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Testdrive

Subaru Legacy 2.0 Turbo 4x4 1993

I had a chance to own Subaru Legacy Turbo 2.0 4x4 Station Wagon for half a year (I purchased it for a short time for re-sale). The car was 10 years old and had over 200000 kilometers on the odometer.
A great car. 200 HP, 7 seconds 0-100 kph, permanent all wheel drive, viscous coupling locking differentials center and rear. A little bit rear wheel drive-like handling in snow, probably due to the rear locking diff, it was so much fun to drive. The car let me to take-off from intersections safely and quickly, even when some wheels were on snow and some were on tarmac. The four wheel drive was also useful in summer, when the roads were wet - even my 80 HP diesel van could spin wheels, what can I say, 200 HP need all wheel drive all year round. Suspension was pretty comfortable and not too stiff. The interior was pretty good for a japanese car, the only thing that disturbed me was the dashboard switches to the left of the steering wheel. Those were hidden behind the steering wheel - the driver had to grope for the switches. Oil consumption was too high, up to 1 liter per 1000 km, possibly due to the leaking turbo. A 10+ points car anyway.

Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero 2.3 TD 1986

The car was too old - the turbo was weak, the body was rusted.
Good - 33" tires fit without any body or suspension lift.
Bad - my car was equipped with a free rear differential, not even a limited slip, and not many affordable lockers were offered for this model.
This car was used for off-road competitions from time to time. I was not very much excited about its off-road capabilities. The short wheel base was good for maneuvering through forests though.

Volkswagen Bora/Jetta 4motion 2000

This car is equipped with Generation I Haldex automatic all wheel drive and an electronic traction control on the front wheels. The all wheel drive engages quickly and the car drives like a full-time all wheel drive car - it's response is quick, on a very slippery surface the rear and front wheels spin synchronously. The traction control is no help when a wheel is in the air - it brakes the spinning wheel a bit but it's not strongly enough for the torque to be transferred to the other wheel that is on the ground. But that is in critical (off-road) conditions. When on the road, the traction control helps.

Last updated: 11-Jul-2010 14:00

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