Subaru Crew Cafe

bluesubie

JD Power Dependability Study.

http://www.jdpower.com/news/releases/pressrelease.asp?ID=2003050

-Dennis

joybell

I am assuming that both Japan-made and US-made Subarus are included in this study? I am rather disappointed with the results. I expected Subaru to be side-by-side with Toyota, if not better. Is there any record of the number of problems per 100 vehicles between Japan-made and US-made Subarus to compare?

ateixeira

Here's the relevant part:

Other notable performances in the 2003 results include Subaru and GMC, which both performed considerably better when measured at three years in VDS than when they were measured at 90 days of ownership

Something I said when the IQ study was released. Subaru's do better in the long term.

Interesting, though, how could Olds have 104 more problems than Buick, they're almost the same!

-juice

jay_24

These two are probably the most different GM brands.
Olds only has 2 cars , one mini van and one SUV.
Buick is just cars and a mini van/suv thing.

Olds Alero (3.4 engine) doesn't match the Buick Century (3.1 engine)
Olds Aurora (4.0 engine) doesn't match the Buick LeSabre (3.8 engine) The Buick Regal also uses the 3.8 liter.

Nothing else even comes close to matching...

Bad news for Buick is that it gets the Bravada/Rainier SUV which doesn't appear to be a top quality winner, but maybe the bugs are worked out? Even though the Bravada ranked high, the Trail Blazer and Envoy didn't.... now that's wierd...

ateixeira

Silhouette is almost the same as the Rendezvous, same powertrain and platform.

Grand Prix = Intrigue, except the engine.

Bravada = Rainier (sp?) but it's too new for that survey.

-juice

subearu

I thought I read somewhere that the Buick version of the TrailBlazer/Bravada was likely to get a small V8 engine.

end of the day humor: http://www.jedimaster.net/

-Brian

rsholland

Surprise! Surprise!

There's a picture of the all-new Legacy in the latest issue of DRIVE. No info, but still a picture...

Also, a full-page spread on the B11S,* and the future of Subaru design.

* B = Boxer
  11 = Premium Class
  S = Sportive

Bob

jlemole

http://www.drive.subaru.com/

Jon

lark6

I got Drive today as well and found that rationale for the concept name unusual to say the least.

Elsewhere in the issue is another installment of the history of SoA. It amused me to learn that one of SoA's earliest celebrity spokespersons was actress Ruth Gordon of "Harold and Maude" fame. I was around for that campaign but I couldn't recall it. Were there others besides the current Lance Armstrong, Paul Hogan, Judge Reinhold, Martina Navratilova, Juli Inkster, Meg Mallon, and Diann Roffe-Steinrotter?

Ed

ateixeira

Papa Bear: some of these photochoppers are great. They also have way too much time on their hands! LOL

Wow, they're showing the Legacy already? Dealers have to sell the 2004s, which have not even arrived yet.

If they go to that naming convention, what will non-sporty models use, if not S? Maybe leave it off? I don't like alphanumeric names. It hurt Acura when they dropped them.

-juice

rsholland

I didn't know was available online. Oh well, another site to bookmark.

Bob

rsholland

http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/saab9_20030709.htm

Saab doesn't want it. Subaru doesn't want it. Only GM wants it.

Bob

ateixeira

Great, Saab's input into the next 9-2/Impreza: cost cutting.

Yuck.

-juice

kens

Sheez. What a shame. It's a product that's bound to fail if neither Saab nor Subaru wants to do it.

It may increase Saab's reliability ratings, however! ;-)

Keep Saab out of the next Impreza development.

Ken

ateixeira

Yeah, I thought Subaru wanted to be less quirky, LOL.

-juice

jlemole

If it fails miserably, let's hope it doesn't pull down consumer sentiment about Subaru.

Jon

dcm61

Bob said: "There's a picture of the all-new Legacy in the latest issue of DRIVE. No info, but still a picture..."

What page is the picture on? I know I need new glasses but I looked through it several times and didn't see a picture of the new Legacy.

DaveM

twrx

Everybody watching the tour? Nice to see "Subaru" on the jerseys. Team time trial was exciting. Can't wait to see what mountain stage Lance will use to stage his breakaway.

TWRX (proud owner of a Trek2300 and Trek8900 in addition to the WRX)

dcm61

Looks like Lance is moonlighting with Comcast. I just saw a Comcast Ad featuring Lance on OLN (Outdoor Life).

DaveM

jfl

Good for him. I wish him well.

Jim

rsholland

There are no page numbers, but it's the center spread, the first page of the "Test-Drive Evaluation."

Bob

dcm61

Thanks for the info. Either they send different versions of Drive or part of mine is missing. The left center page is the end of the Lance article. The right center page is an OnStar article. No "Test-Drive Evaluation" to be found.

DaveM

rsholland

Do you have the issue with Lance Armstrong on the cover, with a solid red background?

Bob

dcm61

That's the cover. I looked at the on-line version of Drive and I don't see the "Test-Drive Evaluation" either.

DaveM

rsholland

subearu

My issue of Drive doesn't have the 'new' Legacy pic either. Just the B11S in the middle section, and everything else that is on the online version at http://www.drive.subaru.com

Maybe scan the article Bob for us?

-Brian

rsholland

the '04 Legacy slipped in by mistake. Once SOA discovered the mistake, they yanked the center spread, but only after a number had been bound and sent out. It's quite possible the photo was labeled '04 Legacy—which it was, only Japanese '04 Legacy—and the article in which was featured focused on US-spec '04 models. Being a graphic designer, I know it's an easy mistake to make. I checked, and the magazine would still "read" properly, as the articles on the center spread do not spill over on to other spreads, so technically, it wouldn't be a problem.

As to scanning, yeah I could do it, but I don't think it's worth the effort frankly. It's just a small photo, that's been shown before on the Net. Like I said there's no info on the car, just the picture. As I recall, there's no "new" info in the article either.

Bob

rsholland

rsholland "Town Hall Test Drive Team" Jul 11, 2003 9:19pm

ateixeira

Whoa, did they have two editions of Drive? No Legacy in mine either.

Wild, I bet they let it slip in on early copies, then edited it out. Bob tends to get mail much earlier than me, so that makes sense.

Cat's out of the bag, Subaru! That's totally freaky.

Sorry to hear about that burn. Your complaint about the spare just fueled paisan's fire about it being a station wagon. ;-)

-juice

rsholland

he's right.

What do you do with a wet, muddy, grimy, dirty, flat 255/60x17 (or larger) tire, when your cargo area is full of suitcases or whatever, and the car is full of passengers? Put it on someone's lap? Dumb. Dumb! DUMB!!

Bob

ateixeira

M-B does it too, I guess it's a German thing?

-juice

subearu

In our MPV, the spare is underneath in the middle of the van. It's lowered by a winch mechanism.

Part of the toolkit for the jack and lug wrench is a large white plastic bag that will fit the flat tire. You place the tire in the bag and secure it to the back of the 3rd seat, sitting the tire standing up in the cargo well. No joke, this is actually in the owner's manual as well.

-Brian

ateixeira

Nah, carry bungees and store it on the roof! :-)

-juice

rsholland

I found this tidbit in an article on the new Chevy Colorado pickup:

Both beds offer two-tier cargo loading and a unique 55-degree tailgate opening that allows long items, such as 4-by-8-foot plywood sheets, to be transported flat. Otherwise, the tailgate opens fully to 89 degrees.

I've never seen this or heard of before. There is a locking position on the tailgate to allow it to be partially lowered, at about the same height as the top of the rear tire wheelwells, so that long 4'x8' panels can be rested upon it relatively flat. Sounds like a great idea!

Bob

jlemole

Nah. If you own an MB or Touareg, odds are you call the tow service, have it flat-bedded from the mall parking lot and get that tire repaired or replaced. Who needs a spare???

Jon

locke2c

Good to see someone else out here at o-dark-thirty, Jon.

I have a fullsize spare on my M3, but I would probably call tow service if I had a flat in anything resembling poor conditions. that's what it is for, right?

I have used it before-- heh, directional tire going the wrong way-- but that was when I had a flat at home.

-Colin

joybell

My old Chaser had the spare under the hood, on top of the motor. Very practical. But it was such a long time ago that I don't remember if it was a full size spare. The Chaser was not full time AWD. Actually, I don't think I ever even used it. There wouldn't be any room there in today's Subarus. They seem to have noses that are a lot shorter.

hammersley

My former '78 GL coupe had the spare under the hood as well. Salesman touted it as additional safety feature.... perhaps the original air bag?

Cheers!
Paul

rsholland

The bigger issue with an SUV, be it the Touareg or any other SUV with a temp spare, is having a flat out in the boondocks, where outside help may not be able to reach you.

Also, I hate to wait for help. I'd much rather fix it myself, and be on my way.

Bob

twrx

I test drove a Touareg and saw the spare compartment and the spare. I hate to think what the compartment is like in a Cayenne since it has a 20" wheel option. I think the VW I drove had 18" wheels. There just is not much room down there in that compartment. And there is not too much room back there to make a much larger compartment. As said before it would be a pain to store the flat.
TWRX

grahampeters

G'day

The test drive for the VW Touareg or Porsche Cayenne down under was done in the Flinders Ranges. One immediately got a flat and others got a variety other problems. The verdict of most testers was along the lines of "What's the point?"

Okay, the outback distances here in Australia are greater than Europe but who the hell wants to be stuck 500 miles from the nearest tyre shop wih a part time spare.

Australian motoring journalists have been distinctly underwhelmed by the fancy SUV boom.

On the first Outback tested down under, the vehicle was supplied with a part time spare as in Japan. The testers all focussed on this and Subaru had to suffer the after effect for a year or so. They quickly realized their mistake. The production vehicles came with a full size which is a tight squeeze as our wheel size is slightly larger than the USA.

Cheers

Graham

jlemole

My first car was an orange VW "Thing". The spare was up front, and supplied pressure for the windshield washers. If you got a flat, you couldn't keep the windows clean!

Jon

rsholland

Has the (luxury) SUV boom hit Australia, as hard as it has hit the USA?

Bob

ladywclass

and any experience with this would be welcome ...
Before I bought the Outback I carried AAA insurance for any problems while traveling and it worked WELL for me a number of times ... the Outback came with the Subaru emergency towing, etc ... and I've never had to use it .. it is now time to either renew this insurance which sounds like a good deal at about $79 for the year and also covers other household drivers and cars OR go back with the AAA ...
any help here?
Brenda

grahampeters

G'day

The luxury SUV thing has not been as strong here as most of them are seen as a little effeminate (actually, the correct Australian word is one that conveys a rather more derogatory tone but would not translate to US English). Australians tend to value function rather more as every one of them sees himself as an adventurer even if he rarely ventures off the bitumen.

However, there are a lot of very flash Toyota Landcruisers and the like. A lot of these do end up on the suburan school mum run and rarely venture off road. Range Rovers have always been popular amongst the ski set (as are Subarus). We have not seen the mass move to the fancier SUV's though.

My boss drives a BMW SUV and is most unimpressed. He bought it to replace his BMW 740 and a Toyota Landcruiser which he kept for towing his (large) boat. He now says it does the job of neither of its predessors well enough to justify its existence.

If there is a market for these things, it will be found in Sydney where style is valued over substance. Australians have much the same attitude to Sydneysiders as Americans do for Californians.

It will be interesting to see how the shift up-market which is inevitable with the new Liberty (Legacy to you) and Outback will impact on Subaru sales. I suspect they will hit the spot nicely.

Cheers

Graham

jfl

I never considered renewing the Subie emergency road service. AAA covers all cars and drivers regardless of make. It even covers if the member is a passenger in another car that has problems.

And then, there are the maps and tour books. I don't ask for directions [must be a guy thing 8~)] but really prefer paper maps to dinky online map sections.

Jim's $0.02.

ladywclass

I guess I'm leaning to AAA just because I have had good experience with them and did not have reason to use the Subaru service. I have no idea how good the Subaru emergency road service is. Thanks for the input ..

ateixeira

If you get a flat on the beach, a donut is USELESS because it'll just sink into the sand and get you stuck.

In fact, I think you'd be better off leaving the flat on the rim, as long as the tire stays on the rim.

More to the point, a Touareg would be stopped at the gate because they do not even allow you to enter without a full sizer.

$79 per year for just one single car is just plain overpriced. For us, AAA was $71 per year for both me and my wife, all 3 cars plus any car we were riding in.

My wife got that service free with the extended warranty, IMO that adds value to the warranty. Over 7 years that saves us $497, but then the other car is not covered. We'll be getting a Subaru Gold warranty from now on, so we're sort of phasing it in.

-juice

rsholland

More to the point, a Touareg would be stopped at the gate because they do not even allow you to enter without a full sizer.

Is it Assateague Island that requires a full-size spare?

Bob

rsholland

Actually Assateague Island does NOT require a full-size spare. I'm pretty sure one of the beaches does, I just don't remember which one.

Bob