I just spent the last five months looking for a car until I bought my 6i. I too was looking at VW, Subaru and Mazda cars. Here's what I found out. Don't buy a VW they break down all the time and you will be at the dealorship every other month. The legacy is a good car. The standard AWD is both a blessing and a curse. It's great in the rain, snow,mud and dry pavement, the bad thing though about AWD is that if you drive off a curb or knock one of your wheels out of alignment it might damage the AWD system. Check out NASIOC.com(North American Subaru Imprezza Owners Club) if you want to learn more about Subaru's, they would be more than willing to help you. As for the 6 I have enjoyed every minute of driving. It speeds up fast and handles the curves like a dream. I decided to buy this car because I can keep up with my street racing friends at the track, and it doesn't look out of place in front of a five star restaurant. Good luck on finding a new car