MPG-o-Matic Subaru Legacy Review Summary:The Subaru Legacy 3.0 R Limited is a five-star safety rated American-made All Wheel Drive sport luxury sedan that competes with the Audi A4 Quattro, BMW 335xi, and Volkswagen Passat 4Motion.
The EPA gas mileage estimates for the 2008 Legacy 3.0 R come in at 17 city / 24 highway. In a week of driving, we found those estimates to be low, as we achieved 27.3 on the highway and 21.9 in suburban driving in mid-thirty degree weather.
That’s not bad for an all wheel drive sedan with this much power.
The Legacy 3.0 R is fitted with a 3.0 liter six cylinder Subaru Boxer engine. The conventionally aspirated horizontally opposed six cranks out 245 horsepower and 215 foot pounds of torque.
The all wheel drive (AWD) 2008 Subaru Legacy ranks among the most fuel efficient four wheel drive vehicles available in the USA today. The Legacy’s appeal only begins with its unique horizontally opposed Boxer engines, good gas mileage ratings, and reliable AWD system. Subaru’s handsome sedan has earned a coveted five-star government crash test rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The 2008 Subaru Legacy is available with three different engine configurations:
Legacy 2.5i – 2.5 liter four cylinder Boxer engine, producing 170 horsepower (HP) and 170 foot pounds of torque.
Legacy 2.4 GT Limited and Legacy GT spec.B – 2.5 liter turbocharged and intercooled four cylinder Boxer engine, producing 243 HP and 241 foot pounds of torque.
Legacy 3.0 R Limited – 3.0 liter six cylinder Boxer engine, producing 245 HP and 215 foot pounds of torque.
Need a four wheel drive with the best gas mileage? Get ready to downsize. None of the best gas mileage four wheel drives (4WDs) are jumbo-sized sport utility vehicles (SUVs).
Simply put, the aerodynamics and vehicle weight of the bulkiest SUVs cause gas mileage to suffer, leading to many a painful transaction at the pump. The trick is to get small(er), lighter, and more slippery. Credit Subaru for getting the ball rolling with popularizing economical 4WD drive passenger cars in the early days. Since 1997, every vehicle Subaru’s offered in America has been all wheel drive.
These days, it’s not just Subaru. There are plenty of four wheel drive choices that are neither truck nor SUV. And forget the notion of pint-sized economy cars. You’ll find a generous helping of 4WD luxury from manufacturers including Audi, Volvo, Cadillac, and Lexus … in fact, you’ll find many of their offerings in the 2008 list of best gas mileage four wheel drives.
Purists will gladly share that there’s a difference between four wheel drive and all wheel drive (AWD). And surely there is … but for a great many folks, it comes down to two simple questions: will it go in the snow and will I go broke feeding it?
At the other end of the spectrum, the little Suzuki SX4 delivers plenty of bang for the buck, by combining the best four wheel drive gas mileage with a low sticker price (for those who don’t just think miles per gallon … but miles per dollar.)
Along with its corporate cousins, the Ford Escape Hybrid proves the exception to the rule as the highest all around mile per gallon (MPG) four wheel drive vehicle. If you can’t get a great deal on an Escape Hybrid at your local Ford dealer, take a look at the Mercury Mariner Hybrid. And if you happen to live in Southern California, the Mazda Tribute Hybrid HEV might be an option … as long as you’re able to snag one of the 350 Tribute HEVs built for this test market.)
Thirty miles per gallon (MPG) on the highway isn’t too much to ask. As the chart below shows, the 30 MPG car isn’t a rarity in America these days. Alas, it’s not nearly as common as it was 25 years ago. Looking back at the lists of high MPG cars built in the early 1980s might be a surprise to some, for the lists were long and the fuel efficiency ratings were high. The 30 MPG car was not an oddity back then … it was more part of our nation’s mindset.
The all-wheel-drive (AWD) Subaru Outback is based on the Subaru Legacy platform. While the Legacy is classified as a mid-sized car, the Outback is classified as a compact crossover SUV. The Subaru Outback’s gas mileage figures are respectable for a compact AWD SUV, with highway ratings in the mid- to high-twenty mile per gallon (MPG) range. The Outback was last redesigned for the 2005 model year.
The domestic 2008 Outback and Outback 2.5i are fitted with Subaru’s naturally-aspirated 2.5 liter SOHC 16-valve four-cylinder Boxer engine, rated at 170 horsepower (HP) and 170 foot pounds of torque. The Outback 2.5 XT Limited is equipped with a turbocharged variant of the 2.5 liter four banger Boxer, producing 243 HP and 241 foot pounds of torque. The top of the line Outback R L.L.Bean Edition is fitted with a naturally-aspirated six cylinder Boxer engine, producing 245 HP and 215 foot pounds of torque.
MPG-o-Matic Subaru Legacy Review Summary: The Subaru Legacy 3.0 R Limited is a five-star safety rated American-made All Wheel Drive sport luxury sedan that competes with the Audi A4 Quattro, BMW 335xi, and Volkswagen Passat 4Motion.
