better on GM vehicles would be their use of a HUD-like warning, where red lights flash onto the windshield more directly in your field of view when the collision alert goes off.

 

I agree completely with this, and can add that Acurawatch (and presumably the Honda version) of adaptive cruise is really a highway only system, Eyesight can handle any speed which means slow crawls in traffic can be somewhat automated.

 

Also the blind spot detection is a requirement for me from now on, though Suburu's usually have elephant ear mirrors so you can eliminate the blind spot, many cars don't even have adequate mirrors (talking to you, Dodge Journey POS)

 

Also, if cross-traffic alerts are optional, get it, makes backing out of a blind parking spot (which is inevitable for most drivers) much easier. You don't have to slowly back up, stop, repeat, waiting for some yokel to lay on their horn because they think you are going to back into them.

Of course if you posted this thread in the 5th gen forum they'd probably tell you to buy the 5th gen.... At the end of the day it comes down to budget and what you can get for the $.

 

If a 6 gen is out of budget then look for a well maintained 5gen. Nothing wrong with the 5th gen either.

As a fellow EyeSight owner, I'll add my two cents.

 

The adaptive cruise control is wonderful for just about any situation. Whether you're cruising down the highway or commuting in bad rush hour traffic, you can just set it and let the car do the accelerating and braking for you. It'll keep a safe following distance and come bring you to a complete stop if/when traffic stops. Just tap the gas pedal or resume button and you're on your way again.

 

Obviously, the frontal collision warning, pre-collision throttle management, emergency braking, etc are added peace of mind. EyeSight will admittedly yell at me once or twice on a typical commute to work, but in the ~15 months I've had my car, it's only applied the brakes 3 times. Once was a minivan slowing to turn into a gas station (I let off the gas, but that apparently wasn't enough to make the car happy), once was when I motorcycle in front of me decided to make a last second turn, and the third time I can't recall the details. Although I don't believe I would have hit the person in front of me in any of the situations, it's wonderful to know that it can help me avoid an accident entirely or lessen the severity if needed. It's similar with lane keep assist and lane departure warning. The added peace of mind is hard to beat.

 

Truthfully, after having my 3.6R with EyeSight for over a year now, it'd be very, very difficult for me to switch to another car to use as a daily driver without the features. I can also say that I greatly prefer the Subaru interface and system functionality to systems offered by other automakers as well. I can't say I have experience with all of them, but I have driven a decent number of GM vehicles and the system does not have a very intuitive interface nor is it as user-friendly. About the only thing that may be better on GM vehicles would be their use of a HUD-like warning, where red lights flash onto the windshield more directly in your field of view when the collision alert goes off.

 

Thanks for the feedback.

Of course if you posted this thread in the 5th gen forum they'd probably tell you to buy the 5th gen.... At the end of the day it comes down to budget and what you can get for the $.

 

If a 6 gen is out of budget then look for a well maintained 5gen. Nothing wrong with the 5th gen either.

Earlier he mentioned he did create a thread in the 5th gen forum and didn't get much of an arguement.

I've owned both.... I put 162,000+ miles on my 2010 Legacy which I bought with 17 miles on it and I now have 2200 miles on my 2017, so I feel I can help you with this a lot. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you'd like.

 

They are very comparable but I think the 6th gen is more refined and comfortable. Where she will be buying an automatic, I highly recommend the 6th... My 5th gen was a manual and aside from that, I like the 6th gen far better. I enjoyed driving the 5th gen more, but solely because I was banging through gears and it was fun. The EyeSight paired with the CVT is a godsend in traffic and highway use, as others have said. Given what you have posted so far, I vote a 6th gen for sure!

I had a 5th gen (14 Legacy 2.5i Premium) & now have a 6th gen (17 Legacy 2.5i Limited, no eyesight). My gas mileage is close with both. The heart says 3.6r, but the head says the 2.5i is adequate. I liked my 14 a lot, but I love my 17, FWIW. I never liked or wanted leather so my family was shocked to hear I wanted a car with leather. I'm glad I got it.

I never liked or wanted leather so my family was shocked to hear I wanted a car with leather. I'm glad I got it.

 

I find the leather seats more comfortable than cloth. The seats feel more plushy and easier on your bottom, but I like the side bolsters on the cloth better. They are stiffer and hold you in place better when making right turns.