Obviously the Legacy is the best car ever made......but is it just my car or is there no courtesy light in the front?
The one over the back seat is fine and the map reading lights in the front are fine but does the rest of the plastic that the map reading lights sit in illuminate and mine is just duff?
Funny what questions crop up after two years of owning a car!
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Probably not an electrical fault so much as a design fault. My Forester does (or rather doesn't) do the same. And what a nuisance it is. Front of the car has maplights but no interior lights coming on when door opens.
Having a sunroof also means that the light is above the rear passengers head! Great for them, no use whatever to the driver.
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I have a huge sunroof in the Outback, and have only two map reading lights at the front and the main interior light over the back seats. Its not great, I know, and I can't see why there isn't another interior light next to the map reading lights. So not you haven't a fault, just a design feature!
BTW, whilst Japanese cars reign supreme in most areas, the Europeans are better at 'surprise and delight' features, such as lots of interior and exterior lights (footwells etc). Mind you, if you don't have them, they can't go wrong!
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Yes, it's infuriating. I?ve taken to keeping a small head torch in the car so that I can see when I get home in the dark. It?s a strange omission on a car that has so many devotees out here in the sticks.
I'd add that some means of cleaning the headlights wouldn't go amiss. Four days of rain and sugar beet trucks up and down our lanes and I'm scraping the grime off with a trowel.
Davros
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Thanks everyone. What a weird thing not to have on a car!
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It's worse in the Outback - the Legacy & Outbacks are all "designed" to use the central light as a courtesy light but because a huge sunroof is fitted the central light is above the rear seats.
US owners have been able to wire the map lights as courtesy lights but altering the map light wiring, adding a couple of diodes and cabling between map lights and central light.
I may well follow suit, I get grief from SWMBO every time we use the Outback at night.
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Yes, the lack of a decent courtesy light and headlamp washers are two surprising ommisions to the car. I am surprised more so that the Forester AWP has headlamp washers and I think a better interior light despite the huge sunroof.
Despite these factors I still love the car, but wish it had more interior room and less external length. It is a tight fit with five full size adults on board and wish I could slide the rear seats back to make to boot smaller and provide more rear legroom.
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I have an interesting comparison between our C-Max Ghia and our Outback 2.5 SE Auto.
The C-Max initially seems the more comfy, with various extra gizmos, exterior and interior lights, useable space etc., but in sheer driving terms the Outback wins out every single time - the difference is like going from the cheap seats to a private box.
The Outback oozes class and overcomes all the little niceties through engineering brilliance.
The C-Max is good, but has to settle for second place.
Cheers
jdc
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jdc - having recently changed from Astra CDX to Outback SE, I came to exactly the same conclusion - the Outback misses a number of convenience items but is designed and built to a totally different (better) set of values.
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I think we have to remember the purchase price of the Legacy. It's a great deal lower than its peer group in BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes, Audi.
I have enjoyed trying to work out how they can be so much cheaper and, generally, believe that the corners cut by Subaru are well thought out. No split rear seats for example, less extravagant fascia material, no rear-seat movement, manual front seats etc.
Where Subaru has spent the money is on essentials such as engine and build, IMHO, as well as valuable extras such as Climate control, heated mirrors for example.
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It might just be that Subaru's advertising budget is lower than MB/BMW, and they don't maintain so many glass palaces.
I remember seeing advertising cost per car sold by manufacturer and the one that stuck out was Alfa Romeo at £1300 per car - and this was 1980 ish!
I wonder what BMW spend per car now!
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>>. No split rear seats for example less extravagant fascia material no rear-seat movement manual front seats etc.
2005 Legacy Tourer - split rear seat, electric drivers seat, full leather, heated front seats. One reason I bought it was the spec was pretty comprehensive.
Agree that its not a proper 5 seater, and some find it a bit cramped in the back. The interior lighting is just bad design.
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I think we have to remember the purchase price of the Legacy. It's a great deal lower than its peer group in BMW Jaguar Mercedes Audi.
BMW Jaguar Mercedes Audi - Subaru - peer group!
Yes they are reliable, yes they can be fun and yes I wouldn't mind a 5dr Imprezza though the styling and interiors are simply not in the same league as any of the above.
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Actually having looked in the latest BMWs and Jags I would rather be in my Outback with its nice cream leather trim and nice looking centre console which works so well, you don't need the instruction manual to learn how to use. I admit though that the Merc and Audi interiors are more than pleasant places to be. But then find me a one year old, 3.0 litre 4WD, tiptronic Audi with all the kit on it for £18,000! And mine will be more reliable!
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BMW Jaguar Mercedes Audi - Subaru - peer group!
Too right. No way is the Jag in the same league as the Subaru. Listen to the transmission whine on those 4WD Jags and wonder at the stack of TSB's. Would never make it into production at Subaru. There's more to a good car than some nice seat material...
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>> BMW Jaguar Mercedes Audi - Subaru - peer group! Too right. No way is the Jag in the same league as the Subaru.
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Which Jag, who said X-Type, that is the only AWD one, and you simply cannot compare any Subaru with an XJ or XK.
>>Listen to the transmission whine on those 4WD Jags>>
I have been looking into it and there are very few issues with the X-Type system furthermore an X-Type SE or Sovereign interior is streets ahead of any Subaru.
I am not anti Subaru in the slightest*, as it happens I have currently a few cars on my list for different reasons including X-Type and Impreza WRX 5dr.
*except that they look much better in any colour other than the 555 blue, silver, metalic green, red, anything but that blue where as strangely an X-Type looks OK in metallic blue.
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The Outback oozes class and overcomes all the little niceties through engineering brilliance. The C-Max is good but has to settle for second place. Cheers jdc
The Outback is from a different planet to the Ford. One is designed by engineers, the other by accountants.
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Having just read the interview with retiring Ford icon, Richard Parry-Jones in 'Car', I suspect that engineers have equal status at Ford now.
The quality of all its cars has increased hugely in the last 10 years, particularly in those aspects where engineering is key, like a good drive, as opposed to "nice soft plastic on the fascia" which is irrelevant to roadholding etc.
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I laughed at, and stopped buying, a magazine written by youngsters when I read at the end of a fairly positive road test, "But, Oh, those shiny plastics !".
The Outback is indeed a good vehicle, but Subarus are not totally free of problems. I have the 2.5 with cloth seats and no sunroof. Why the model with the most useful features, like heated washer jets, also has to have a sunroof is beyond thoiught. I have a bald head, almost, and when I mentioned that to the salesman he said, "Then keep the roof shut". Why pay for it then ?
I consider having two sunroofs as 'bling' as having 17 inch alloys with 'look-flat' tyres.
I have owned cars in the past with courtesy lights on the side of the roof above the door.
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Large sunroof and air-con are absolutes for me. I too am nearly bald but have always cherised sunroofs.
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Aircon I can live without...I always look for a sunroof....although to have both is the ultimate(as I do now in my 10 year old Mazda 626). Living in Biggles training territory,I still find it fun the briefly look up the exhaust of a low flying Tornado thru the sunroof!
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