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Subaru Legacy/Outback
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Thanks!
KarenS
Wagons host
here.
For past discussions, enter "Subaru Legacy
Outback" in to the Topic Search function in the
sidebar.
Thanks!
KarenS
Wagons host
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Comments
my other car is a 00 RL only shows how impressed I
am with the Subie. I have eagerly awaited the
opportunity to drive an H6, and my dealer has
just received 4 in. I hope to get to the dealer
this week, but they are about 45mins away. I am
concerned by the post from others that there is
not much of a difference between the H6 and H4
though. My reasons for considering trading in
the H4 for the new H6 are the following...
1) I am hoping for more towing capability
2) more power
3) a little more exclusivity (too many ltds around town)
4) auto climate control
5) and perhaps a quieter interior with more
sound proofing
if subaru offered factory installed xenon lights on the H6 I would buy today. My acura has them
and they are incredible, and the aftermarket ones
might come close in apperance, they are not even
close in performance, plus the aftermarkets look to "wanna be" for my taste. But if I feel the H6
is "better" than the H4 it will also depend on
the trade difference before I buy.
He's more than happy with it, though he doesn't exactly drive like Mario Andretti.
-juice
Before the Outback, we were driving a Pathfinder (my wife hated the Pathfinder). We absolutely fell in love with the Outback. AWD, style ... we feel it's perfect for our family's needs (young boy and overgrown dog). However the Einstein that designed the cup holders in the 98 Outback needs to go back to school.
We find the power in the H-4 fine. And honestly I do not understand all the posts concerning lack of power ( We do have the 5 spd.
As proof of our feelings towards the Subie, we are stepping up and PURCHASING the '01 Outback Limited.
This decision was based on our previous 3 years experience with the Outback and all the wonderful information that is shared in these Posts.
Good luck, I don't think you will make a mistake if you go with the Outback... Great Value, AWD, style, and a bunch of fun to drive.
Like previous posts I was also concerned about out of state purchases. I believe they must charge sales tax if they have dealerships in your state. FYI Fitgerald has a dealership in Chambersburg PA and in Florida. Also I hear they are high on service costs even though they quote low sales prices. That would not matter for those who do their own service or service elsewhere.
I have driven the H6 OB,I agree with the earlier post,It is nice but I am still very satisfied with our OB!
jomam: congratulations! Titanium is a great color.
Craig
I have a 99 Limited OB. I hike and mtb a lot. And I live in Seattle. Never had any problems with the leather. I like its toughness against snagging. And mud wipes off easier than it does from fabric. And there's less dust when you flop into the seat. Smells good too.
I recently purchased L.L.Bean and was able to drive H4 for couple of days (loaner from the dealership). Here’s my engine-only impression (comparing to H6).
H4 power is adequate. Keep in mind that Subaru H4 is 2.5L and already has 165HP, so it isn’t bare bones. I was able to get the same acceleration putting every time 4000 rpm while H6 would do the same around 2500 rpm. That increased noise level in H4 but it still on acceptable level.
Is it significant? Well, I like H6 (V6) characteristic, which is smooth and strong power across the all specter vs. H4 where there’s much more shifting and noise and things aren’t smooth or exactly strong. However again it’s adequate.
Interior-wise there’re two major flaws currently in OB. Climate-control must be standard on all OB (can you find another 30K car without this option nowadays), and L.L.Bean and VDC should have optional navigation system.
I still think that when prices come down, L.L. Bean is the best deal.
Regards,
Nikita.
I agree that the H4 is adequate but only as a standard. The automatic sucks any pep out of the 4. I tried the LL Bean and couldn't bring myself to buy the H4. Sitting in Northeast traffic with your foot on the clutch gets old after a while. It was a big bucks difference and I had to go to a lease to afford it but this is the first time I don't have any buyer remorse. I really like this car. Maybe I'm just glad to be rid of my Exploder (Explorer).
I also looked at the Passat GLS AWD at about the same price and I liked the LL Bean more. I don't do any real off road stuff but I jump a curb here and there and sometimes you have to find a creative place to park. I like the clearance in the OB. Besides being too expensive I felt the Volvo cross country is just another Fjord.
I paid $28,750 and drove it home as a surprise to the wife later that afternoon. It's her car. Before getting to the deal, every salesperson told me that they weren't budging from MSRP. I got several on-line quotes and called around. I see from these posts in many areas they're telling the truth. I got the only LLBean this dealer had. I must have looked pretty pitiful for him to give me a decent deal and his last Bean.
Now if only they would drop the price a couple of grand and add a fold away two seater bench in the cargo area to hold a couple of more rug rats. Then they would sew up this market.
Reliability is yet to be seen but I've got a good feeling about this one (or maybe its just hope).
Nikita - the H6 is just that.... a Horizontally oposed 6 cylinder and NOT a V6.
Bit
Test drove a 5-speed 2.5L today. There are definitely differences. The 5-speed feels more responsive (no lag time) and controlled.
However, I also notice that the Subaru gear stick is much more spring loaded and "sticky" than the Escort's. Maybe this is just because the Subaru is new and the Escort has 142kmiles?
The 5-speed also has a normal 50/50 split of power distribution. The automatic has an usual 90/10 split until the computer decide there is slippage. I think the changes of a 5-speed breaking down is probably less than that of an automatic.
If Subaru makes the H6 available with 5-speed, the Legacies can probably challenge other sport wagons (such as Volvos).
--T
bit
I've driven my cloth-upholstered Legacy GT on several long distance journeys. I do skootch around on the seat from time to time but I've never ridden in a car in which I didn't so that's probably just me. I don't think they're the finest seats on earth but they are good seats.
I have 15K miles on my car. The shifting has definitely gotten smoother over time. The gas mileage has also improved about 4MPG. From what I hear elsewhere this is not unusual.
Finally, I personally could care less how the hood gets held open. I don't need a gas strut or any other pricey gizmo; I'd rather that money stay right in my pocket :-) After all, how often does one have go under the hood of a car as reliable as a Subie?
Cheers,
-wdb
The shifter is among the best I've tried -- not as precise as the "toggle switch" unit in my Prelude, but definitely on par with Honda for feel. It has a nice smooth motion. Tak, the feel you describe is part characteristic of the shifter design and part a break-in issue. Your Escort may have a cable shifter, which is a different feel alltogether.
I don't have any complaints about the OB seats, but they are certainly not the best around. The thing is, everybody has different tastes in seats, so it's a hard topic to talk about.
Prop rod: no biggie, it works as advertised!
Craig
I am kind of surprised that there are this many Subaru owners with 5-speed.
As far as the seats are concerned, they are comfortable enough for me. I used to have to drive to Mountain View every week during traffic hours. Driving the Escort, my back will ache during the last hour (out of 3.5 hours). When I borrowed my wife's Legacy, no problem at all!
As a short person, the seats are a little too "deep". It wasn't easy to find a comfortable position when test driving the 5-speed. I'll probably add a cushion or something to help when I buy a 5-speed. *However*, even without any help, front visibility is still very good. The hood is relatively low compared to Camries and even Accords(!).
Again, thanks to all who responded!
--T
--Jay
bit
Our '98 OB brakes on the other hand have been spongy since day one.
Pat
Nikita.
On Tuesday my '01 OB Lmtd was delivered. Wintergreen 5spd. This is a tremendous car. I agree with Bit & others, the H4 + 5spd is quite satisfactory & enjoyable. I don't feel under powered -at all. If the H-6 was available in 5spd, we would have entertained it, but I'm not sure we would have spent the extra money -- given what you get in the OB Lmtd.
As of now, the seats seem quite comfortable. We had a '98 OB for 3 years and I don't recall a problem with the front seats -- the back seats were little to hard for my liking.
And one last word, as we were shopping for a new car we entertained the '01 Volvo XC. It certainly is a nice car -- however no true 5spd. And in the end, as we looked at all the OB lmtd had to offer, we just felt the 10k or so premium for the Volvo XC was not worth it. Just our opinion.
Happy holidays.
-Glick
bit
if you're shopping for Subaru in S.F. Bay Area I highly recommend Wayne Herron at Carlson Subaru, Redwood City. I thought that my Infiniti experience would be the best but Wayne proved that people matter not the make or dealership.
I have no idea about the rest of folks on this dealership, but Wayne is the way to go.
Nikita.
bit
The "error" in your speedo reading will be a function of the ratio of new/old tire diameters. For small variations, it's not a lot. You can use the equation:
Verr = (Dold/Dnew)*V
Here, Dnew is the new tire diameter and Dold is the old diameter. Plug in a velocity for V (say 55mph), and Verr will give you the "erroneous" speedo reading.
Another option is to just get better tires of the same size -- you can step up to a performance tire with a stiffer sidewall. Michelin Pilot XGT-4 tires are a good match for an OB. The thing to keep in mind is that a lot of the OB's (lack of) handling performance comes from the suspension, and tires can only do so much. The stock Firestones are kind of sloppy, though, and roll a lot before taking a set. You can certainly improve initial turn-in feel with better rubber.
I plan to upgrade to better rubber when it fits into the budget. The Michelin X-One and Pilot XGT-4 look like good bets.
Craig
Cheers
Graham
gus
Craig
Cheers
Graham
Anyway, my car eventually got serviced and the guy called my name. I went out and he said, "there it is over there". I said, "where do I pay?" He said, "this one's on me, for getting both our days off to a bad start." That was probably the single best way he could have made the bad start into a good one, and I thanked him for it and told him there were no hard feelings whatsoever. Now I get a chance to pay the favor back by telling folks that their service people are overworked but very competent.
So - Carlsen Subaru is okay by me.
Cheers,
-wdb
Please help, Thank you.
Cheers,
-wdb
Will be looking to get a 2001 OB Ltd in the San Diego area in the next month or so. We are moving from Sydney Australia and have decided on an OB as our new car, but still need to test drive, etc.
It seems that manuals are very hard to come by in CA, which is undersatndable with the freeways and traffic...Anyway, any idea how long it takes to get one if they aren't in stock and if any of you are in SoCal or SD can you recommend a dealer?
A dealer in Carlsbad emailed and said 6-8weeks to custom order...seemed like a long time.
Many thanks,
Caleb
-Glick
-Glick
Cheers,
-wdb
Bob
Do any of H6 owners notice climate control acting strangely? Or is it my perception? It blows pretty cold A/C air when set to 80F with outside temp is 50F. Any comments are welcome.
Thanks in advance,
Nikita.
Cheers,
-wdb
While I haven't purchased a Soobie yet, I have done some shopping. If you're willing to wait for an order, Suzanne Ramos at Shortline in Aurora should be able to order you one for $100 over (her) invoice. She seemed fairly helpful. Joe Cooley at King in Loveland can also give you a pretty good price as noted by royaguirre in an earlier post (or was it an owners conference). Your best bet on price may be either him or the people at Chamberlain in Greeley (lower cost structures). Was not impressed with the demeanor of the Inet sales Mgr at John Elway West.
If you go to the Subaru site http://www.subaru.com and enter your zip code in the little "Dealer Search" box in the lower right corner, you will find that there are 8-12 Subaru dealers within a 100 mile radius of where you live. You can also view the inventory for each dealer (in most cases).
You'll find that all of the dealers in the Denver area have a $225 advertising fee built into their invoice price. There may be some additional charges built in that are over and above what you find on Edmunds, Chrome Car book, and CarPoint.
We found the 2000 OB Ltd 5-spd a little lacking in pep on a hot August day with the A/C on at 5000ft when compared to our '91 Mazda 626 5spd. The thing that _really_ makes a difference in our rarified atmosphere is a turbocharger. I believe that the power drop-off is not as significant at altitude for turbo'd engines as it is for normally-aspirated ones. Regardless, pending an H6 testdrive, we'll probably order an H6.
HTH,
Theo
Thanks
Caleb
bit