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car review

2010 Subaru Legacy

Hey, you two:

I never thought I'd ever say this, but I'm thinking about a Subaru. I've avoided them for years because I felt they were overpriced in Canada. I would look at what they sell for in the United States, do the currency conversion and say, "Forget it." Too pricey in Canada.

Now I see that Subaru has rejigged its numbers here. The prices are a little closer to what they should be. I still think the same Subarus are cheaper in the U.S., but not by so much.

I hate winter, hate worrying about winter driving. So I want an all-wheel-drive sedan, and I'm willing to put the [Subaru]Legacy on my list. In fact, I have to; there just aren't many affordable AWD sedans out there.

But what else should I test drive? I want to keep the price around $30,000.

The Ford Fusion? A Ford? But I see it's one of the few AWD sedans for sale - at least affordable ones.

While I'm at it, what do you guys think about car pricing in Canada, now that the loonie is almost on par with the dollar?

Jimmy

Cato: Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy; you are a trouble maker. You've opened up this north-south pricing thing again.

Vaughan: Cato, this is for real. I just pulled out my currency converter and look at this: the base Legacy sedan in the United States is $20,690 with freight. Our loonie is hovering in the 95- to 97-cent range versus the U.S. dollar. Plug in $0.97 and that U.S. price converts to $21,312 in Canadian dollars.

Cato: I get your point. In Canada, basically the same car lists for $25,620 with freight - and in fact, all the prices we'll quote here include freight. In any case, that's a $5,000 difference, even after Subaru lowered the prices on the 2010 Legacy.

Still, people like Jimmy noticed that Legacy prices today are lower than they were a year ago, even with the new engineering and styling. That's one reason why Subaru sales were up 16 per cent in Canada in 2009 - in a market down by 11 per cent. But our loon keeps flying higher. The contentious pricing issue will be back if this trend continues.

And I need to vent on something else. Freight and vehicle prep charges. For the U.S. Legacy, the charge is $695; it's $1,525 in Canada. I know we're a big country with a small population, but that's a monster difference.

Vaughan: Jimmy, we can't tell you where the loonie is going, but we can tell you car companies hate having to deal with currency issues. Realistically, they simply cannot bounce their prices up and down with every currency move. But we all know that when our dollar and the U.S. one reach something close to par, lots of people take notice. And they get mad.

Cato: In the short term, Canadian distributors tend to play with incentives and interest rates to narrow the price gap. So there are deals out there.

But if Jimmy wants to keep his buy below $30,000, he has only a handful of choices. The redesigned Subaru Legacy is an obvious one. And, in fact, in a recent comparison test of AWD family sedans by Consumer Reports, the 2010 Legacy outpointed the freshened Ford Fusion.

Vaughan: That CR comparison included the freshened Toyota Camry, but it's sold only with front-wheel-drive. So scratch that off Jimmy's list.

Cato: You're pointing to the big problem we have finding a third option for Jimmy, at least among new AWD cars in the $30,000 neighbourhood. Suzuki sells an AWD SX4 hatchback starting at $23,090. But this is a compact hatchback competing against two mid-size sedans.

Vaughan: We could stretch a bit and include the 2010 Dodge Charger SXT with AWD.

It lists for $37,445. But that's only the beginning of the story. If Jimmy collects the $4,500 factory-to-dealer rebate, the $1,500 Chrysler cash-for-clunkers bonus and $1,000 loyalty bonus, the final price slips to about $30,000.

Cato: Jimmy, I like what Ford has done to upgrade the 2010 Fusion. The cheapest AWD version starts at $32,249.

But there is more to tell here. We dug into the pricing deals at www.carcostcanada.com, and lo and behold; if you jump on the right financing arrangement, there is a $4,000 rebate. And there are other added bonus dollars available - Costco rebates, Recycle Your Ride rebates and so on.

Vaughan: Jimmy, take a long look at the Fusion. It's a very nice sedan - good ride quality, quiet, good-looking interior.

Cato: And safe. The Fusion rates "Good" in crash tests, though the Legacy is better - a Top Safety Pick from the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The Legacy is my favourite car in this group. Jimmy, the 2.5i model with the Sport package puts the price to $29,620. But www.carcostcanada.com reports that there are no big deals on it, other than a $750 graduate reward.

Vaughan: The Charger is a good-looking car.

Cato: And it's faster than the other two. Take if for a spin, Jimmy, so you know what is out there.

Vaughan: The Fusion AWD is a better buy, so that's my pick, Cato.

Cato: The Legacy for me.

Jeremy Cato and Michael Vaughan are co-hosts of Car/Business, which appears Fridays at 8 p.m. on Business News Network and Saturdays at 2 p.m. on CTV.

*****

2010 Dodge Charger SXT AWD

2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5i w/Sport Package

2010 Ford Fusion SEL AWD

Wheelbase (mm)

3,048

2,750

2,727

Length (mm)

5,082

4,375

4,841

Width (mm)

1,891

2,050

1,833

Height (mm)

1,479

1,505

1,445

Engine

3.5-litre V-6

2.5-litre H-4

3.0-litre V-6

Output (hp) (torque)

250 hp 250 lb-ft

170 hp 170 lb-ft

240 hp 223 lb-ft

Transmission

Five-speed automatic

Six-speed manual

Six-speed automatic

Drive system

All-wheel-drive

All-wheel-drive

All-wheel-drive

Fuel economy (litres/100 km)

12.6 city 8.6 highway

10.6 city 7.4 highway

11.8 city 7.8 highway

Base price

$37,445

$29,620

$32,249

SOURCE: CAR MANUFACTURERS



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