2002 Subaru Legacy Blitzen 2.0 Twin turbo from Australia and New Zealand
Summary:
Fantastic drive, but expensive to own
Faults:
Torque converter for transmission had a rebuild just prior to my ownership at 85000km's.
Primary turbo failure at 97000km's.
Factory speakers front and rear need replacing.
Left electric folding mirror motor has stopped working.
General Comments:
I really love this car, although I am very disappointed in the failure of the transmission and the turbo given the age and mileage of the vehicle, so this is a bit of a paradoxical review.
The performance is excellent from the boxer engine; in gear acceleration is exceptional, and it will dispatch long rows of traffic in passing lanes effortlessly. There is a hint of turbo lag, but you soon learn to drive to accommodate that. The throttle is a little sensitive in crawling traffic though, which can make smooth progress at under 10k's an hour tricky as the turbo keeps spooling up, expecting you to launch off at any minute. The transmission is responsive and shifts smoothly; wish it was a 5 speed auto though.
The handling is failsafe, huge grip, very limited roll means you just steer around corners and it follows the line, it isn't upset by mid corner bumps, and it's fantastic in the wet and on loose surfaces. The ride is only so so though, and the suspension can bottom out on sharp bumps like bridge expansion joints. The steering is surprisingly light, it doesn't have too much feedback, but there is enough there for you to get an idea of what the front wheels are doing.
The car looks great, in a grown up sort of way. The Blitzen extras are subtle and give the car a sporting turbo look without being obnoxious about it. The interior has some nice design elements, wrap around cockpit and angled controls are nice, seats have good lateral support, nice fabrics and overall its very comfortable. The luminescent dials look special and are easy to read, but the HVAC controls are quite budget as is the plasticky gear selector.
The servicing on these cars is not as expensive as some people would have you believe, but must be done religiously. Subarus seem to be very technically advanced, and mechanical failure leads to big bills, The turbo cost the thick end of 3k to replace. I'm hoping that the car will now continue to be reliable and fault free for the rest of my ownership. I am a little worried about reliability, but loving driving it and owning it otherwise.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 17th January, 2010
30th Apr 2010, 02:25
Had the car for 6 months now. Reliability issues sorted. Very quick.
Fuel economy dreadful and does not seem to reward a light foot either.
Handling and grip still stunning, I have to be careful driving other cars now as they don't have the same levels of grip, particularly in the wet.
The engine frustrates. It has flat spots and can be very laggy if caught in the wrong gear or off boost, but I can live with that. Really it's the fuel consumption and it's high octane only diet that really grate; it's bordering on V8 running costs.
20th May 2010, 19:29
Aren't these cars sequential turbos?, I have had a Legacy GT twin turbo, which I'm guessing had a similar engine than yours. It had no lag at all, HOWEVER the switch point between the 1st turbo and the 2nd one kicking in was horrible. Between 4000rpm-5000rpm. It's an OK car.
26th Jan 2010, 19:08
Sounds like particularly bad luck for a car of this mileage.
It was probably thrashed by previous owners, or not serviced regularly perhaps. This is often the case with cars that were imported 2nd hand from Japan - a very common practice in New Zealand, & they hardly ever come with the service history or documentation - I wonder why..