B / у Subaru Legacy IV (2003-2009). pros, minuses, opinions

Most people associate Subaru with a blue WRX Impreza., rushing along the rally tracks. In fact, Subaru and motorsport are inextricably linked, and many young people like to show off behind the wheel of a snarling blue Party. However, Subaru – it is also a great middle class car – Legacy model.

Before we introduce the fourth generation model, released in 2003-2009 years, It's worth paying attention to the genesis of each model in Subaru. As a Subaru designer once said, company standard – first develop the chassis and only after that make decisions to “pack” it into the body. This clearly shows, what is important in Subaru – this is the transmission. It is important, because Subaru, as the only manufacturer, uses the Symetrical AWD system in its cars, which guarantees exceptional driving confidence.

Legacy – mid-class sports sedan and sports station wagon

I confess, Legacy IV for me is the most beautiful model from this Subaru series. While older generations were less stylistically effective, and generation V abandoned the sporty style in favor of the classic, IV generation – this is the ideal. In the case of the model 2003-2009 years we have a spectacular design, balanced body proportions, characteristic hump on the hood and the quintessence of sporty style – doors without window frames. The disadvantages include not cheap service, but you can still reduce the cost, how to do this read on the pagehttps://glavnoe.ua/news/n357038715-kak-snizit-stoimost-remonta-i-to-avtomobilej-subaru.

Unfortunately, this is not a super comfortable car. Its dimensions are length / width / height accordingly: 4729/1730/1420 (sedan) and 4793/1730/1480 (station wagon), and the wheelbase is only 2670 mm. In this way, width and wheelbase suggest a sporty style, not comfort for three rear passengers.

The interior uses high-quality upholstery materials and modern technological solutions while limiting design experiments. In Legacy instead of the center panel, resembling an airplane cockpit, there are only a few switches, radio and air conditioning controls. The only link to 21 century – this is the liquid crystal display at the top of the center panel, on which you can see driving data and navigation. Front seats – This is a combination of style and elegant sports equipment.

Boxer engines

Boxer engine (two-stroke) is a system, in which the pistons are directed in pairs in strictly opposite directions, that is, planes, where they work, divorced by 180 degrees, and the crankshaft is located exactly in the center of this system. Since each piston pair of the engine, preventing ejection, moves in opposite directions, the inertia forces of the piston pair self-balance, that is, the engine transmits much less vibration to the outside, than in engines with a different cylinder arrangement.

Unfortunately, this engine consumes more fuel, than its competitors. When Alfa Romeo abandoned these engines in the mid-90s (latest models – WITH 145 and AR 146), was discovered, that the costs of modernizing boxer engines significantly exceed the economic justification for technological development. Subaru, but, adopted the Symetrical AWD system as its image, and for this a boxer engine was needed. In this way, we have to put up with quite a big appetite.

Way out of the situation – gas installation. According to the manufacturer:

“Subaru runs great on gas, if HBO is correctly selected and installed".

Users indicate, that the difference between driving on gasoline and on gas is invisible.

The way out of the situation with high fuel costs was the creation of a diesel engine at Subaru. This is an innovative solution, as it is the only boxer diesel engine in the world. Having driven cars with this engine many times, I've always been impressed by the work culture (no vibration, flexibility to increase speed) and low fuel consumption. However, I must note, that I always drove a new car, and according to user reviews, everything is not so rosy. Users complain about the quality of the engine after mileage 120-150 thousand. km and report problems with DPF, injectors, dual mass flywheel and clutch. So that, although I think the Subaru diesel is an excellent engine, Before buying such a model, I recommend going to a good Subaru mechanic, because only he will understand what is wrong.

On the other hand, gasoline engines work flawlessly (although some users have noticed a problem with idle speed).

In the case of the chassis and transmission, Subaru Legacy owners most often complain about knocking noise from the front suspension and clutch (especially in the diesel version).

Finally, I would like to quote one of the users, which perfectly defined this model:

“Current costs are relative. If you have driven a Skoda, Subaru spare parts and operation are much more expensive. but, if you drove a Porsche, then Subaru Legacy service – it's cheap”

Technical details

Chronology

• September 2003 g. bringing the model to market;
• September 2007 g. – facelift: changed the radiator grille, front and rear lights;
• March 2008 g. – introduction of diesel engine 2.0 power 150 HP.
• September 2009 g. – introduction to the Legacy V generation.

Video review of Legacy IV (2003-2009)