2012 Subaru Legacy

True winter performer, but CVT failed at 70k.

By Joe (NY) on Sunday, April 28, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 90,000

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 4

"I average 100,000 miles every three years on my vehicles. I travel the northeast from Queens to Quebec for work, and demand my vehicle be AWD, fuel efficient, fantastic in the snow, comfortable for 400 mile rides frequently, be ultra reliable, and have some creature comforts. My last car was a Rav-4, and got 200k out of her in 5 years. The ride was choppy, the cargo space was minimal, but is was a gas sipper, and never left me stranded even in the worst blizzards. To replace the Rav-4 I purchased the Subaru for all the reasons I mentioned previously, but wanted a smother highway ride and went with the limited because it was loaded, and priced considerably less than its other AWD sedan counterparts(Audi,BMW,Volvo). Loaded with heated leather, moon-roof, Harmon stereo, nicer wheels, etc. THE BAD: The initial fit and finish was somewhat poor, with leaks in the moon-roof, high wind noise at highway speed, the steering wheel mounted controls for blue tooth, stereo and cruise stopped working in the first month, and it had multiple recalls. All of which, are not examples of what I had in mind when I thought of what quality stood for. Having previously owned other vehicles that cost far less, and came with much better attention to detail. THE GOOD: I installed a set of Cooper Snows for winter and the car was unstoppable in the snow. The engine is actually very well balanced for the size of the car, as only being the 4 Cyl, but the reward is better than average highway MPG. Personal best was 33MPG, but average is around 29-30 highway with Summer tires, which again is very good for a AWD sedan this size. The power comes on smooth with the CV Transmission, and can be very potent when so needed, at on ramps, toll booths, and will trounce some unsuspecting sedans and coupes at the red lights if so inclined. THE BAD: While on a long distance drive, far away from home, the CV transmission just disintegrated, and left me stranded on the side of the highway. Dealer came and got the vehicle, which upon inspection, informed me that the transmission was completely destroyed, not just a part of it, but all of it. I was faced with a $9,000 repair bill, on a vehicle that I paid $28,000 just two years earlier, as i was also informed that the warranty had expired. Subaru basically said oh well. My gripe is that had this been a KIA or Hyundai, even a Suzuki, which would have cost far less, the repair would have been covered under warranty. Prior to this I considered Subaru to be a quality manufacturer, but after this experience, I would seriously question purchasing another vehicle from them. I think Subaru was in a rush to get a CVT into the market in order to compete with the Federal Mandates and other competition for better gas consuming vehicles, that they put this model CVT into the Legacy before making it reliable, and ultimately stuck it to the consumer. I have long heard stories of Subaru's lasting into infinity, and hoped mine would be the same, but this Subaru... Not so much. If your still interested in this model, I would shy away from the 2011 LEGACY with a CVT, as it is the first generation and proven itself to be unreliable. Or keep an extra $9,000 in the piggybank to replace a blown transmission"

4 people out of 4 found this review helpful

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Enjoyable Every Day

By jazzfocus1 (NJ) on Tuesday, April 02, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 9,000

Pros: "Comfortable, nice handling and road feel"

Cons: "A little sensitive to strong winds"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"I got my first Subaru in 1978. One of the first front wheel drive cars around and I loved driving it (in the snow, especially). Then, I inherited my dad's 97 legacy wagon and got tired of it at 230k. I must say, this 2013 is not my father's Subaru. It's the nicest iteration of the line to date. Subaru's drive train and engine here is fantastic. Handling is precise and quick, car is glued to road. High winds can push the car around a bit but not scary. (My Mazda 6 does better in high wind situations). Subaru listened to customers like me and made many of the improvements we've been asking for. Better and bigger seats, more rear leg room, nicer handling, improve stereo.They did it all. I have the Premium cvt for 8 months . Great family car too. We have 4 cars (3 Mazdas). I like all of them but the Subaru really shines and the mileage is very good for an awd. Average 26mpg in mostly local driving. Highway does very well if you don't speed but the car loves to move so it's hard to resist those 75 to 80 mph jaunts. It seems like there is a disconnect between the consumers that own this and the "professional reviewers". Many of them don't seem to "get it". They don't understand the level of quality Subaru builds into these cars and they get better with age. I agree with the consumer reviews as opposed to some of the pro reviews by people who barely drove the car."

2 people out of 2 found this review helpful

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