Subaru Impreza Outback Sport & TS

shawmou · February 2009

I think all Impreza models have no keyless entry except WRX.

kyfdx · February 2009

My '08 Impreza has keyless entry...

Impreza with premium package..

ateixeira · February 2009

No, I'm sure, I put the seat at an angle I found comfortable, and generally I like them low and leaning back, so it was not at the highest position.

shawmou · February 2009

You are right. I checked the list again. It listed under "Security" features. I thought it is under the "Convenience" category. All Impreza has the keyless entry as a standard installation.

nippononly · May 2009

I have rejoined the Subaru family, after 7 years away. Those of you here that know me may remember that for years I had a '97 OBS that I loved, and then in mid-2002 in a fit of insanity, I sold it for a used 4Runner.

Well as of Saturday (yesterday), I am once again an OBS owner. I am so glad to be out of the Matrix I traded in, I have actually considered kissing the Sube once or twice.

The new ones are fabulous, and I don't regret that I waited past the years of weird styling and nonsensical feature packaging that characterized the Impreza line mid-decade.

I must admit that up to the last minute I was trying to decide between the OBS and the Premium 2.5i, as I do not value the AWP that the OBS gets (I'm in coastal Northern California) and I quite like the idea of the moonroof in the premium, but in the end it was my love of the 2-tone paint (yes, I am proud to admit I am one of the last 4 people in the country to continue liking that paint scheme after the 90s ended! :-P) and the 17" alloys, which look great on this car and noticeably improve handling in my opinion.

So anyway, my newport blue OBS is sitting in the driveway (5 speed of course), have managed to drive it 150 miles already (loving every minute), and this time I think I may remain a loyal Subaru customer for life (although I still wish they would get to cookin' with diesel). Paid $18,299, MSRP was $20,941. Good deal IMHO. :-)

nippononly · May 2009

It's a shame this discussion isn't cross-linked to the Impreza folder, and that Impreza doesn't have its own folder in wagons.

Instead, to see discussions on my car, I have to visit the Legacy folder here in wagons, and the sedans board for the Impreza folder. My car is an Outback Sport, but it is neither a Legacy, nor is it a sedan.....

Which relates of course to the natural confusion caused by Subaru's perennial insistence in trying (but never quite succeeding) to separate the Outbacks from the rest of the Legacys, and to call the OBS an Outback in the literature, even while it is technically a trim of the Impreza line.

Boy, now my head is spinning....

:confuse:

xwesx · May 2009

Yours is not the only one!

I have always wondered why they decided to title that Impreza's trim as "Outback Sport," when it shares no common characteristics with any other Outback aside from two-tone paint and fog lights.

I will leave it at that rather than beat my head against a wall, but if it makes you feel any better, I am one of those four who likes the two-tone!

nippononly · May 2009

Hey imagine that: two of the four of us two-tone fans are Edmunds members! ;-)

ateixeira · May 2009

Congrats, that's very cool! Welcome back.

I know you've been shopping around for ages, so you must feel relieved.

The Matrix had uncomfy seats, correct? I think that was your primary beef.

The OBS is a strong value, in fact I'm sure you paid Honda Fit prices and ended up with a much more substantial car with a 2.5l engine and AWD. :shades:

nippononly · May 2009

I am most relieved, I had forgotten what having a driver's car felt like!

The seats in the Matrix are terrible, as is the seating position (minivan style, with seats with front edges that rise up so high that pressing the clutch to the floor is very difficult). But that's not all, the e-throttle is extremely annoying because there is a substantial delay between pressing the gas pedal and the engine responding, and it plays hell with shifting a manual, especially when you are trying to rev-match.

Apart from that, the interior tackiness just grows and grows on you until it is depressing getting in the car. The factory stereo (the optional upgrade, mind you, not the base unit!) has terrible sound quality - everything is muddy and there is no bass. The steering gives you no road feel at all. And I was up to 3 warranty repairs on that thing, and it hadn't reached 30K yet!

I am hoping I can still count on Sube to be totally reliable, as my others have been.

Next thing for me is the car was delivered to me with some sort of rear valance that attaches to the bumper askew and kind of hanging down. So the Sube dealer where I bought it is working with a body shop to get a new one ordered and installed. I am told it will be covered under warranty and should only take 20 minutes to install, so that's good. Hopefully that takes place early next week. Until then it looks a little ugly, but not too bad. Should have caught it when it was delivered to me on Saturday, but it was raining and I was in a hurry to be somewhere.....

nippononly · May 2009

The Fit I could have bought for the money I paid wouldn't have had ESC, one thing I'm glad to have on the new car since I will be going to the snow a lot. It's nice that Subaru is putting VDC on all the Imprezas now.

I was out in heavy rain on Sunday driving some canyon roads, but the car never slipped or did anything untoward, and I never saw any indication that the VDC had kicked in. I am assuming that a light flashes on the dash if the VDC is invoked, right? So the OBS has amazing grip in the wet, what with me trying to intentionally get it to slip!

shawmou · May 2009

I bought the OBS for my son two months ago. Since he is in college Im driving it trying to help to break it in. My comparison experience telling me that OBS has the best values around. Especially the safety features. If you pay attention to the safety feature everyone of them are standard. Not like Honda Fit. You have to get the Sport model with Navigation System in order for you to get the traction control. What a rip off.

Many of my co-workers praise the style, the color combination (sage green) and the details that Subaru has paid attention to it. Ill have a piece of mind that my son is driving the OBS for many years to come.

Subaru  safety is not an option.

shawmou · May 2009

I bought the Impreza Outback Sport two months ago. Every time I shift to Drive (cold or hot engine) when the car starts to roll I hear a clung sound from the engine compartment. Since it happened consistently I thought it is the normal sound. Does anyone have the same experience like me?

nippononly · May 2009

I hear it too, just once each time I start the car, when I have finished backing out of the driveway or parking space and start to move forward down the street. I think it must be normal since it is so consistent, and I remember reading something in the manual but I forget what it was, that is self-testing and may be heard when you first start the car. ABS brakes maybe? I just can't remember, but check the manual, it is in there.

ateixeira · May 2009

You know how I feel about the Fit - great car for $16k, but at $19-20k to get a loaded one with VSC there are simply far more substantial cars for the price.

nippononly · May 2009

Well, if you will settle for FWD, there's the Mini Clubman and the Mazda3s hatch around $20K, not to mention you are closing in on the GTI and Honda's own Civic SI.

But to be fair you can get a Fit Sport stick shift for $17,5. And if they will discount it at all you can get it at invoice for $16,5. So it is not really a $20K car unless you want the ESC, which is only available packaged with the NAV.

But if, as I did with my latest purchase, you definitely want AWD, you basically have no choices but the Impreza and the SX4, which is a cute little sucker and a good value given its low price, but not in the same league as the Impreza IMO. And the Matrix AWD, which I distinctly dislike anyway, has really gone up in price for the AWD. Stickers of the ones actually on the lots are in the $24K range.

With my OBS buy, I am going to try to commit to no more front-drivers in my future. Don't know yet if I can make that stick......

ateixeira · May 2009

I'd like to see a Mazda3 5 door with the 2.0l engine. The sedans come with the smaller engine. That way they'd have a fuel-sipping hatch.

Coopers are nice but cost too much optioned up. I'd want the GPS just to get the speedometer relocated to in front of me. Plus premium fuel even in the base engine (who knows why with such a non-performance engine).

nippononly · May 2009

I think the NA Coopers run regular unleaded now, don't they? It's just the turbos that run premium? I could be wrong, but something in the back of my mind is telling me that. :-P

The 2.0 in the Mazda3 doesn't really "sip" gas. My sister has one (a sedan of course) and only pulls high 20s, which is where I am at with the OBS with a LOT more torque and another half liter of displacement. They could offer a 2L Mazda3 hatch for other reasons though: offer it with the base package like the sedan and achieve a nice low price for folks who prefer 5 doors to 4.

So what if Subaru were to some day bring over the JDM 2.0 for the Impreza? I might be into that if there were a substantial improvement in fuel economy, but then I would expect it to be slow, as it is not FAST even now. Strong, a good highway cruiser, but not particularly fast.

I think part of the reason Impreza is a much stronger seller these last 18 months than ever before is because the price has stayed relatively constant for years now, while the market around it has jumped up in price, helped first by the Mazda3 in 2004 and then by the new Civic in 2006. By keeping prices steady, Subaru has pretty much erased the AWD "premium" for Impreza now.

ateixeira · May 2009

I'm pretty sure even the base engine wants premium, though I'm not sure if it's required or merely recommended. Same for the Smart ForTwo, oddly enough.

Last time I checked they (Subaru) had a 2.0l in Japan that made 156hp, though I'm not sure about the torque number (it was probably listed in nM anyway).

Now that the 2.5l is making 170-175hp they may think about offering a smaller engine on the lighter cars. I think it would make sense.

shawmou · May 2009

Yes. All Coopers run on premium gas. It is the requirement.

ateixeira is right. Once you add the options it's easily over $30,000.

nippononly · May 2009

As soon as I go for the 2.9% financing, Subaru starts a 0% promotion, 60 months and all, for the OBS. Should have waited a little longer, but who knew.....

I had an idle half hour the other night and went looking for any reviews specifically of the OBS, and has anyone else here ever tried that? It's an impossible task! 98% of all Impreza reviews are of the WRX or STi, and the remaining 2% are devoted exclusively to the base 2.5i. Two of the principal interior complaints in those 2.5i reviews - the steering wheel and shifter plastic - are resolved in the OBS with its leather wraps.

I did find one review of the '98 OBS, which brought me back memories of my first one (a '97). A couple of months back I saw the woman who bought mine, she still has it and it has over 230K miles now. They keep on tickin' if you take care of them. Of course, that '97 had the very fabulous 2.2L engine. :-)

rsholland · May 2009

Keep an eye on that leather-wrapped steering wheel. I'm having mine in my WRX replaced, as it's starting to fray in a couple of spots, and I've only got 8K on the car. The service manager said he had another customer with a Legacy GT with the same problem. Might there be a problem/trend starting here?

Bob

ateixeira · May 2009

You got off easy - the rebate on my Miata went from $2500 to $5000.

I did write a letter to Mazda and they sent me a gift card to purchase some accessories.

Write a nice letter to SoA, it can't hurt.

One stamp earned me $100 in accessories. Rubber floor mats, a cargo net, and maybe some touch-up paint, most likely.

Hint: be nice, tell them you're a returning Subaru customer, kill them with kindness.

shawmou · May 2009

Hi Rick,

I bought my OBS in February and have the following options:
- rubber floor mats (best for the winters)
- mud guard
- home link/auto-dimming mirror with compass
- bumper cover
- center armrest (I used to drove a manual trans so my right arm needs a place to rest)

I installed the following (parts bought from the dealer):
- fog light protector (I had fog lights hit by rocks in the past)
- stainless exhaust extension

Like:
- overall refinement
- style and color  sage green (personal preference)
- Subarus famous symmetrical AWD
- world class safety features
- A great car for the money

Dislike (the below comments really dont bother me. All personal preferences):
- seats fabric
- fuel economy (not terrible but could be better)
- Subarus famous engine noise
- no map pocket on the back of the driver seat
- small storage up front

Plan to add:
- tinted back windows

Good luck.

Shawmou

nippononly · May 2009

Well, IIRC the total of the interest on my loan is close to $2000, so my story is almost as bad as your Miata story!

Not a bad idea about writing them for some extra love, what can it hurt? I will do it this weekend. Wish me luck! :-)

ateixeira · May 2009

Good luck. I'm off to get some rubber mats and a cargo net! :shades:

nippononly · May 2009

Well, my letter is away, and I emphasized that I am a repeat customer. Who knows what it will bring, but it sure would be nice to be financed at 0% instead of 2.9.....I think they put the new promo on less than a week after I signed on the dotted line...... :-/

nippononly · June 2009

They answered very quickly, to say that they have no 0% promotion for the OBS, and never had 60-month 2.9% financing either. I know that's not true, because I got 2.9% 60-month financing! They refer me to the Subaru website, which indeed does NOT list such a promotion for the OBS, but I'm sure I didn't remember the TV ad wrong. What's up here? :confuse:

ateixeira · June 2009

No idea...

I went to the Mazda dealer with mine, and got the run-around.

First, they would not accept a 10% coupon for their web site for the accessories because they said you could not combine offers. I thought a gift card was same as cash, so I disagreed with the manager but he would not budge.

Then he says I have 2 cards, $50 each, and can only use one per day. Which means I have to go back a 2nd time to his store. :sick:

Here I give a Mazda dealer a chance to prove they offer good service and they screw me over left and right. I'm taking the other card to another dealer. In fact I only went ahead with half of my purchase because they had a lower price on some items (higher on others).

Every time I give a dealer a chance to do something good, I end up reminding myself of 2 things:

1). I would much, MUCH rather DIY, do it myself
2). When OE parts are needed, I much prefer to order them on-line, save myself the hassle of local dealer parts counters

nippononly · June 2009

Well my dealer just added insult to injury by sending me a letter saying they were very sorry, but they needed another $62 from me for DMV fees, because California DMV fee schedules are so topsy-turvy right now that they weren't able to calculate it correctly.

I felt like writing them back and asking them if they couldn't just find $62 more in the deal to just pay the fees themselves, rather than bothering me. But I want my plates, so I sent the check. :sick:

ateixeira · June 2009

To keep up this my-story-is-worse-than-yours, Congressional Mazda never called me to say the part arrives. It's here, but I had to call and ask. They had promised to call on Tuesday.

nippononly · June 2009

I learned long ago that when they say they will call you that is just wasted breath. No dealer has EVER called me when parts came in or my car was ready in the service department. Even though all SAID they would. The only exception to that has been the Toyota dealer I now use for service on the Echo, which is one of the reasons I have stuck with them.

Certainly I'm not expecting any "calls when ready" from my Subaru dealer. I have had more than enough experience of this particular dealer in the past to know to expect very little, especially from service and parts.

ateixeira · June 2009

Hah, call it Karma, but my wife went to pick up the rubber floor mats yesterday and the dealer forgot to charge us state sales tax.

Not my problem. I doubt I'll ever step foot in there again.

cmenaker · June 2009

I have a 2006 Outback Sport with the original tires...now about 60K. Any recommendations for replacment tires would be appreciated. I live in Northern California and communte 30+ miles each way to work on the highway five days a week. Also occasionally take the car to Tahoe in the snow but that's the exception to the rule. Suggestions?

nippononly · June 2009

do these big shiny 17s they put on the new OBS show dirt and brake dust! I am going to have to step up my typical carwashing schedule with these things, because they start to show dirt so quickly and look pretty icky after a week or two. In this respect, the (16-spoke?) 16s the other Imprezas get would be better.

cmenaker: color me impressed - you got 60K miles from the original Potenzas? If you are interested in long-life tires as a priority, the Toyo Spectrums on my Echo have been very good to me - good grip in the dry (but not in the wet so much) and will exceed the warranted 65K miles of treadwear.

ablackwell22 · June 2009

Wondering if anybody can help me with a little problem. I have a 1997 Impreza Outback Sport and the keyless remote will not lock or unlock the tailgate. All other doors work perfectly well with the remote and the tailgate can be locked and unlocked using the key. Any ideas what could be the problem?

I have a vague recollection of this same problem happening 5-6 years ago. I think we were able to fix the problem with some combination of locking the doors with the key and using the remote, but I can't remember for sure. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

ateixeira · June 2009

The wheels are painted .... so wax them.

Seriously, it helps keep brake dust off.

I have to do the same with ours. Much easier to clean once you've done that.

nippononly · June 2009

You give me WAY more credit than I deserve for good car-cleaning! :-P

I go through the brushless automated wash, haven't scrubbed a car by hand in a while.

nightcrawler29 · July 2009

After 2 months of looking at cars I finally decided on the impreza outback sport, and I love it. It was very hard to find this particular color, but a dealer ordered it and I'm very happy with it after a week of driving it. Total price was $20,200 including TTL

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rsholland · July 2009

Congratsand good luck with your new ride! I like that color combo. Keeps us posted as to what it's like to live with, day-to-day.

Bob

nightcrawler29 · July 2009

Well I've been driving the '09 impreza OBS for a week now and here are the things I like and don't like about it:

Likes:
1- A very stable, solid and fun driving experience
2- It sticks to the road....weight does not shift much to the side when making turns
3- It does not "nose dive" when applying the brakes
4- It feels like I'm driving high off the ground, sort of like a compact suv (at least that's my experience) It doesn't feel like I'm driving a compact car.
5- The engine has plenty of power and has good acceleration
6- I love driving it in sport mode with the tiptronic transmission
7- Very spacious interior, and comfortable seats.
8- A lot of space in the back for groceries, and even much more if you fold down the rear seats (I still have to see if my bike will fit in there, but it seems like it will)
9- My dog likes siting in the back
10- Sound system is awesome! has a 6 disc cd changer and plays mp3's and wma's. I still can't find all 10 speakers but sounds like it had them all. good bass to.
11- A/C blows nice and cold and reaches the back very well.
12- Filled it up yesterday for the first time. I drove 329 miles before I had to gas it up. The mpg indicator says it made 23mpg, which doesn't sound so great, but I know it will improve overtime. The dealer also said that the reading wouldn't be accurate at first. Filled it up with $31 bucks @ $2.29/gal.
13- Lots of space to place cups and bottles, and keep your stuff in.
14- Very good heavy duty suspension
15- Very nice looks

Things I don't like or may take time to get used to:
1- I don't like the front grill (chrysler style) that came with the car. I ordered the sports grill over the internet ($215) and will install myself. It will look much sportier.
2- If you have the roof rack installed, there is wind noise while driving on the highway, however, you can barely hear it if you have radio on (especially if it compensates for road noise) so I'm not bothered by it. Besides the roof rack is easy to take off and put back on.
3- Transmission only has 4 speeds, but it responds well and haven't felt the need for a fifth gear. I guess I've been used to driving cars with 5 speeds before. I live in Texas were the terrain is mostly flat, so I don't have to worry about mountains anyway.
4- I wish it had a coin holder -I can tell that's were Subaru has done some cost cuting! :c)
5- I do wish the impreza OBS came with a moon roof, but don't really need it. It would look real nice though.
6- The gauges look old fashion, although it lights up real nice at night. But I wish they were a bit more sportier looking.

Overall, I think its a great car to drive, has lots of utility, and looks real nice. I like especially the color combination sage green metallic with silver metallic. And the rims are nice with 17" tires.

rsholland · July 2009

I expect the 4EAT tranny will be replaced by the new CVT now found in the new 2010 Legacy and Outback H4s in a couple of years.

Bob

ateixeira · July 2009

I also like that color, even though I often don't like two-tones. Those colors fall in the same family and it just works, for some reason.

Congrats.

nippononly · July 2009

a lot of the new-model OBS around now. Someone in my complex just bought a silver one. The '08 revisions to Impreza has finally put this model on the map. :-)

dpashkin · July 2009

Just bought an OBS yesterday. Dealt with Evanston Subaru in Skokie, IL was a GREAT experience. Got a 0% financing, paid 19.6 before taxes.

ateixeira · July 2009

Congrats. What color? Transmission?

nightcrawler29 · July 2009

Awesome!.. glad you got the 0% financing! ... up to how many months did you get it for? When I bought mine they were only offering 0% up to 24 months

Enjoy your new car!

nippononly · July 2009

I know, me too!!! Now they have 0% for 63 months. I wonder if it includes WRXs? Maybe I can have two Soobs. :-P

Am loving the OBS so far, and to my eye it looks SO much better with the two-tone paint than the other Imprezas do, I'm glad of my choice to go for the OBS instead of the Limited.

I am seeing a lot of Imprezas in my area now, about a 50/50 split between OBS's and Limited's, very few base models with the wheel covers. In fact I can't recall seeing a single base model wagon, have seen one or two sedans which I assume are getting out there because of the sweetheart lease deal.

nightcrawler29 · July 2009

Well maybe the imprezas are more popular up north were ya'll snowbirds live. I have barely seen some impreza obs wagons here, and haven't seen a single sedan on the road yet. I guess people in TX are still in love with their trucks. My impreza obs is giving out 27 mpg though, so I'm as happy as a clown with it.

dpashkin · August 2009

arghh, seems I'm not subscribed to this forum, weird.

I got an auto transmission and a green color, so it looks just like nightcrawler's one, up higher on this page

Subaru Impreza Outback Sport & TS

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