Used 2013 Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited 4dr Sedan AWD (3.6L 6cyl 5A) Consumer Reviews
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After 10 years you learn all about Subaru
Sam S, Ridgefield, CT, 02/21/2019
updated 01/16/2024
Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited 4dr Sedan AWD (3.6L 6cyl 5A)
11 of 11 people found this review helpful
We have owned our car since new in 2013. In that time, the car started burning oil at 40,000 miles. This happens to about 15% of all Subaru owners and they don't advertise or admit it. I knew this was a risk in buying this car but it did take place on our H6 engine. All I do is every 1000 miles between oil changes (every 5000 miles with synthetic although Subaru corporate claims you can go 7500 miles on non-synthetic) is check the oil level. Also, confirmed with Subaru corporate you can put an additional 0.9 quarts of oil in the car with no bad side effects upon changing the oil. It burns about that much every 5000 miles so when it is time for an oil change, it is still about full having burned off the extra 0.9 quarts. Besides that problem however, the car has run quite well and it does handle the snow and climbing a mountain daily very well. Of course, being acceptable to burn nearly a quart of oil every 5000 miles should not be the case but that is the way it is with Subaru. Also note this car is not as comfortable as driving other cars, like Buick, Honda, or Toyota. The seats on long trips are adequate but nothing more. The electronics leveraging Harmon Kardon for the entertainment/GPS/Bluetooth technology is klutzy and generally works but not well. The recently (purchased) GPS software upgrade works better and now is better, but there are still concerns. When you start the car and backup it puts a black box up telling you Bluetooth is active (or not). Before the upgrade it blocked the whole screen and made it useless (you have to resort to looking over your shoulder like you used to - or stop and wait for it to go away). With the update, it now blocks about 33% of the screen so it is better and you can keep backing up knowing the middle of the screen will be blocked when you start backing up after starting up the car. Another issue is the Bluetooth itself. Even if the phone is registered with the car, it will not always link to this Bluetooth system. As a result, sometimes after starting the car you have to manually link up the Bluetooth to use it while driving. What we like about this car as it is reliable - nothing has broken in 107,000 miles of driving. What we don't like is the constant oil consumption and the poor usability of the electronics. In buying from other brands they are all superior in execution. I know Subaru recognized this and in the next generation Legacy built their own electronics designed interior, it does not help this generation. Last the climate controls are decent when it gets cold, as the car stays warm down to -10 Fahrenheit, but in the summer the AC has trouble keeping up above 95 degrees which fortunately does not happen frequently where we live. Still a comfortable sedan that is holding up. In the eighth year we now have 119,000 miles and the master brake cylinder failed, a $500 repair and the first repair needed. Still burns oil and is still generally reliable. Also had fail the rear wheel bearing ($500) and the front struts ($1000) as the roads in CT cause suspension problems on any car after about 125,000 miles. Edit update: Now at 9 years old it has not really developed any other concerns at this time. The battery needs replacing, which is maintenance as did the tires and some rubber seals which wear out at this mileage on any car I have owned. Now after 10 years the suspension needed replacing. Rear wheel bearings, front struts, front springs. Also the engine coils were cracking and needed replacing. This all happened between 130,000 and 140,000. A total of $5000 over the last year, almost the value of the car. The last half year and 6000 miles no more issues. So we are keeping it for now having been told the H6 engine with 5 speed transmission should last 200,000. After 10.5 years and now 143,000 miles no further concerns. The past year the car has been trouble-free again. With the suspension problems out of the way it appears it is a nice reliable car for us.
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- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
My 3.6R
Observer, La Grange, IL, 12/02/2018
Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited 4dr Sedan AWD (3.6L 6cyl 5A)
1 of 5 people found this review helpful
It is a great car for every day of the year!
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value