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Cheers
Anyway, when I went to the specs part on here to do a side-by-side comparo between her car, the Impreza Sport and the Outback we noticed the XV. Obviously not a lot of info on here regarding it other than gross length, height, width, but we'd like to find a bit more about it.
Is it going to replace something? Probably not the Impreza Sport as the next of version of it is close to hitting, and not the Forester due to its popularity. The pix look like more of a true compact SUV (reminiscent of something from Kia/Hyundai in some pix) but better lines than the boxy Forester.
Anyone got anything that they've sniffed out?
Thanks in advance.
easypar
Here are a few links on the world-spec model which should be hitting dealers in Europe, Australia, etc. around the first of the year.
http://www.subaru-global.com/about/motorshow/ms/2011frankfurt/xv/index.html
http://www.topspeed.com/cars/subaru/2012-subaru-xv-crossover-ar114087.html
http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/best-cars-blog/2011/09/2013_Sub- - aru_XV_Will_Come_to_the_US/
No word yet as how the US-spec model might differ from these world-spec models.
Bob
There have already been some First Drive type road tests of the XV in Australian newspapers
http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-news/new-subaru-xv-first-drive-20111025-1mh45.h- tml
The Subaru Australia site has a bit of detail:
http://subaru.com.au/xv/newxv
It has a similar feel to how the Outback derived from the Liberty/Legacy
Cheers
Graham
Definitely not the smartest move that they have made. The similarity to the prior Ford Focus is enhanced by the orange colour, which was ubiquitous for the Focus.
Cheers
Graham
It's not pretty, and the inside is plasticky, but it does have alloys and a nice transmission.
The CVT builds revs gradually and doesn't drone at one RPM level the whole time, which I liked. It just felt like you had linear acceleration from one long, tall gear.
Kinda interesting, because I've liked the CVT in other Nissans (Altima), but not in anything else (rental Lancer, base Outlander).
So hopefully Subaru can program theirs to operate like that. I honestly had no objection whatsoever, in fact I'm inclined to say I liked it better than our 4EAT.
Bob
What, not where, oops.
Noise from the back, turned out to be a loose tail gate, I think the base striker plate. I hope they put thread lock ... in fact I'll ask.
I'm surprised...
I'm not saying that is the only reason the car won. It looks pretty good!
It makes for a great Scion/Toyota sports car, but it's a lousy Subaru. No amount of counter arguments will change my mind on this.
Bob
However, you do have to agree that it is prettier than any of the others shown?
Cheers
Graham
John
Bob
I think I have $500 or so saved up.
It all depends on how they price and package them, though.
I did up a Premium, manual, heated seats and moonroof, came to just a tad over $22k list. With my $500 Subaru Bucks and $1500 or so discount (that's what someone reported on the 2012 Impreza thread), that would put my street price at around $20k.
Add CVT and Navi and it would be $24.3k list.
I guess that's par nowadays, but that's not even a Limited, nor is it a Sport.
A Sport (Premium) is just a Premium with standard 17" wheel upgrade, AWP, fog lights, and roof rails.
So, a Premium with AWP and Moonroof (requires/includes 17" wheel upgrade) is only lacking fog lights and roof rails, but has a Moonroof (which you can't get on a Sport Premium).
Basically, a Premium and Sport Premium are close to the same price if similarly equipped.
17" wheel upgrade - I'd prefer 16"s for the potholes in DC
AWP - YES want the heated seats badly
fog lights - I'm neutral
roof rails - useful in a pinch
Thing is, the gunmetal 17"s are the best looking wheels on any Impreza, so I may tolerate the rougher ride just to get them.
Only the upper models have a leather-wrapped steering wheel, cars101 says the base models are vinyl wrapped? Are they actually vinyl wrapped, or are they just plastic steering wheel like any cheap car would have?
Out of curiosity, I looked at Golf TDI prices, and they're $26-28k or so, plus with (much) higher diesel prices locally the fuel costs for the Impreza would surprisingly end up lower.
I'm thinking of a car my daughter could eventually use, when she's of age to drive.
From the pictures I've seen of the pre-production units the steering wheel is molded vinyl.
In digging through the packaging options we found that if AWP and an auto transmission are of interest, the Premium and Limited suddenly become very close in price. The Limited seems like a steal after you option the Premium to get close to the Limited in options.
I'm thinking of a car my daughter could eventually use, when she's of age to drive.
That very thing was on our mind when we chose the 2012 Impreza. Our daughter still has many years before turning 16, but we're planning ahead and will likely make the Impreza her first car.
-Ty
My daughter already has an Acura TL, so I don't think she'd be enthused about getting a hand me down Impreza.
But, I also confess to irrational brand loyalty---give me a product that is economical and troublefree, and I'll go there again based on the name. It's one of the strange things about Subie owners--"fiercely loyal" is how I've heard it described before.
John
My point is these two cars are virtually identical, so why not also consider the Toyota/Scion version?
Having said that, I have a reason to consider only the Toyota version: I absolutely believe Subaru should be a 100% AWD brand, at least here in North America. So, if I were to consider this car (unlikely, but you never know...), it would only be the Toyota/Scion version. I won't give my money to SOA for something I feel so strongly against.
Bob
They're both horrible dealerships, honestly, but they have zero competition in town. Actually that's sadly true for most brands here. GM, Ford, and Dodge/Chrysler are the only brands with multiple dealerships.
Our Subie dealer and staff are the complete opposite - very laid back. None of the sales staff give off the stereotypical car salesman vibe. Half the time when I am in for service, the Manager will invite my into the office to chat for a minute or two about cars or life. I know lots of other Subie owners and they all have the same feel for the experience. I think that is why the dealership remains successful.
Bob
I remember when the MR2 was brand new the closest Toyota dealer (Jim Coleman) had a sign that read "Bids start at $30,000". That was a few grand above MSRP.
I'll go to Fitz and use my Subaru Bucks, so I'd pick the Subaru version.
http://www.subaru-global.com/home.html
http://www.subaru-global.com/about/motorshow/ms/2011tokyo/atc/index.html
http://www.subaru-global.com/about/motorshow/ms/2011tokyo/brz/index.html
The Advanced Hybrid Tourer Concept supposedly hints at where the next-gen Legacy and Outback are headed.
Bob
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/11/30/subaru-advanced-tourer-concept-is-an-awesome-- angry-wagon/#continued
Bob
Wonder how they'd 'Outback' it for the crowd that's concerned with backcountry/offroad -- seems a more cosmopolitan design.
I think the next Outback may grow into a true 7 seater and the Forester is what will be left to fill in for the current Outback.
Subaru cannot just sell 8 different compact-to-mid wagons. The XV, Forester, Outback, and this all serve the same customers!
But yeah, that's a lot of hatches and wagons. Wonder how Subaru sees their lineup in 2014+
http://smh.drive.com.au/motor-news/toyota-considers-supra-revival-20111202-1o9pi- .html
So maybe a 3.6 or so H6 sports car?
Bob
I just hope Subaru figures out a way to get AWD on theirs this time.
I think I've gotten over the lack of AWD...I just think of it as a quasi mid-engine sports car. Take it as it is, a nice set of wheels...
John
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/automobiles/autoreviews/2012-subaru-impreza-ab- out-that-drinking-problem.html?_r=1&hpw