Subaru Crew - Future Models II

goldencouple1

Once more Ford and GM have come up with a clear winning strategy! AOL News reports an item from Rueters News Service: Ford and GM plan to compliment their decontenting of their vehicles by raising prices. Less car for the more money -- genius! With this brilliant marketing plan they can make even more money by selling bicycles as luxury cars and charging $50k a pop.

lark6

I guess I should qualify that: if I become a repeat Subaru buyer I suppose GM will see 20% of my money. I suppose they are following the major Japanese manufacturers' lead on this.

Ed

ateixeira

One thing that peeves me is that Chrysler will have 4-5 price increases throughout the year, all the time while rebates are still offered. Yet they don't reduce the rebate, they increase the price.

Why is this stupid? Because at least in MD, you pay sales tax even on the rebate. So a $2000 rebate costs you $100 more in taxes. A $2000 price drop would not, nor would a dealer incentive of the same amount.

Totally ignorant. The worst part is that they can increase the price and the rebate, and the accounting will show increased sales, completely bogus!

The government allows it because they collect more taxes, all at the expense of the consumer.

So thank you, Subaru, for offering dealer incentives instead of rebates, and for adjusting prices only once per year!

-juice

kens

Good point, juice. Also, rebates are worth even less if you factor in the opportunity cost of $2000 (or actually $1900) to the consumer. Finally, there will always be customers that forget to follow up on the rebate -- it's just extra cash for the company.

Ken

jimmyp1

http://forums.i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=219479

Jim

ateixeira

Just 750? That means after Patti delivers my #1 off the assembly line, there will only be 749 for the rest of you folks. Bummer for you. ;-)

-juice

rsholland

Another 2.5 Turbo Legacy rumor.
http://forums.i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=219813

'03 WRX pixs
Besides offering yellow on the wagon, it gets the new oval-star grille logo that all '03 Subies get.
http://www.spimotorsports.com/

Bob

lark6

All that thing needs is some checkered vinyl and a "for hire/off duty" light on top and it's ready for service. Seriously, when is this taxicab yellow fad going to play itself out? It's become as dated as pastels and tailfins.

Ed

barresa62

LOL, right on! Yellow....(especially this shade!) has played itself out! It will be fun trying to spot the new color on the road though. :-)

Stephen

rsholland

Kind of gives new (and real!) meaning to a rapid transit system!

Bob

kens

Nice scoop, Bob! Things are getting interesting. Now, if someone could verify the looks of the 2004 WRX...

Ken

lark6

But the "hey look at me" yellow on Azteks, Frontiers, Lancers, etc. is tired. I like the limited run '02 WRX yellow better than this though. It's like the difference between the standard yellow New Beetle and the marigold-colored ones they sold over the internet.

My first car was a black '66 Ford Mustang and I almost bought a pale yellow one instead - it would've been better in those hot SC and GA summers. Still like that light yellow on mid-60's Mustangs and Corvettes.

Ed

rsholland

Thanks! So if WRXs are now arriving at California dealers, it shouldn't be too long before the rest of the country starts getting them.

Bob "Scoop" Holland

qbrozen

Guess I must have bad taste or something because I rather like bright yellow. Really depends on the car, though. I'm seriously considering repainting my Spider the factory fly yellow that was offered. It seems to me to work better on little roadsters like the Spider, Miata, S2000, etc. But there are exceptions, too, like the Protege5.

By the way, how long does something have to last to not be a "fad"? Fly yellow (as I used to hear it called) has been around on cars for a LONG time.

rsholland

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/front_index.php?cp=1&domain=evo&page=news%2Fevo_news_story.php%3Fid%3D28556

qbrozen

Is that right? 7-seat coupe? How the heck do you get to the 3rd row seat? By folding the first 2 rows? That could prove to be incredibly annoying.

lark6

Fly yellow used to appear on only a few exotics, like Ferraris, Lamborghinis and the like. Now it's become fairly common on vehicles of all types and prices. It doesn't work well on the Frontier, Xterra or Aztek - then again, nothing works well on the Aztek.

Ed

subearu

sounds like what Chrysler is doing with the Pacifica.

-Brian

lilbluewgn02

Can you say TRIANGLES ?

goldencouple1

could not possibly mean 7 seat coupe! The English and the English language -- they should leave it to us Americans. The prototype has four doors.

A friend just bought a Sequoia and the third rowq on it is a bear to get into. The second row has to be lifted and rocked forward into a full tuck. Needless to say, there will not be much of that, and the third row looks to be nearly useless.

The third row on the new proposed sport wagon will probablky be accessed via the second row.

rsholland

<< A friend just bought a Sequoia and the third rowq on it is a bear to get into. The second row has to be lifted and rocked forward into a full tuck. Needless to say, there will not be much of that, and the third row looks to be nearly useless.>>

In the new '03 Expedition, you have to access the third row the same way, but once in there, it's a very nice place to be. The third row is very comfortable, and it split-folds (66/33) into the floor. It's the best 3-row SUV seating arrangement out there.

IMO, third-row seating in *ANY* SUV, like rear seat seating in any 2-door car, is meant only for those who are limber, and/or kids.

Bob

jimmyp1

and my take is that they are in NO WAY saying the coupe would be a version of the WX-01 concept, rather that it will be based on the same platform ala Lexus RX300 and Toyota Camry. Makes perfect sense to me.

Jim

rsholland

of the word "flagship" in that link, so this could be the flagship Subie that was mentioned last month.

Obviously, if it seat seven, it won't be a coupe.

So is the rumored Subie "flagship" also going to be the 7-passenger crossover too?

Bob

strider98

It said that there would be a 3.3L flat 6 developed from the 3.0L H6. Wonder if it will actually be a refined version of the H6 in the SVX...

rsholland

mentioned that his new engine is derived from the current lightweight 3.0 H-6 (not the old SVX engine).

Bob

paisan

I would imagine there are lots of new developments in 10 years! Found out an interesting fact about the SVX engine. The ECU shuts down one block of cylinders during upshifts to allow for smooth transitions.

-mike

rsholland

all cleaned up, and in the showroom!

Bob

http://www.spimotorsports.com/2003.htm

cptplt

Given that Subaru sold for a few years a 2.2 turbo Legacy I don't see why they can't put some sort of pumped up 2.5 in the GT legacy. The sales of that Legacy Touring model or whatever it was called must have been even less than the GT. Admittedly maybe thats why they killed it too! But the GT needs to be distinguished from the L, which it was when the 2.2 was the base engine.
So how about it, an AVCS 2.5 with LPT or SC, with maybe 200hp??? for MY04. just perfect timing for me to replace my 98. I've given up on a B4 stateside!

rsholland

would be perfect for the upcoming Forester turbo. The Legacy turbo needs more, now that the Nissan Altima/Maxima and '03 Honda Accord will be offering 240 horsepower V6s.

Bob

ateixeira

Some have hinted that the 217hp Forester turbo from Japan will make it over here, but I think I'd prefer a 2.5l LPT that could then be chipped. With maybe 198hp stock (to keep insurance rates down), I could see it in the 220-240hp range without too many mods.

But the catch is that the Forester is made in Japan, and so they'd either have to build the new engine in both countries, or ship it over, which gets pricey.

Maybe they could do final assembly here? I dunno.

Yellow is OK on sports cars. I wouldn't get it, though, too flashy. They should come with a unique-to-yellow compartment for speeding tickets.

That grille looks better, in that racing photo.

C&D agrees with Bob - that 3rd row in the Expedition is the best in any SUV, including the Suburban.

-juice

rsholland

Sure makes you hope that the US-spec STi gets the rumored 2.5 turbo, with a more user-friendly torque band!

Bob

http://www.autospeed.com/A_1463/page1.html

lark6

Further, I can't imagine that the STi specs would change much if they expect the car to arrive here in the next 12 months. Not that I'd buy an STi but that the public would expect better from Subaru's halo car.

Ed

paisan

<- loves low end grunt!

-mike

locke2c

australia's fuel is not as good as ours. their typical 95RON is about equivalent to our 87, and their 98RON isn't near as good as our 92 (pales to Sunoco Ultra94, if you happen to have those).

therefore they've heavily remapped the ECU and done a crap job of it apparently.

sounds as if the car can't come to the US in that form, eh?

-Colin

rsholland

the STi is a great "track" car, but maybe not so great as a "daily driver?"

There are have been recent rumors that the US-spec model will get a 2.5 engine. Let's hope so. For that matter, a 2.5 plain-Jane WRX would be great too...

Bob

lark6

I should've been clearer; I meant that I couldn't see them not using the same powerplant in the US-spec car. Changes in ECU mapping and other emissions controls are to be expected.

Ed

ateixeira

Track cars like that fall on their faces in this torque-happy US market. I wonder if the 2.0l would be more suitable in the 217hp Forester Turbo tune.

-juice

barresa62

People...realize that the change in the Aussie-spec STi by adjusting the boost to taper off so quick has a biggo negative effect. Case in point, when I went w/the Vishnu Stage 0 and its MBC that gets boost to redline 12psi at least vs stock drop off to 8 - 9psi, there was a hugh difference in acceleration all the way to redline. Additionally, my boost comes on around 2800 rpms vs 3000 or more stock. Playing w/the boost as to how much and when it happens makes a hugh difference in either direction...negative/positive. There is no way the US-spec STi will be subjected to the conversative tuning SOA deemed the STi needed in the Aussie market.

Stephen

kens

Stephen,

Out of curiosity, do you know where I could see a boost vs. rpm graph of the WRX, stock vs. Vishnu Stage 0?

Ken

barresa62

Vishnu's site has a graph. This doesn't actually list the boost being made but definitely shows that torque and HP are made significantly earlier in the rev band.
http://www.vishnuperformance.com/dyno.htm#zero
Stephen :-)

kens

Thanks for the link, Stephen. That review of the STi in Australia got me curious about the boost curve used in the US.

The Vishnu does add quite a kick, doesn't it. ;-)

So, how are you enjoying it?

Ken

barresa62

I'm enjoying quite a bit. One thing to get used to is that the car is louder. Specifically when the turbo spools up. It's a different sound than stock and something I'm still getting used to. At first I thought I had an exhaust leak or maybe my EGT probe was loose in the uppipe. It's a difficult sound to describe.

BTW, I just sold my WRX sedan 20mm rear swaybar and installed a Whiteline adj 20-24mm rear swaybar today. I set the bolts at the 22mm "setting" to match the Whiteline fixed 22mm front bar. It's a noticeable difference and makes the car much more neutral than the 22mm front, 20mm rear setup I had. I was basically underswayed in the rear.

Stephen

ateixeira

That's some serious torque even by 3000rpm.

-juice

goldencouple1

I saw my first two X-Trails in the wild. I saw the first one on the way up to Albuquerque a few days ago, but did not know what it was. Today in El Paso I saw another this time it was in a parking lot, so I could catch the name. Looked like a "super bad" bread-box on wheels -- very Nissanish -- rather rectangular lines, but with spoiler. It was very red.

ateixeira

They must be testing those. Mitsubishi will come out with the Outlander, then Nissan will respond with the XTrail (which is already sold overseas).

You should have taken spy pics! Those won't be for sale for a while. They were probably hot-weather testing them.

-juice

kens

I've seen a couple of those in Japan myself. The Xtrail has a nice, simple look to it. The most interesting feature (IMO) of the Xtrail is the center mounted instrument cluster:

http://www.nissan.co.jp/X-TRAIL/T30/0110/INTERIOR/index.html

Ken

ateixeira

Oh man, that is hideous! It's like they mounted it for back seat drivers instead of the pilot!

The Echo has that and it's failing miserably in the US market.

-juice

goldencouple1

I was wondering if they were testing them. Or maybe they're out of Mexico. We get some unusual cars in El Paso. I saw Ford Mondeo (is that the spelling) a few weeks ago -- like a bigger Focus. I do suspect that vehicles are driven in a big loop that includes I-10 and I-25 ( California to Southern NM and then Central/Western NM and back. Lots of hot weather and hills and stuff.

ateixeira

Yeah, Mondeo was Ford's global car, but for some reason they renamed them Contour here. Ford didn't bring the latest Mondeo to the US, but I hear it's better so perhaps they should.

-juice

cb70

It would be a great addition to Nissan. And one that they are sorely missing. Take a look at the X-Trail We Want It and Nissan Murano discussions and you guys will see how many of us are clamoring for this SUV. I have actually sat in and looked at an X-Trail last March in Dublin. Very nice. One of the neat touches is the drink refrigerators located on either side of the radio. Can keep a can of soda either hot or cold depending on what you want. And then there is the removable panel in the rear so you can hose off mud and junk. I keep e-mailing and calling Nissan of NA and they keep feeding me the company line about how they feel their lineup is complete. I always ask them to compare X-Terra sales to CRV and Rav-4 sales and they usually shut up, lol.

Here's a link to the global X-Trail site.

 http://www.newxtrail.com/en/index_home.html