All of the N/A 4 cylinder Subaru's are very close in MPG ratings no matter what car they are in. I mean in a Legacy based, Impreza based car. The OBS is on the Impreza platform and will give you more of a spirited driving feel. The bigger OB is going to give you a bigger car feel, and more storage.

And depending on what model, more luxury.

MPG's will be greatly affected by one's driving habits - bottom line. You push your car to the limits, you will push your car to the gas pump...

Brian

 

Welcome to the board! The OBS is built on the Impreza platform, so it's shorter in length and more nimble. Some say that platform is rally-born, but I don't know if that's true.

I prefer the longer cargo bay of the Legacy platform; one criterion when I bought my 98 new was my Schwinn had to fit in the back. Truth be told, I haven't hauled the bike that much but I've certainly used the cargo space for other things.

The AWD system does create some drag, though, which hurts MPG. You won't win any downhill-coasting races with it.

 

Dont know what years you are looking at, but I had a 2004 Impreza Outback Sport (referred below as OSW) and I now have a 2004 Outback H6 3.0.

1. The room in the outback is much much bigger obviously
2. I feel much safer in the outback
3. The OSW was much more fun to drive. I feels it took corners much better.
4. The outback obviously has more power.
5. I dont really notice any difference in the mileage.
6. Off roading in the OSW was a total blast!!! (if you are into that haha)

I had the OSW from 1/08 to 7/08 and got the outback in 8/08 to currently..

 

All of the N/A 4 cylinder Subaru's are very close in MPG ratings no matter what car they are in.

This is important.

If you buy a new, non turbo charged 4 cylinder Outback, you're getting the exact same engine as what you'd get in a non turbo charged Outback Sport.

If you're buying used, there is the chance to get a different engine, depending on the year you pick. But now, all 4 cylinder Subaru's come equipped with the EJ25XX... even the turbo cars.

All current turbo Subaru's except the STi get the EJ255, which has the same block as the STi but with different heads. The STi gets the EJ257.

Older Subaru 2.5's have a multitude of different engine codes but all are basically the same engine with the exception of 1998 2.5L cars, like Foresters and Outbacks. Those had the same block as the 97-99 2.5 but with different heads.

... the list could go on, but this may be more technical than you care about.


The Outback Sport is exactly that - sporty. It is based on the smaller Impreza chassis ("rally car chassis"), which is the same as the WRX and STi chassis.

The Outback Wagon is based on the Legacy chassis, which is a different design all together. It is considerably larger and more luxury oriented. The Outback Wagon typically has more luxury appointments and feels less "cheap". The Outback Sport, as mentioned earlier, will feel sportier, it will handle better, be able to squeeze into tighter spots (turning radius, overall size being the factor) but has less ground clearance and obviously less room.

Your choice. Personally? I like the Impreza chassis (hence why I drive a Forester now)... but I don't dislike the Legacy chassis - its a great chassis and served me well. The Impreza chassis suits my needs better.

 

One Other Consideration

Most of the car, if not all of it, is built in Japan when you consider Impreza based models, however, Outbacks are assembled in Indiana. Now whose hands do you want? We like the quality put in on the Imprezas by little hands! Sorry, we are red in our necks, but we love Japan assembled quality. Our choice, Impreza Outback Sport, plus old ones get a free hood scoop! Now as for cheaper interior, I resemble that remark, haven't ever noticed anything cheap in our 99, all works just fine, including the bullet proof 2.2L normally aspiriated boxer engine.

What year are you considering?

 

I've been driving this OBS for nearly 5 years. It can be fun at times (Quick? Eh. Nimble? Yes. Fast? Not even close) but more often than not I'm wishing I had the larger Legacy platform. I'm about 6' with a barrel chest and usually feel crammed in. I don't like 'plopping' down into the seat and have to use the a-pillar to help pry myself up and out because the seats sit so low.

I'll agree with the cheap interior feel. It's not *bad*, but even after filling the a-pillars with expandable foam and covering every interior panel (except the doors, just waiting for a good weekend) with sound dampening mat, multiple layers in problem areas, it still sounds hollow and tinny when driving to work on the highways/interstates. Cabin noise levels are high. My wife hates riding in it because there's always a rattle coming from somewhere.

The lid/arm rest on my center console is busted down the middle. I hear an even bigger problem on Imprezas is the snapping off at the hinges.

I'd rather not have my hood scoop. All it gets me is a bunch of wanna-be street ricer (pardon me, racer) punks passing and intentionally cutting me off to try and provoke me into racing them.

Oh yeah, my Impreza-based OBS gets worse mileage than the Legacy-based OB (I think it's in the tranny). Most the them report 30'ish MPG, where you'll see most of us OBS'ers reporting 22 (with the rack on) to 27 (with it off). I'm averaging 24-25 right now with mine off.

 

Only real reason I can think of aside from size, is the cost. There's roughly a $3k difference between the 2 model's trim levels. And you can also get the turbo charged Impreza for less than the NA Outback limited. Other than that mainly personal preference to me.