Turbo or not to turbo? That is the question.

[maestro52]

I'm new to Subarus. I recently bought my college bound son a '06 WRX. It was the only car he would consider. He thinks my next car (a few months away) should be a Subaru (looking at the Legacy) with the turbo. I am interested to know whether the turbo engines are reliable over time, assuming they are maintained properly, compared to the non-turbo engines. I like the idea of more power than the non-turbo 4 cyl., and I don't like the heavier front end feel of the 6 cyl. Thanks for any info you can provide.

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[ammo0000]

Definitely! If you can afford the extra cost of the car itself and the extra cost on insurance(both are not that bad) then go for it. Reliability-wise, Subaru's are known for their reliability, turbo'd or not. The turbo model will be alot more fun to drive though. Have you test drove one yet?

[speedyHAM]

Subaru engines have been pretty good about reliability historically. There was a problem with the '07 WRX engines that has been taken care of through warranty. When well maintained they last a long time.

I have a non-turbo Legacy with 120K on it, a turbo Impreza with over 100K on it, and my original non-turbo Impreza engine made it 280K before it died. I didn't treat that engine very well though.

[desmo750]

As far as reliability goes my 1992 Legacy Sport Sedan (2.2L Turbo) has 185,000 miles on the odometer. Original motor, no problems, still runs excellent. Btw I'm running a bigger turbo (TD05 16g)

[maestro52]

I have driven all three models of the '10 Legacy. I like the MPG of the 2.5i but not the performance; I liked the performance of the 2.5GT but am concerned about the MPG; I thought the 3.6R was o.k. but the driving feel was different as though there was a lot more weight sitting in the front end (yeah, the engine is heavier), and it has the same MPG as the GT. My son claims that I can get better gas mileage with the GT if I don't get on it too much.

[CFM]

Go for the turbo'd leg if you can, I personally will always own a subaru after buying my 04 WRX. My buddy had a legacy wagon, auto non-turbo and I believe it made 300k and he treated the car horribly. But I also had a buddy with a boosted legacy and its still runnin' great at 240k and he just does the regular check ups and oil changes. Either way... Good cars, just personal preference.

[magicstop]

One characteristic of turbo-charged cars is turbo lag. For some, it is a curse, for others, a blessing.
For a daily-driver car, turbo lag can be nice. Essentially, the turbo doesn't spool up and start providing boost until a certain RPM range and throttle position. For instance, with my WRX, I can drive it around town all day and never get into boost. This makes it less gas hungry and drives like a naturally aspirated vehicle. However, when I want the power, I get on the throttle and let the RPM's come up (in my case a little over 3000), and I'm at full boost, with lots of power to spare.
So a lot of it is how you drive. But if MPG is your biggest concern, Subaru's probably aren't for you. The get really good MPG considering they are AWD and that some are turbo charged, but I think the Civic, etc., has the MPG title.
Subaru's are, however, very reliable, very fun to drive, very safe, and a great value all the way around. I will never drive another brand of car if I have ANY say in the matter.

[ramair18954]

The turbo is always working, you mpg are actually worse if you drive at to low of an rpm without boost. Go for the legacy! I have 97k on my wrx and I have had it since day one in 2002. I have had a hard 97k on less than 300whp on the car for about 90k. You can try the WRX STI as well. The mpg is crap, but you and your son will have a blast together(if thats also an additional agenda).

[wordsarize]

turbo.... that is the answer

[NOboostSUBIE]

LGT for sure. If you have to ask, that means you're entertaining the idea, and deep deep down you know it is worth it

[Defiant Autospeed]

I tend to agree with that.

I sold Subaru's for a while, in my experience, people that have to ask, will not be happy without the power. And in my experience, the H6 doesnt only have less power, it gets lower MPG.

Dont let having to run 93 octane worry you. Here is why.


For one, the H6 also requires premium fuel. That alone negates the entire topic, but if that isnt enough, lets do some math...


The difference between 87 and 93 octane is roughly 30 cents.


The "average" fillup will be around 12.5 gallons.

This means
87 octane fillup= about $3.75 cheaper than 93

The "average" person fills up 4-5 times a month. Lets use 5 just to go with a bigger number.

This means the difference between using 87 octane and 93 octane will be about $18.75 a month.

There are 12 months in a year.

The difference, again, using averages, will be about $225 total.
And if you fill up less than 5 times a month, that number will drop below $200 a year.

On an engine that asks for premium fuel, sometimes you can get away with 87, but
You get slightly lower MPG, less power, and it really isnt good for the longevity of the motor. Usually a smoother idle will be noted on the 93 than on the 87 as well.

So you end up saving @$225, for a worse performing vehicle.

If $225 a year means you cant afford the gas, then you cant afford a new vehicle to begin with. $225 a year is less than cutting one meal at an average restraunt out each month. Its so small of a difference over that timeframe, that it goes beyond being frugal and goes right into the "poor decision making" range

[Smdavis27]

I have a 2009 Subaru WRX, and I can get over 34MPG if im amazingly conservative on the freeway, cruising at 66 MPH.
If you have a lead foot, expect the lower ratio.
if you drive gas conscious, youll be just fine.
btw.
the new LGT have the same engine as my car.

[andrew3776]

Get a turbo. Because if you ever feel like upgrading, its easily done through the forums.

[jarencibia]

Turbo, DO IT

[kyleburlish]

Sorry for the slight thread jack but didnt want to bother people with a new thread. I have a 96 impreza wagon 2.2 litre 4 cylinder. Is it possible to turbo it without an engine swap? If so what is needed and a guestimated cost. Is there any negative issues with doing so?

[RayN]

^ definately new thread.

[maestro52]

I test drove the new LGT this afternoon. I loved the performance, but the big drawback is the new 6spd manual. It's unbelieveably sloppy. I've driven plenty of manuals before, and I have absolutely no problem when I talk my son into letting me drive his '06 WRX. Numerous times on the test drive I shifted from 2nd to 5th. I had my son drive it as well. The same thing happened to him. Undoubtedly, I would get the hang of it eventually, but it does diminish from what seems like a really well put together package, overall. I don't know if there is any way to address this problem.

[RayN]

shifter bushings

[Exarch]

+1 for shifter bushings, you can get a fully upgraded shift linkage with all the fun bits for fairly cheap.

I know that it may go against conventional wisdom to buy a new car and then immediately modify it, however I feel that you will not be disappointed in the least.

I don't know exactly which product you drove, but the Legacy Spec B has a 6 speed, here is a link to some shifter guts for the 2008 model:

http://www.turninconcepts.com/index....1233_1243_1246

Seeing as how Subaru likes to re-use things, I'd guess that the newer ones would need the same parts.

Good luck on your decision.

Mark down my vote for the turbo!

[Badmunky]

Originally Posted by ramair18954

The turbo is always working, you mpg are actually worse if you drive at to low of an rpm without boost.

This is wrong.
Off boost the car will drive just fine and get much better MPG then it will on boost. If I keep my car off boost I can get 32mpg or more average for the whole tank. On boost I get mid to low 20s.

Most of the time you will be off boost when you are just driving around.
It is true the turbo is spinning all the time however it is only working when you are on boost. The rest of the time it is just free spinning as the WG is open.

Edit: He has a 2.0L motor and has much less off boost power then the 2.5L you would be getting. This means his car needs boost to get the same amount of power that you have off boost. He also has a bigger turbo and is tuned. His tune may be part of the problem.

Originally Posted by RayN

shifter bushings

+1


Get the turbo car man. Its just as fast as the 3.6 and can get the same fuel economy as the 2.5i if driven right. Best of both worlds!
And if you want more power later on it will not be as hard or as expensive to get it out of the turbo car.


Later.

[laruffa]

turbo !

/thread