SW17LS

I think the negativity comes from asking for advice, and then not accepting any of that advice. May as well have just posted a thread with what you purchased after you purchased it.

JDR76

Solid choice. I assume you decided on the sedan, and not the wagon? I think the current Legacy sedan has a great look to it. I look forward to you posting some pictures (or are you buying the blue one you posted pictures of earlier in the thread?) and your experience with it.

RNM GS3

Forester was one of our top choices going in as it's a Subaru, made in Japan, very safe and was just refreshed for 2017.
after driving it back to back with the Legacy, the ride was much stiffer and rear seat not as comfortable.
Legacy drove like a luxury car in comparison.

RNM GS3

Thanks - dealer I'm working with is getting the Blue one in 4-6 weeks.
will def post pics once I get it.

LexBob2

Amen to this. I guess I've never really understood "what should I get" threads. They don't seem to be too productive, other than some conversation.

The Subie seems to be a solid choice.

SW17LS

Exactly. If the poster isn't going to listen to any of the feedback given in the thread, why bother?

The Subie is a good choice. I would have gotten the wagon, getting strollers and all the baby crap out of a trunk is going to be annoying.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

ok, enough with the critique, congrats rnm on the legacy purchase... there's a reason subaru sales keep jumping up each month! also, few things more fun than doing donuts with a subie in a snowy parking lot.

RNM GS3

A lot of times ppl on forums have these vehicles and can give honest feedback that you can't always get from a brief test drive.
I also went on the Legacy/Accord/RAV4 forums etc to read about issues, likes, dislikes etc.

RNM GS3

Your recommendations do not fit our lifestyle - if We wanted a minivan or huge SUV, I would have listed that in my original post.
We never considered vehicles like Honda Pilot, CX9, Highlander bec they are way too big and my wife is not comfortable driving them. For some reason you refuse to accept this.
Also Parking is a huge issue for us in NYC, the bigger your vehicle the more difficult it is.
I have stated this several times already.

SW17LS

If you don't want peoples opinions then don't ask for them. Originally you were looking for a small CUV, a vehicle with a hatch. A Legacy wagon is not a Pilot, CX9 or Highlander. I never recommended you buy a minivan or a big SUV...I suggested you choose a vehicle with a hatch...thats all.

A Legacy Sedan is 188.8"
An Outback Wagon is 189.6"

Its .8" longer, and the utility of that hatch would make a huge difference for you.

In comparison, a 4GS is 190.7"...so the 4GS which you say would work for you is actually 1.1" longer than the Legacy Wagon and 2.1 inches longer than the Legacy sedan.

In the end its your decision, but your statement that the wagon made no sense for you because its so big doesn't make any sense. You wanted the sedan not the wagon and thats fine, but you're actually paying a big lifestyle penalty IMHO. Not offering unsolicited opinions here...the title of your thread says Help me Choose.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

ok SW, let it go.

RNM GS3

Re-read my 1st post, i asked for opinions on 7 vehicles we were considering.

I agree wagon is more practical so is a Minivan or etc. but we ruled out a bunch due to personal preferences such as Wagons, large SUVs, Chevy/Ford/Dodge/Kia/Hyundai cars etc.

Right or wrong ppl have strong preferences - some people like American brands, or big trucks or Luxury brands etc.
That's why its great there are so many choices for everyone's tastes!

In the beginning, I thought small CUVs were the best option for us as that's whats all the rage for family cars and the wife wanted something small in size.
The ride on them is very choppy compared to midsize sedans, the rear seats are not comfortable or provide the same amount of seat room and leg room as compared to Mazda 6/Accord/Legacy. The trunk space on these sedans is HUGE and seats fold all the way (60/40), so for US there is no compromise in utility.
The other negative on the CUVs is you hear everything moving in the back, where sedans have a trunk that's separate from the cabin and you almost never hear any noise.

MattyG

I think the CVT on the Legacy was one of the main slams against it. But this is a very good choice actually. You said your spouse is a new driver and safety is a key issue. Subies are a great choice with their AWD. If Mazda were to offer an AWD option and more drivetrains you would see that car a contender too.

I didn't like the earlier re-style pre-2015. The C pillar treatment looked ridiculous, kinda reminded me of 90's Saturn sedans. But 2015+ looks like a really nice upscale sedan that checks all the boxes you were talking about: rear view cam, blind spot, lane departure etc. It's a nice looking sedan for a change and Subarus of course have that beautiful AWD system.

SW17LS

It is true that when you're looking at small CUVs there is a penalty when you compare them to midsize cars like the Mazda 6, Accord, Legacy, The way you kind of have to look at it is the allegory when looking at a small CUV to a sedan is not actually a midsize sedan, its actually a compact sedan. When you look at the suspension setups and geometry of a small CUV, powertrain setups, they're a lot more similar to what you find in a compact sedan vs a midsize sedan. To get a better comparison you really have to go a step up, for instance if you compared a Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, or a Nissan Murano, or some other two row CUV to an Accord/Legacy/Mazda 6 the tradeoffs in ride and comfort are dramatically reduced. I understand price wise that comparison may not work as well, but you're always going to pay a premium for an SUV vs a sedan. If you compared those CUVs to Civics, Corollas, Mazda 3 you would feel differently from a drive and comfort perspective.

I also understand your point about stuff rolling around in the cargo area not being isolated from the occupants as in a sedan. I carry a lot of signs and junk in my trunk and thats one thing that has kept me in a sedan as a daily driver.

Have you ever had a vehicle with a hatch? I think it may be something that you have to have to understand the versatility it offers you. The big thing that you will miss is ease of loading and unloading the car. Lifting heavy strollers and kid junk up into a trunk and over the lip of the trunk is the penalty, the other negative is the ability to load the rear area all the way up past the windows say for a trip. Can't put the seats down on a trip when the rear seat is in use. I went from owning an SUV to a period of time when I only had a sedan and traveling even without kids and you definitely miss that. Its like with the minivan, until I owned and lived with a minivan with kids I didn't fully understand the benefits of having one or what difficulties it would remove from traveling with children. Its the flat floor, the additional cargo room (which is considerable), the sliding doors and loading kids in parking lots, its the low floor for entry vs the height of the cargo and passenger floors in an SUV. Its the whole package to the point where honestly, until my kids can get in and out of a vehicle themselves with no assistance and can mind the doors and not slam them into things, I don't see us going back to an SUV from a van, as much as I hate the styling and concept of the van. Certainly there will never be another time in my life when we own two sedans and don't own a vehicle with a hatch.

Theres a reason why people are moving from sedans to CUVs in as large numbers as they are. Theres something to the versatility, theres something to the higher seating position, especially when you're in traffic...

chikoo

SW, I could understand your being upset if this was a sale in which you would have been paid a commission. Here on the boards, we are lending our insights, free of charge, and expanding the universe of knowledgeable folks.

RNM, I will say this with no disrespect to you. Offering freeadvice on a free forum is akin to charity. Helping a homeless veteran on the sidewalk. Once you give the money to the homeless, one does not follow the homeless to see if (s)he used it for the purpose that was put on the billboard (s)he was holding up. Now do we?