2013 Legacy 3.6R or WRX?

[cgner]

Hey people. Looking to change my car soon. I want something relatively strong to climb mountains with 4 peole, 100 lbs of cargo, and AC. Also dont want FWD combined with power and tq, so I decided to go awd, and Subaru there provides viable choices around 25k. I know the two are different, but I am on the line between the two. Legacy for comfort, or WRX for performance?

No STi, Evo, BMW, Audi, Infiniti.

 

[AidanJC]

Hi,

I live in Australia and my mother bought a WRX. It's a fantastic car and all, but it's just not comfortable really. If you can pick up a 2006-2008 Subaru Liberty GT, i think they're called Legacy GT over there, you'll be doing yourself a big favour. Same power as a WRX STI, a little slower because of the weight, but it's just so much more comfortable.

In my personal opinion, the older Legacy's look really really nice compared to these new ones.

 

[cgner]

Old ones definitely look nicer. Problem with LGT is the price. We compare $25k vs $32k base price 🙁 Doubt I can afford a new one. Older ones are too expensive for used cars and typically driven hard/abused. I dont want that.

 

[wip99gt]

At high elevations a boosted engine will perform better than a N/A one. Non boosted engines lose lots of power at high elevations because of lower oxygen levels in the air. Of course I don't know what mountains you'll be driving through and how high you're going so that might mean nothing to you. Looking at your last post I guess price is likely going to make your decision for you. I don't think you'll go wrong with either for what you plan to do. If you pick the WRX just plan out an extra stop for long trips to give your body a stretch.

 

[cgner]

I got to 5k feet regularly, 7k a couple of times a year. Its true that NA cars barely move at high altitudes even with a good displacement. Legacy has very good, very flat torque curve though. Peak from like 2.5k rpms, which is great. WRX is deff not comfy on long drives, but its funs 😀

 

[wip99gt]

With my sled I see a big hp loss going from 4k to 7k. 7k is a higher elevation but you only see it a couple times a year so it's not too big a deal. I think the biggest thing is the comfort vs sportiness for you and that's something only you can really decide on. I drive a 2 tonne service truck for work so for me even a WRX is comfortable.

 

[cgner]

Yep, I feel that massive loss after 4k feet. Driving in the summer with AC and a couple of passengers and cargo is unbearable. lol

 

[blackhawk1928]

Your car will be a big tradoff on what you choose. To add on to what wip99gt said...which is absolutely true:

The FI engine of the WRX is more resistant to altitude changes in terms of loss of torque and therefore translating to horsepower loss. HOWEVER,

There in this world...what it ALL comes down to is 2 types of engines. Just 2 types. One type makes horsepower by displacement, the other makes horsepower by rpm. Engines that create horsepower by using less displacement and higher rpm use gearing to become just as effective as those with more displacement and less rpm. However there is one very big downside, and that they are extremely vulnerable to weight. Sudden increases in weight...like passengers will slow it down a lot. If a bigger displacement with more torque but equal horsepower suddenly has a weight gain...its torque will act as a buffer and you won't notice much of a difference. However, in high revving engine with minimal torque...any sort of weight will drastically slow it down...even if it is still fast, it makes a noticeable slow down.

Turn on your AC in a 2.0L 200hp car, and then turn on your AC in a 5.0L 200hp car. In the 2.0 car, you will probably see a noticeable loss of power, while in the 5.0L car you won't notice a damn thing. Thats torque acting as a buffer for your power.

The other side of the argument is the Legacy 3.6R has a NA engine and thats going to get chocked at high altitude while the turbo on the WRX will keep up better. Its a hard decision and I don't know what to go for in this case.

 

[cgner]

Your car will be a big tradoff on what you choose. To add on to what wip99gt said...which is absolutely true:

The FI engine of the WRX is more resistant to altitude changes in terms of loss of torque and therefore translating to horsepower loss. HOWEVER,

There in this world...what it ALL comes down to is 2 types of engines. Just 2 types. One type makes horsepower by displacement, the other makes horsepower by rpm. Engines that create horsepower by using less displacement and higher rpm use gearing to become just as effective as those with more displacement and less rpm. However there is one very big downside, and that they are extremely vulnerable to weight. Sudden increases in weight...like passengers will slow it down a lot. If a bigger displacement with more torque but equal horsepower suddenly has a weight gain...its torque will act as a buffer and you won't notice much of a difference. However, in high revving engine with minimal torque...any sort of weight will drastically slow it down...even if it is still fast, it makes a noticeable slow down.

Turn on your AC in a 2.0L 200hp car, and then turn on your AC in a 5.0L 200hp car. In the 2.0 car, you will probably see a noticeable loss of power, while in the 5.0L car you won't notice a damn thing. Thats torque acting as a buffer for your power.

The other side of the argument is the Legacy 3.6R has a NA engine and thats going to get chocked at high altitude while the turbo on the WRX will keep up better. Its a hard decision and I don't know what to go for in this case.

Yea, its very true what u said about big/small engines, but WRX and 3.6 make almost the same power and torque. I suppose Legacy makes a better choice due to comfort then.