is subaru legacy 3.6R free from excessive oil consumption?

hmm.. not sure. You could check the legacy forums and see what people are saying about them. I wish I could help you out more.

I can tell you that my 2015 2.5L Legacy has NO oil problems. Bought on 2/2/2015. Changed oil at 5,000 miles: I now have 7,300 miles with average speed of 40 MPH. And a couple of highway drives. The oil level on the dipstick hasn't changed since last oil change. I was told by Subaru mechanic that the 2.5 and 3.6 engines were redesigned for 2015.

What oil does the '15 legacy call for? Thanks for posting. :)

Since I get the oil changed at the dealer...it's their bulk oil. With the coupon they send me periodically, it costs $30. About the same price if I bought only the oil;.. plus they put in a new filter. It doesn't make sense "to do it myself". The manual says synthetic oil only 0-20w. I'll ask the dealer when I go back, since for a long time I could only get mobile one synthetic for my Honda; but today there are a few common brands making that oil.

p.s.: the owners manual says: "0W-20 synthetic oil is the required oil for optimum engine performance and protection. Conventional oil may be used if synthetic oil is not available." then it says: " * : if 0W-20 is not available,5W-30 or 5W-40 may be used if replenishment is needed but should be changed to 0W-20 synthetic oil at the next oil change. " I do recall asking "what oil" the dealer used and the mechanic only said "synthetic". So I assumed it was the 0W-20. Now I am curious about what brand?

haha, oil topics can become lengthy, I was just curious if it was the same 0w as the new foresters that have the issues. I'm happy for your lack of issue. yeah, doing it yourself verses them, it's all kind of case by case. I like doing my own because the T6 is pretty cheap at walmart or having it shipped from Amazon. I usually buy a bunch of filters from RockAuto and have them for a few years verses paying McParts places for high prices. It also makes me look under the engine and I keep a log of maintenance and thoughts. Full_of_Regrets had some issues, so he might like seeing your post. Any chance you know if these are the same engines between the newer Forester and OB?

Yes, they also have oil burning issues. My 2013 Legacy 3.6 Limited burns a quart every 2000 miles, and I change it every 3000 miles. This started at 45,000 and has continued through today with 56,000 miles. Of course, Subaru tells me they all do that. Unfortunately, no one else's cars do that - my 2006 Saab 9- 3 with 156,000 and a GM engine block does not have any oil issues at all. So Subaru has a great AWD system, but that is pretty much all it has.

The Subaru 6 is on the Thirsty Thirty list of oil burners.

Yep, I knew that - two years after I bought the car new. Such is life. Cannot do anything now. Just buy 8 quarts of oil, put 6.9 in, and then add the last quart after 2000 miles. I don't use the dealership and use an independent to change the oil. Subaru gets no more money from me directly. They won't get another cent as I won't buy another and neither will my parents or a few of my friends. I told them all and they all will avoid them going forward. So I can cost them 10 or so sales. Not much, but I figure why not?

Subaru traded the head gasket problem for an oil consumption issue and then there is the CVT. No more new Subaru's for me.

Sorry to hear that. Fortunately, no CVT for me - the five speed automatic is older but just fine - no problems there.

The Subaru automatics are good. Too bad they chose the CVT route. A 6 speed version of their old transmissions is my wish.

Whenever we upgrade, I'll try to find a pair of Ford Flex's in the same trims and color. lol. I got 03&04 xs in 01G silver and they're mostly the same. That's a bummer on the oil & ctv crud

Yeah Saab I've told a few people to avoid subies for a while too. Just not worth it

FOR - Subaru is pretty much fully committed to CVT as the newest models that is all they offer on the 6 and 4 cylinder engines. They don't even offer a manual anymore because gas mileage goes down with it. They are wringing every MPG they can out of their AWD platform and get good gas mileage because of it. But as said by Waith, no more Subaru's for me. I like the AWD in the winter, but GM's AWD on the Regal works nice as well with the Halidex system and soon to have new double clutch system. So eventually will go to that most likely.

Strange to hear all this chat about not buying a Subaru again. I have an 07 Legacy that I've had Head Gasket problems and other issues. I like the car and how it drives, but I keep thinking a Toyota or most likely a Honda. I know nothing is perfect, but Subaru just has too many engine issues, even to this day, it makes no sense whatsoever, they could outsell most competitors. but choose not too with faulty engines.

Just do your research as all vehicles have something. Honda and Toyota (and their higher end counterparts) are likely all pretty reliable but I think that might come at a cost with their higher prices...

I have found out that another car brand uses the "H" engine design and has the same issues - Porsche. They just add oil to their Porsches. Since so few are made compared to Subaru, no one hears of it. They both do it for the better handling you get with the lower engine profile. Unfortunately a side effect is engine oil consumption. I deal with it by adding oil constantly and plan to keep the car a very long time. So I guess Subarus are reliable, but are a pain to maintain - that is probably the right way to look at it.