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John
Also, our 09 is a lot bigger than our 98 was, so this 14 model would be enormous next to the original.
Honestly, I think the XV has taken the slot left vacant as the Forester moved up. For sure it has more passenger room, though perhaps not quite as much cargo space, as my 98 Forester.
That begs the question - is there room for something sub-Impreza?
On the other hand, the current Forester is also taking the place of the early Tribeca. Perhaps the next offering on the Forester will be a 7 seater.
Sub-Impreza? I don't think Subaru could stay in the $16-17k price range, which is what they would need to compete against the Versas/Focusses etc.
John
I certainly don't want to see them rebadge a Yaris, either. Must be Subaru DNA.
Length is 175.2" for the XV, sure enough, I recall the 98 was EXACTLY the same length!
Wow, I doubt that's a coincidence. I wonder if that's a size limit for taxes in some part of Japan.
Funny!
Yes we want a car with power, good pick up, lots of space and use a gallon for 500 Miles. If it looks butch and pretty at the same time that will help.
Well it does not exist especially the price range we are howering around.
We have to take the trade off and in my book I will trade looks for safety and performance. And the fact that I can drive the bloody thing in the worst weather when all will hide.
If you are concern about fuel cost than look at the Toyota prius or the Smart car. There you get fuel economy but nothing else. It is a trade off.
Looking at it, it is negligibly larger (if at all) than the last gen. It would take a LOT of growing to turn that model in to a 7-seater!
For the US market, though, even the Exiga would have to grow a tad.
If the embedded image doesn't show, here's the URL:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_i7AxWJTXSJI/S5drv9MEjvI/AAAAAAAAATA/pppuf87qyLA/s400/S- ubaru+Exiga2.jpg
Anyways.
I test drove 3: the 2.5i base manual, 2.5i premium CVT and the 2.0 XT touring. I was actually afraid to test drive the XT because I was afraid I would fall in love with it. But though I really really loved the test drive (the dealer just gave me the keys and let me drive it alone haha) I just couldn't imagine myself driving that fast. And since the turbo kicks in late, my driving habits prevented me from really feeling the full brunt of the speed.
The 2.5i manual was a TON of fun. I really love stick cars and I accordingly, I loved everything about the manual forester. I'm used to soft clutches like those of mazdas so those subaru clutch felt right at home. The gears shifted smoothly and the car was so responsive. Downshifting and all that fun stuff. I honestly found myself enjoying the manual more than the XT, but im sure that's a sentiment that most will not agree with.
But ultimately, I bought the CVT. I'm about to get married and I wanted to get a car my future wife could drive. And stuff. So... yeah. It's a good car. The CVT does whine a bit, annoyingly, and the mileage really isn't all that great if you drive normally at 70mph on the freeway, since it kinda struggles to get there. But I love the car. It's big, sturdy, the subaru blue is so pretty.
Wish I had gotten the manual though haha. I still don't get how the CVT gets better gas mileage than the manual -- I call shenanigans by the EPA.
Even though she drives an automatic now at least she knows how.
I just sold an 07 WRX and it was an instatenious bomb taking off. Litterally no turbo lag. Now I got the Forester XT the one without the GPS (I'm in Canada and the naming is different here). This one has a different CVT which is from the Legacy and a couple of guys were thinking that it is from the Legcy or Forester's Australian diesel version to be able to handle the torque. If I put my car in Sport or Sport Sharp it moves. Not like the WRX of course there is quite weight difference. I'm missing the roar of the boxer at shifts. But in Sport Sharp in full auto or manual you got your head snap back to the head rest. To me the XT worth the difference.
http://wot.motortrend.com/by-the-numbers-1997-2014-subaru-forester-355891.html
Bob
The Tiguan is slow!
The dealer let me go alone, and I took a rural route that covered about 12 miles, about half twisty and hilly with patchy roads and about half freeway.
By way of background, I normally drive a 2007 Impreza 2.5i manual, and my daughter has a 2010 base model Forester with a manual transmission, which I've driven, so I know the brand.
The new Forester handles terrifically on the rough, curvy roads. For what it is, an SUV, I was very impressed at the controlled ride. The suspension was firm enough not to roll excessively in the corners, but it still absorbed the bumps, rough pavement and potholes very well.
The gear ratios are very well spaced. Working the gears through the hills and curves was a pleasure, and there weren't any obvious gaps. On the freeway at 70 mph in 5th gear, the tachometer is at about 3,000 rpms. In 6th gear at 70 mph, the tach is about 2,500. That means the 6th gear will be very usable. (I have a Nissan Frontier in which the 6th gear is so high it hardly ever gets used.)
Note that this is likely where the CVT transmission racks up the better mileage. I don't know for sure, but I'd guess that when cruising on flat or downhill stretches it can drop the rpms down closer to 2,000.
Wind noise was surprisingly quiet. For an inexpensive small SUV, the cabin was relatively quiet, quieter than my Impreza and also quieter than my daughter's 2010 Forester.
The seats were very comfortable for the short time I was driving.
My only complaint is with the radio. I turned it on to a station that should have come in very clear in that area, and it sounded like there was bad reception. I know the radio in my Impreza is pretty lousy, and it looks like Subaru is carrying on that tradition.
The stereos have been weak since....forever?
I say it is time for a full tech reboot, maybe even use a version of Entune.
I had 3 Subaru's but no problem with the radio. Even this one with the little stubby one works well. My WRX had the antenna in the rear window glass and was still OK. I would look into the antenna. There might be a way to add a signal booster to it. Yes they are very quiet and what is uncanny that there is no vibration from the engine at all. At idle is like you are sitting in a limo.
Have you been recording your mpg? I'm interested in knowing how the turbo does. It looks like, according to reports on Fuelly, that the 2.5 is getting about 27 mpg so far.
Smokey100
I am new to the forum. I look to buy a '14 Subaru Forester 2.5i CVT Limited SUV. The best invoice price I've gotten is $27,050. If you have a better deal please kindly lemme know.
Thanks.
Compared to '09 XT I traded in for '14 XT, '14's nicely refined and improved in almost every way. Much better rear suspension; banished are pogo, boings, rattles over bumps. Quieter on nearly all roads. No more 4-speed hard shifts and hesitation: new CVT's much smoother. S# mode's kinda gimmicky but S mode makes vehicle more responsive. Better poised during turns; XT has firmer suspension that still soaks up bumps and potholes well. X-Mode definitely improves traction on marginal surfaces. Got 29 mpg for mixed mode trip driving, and nice to know I can use regular fuel (though with 10% power loss.) Doors and entire vehicle feel more solid. Seats kinda hard with little bolstering, but plenty of interior room. Most controls very easy to use save for Nav system's tiny icons (awful voice recognition doesn't help). Trade in was almost $16K for 5+ year old '09 XT and 20K more completed sale: new one doesn't have eyesight nor other new electronic systems (wanted to give Subaru time to work out bugs).
In general, happy. However, once winter comes, the Bridgestone Duelers will get replaced as they have terrible ice traction. :sick:
FYI, all those journalists yelling for a manual trans on XT forget that Subaru once sold XT with a manual, and hardly anyone bought them. Given that XT's are roughly 5% of Forester sales, that made a manual hard to justify.
You will really have to watch the S# especially when going uphill. If you gun it it will snap your head into the headrest and I was glad I adjusted close enough to my head.
I suggest try to work the downshift first untill you get used to moving fingers and not leavers on the console. At this point I always shift into S or S# mode at tricky left hand turns or at entry into a highway. After it is done I switch back to the I mode for crusing.
And yes the voice recognition is trash, but I'm glad I didn't opt for thr GPS because I have one so I have a good and easy radio to deal with.
Laszlo9
Would have probably bought it then and there if the salesman didn't start to try to upsell me every single conceivable option.
My question- what should I expect to pay OTD for a Premium Forester CVT? I think the standard feature set will suit me just fine. I'd love to hear how buyers on this thread did...please specify any options above the standard Premium trim package you included. I'd be so appreciative of this groups feedback.....and will provide an update for all future readers.
ABC News
IIHS News
1. $400 documentation fee
2. 7% sale tax
3. new plate DMV fee
4. All weather package
5. Fog light
6. Dimming rear mirror
7. cargo tray
8. Cargo net
I believe I could save at least $500 if I negotiated a bit more.
The Forester, which Subaru redesigned for the 2014 model year, earned Top Safety Pick+ accolades
Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20130516/OEM11/130519922#ixzz2TUWwqqxh
Note that the Forester has always been on that list. It never once dropped off.
Eat your heart out, Volvo.
My wife just totalled our 2014 XT with about 1800 Miles on it (3 Weeks old )
The whole front end was sheared off and she just had a bruised wrist from the kickback of the steering wheel. The car did perfectly what it was supposed to do.
I just ordered the very same but it will take 7 weeks to get it. You know what. I will bloody wait for it. It saved my wife. I wish I could post an image of the car on this page.
Laszlo
TThe road she had stopped by had no stop and it was bidirectional. After the stop she was creeping out to see what is coming east and west bound (she was heading north) so you look left right and repiate it several times but she was paying attention to an uncoming car from east to clear the intersection when another car clipped her coming from west. Hit the car at the front part of the left wheel/tire which kicked the steering wheel out of her hend and sheared off the whole front end moving the the frames at the breakaway points to a good 5-8 inches. The frames have a sheare area at the front of the towers. She was hit with such a force that the car slid 60 feet and stopped facing east by the sidewalk.
That is it.
I wish the page would have the facility to post some photos of it.
Laszlo9
If you upload the photo to a host site, you can attach the image using ...
[img src="web link"] NOTE: replace [] with <>
I got the '14 mainly because it's stronger and better at protecting occupants from crashes. The increasing numbers of distracted drivers is my greatest concern. :surprise: Second main reason was the turbo can, at last, use regular gasoline without croaking.
Ironic that nearly all the Euro luxury brands, save Volvo, do poorly in that small overlap test. :sick:
showcases the travels of '14 XT traversing different world locales: German racetracks, Australian and African mountains, deserts, and whatever it encounters. :shades:
If you really want to use regular have the timing set for that. I would never put regular in mine. It will need more regular fuel to do the same job as high test and your saving is really minimal.
Just another stupid example of gas saving method. Got a rental a Hundai Elantra with about 70 Miles on the odometer. So it is brand new. Driving it around and just could not get why the suspension is so bad on this new car. Took out my tire gauge and guess what. one tire is 49 pounds two of them 48 and one 44.
They are supposed to be 32 all around. Reason? Better fuel economy. How stupid they can be.
Take my word You have an XT don't screw it up with regular gas.
And a question that I have. One of the posters here said that he would not put regular fuel in an XT since it would damage the valves. Did the Subaru engineers miss this?? !! I suspect not.
And what's a warrantee for?
Looks like C&D 's the opposite of Consumers Reports this time around. :confuse:
But Consumer Reports' most negative comment is more concerning to me: "jittery, lost the cushy ride". A friend who took a test drive confirmed the judgment. The 18 inch wheels and lower profile tires on the XT probably will exaggerate this.
My 2010 XT has for me the perfect balance of ride and handling. A well controlled 4-wheel drift is possible and potholes are not catastrophes.
I'm waiting for an XT to be available from the dealer who doesn't send a nanny along for a test drive.
Don't change your driving pattern.
You will find the difference so minimal that will not worth the possibility of engine issues later on.
But I would not experiment with the XT. Do it the reverse. The super gas will not hurt the other car but you will get data that will help you.
If you are to save fuel cost get a Prius or a diesel Jetta or alike.
Any turbo that is used will use gas. If you are pottering around like I did for the firs 1000Miles it will not use gas, but when you gunn it and the turbo kickes in yes it will but all turbos do.
Laszlo9
Since my XT was totalled after having it for 3 weeks I have driven a Shevy SUV. I returned it after a day and and a half. Got a ford Focus that I drove for 10 blocks and returned it to the rental company that it is to dangerous to drive a thing like that. Got a Hunday Elantra 60 Miles on it. Had it for a week and the ride was like a baby carrige and could not handle 3 people with some luggage at minimal elevation. Finally got a 2013 Imprezza loaner from the dealer (I have to wait for another 7 weeks for an XT) and that one at least has a decent ride but the auto tranny is a lazy one. The XT and this Iprezza both have CVT transmission but they are night and day.
Laszlo9
Granted, the older XT's ride was a bit less "jittery", but its rear end pogoed over speed bumps (crash, bounce-bounce-bounce). On one rough road the '09 rear literally danced among the bumps, with many rattles and metallic sounds.
'14 XT is "road aware"; you'll feel undulations in the road and if road's really wavy, ride can be somewhat jittery. However, when hitting bumps and potholes, the '14 XT does good job soaking up bumps without jarring occupants. As for speed bumps, the '14 XT simply absorbs as much of the bump as it can before going on its merry way without bounding, and very little rattling.
My wife had an accident with our brand new XT (Touring) Premium and the car was totalled, it will take 7-8 weeks to get one. The dealer managed to find one green color on the lot of the factory in Japan. It is rare because it does not have all the bells and whistles except the guts of the new fortester.
The two ships apperently 10 days late to load the cars.
Laszlo9
Meanwhile, Car and Driver's opinion of the regular Forester CVT gets worse with every review (they pine for the manual trans XT they'll never get __unless__ Subaru decides to bring an STI variant here).
Then again, does ___any___ car enthusiast have anything good to say about a CVT? :confuse:
I wonder if they possibly were well aware of the head gasket failure issue on the normally aspirated engines and wanted to recommend the ones that did not blow gaskets!
The previous generation gasket issue makes me ask whether the FA block in the XT is sand cast or die cast.
Given that the new turbo engine does not require premium fuel, while the older one does, I suspect the new FA engine not only has reinforced cylinder walls, but parallel path block cooling. The older turbo engine was series cooled which caused one cylinder to run hotter than the rest. :sick:
Would appreciate verification from the experts!
The Outback 6 engine went through a similar cycle (series cooling and premium required, to parallel cooling and premium recommended).
Sand cast plus parallel cooling would be having both belt and suspenders. :shades:
'destination' fee is what they're guaranteed. Last car was $15K new...looking like this one is going to be $27K (ech!)