Can't decide: 2007 Lexus IS250 Auto vs. 2007 Subaru Legacy GT Auto...
04-12-07, 04:08 PM
#1
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Can't decide: 2007 Lexus IS250 Auto vs. 2007 Subaru Legacy GT Auto...
Hey ya'll, 1st post here.
I've narrowed my search down to the two cars listed in the thread title. I like both cars and I'm having some problems deciding which one to purchase.
After months of research, this is what I've come down to when comparing the two models:
IS250 Pros:
--Fuel Mileage
--Interior
--Quality materials
--Reliable
--Awesome exterior/interior design
IS250 Cons:
--Small rear seating area
--No fold down rear seat
--Ugly plastic engine covers
--Mediocre power
--Unproven reliablity of numerous electronics
--More expensive
Legacy GT Pros:
--The MOTOR! (More HP/Torque)
--AWD
--Roomier back seat
--Back seat folds down
--Reliable
--Stealthy
--Cheaper
Legacy GT Cons:
--Fuel Mileage
--Understated styling
--Interior
--Strange Armrest
So, what am I missing about the IS250? Do any of you regret your IS purchase?
Thanks!
I've narrowed my search down to the two cars listed in the thread title. I like both cars and I'm having some problems deciding which one to purchase.
After months of research, this is what I've come down to when comparing the two models:
IS250 Pros:
--Fuel Mileage
--Interior
--Quality materials
--Reliable
--Awesome exterior/interior design
IS250 Cons:
--Small rear seating area
--No fold down rear seat
--Ugly plastic engine covers
--Mediocre power
--Unproven reliablity of numerous electronics
--More expensive
Legacy GT Pros:
--The MOTOR! (More HP/Torque)
--AWD
--Roomier back seat
--Back seat folds down
--Reliable
--Stealthy
--Cheaper
Legacy GT Cons:
--Fuel Mileage
--Understated styling
--Interior
--Strange Armrest
So, what am I missing about the IS250? Do any of you regret your IS purchase?
Thanks!
04-12-07, 04:26 PM
#2
Legacy GT was one of my considerations as well before getting my IS. For CA weather (in general) an AWD would be considered "overkilled" unless you plan to go a lot of road trips (e.g. ski trip, etc). it's just a waste for the AWD if you drive in sunny CA weather (waste of gas also)
surely the GT will give you a lot of power, but dont forget the turbo in the subaru is not the greatest. it tends to leak (after a few years or agressive driving) as time goes by.....
The interior of the IS is totally different than the GT. You cant find anthing else better then LEXUS interior. I drive ~60 miles a day round trip and I want my ride as comfy as possible (esp when i get stuck in traffic). That's why I ended up with my TP 6MT!
hope this helps and good luck....keep us posted what u got!
p.s. btw, i think you need to pay extra for the armrest fot the GT?
surely the GT will give you a lot of power, but dont forget the turbo in the subaru is not the greatest. it tends to leak (after a few years or agressive driving) as time goes by.....
The interior of the IS is totally different than the GT. You cant find anthing else better then LEXUS interior. I drive ~60 miles a day round trip and I want my ride as comfy as possible (esp when i get stuck in traffic). That's why I ended up with my TP 6MT!
hope this helps and good luck....keep us posted what u got!
p.s. btw, i think you need to pay extra for the armrest fot the GT?
04-12-07, 04:50 PM
#3
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a friend of mine brought up the Legacy as an option when i was shopping for a car. i really liked the way it looked, but the things that detracted me from it are:
fragile MT (from what my friends who've owned on tell me)
4 cylinder
interior quality
noise
i still think i would have ordered that car if i've never seen, sat and test drove an IS though.
fragile MT (from what my friends who've owned on tell me)
4 cylinder
interior quality
noise
i still think i would have ordered that car if i've never seen, sat and test drove an IS though.
Last edited by Shoyuu; 04-12-07 at 04:54 PM.
04-12-07, 05:41 PM
#5
It just depends on what you want in a car. is250 is nicer and more luxurious. legacy is faster and prob more sporty/fun to drive. have you driven both cars?
Regarding the cons you listed for the IS250.
engine covers - you can just remove them they just pop out easily.
unreliability - reliability wise i think most people would choose the IS (it is a toyota) over the legacy.
the rest i agree on. the rear leg room sucks and lack of fold down rear seats doesn't help, but that's why i have a bigger car as well.
now only if they came out with the legacy sti version here
Regarding the cons you listed for the IS250.
engine covers - you can just remove them they just pop out easily.
unreliability - reliability wise i think most people would choose the IS (it is a toyota) over the legacy.
the rest i agree on. the rear leg room sucks and lack of fold down rear seats doesn't help, but that's why i have a bigger car as well.
now only if they came out with the legacy sti version here
04-12-07, 06:49 PM
#7
Lexus Champion
What's more important to you......luxury or fun-to-drive factor? I still have more driving fun in my 6 year old WRX than my IS350. It's just a sportier type of car, although I like the IS better overall for its refinement and luxury. It just depends where you are in life and what you like. Reliability wise you'll find the Legacy as reliable as the Lexus. I have two Subaru's that are six years old and they have been bulletproof. I've had no problems whatsoever with the Subaru turbo.
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04-12-07, 07:13 PM
#8
Now that u have the pros and cons test drive the cars. I read and reread your post. U never mentioned about test driving these two cars. You have to feel the ride, compare the interior yourself, and play with the controls. Remember some "car experts" are bias. And the most important is what's not appealing to others might be the most beautiful thing to u.
04-12-07, 08:00 PM
#9
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Being an avid Subaru guy for the last 6 years (sold my STi for the IS350), I can say without a doubt, I'd go for the LGT over the 250, ...now compared to a 350, thats another story.
Greg
Greg
04-12-07, 08:03 PM
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I owned a 2005 Legacy GT Limited (5AT) and traded that on an '07 IS 250 AWD.
The Leggy is faster. No doubt. It's more powerful across all rev ranges, and even with the (stock) turbo the delivery is fairly uniform (the lag is very understated). The ride is comparable. The backseat has more headroom, I don't know that the legroom difference is all that much. The trunk is probably a wash (in '05, the seats did not fold). The legacy (courtesy of Cobb) can be brought closer to 300 hp (crank) without touching the intake or exhaust (my Cobb and catless uppipe legacy would take a stock IS 350 on a regular basis). The AWD system on the Legacy, particularly the 5AT, is much more sophisticated than what's on the Lexus (although you figure the recent Toyota investment in FHI might change this in the future). Given decent snows, there is no reason to want or need traction or stability control on the legacy--the AWD is that good (I assume that anyone who manages to get into a situation where they need the TC or stability control in anything but the snow is a child of Darwin waiting to exit the world).
The Legacy 5AT gets horrid mileage. I probably did 70/30 hwy/city, and might have averaged 22-23 mpg at best. Horrid in the winter. The fit and finish in the legacy is not bad, per se, but it's nothing like the Lexus. The Nav on the current ones is not up to the standard of the Lexus. The "drive by wire" in the Legacy (stock) feels very artificial and in conjunction with the slight turbo lag really makes you feel about 2 steps in front of the car at all times in terms of throttle response (Cobb and/or Cobb+TDC maps can fix this to a certain extent). The factory audio in the Lexus is better. The Lexus is about 10 times as quiet, particularly on the highway. The Leggy still suffers from boy racer styling a bit, particularly if you get stuck with the factory spoiler (which almost every GT has that I've seen).
The reliability is not close. I had 5 warranty items fixed on the Leggy (3 relatively major) in a bit under two years. The big item was when the HVAC controller started refusing to blow cool air (even when it is cold outside) in the absence of the AC running. The residual and trade value (if that's important) are going to be about 10 times better on the Lexus.
The styling (purely subjective, of course) on the Legacy is like a boy racer than shaved and purchased a decent suit at Men's Warehouse. I liken the Lexus styling to a made-to-measure or maybe even bespoke suit worn by someone who is comfortable in that skin. The Legacy might be stealthy in CA, but nowhere where cold weather is a usual thing.
The Subaru will attract dudes in their late teens and early 20s who have the "The Fast and The Furious" memorized and the women that dig them. The Lexus will attract women who are in their early 20s to late 40s who recognize a few bucks and taste. (obviously, this is really subjective but I'm going on experience). You may or may not care.
The Subaru is vastly easier to customize. The range of bolt-ons alone can probably make a 400 hp (crank) car for under a few grand, and the crux to this is the ability to manipulate the ECU freely. The Subaru community is larger--this is by virtue of the price point of their line, not a quality issue on the part of either the Lexus cars or owners.
I don't regret owning the Subaru. It's one of those things where if Lexus made the 350 in AWD, I'd buy in it about two seconds (and if they come out with it, I'll trade-in in two seconds flat). My butt was getting a bit sore and ears a bit punished doing roadtrips every few weeks. Ergo, the comfort and style of the Lexus (and the mileage) were the drivers for me.
The Leggy is faster. No doubt. It's more powerful across all rev ranges, and even with the (stock) turbo the delivery is fairly uniform (the lag is very understated). The ride is comparable. The backseat has more headroom, I don't know that the legroom difference is all that much. The trunk is probably a wash (in '05, the seats did not fold). The legacy (courtesy of Cobb) can be brought closer to 300 hp (crank) without touching the intake or exhaust (my Cobb and catless uppipe legacy would take a stock IS 350 on a regular basis). The AWD system on the Legacy, particularly the 5AT, is much more sophisticated than what's on the Lexus (although you figure the recent Toyota investment in FHI might change this in the future). Given decent snows, there is no reason to want or need traction or stability control on the legacy--the AWD is that good (I assume that anyone who manages to get into a situation where they need the TC or stability control in anything but the snow is a child of Darwin waiting to exit the world).
The Legacy 5AT gets horrid mileage. I probably did 70/30 hwy/city, and might have averaged 22-23 mpg at best. Horrid in the winter. The fit and finish in the legacy is not bad, per se, but it's nothing like the Lexus. The Nav on the current ones is not up to the standard of the Lexus. The "drive by wire" in the Legacy (stock) feels very artificial and in conjunction with the slight turbo lag really makes you feel about 2 steps in front of the car at all times in terms of throttle response (Cobb and/or Cobb+TDC maps can fix this to a certain extent). The factory audio in the Lexus is better. The Lexus is about 10 times as quiet, particularly on the highway. The Leggy still suffers from boy racer styling a bit, particularly if you get stuck with the factory spoiler (which almost every GT has that I've seen).
The reliability is not close. I had 5 warranty items fixed on the Leggy (3 relatively major) in a bit under two years. The big item was when the HVAC controller started refusing to blow cool air (even when it is cold outside) in the absence of the AC running. The residual and trade value (if that's important) are going to be about 10 times better on the Lexus.
The styling (purely subjective, of course) on the Legacy is like a boy racer than shaved and purchased a decent suit at Men's Warehouse. I liken the Lexus styling to a made-to-measure or maybe even bespoke suit worn by someone who is comfortable in that skin. The Legacy might be stealthy in CA, but nowhere where cold weather is a usual thing.
The Subaru will attract dudes in their late teens and early 20s who have the "The Fast and The Furious" memorized and the women that dig them. The Lexus will attract women who are in their early 20s to late 40s who recognize a few bucks and taste. (obviously, this is really subjective but I'm going on experience). You may or may not care.
The Subaru is vastly easier to customize. The range of bolt-ons alone can probably make a 400 hp (crank) car for under a few grand, and the crux to this is the ability to manipulate the ECU freely. The Subaru community is larger--this is by virtue of the price point of their line, not a quality issue on the part of either the Lexus cars or owners.
I don't regret owning the Subaru. It's one of those things where if Lexus made the 350 in AWD, I'd buy in it about two seconds (and if they come out with it, I'll trade-in in two seconds flat). My butt was getting a bit sore and ears a bit punished doing roadtrips every few weeks. Ergo, the comfort and style of the Lexus (and the mileage) were the drivers for me.
04-13-07, 10:21 AM
#12
Lexus Test Driver
I was looking at getting into a legacy 2 years ago when I totalled my WRX. Somethings I didn't like was the yesterdays styling. Kinda looks like the old camry except smaller. It handled pretty good but I didn't like the lag on the automatic. Overall luxury wise everything is like 2 notches below the lexus and you'll get no prestige by owning one whatsoever. At least your car will be kind of rare though. It's fast but not too fast unless you wanna go ballz out crazy, but the handling is better than that of the lexus. What it comes down to is the Lexus 250 is 2 steps up in class but the Subaru is 2 steps up in fast. Take your pick. Or save up and get the 350 and you'll have both.
04-13-07, 10:31 AM
#13
Lexus Champion
You guys are out of your mind!
I dont know where you guys get off comparing these two cars... There is literally NO comparison as far as looks goes.... Must be in the engine or something. Look at how ugly that legacy is compared to the IS. Now maybe the old IS300, that looked more like that subaru does... I just couldnt live with that lack of luxury...