Heres Your Chance: Let SOA Know That We Want A High Performance Legacy

[MY99 2.5GT]

Ever since my initial spark of interest in the Legacy came about ,I, like many others, have been druling over the B4 (A well designed High Performance Sport Sedan).

Unfortunitely the General public has no idea even what the B4 is and SOA has no idea that we want them. We all know it would be a great seller to us Legacy Lovers and the Audi, BMW crowd.

We need to make a push for this. Lets let Subaru of America know that there is a good following of performance minded people interested in a High Performance Legacy.

I have a contact link for SOA's product suggestion form. Please fill it out with information of what your dream Hi-Performance Legacy would be. Give them all the details.

Hey Guys- I realize this is a public forum and a free place for anyone to post but, really guys, keep your negactive and doubting comments to yourselves. They only serve as a waste of hard drive space on the I-Club server.

Think of this post as a sign up sheet to win a chance to whisper in SOA's ear and possibly mold the car that we want.

Remember treat this like a sign up sheet rather than a topic of discussion. You don't argue about the topic or write about your negactive thoughts. No. You write your name and list what you wrote to SOA.

Thanks
Brad

Lets see what we can accomplish.

Heres the link: http://www.subaru.com/home/contact/middle.asp

Brad

* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

[CRAZY KEN]

GOOD:

2.5L H4 TURBO
205-215 HP
210-215 LBS.-FT TORQUE
O-60 MPH - est. 6.6-7.1 sec.


BETTER:

3.0L H6 N/A
225-235 HP
220-225 LBS.-FT TORQUE
0-60 MPH - est. 6.0-6.5 sec.

BEST:

3.0L H6 TWIN TURBO
280-320 HP (Depending on boost pressure)
260-300 LBS.-FT TORQUE
O-60 MPH - est. 5.4-5.9 sec.


Let us pray!


CRAZY KEN

[DLC]

Please fill this out, for the betterment of society and propogation of superior Boxer technology!

Go!

[MY99 2.5GT]

Ken-I liked the idea of the H6 twin turbo. How about a sequential twin turbo. That would be amazing. Can you say 350-380hp stock.

I think a turbo EJ25 coming from SOA would produce in the neighborhood of 250-280 stock and easily modifiable to 300-320 with no problems.

I wrote SOA about a turboed, built EJ25 but I beleive the H6 twin idea would be the ultimate as it stands.

I think it is so funny that Sub develops the H6 and then initially only puts it in the outback and not the Forester. I'm beginning to think they are backwards. There smallest lightest car in there line, the RS, for the longest time had the biggest engine available from subaru. Its like they forgot to think about the other models.

Keep writing them. They will give us something. Probably not an all out beast that we want but it will be something better than what we have now. I just hope they don't hose the body styling like they did the WRX.

Brad

[monovich]

Here's what I wrote them. I tried to let them know that if Subaru doesn't have something better for me when I get my next car, I'm probably going to defect to a German import.

Here's my letter:

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing because I've noticed that here in the United States we lack some of the higher performance versions of the Legacy that I have Seen in Japan, New Zeland, and Australia. As someone who owns a 1998 2.5GT (at the time your nicest model), I can say that I love my Subaru and am pleased with the brand overall. What worries me a bit is that within a few years I will look for my next car upgrade and I don't see any models in the Subaru lineup that fill out my list of requirements in the performance department. I will be looking for a wagon bodystyle with AWD, which Subaru does quite nicely. But what Subaru Legacys don't offer is anything more than slightly inspired performace. I've test driven the Audi RS4 wagon and the BMW 3 series wagons and have been much more impressed with thier performance. I know that Subaru makes cars with more capabilites in this department, as seen in the Japanese GT-B and B4 Legacys. Hopefully by the time I'm shopping for a car in the future, Subaru will offer something similar to these in the United States.

Thank you,

Stephen Fitzgerald

[Jgrahn555]

You spelled New Zealand wrong...

-Jason

[DLC]

Ok, ok, enough with the grammar stuff!

He also misspelled their :P

Seriously though!

Please make an effort to fill this out and let SOA know what you want.

[monovich]

I guess the people at Subaru are more forgiving of my spelling errors, they just sent me this reply:


--------------------------------------------------------

Dear Mr. Fitzgerald:

Thank you for visiting the Subaru Web site and for your continued interest in
Subaru products.* We are happy to hear that your '98 Legacy GT has been a
reliable means of transportation for you.* I am not aware of any future plans to increase the power and performance of our Legacy models.* But, with other Subaru models getting more powerful engines, I don't think it will be too long before the Legacy gets an upgrade as well.

We appreciate that you took the time to give us your comments.* We will forward them to our Product Planning Department for their future consideration.* In the past, input from our owners has been helpful in initiating changes to our newer models.* We hope to continually improve our products and appreciate your recommendations.

Thanks for your time and comments.* Have a great weekend!!

(Name Deleted)

--------------------------------------------------------

So there it is, straight from the camel's mouth. I guess there's some hope, so people should definitly keep nagging them.

-Steve

hope my spelling isn't too bad.

[Mr Cheese]

My letter:

With the releases of such vehicles as the Outback H6 and the WRX, I think it is only fair that we get a performance Legacy. I am saddened to see that there is no longer a performance Legacy model offered. I am a Subaru enthusiast, and I would eventually like to purchase another Legacy to complement my '93 Legacy Sports Sedan Turbo. This being said, I know that Subaru has the goodies in their bag, but are not sharing them with the United States. I'm not saying that a 280 Hp Legacy B4 should be sold here (although that would be nice), but atleast something with a turbo to get the Legacy into the 200 Hp range. I love my turbocharged Legacy, and would love to have a new one as well.

[zman55]

That's cool they wrote back..good customer service. I got en e-mail from them as well about the 2003 WRX (a few months back).

"Dear Chris:

Thank you for visiting Subaru.com and for your interest in the WRX! We are very glad to hear that you are enjoying your 2000 Legacy GT Ltd!

Production of the 2003 WRX has not yet been announced. I believe that future production is based on how well the 2002 WRX is received. So, nothing definite yet, but keep your eye on the 'News' and 'Press Releases' sections of our Web site for the latest updates!

Please let us know if we can be of further assistance!

Enjoy your weekend!
Sandi Parente-Geiges
Subaru of America, Inc."

Oh well, I will also drop SOA a little email and see what kind of results I get. Keep up the pressure. The little Imp boys did and look what results they got!
TIm

[MY99 2.5GT]

Recently I saw a set of Variable Valve timing heads up for auction on ebay. They went for $540 . What a deal if they work.

That would be really cool in the Legacy. Look what it did for Honduhs.

Keep up the petitioning. It will work.

My goal is by 2005 to be able to go to the subaru dealer and order a fully stock 200+ horsepower Legacy type sedan with an up graded handling package or something of that sort. That would be awesome to go pick up a close to 300 hp LEgacy that is fully warrantied by the dealer.

That will be the day.

brad

[Narcisse91]

I think it's great that you're all trying to get us a nice new Legacy, and I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but consider for a second:

SOA knows we want one, and they'd like to bring one over as well, but here's the problem: How many people would lay out $40,000 for a Legacy? I assume most of us would, but to the general public, when you're spending that much money, would you get A) an Audi S4 or B) a Subaru Legacy. If you don't care about AWD, you can throw a lot more cars in there, like the M3, some Mercedes, Lexus, Infiniti, etc. I know this is a Legacy forum, so I'm sure all of you would prefer the Legacy, as would I, but Subaru would be aiming for a whole new class of cars if they upgraded the Legacy, and that class is already defined by other manufacturers.

If you want a high performance Legacy with the options available now, it may not be too expensive, and this wouldn't be an issue, but if they bring a B4 equivilant over, it's going to be a high-powered luxury sedan, and that equals a much higher price tag, 2x what some of you may have paid for your Legacy.

I'm not knocking the idea, I'd really like to see one get over here, but realistically, I think this is the biggest problem SOA sees.

$40,000 where the hell did you get that number???????????
SOA sells fully loaded Outbacks with the H6 for around $30k. And that is with the VDC stuff, leather, McIntosh stero, etc. Strip that crap off, put in a stiffer suspenion, (No Outback Lift) and then tune the H6 to around 220hp. Where are you getting the other $10,000 from????? SOA could easily sell a H6 GT with a sports suspension for 28-30 depending upon options.
Tim

[MY99 2.5GT]

Hey Guys- I realize this is a public forum and a free place for anyone to post but, really guys, keep your negative and doubting comments to yourselves. They only serve as a waste of hard drive space on the I-Club server.

Think of this post as a sign up sheet to win a chance to whisper in SOA's ear and possibly mold the car that we want.

Remember, treat this like a sign up sheet rather than a topic of discussion. You don't argue about the topic or write about your negactive thoughts. No. On a signup sheet you write your name and list what you wrote to SOA.

Thanks
Brad

[Mr Cheese]

The response

Dear Mr. Cheese:

Thank you for visiting Subaru.com and for your suggestion and kind words!

We appreciate you writing to us to express your interest in a performance Legacy. Personally, although we do not offer one now, given the direction that we, as a company, are going, I wouldn't be surprised to see one in the future. Subaru is continually striving to improve and grow. So, you never know what may be in the cards!

I will forward your suggestion to our Product Planning Department for their review and consideration in thier development of future model lines. Make sure you keep your eye on our Web site and the 'News' and 'Press Release' sections for all the latest information!

Best wishes,

Subaru of America, Inc.

[dvancleve]

Dear Mr. Van Cleve:


Thank you for visiting Subaru.com and for your interest in our Legacy model!


We appreciate you writing to us to express your interest in a performance Legacy. Personally, although we do not offer one now, given the direction that we, as a company, are going, I wouldn't be surprised to see one in the future. Subaru is continually striving to improve and grow. So, you never know what may be in the cards!


I will forward your suggestion to our Product Planning Department for their review and consideration in thier development of future model lines. Make sure you keep your eye on our Web site and the 'News' and 'Press Release' sections for all the latest information!


Best wishes,
Sandi Parente-Geiges
Subaru of America, Inc.
-----------------------------------------------------------
YOUR ORIGINAL MAIL:


Hi there.


I am the relatively happy owner of a '97 Outback 5 speed. Now that the
WRX is here, it would be nice to have a Legacy turbo available when the
time comes to replace the Outback. It doesn't seem like much of a
stretch, and I am sure it would get some good press.


Thanks, Doug

[Mr Cheese]

They are just giving out the same response now.

With the success of the WRX here in the States it is a real shame on Subaru that you do not have a performace version of the Legacy to compete with the likes of Volvo, BMW, Audi. Why can't you offer the H6 engine in the Legacy? Why must one buy a "off-road" Legacy to get the better engine. When do you plan on offering the H6 in the Legacy GT? Also the "sports tuned suspension" of the GT vs. the "L" is a joke. for the price of a base "L" I am adding STi parts to make a better handling car than the GT that you sell and for less money.

Well we'll see what kind of response I get. I sent it through the my subaru page of thier web site so they tracked my VIN when I did so.
TIm

[MY99 2.5GT]

Thats funny that two people got the same response. I don't think its because they are ignoring us. I think its because they are not used to getting this many frequent emails about anything other than the WRX.

It seems there is a progression to there responses. It started by them saying As of now we have no plans to bring a performance Legacy to the States.

Now it sounds more like We are happy with what the WRX is doing in the States so theres a good chance they might bring something over.

Keep it up.

Has anyone said anything about body styling? I am so scared they will finally listen to us about the performance engine and handling side of this car then give us a stretched neon looking thing that just looks completely retarted.

I asked them to "please stay with the current B4 body styling.

Brad

[fellfrosch7]

Here's the response I got...

Thank you for your recent e-mail with suggestions for a more powerful engine in our Legacy Sedan models. There are no plans at this time to offer the Legacy B4 in the United States. However, with all of the engine upgrades in our other models, I think eventually the Legacy line will also get more more. However, there are no plans at this immediate time.

We do appreciate that you took the time to give us your comments. We will forward them to our Product Planning Department for their future consideration. In the past, input from our owners has been helpful in initiating changes to our newer models. We hope to continually improve our products and appreciate your recommendations.

[Narcisse91]

Legacy STi L:

If you consider the H6 high performance, there's your first problem. If they bring over a better Legacy, I would expect a better engine. Second, I made it pretty clear that I thought they would include all the Luxury options, like the B4, so you can't "strip all that stuff out". Read before you reply next time. That's two added costs above what you wrote, each of which will be a few thousand. Then you have the fact that it's a new car. Add another thousand or two. Now you're easily in the mid-30s. Where I am, that'll add at least 3k in tax. Very close to 40k. That's where the hell that number comes from. Obviously you haven't thought this through.

[monovich]

Subaru would never sell a Legacy in the US for $40k, the market just wouldn't support it. One thing they will have to overcome before they would be able to pull that off would be to raise the prestiege of the brand. Subaru is not a premium brand like BMW, Audi, or even Volvo. And you can get a really nice car from any one of those brands for $40k. Subaru will have to do much the same thing as Audi has done which is to steadily increase the percieved quality and badge recognition before they start demanding those kind of prices. The WRX helps, the H6 helps, and a higher performance Legacy will help. If we get a high performance legacy, it'll cost around 30k just like the LL Bean does. Subaru will force the car into a price-point they think they can carve a niche out of. And before they do that, we'll all have to write lots of letters and buy lots of high-end Legacys so they will recognise there is a real market.

-S

[DLC]

Ok, enough negativity and bickering.

We're trying to make a point to SOA here, not argue over what we might get and what kind of prices they would be.

The WRX is priced very well, especially when you can find the right dealer.

There are more models than the B4, but most of us would likely go for the higher-end models if the choice were there.

If they do bring over the B4, it'd be interesting to see if they stick the H6 in it or keep a twin-turbo setup.

Is the TT 2.0 available in LHD countries?

IMHO, the B4 is a competitor with Audi elsewhere and is classy enough and fast enough. A great ad campaign wwould have WRX owners wishing they'd held out!

[froggert]

the tt is only available in rhd countries.

i, for one, would rather have a legacy b4 than a bmw 330xi or audi a6 quattro even without taking price into consideration. but then again, i'm a freak, and i think that most of the people here are, too. we (enthusiasts) are in the definite minority of legacy owners.