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Comments
Enjoy!
Peace.
I'm 6'4" and have laughed about people complaining of lack of leg or headroom as I have plenty [not saying I wouldn't appreciate another inch of legroom, but it's no different than any of the three Audis I've owned]. Where I do have an issue is with my feet feeling a tad crowded ... depending on what kind of shoes I'm wearing [size 12], the toe will sometimes brush the top of the pedal cowl and, when braking, I've occassionally felt the edge of my shoe clip the edge of the gas pedal at the same time. Even the clutch foot feels a tad crowded from the left [especially if the floor mat has shifted even a tad out of its well].
I'm only 850 miles in and I'm finding my comfort zone by habit, but I do have to say I've never felt as though pedal placement - or my feet - were quite as crowded in any other auto I've owned ... anyone else feel it's just a bit tight down there?
Maybe I oughta just take a knuckle off each toe and get some smaller shoes, but that seems just a tad extreme ....
For the most part, I'm otherwise quite happy with the car.
Doug
My husband and I had so much fun last night (not what you're thinking!). We test drove an OB Turbo and an H6 (VDC not available). As we drove, we paid attention to everything you nice people have pointed out. We loved both models but are leaning towards the VDC model (that's today, tomorrow who knows?) - it has power, safety and lots of goodies. We paid close attention to seat comfort- we found them comfortable, although they were short rides. We will repeat it all over again another day this week.
Thanks again for the education!
Rosanne
-juice
Solidsender1: agree with you about legroom. I'm 6'4 1/2" and have no problem with legroom on my OB XT. I have to the keep the seat a bit lower so head doesn't touch, but not a big deal. Re: the pedal cluster prob....I wear size 11 and have not noted this prob so far while driving with runners or my dress shoes.
Cheers.
I think he writes an interesting column, especially given the limited amount of space he gets to work with. I like the way he ties outside threads (like the legislation that killed the station wagon market) into his impression of a car, and if I want to find out more about the nuts and bolts I go online or pick up a magazine.
Of course, having just purchased a GT wagon I was psyched to read this weekend's review...
-juice
6'1" here with size 11.5 shoes, and I have not noticed any problems with the pedals (I have an auto trans).
Craig
The turbo spool up on the XT/GT is not abrupt. There is a pronounced increase in torque around 3K rpm when the turbo has kicked in, but nothing that would endager the driver.
Ken
I can't wait to let this machine show me her stuff! Cr@p! 1200 km to go...oh the agony!
Cheers.
Jay.
Doug
Craig
Sylvain
Sorry for the extra torture. I couldn't resist. ;-)
I found myself volunteering to go to the market, the airport, get dinner from the farthest restaurant I could think of just to hit 1K.
And I still failed to stay below 4K the entire time. I did stay below 6K though. ;-)
It's worth the wait, Jay!
tom
However, they are most defenitely positioned closely together as on a sports car. They are perfectly positioned for heel-and-toe manoeuvers.
I did notice the the cowl above the pedals is rather close. Doesn't bother me because I tend to drive with the tip of my feet, but if you are used to driving more with the middle of your foot, I can see how it could be a problem.
The car chimes when first started, then the seatbelt light goes out on the dash even though the seatbelt hasn't been belted.
I even drove around the block without my seatbelt on to make sure.
I'm not sure about the passenger though, I haven't tried it yet, but it's supposed to take care of that too.
Now, how do you turn it back on? ;-)
I am very responsible with seatbelts and am a firm believer that they save lives- it feels wierd to drive without one on, but I don't think I need to be reminded every minute. Maybe just a light would be ok, but I hate alarms and extraneous noises!
Now if I could just get rid of this buzzing from my passenger door. . .
tom
I have the same problem with the seat in my OBXTLtd. Where did you get the Tempurpedic bottom cushion? How much it?
Thanks.
John
The folks with shoe clearance problems should try a Miata, I often have to drive barefoot!
Seriously, boots on my size 10 feet simply will not fit, no way no how.
I actually tend to pick sandals or mocassins precisely because they are small. Driving mocs are sweet anyway.
-juice
Ok, so perhaps taking it above 4K a couple of times during break-in won't be so bad?
"I must resist the temptation. I must resist the temptation. I must consider the temptation. I must not consider it temptation. It is not temptation. I must try it......"
Oh boy, I am in trouble!
Cheers,
Jay
To save me searching the back pages for the instructions, can anyone re-post them here ... thanks in advance.
FWIW, when I got my short shifter installed last week, the service manager and dealer manager both told me the chime could not be turned off.
1) Turn key to on position-don't start.
2) After first set of chimes click seat belt in and out 20 times within 30 seconds.
3) Turn off key.
4) Repeat 1, 2, 3 again
5) Turn key off and re-start
To clarify:
turn on car = on but not started
beeping starts = first set of beeps when you turn on the car
Follow the instructions above, start clicking the seatbelt in as soon as the FIRST chimes start, not the seatbelt chimes. This will interrupt the chiming process to the point they stop.
Turn off key and REMOVE KEY FROM IGNITION.
Repeat process, remove key from ignition again.
Start car and see if it worked. My little light is gone off the dash too.
i agree juice, lightweight driving footware is great allowing great feel of the pedals. i wonder what paisan wears when racing? hmmm, will bmw be the first to have cooled/heated pedals? lol.
-juice
Nice thing about a portable is you can use it in any car. We have 3 cars in our fleet, so factory built-in Nav would cost us $6000 extra.
A Garmin is 1/10th that price.
-juice
I just repeated what I saw on another forum (would've been easier if we could link directly but oh well). So I take no credit whatsoever, especially since you guys are disabling a potential lawsuit-related device!
I have not even attempted this on my car yet....
CRaig
I test drove it and didn't notice it much when actually driving (does happen though)... so I bought a 2.5i Ltd. My problem now is not so much my foot brushing against the plastic shield under the dash, but I am struggling to get used to the driving position.. I cannot believe the wheel does not telescope. I get to work stiff from not being relaxed because I have to extend my arms 1 to 2 inches further than other cars I drive and the head rest will not bend forward behind my head. And yes I have tried adjusting the seat every which way...I am almost 6' tall.
Of course Suburu is not going to say "sure...bring it in and we will put a slightly longer steering column in" so does anyone know if it's possible to modify the steering column length? Who would do it?
I personally think that in-car navs are highly overpriced and overrated. Plus I tend to be in a rental car when I am in an area where I actually need it.
How easy is it to add new destinations, and pre-program ones like home, work, dad's house, etc.
-juice
I have a 2005 Outback XT and have not yet tried it in the car (used it all the time in my old SAAB and wife's Odyssey). The dash is fairly flat so it should sit nicely.
I use the IQue whenever I am driving somewhere I am not too familiar with - even if it is not being used for navigation, it is great to see where you are on a map.
The added bonus of using it in multiple cars makes it almost a no-brainer.
Fell free to email me if you ahve questions....
While I would never drive without my seatbelt on (nor have I ever forgotten), the chime is annoying when I have my vehicle idling in Park and I've got a screaming toddler to put in her carseat!
Ken
Click in and out 20 times in under 30 seconds.
Key off and out
turn key start again 20 times.
Key off and out.
Start car...no chimes!!! :-)
-juice
I also do deliberate clicks and have noted the seatbelt light go out with each one. The gretting chimes also get cut off whenever I insert the belt and I've noticed they stop after the first few buckle/unbuckles.
I haven't got a clue what I'm doing differently.
I'll get these chimes to stop yet!
Ken
It's nice- it is great for traveling as it goes from car to car. It sits on top of the dash w/o blocking your view. The 1 GB card now holds from Florida to Maine, out to Indianna, some of the Pacific coastline, and a good portion of Canada. There is still a little more room, so I can always add.
Juice, I have set up my families different homes each as a way point(destination), along with SIA (for that eventual factory tour) and locations throughout the US & Canada. It was great when we went to Nova Scotia last month- I inputted the hotels we were staying at along with some landmarks on Prince Edward Island. If not for the GPS, I would not have been able to find!
It also helps locally. I've learned a couple of new shortcuts I never would have thought of with it:-). Overall I would definitely recommend a portable unit over the built in. They are cheaper, and you can take it with you.
Mark
Been using the SPIII for 4 years now and haven't really gotten lost... yet.
Issues that I've encountered:
-No/Loss signal during solar flare.
-Not too sure where it is when there is massive powerline overhead.
-No/Loss signal in the city.
The Garmin SP III Deluxe package should still be available for as little as $700, which is half the price I'd paid 4 years ago.
-Dave
If it makes you feel better I'll stay below 4K today as my penance. Ooh, too late, I already blasted it to 6K on my commute in. ;-)
You're almost there! Don't give up now. Actually, Ken referred to a site that suggests gradually breaking in the engine, not limited by mileage. They suggested hitting 5k 10 times over like 1000 miles, then 6k 10 times over the next 1000 miles, and so on. Ken correct me if I'm wrong.
It makes sense to me to break in an engine like this.
tom
What's interesting is that with the first set of 20 times the seatbelt light on the dash went out and never turned back on. With the second set the light would turn on every time I unbuckled and turn off every time I buckled it back in.
I thought I screwed up for sure but then the chimes stopped. Go figure.
Good luck. I don't know that I could do it again!
tom
Besides being able to take it from car to car, what I really like is that it sits right on top of your dash so you don't have to look down to see where you're going. Driving around other cars with built in Navs you always have to look down, which I think is dangerous.
It's also much much less expensive (especially if you don't need 2 of them) than the built in units.
tom
It is really user friendly and allows you to update the database via either web download or CD. You can create your own waypoints too, something like 400 of them.
Nice unit.
So back to the transmission sounds...
When I start the car in the AM I definitely hear it whining, but as soon as I put it in gear and drive it seems to go away. Sometimes I will notice that it will be louder when I am going slower, like 35 or so, but as soon as I step on the gas the noise goes away. Then again if I take my foot of the gas and just coast at (at @35mph) the noise comes back.
What do you think? My initial thought right now is to let it go until 3000 miles and then take it to Subaru for the oil change and see what they have to say about it. I feel like an idiot bringing it in if there is nothing wrong with it.
On the other hand my husband has a 97 Blazer with a bad transmission (torque converter needs replacing) so I know what a whiny transmission sounds like.
I hope I am just imaging all these noises because I dont want anything to be wrong with this car. I love it!
Oh yeah. Sometimes I will drive with no radio on to listen for the noises and I cant hear a thing. Maybe this is all in my head...
Thanks,
Kristen
Since it's a blistering 56 degrees here in Boston and whatever tropical depression that moved through today started knocking leaves off the trees, I'm reminded that the white stuff will soon be flying.
I think I have to check them out in person, play around with them a bit.
-juice
I have noticed that there is a pinion sound (whine) from my transimission when coasting just below 20mph. As soon as I go above or below that speed, the sound goes away. I attributed it to the tranny being new and the tolerances very tight. My dealer, who agreed with my assesment, also thought that the sound would fade over time. I'm at 4500 miles now and it seems to have done just that.
You mentioned hearing a noise when first starting in the morning but before actually driving. That would seem like it's something other than the transmission. A loose belt perhaps?
Ken