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Comments
Microwave Caramel Corn
4 quarts popped corn
1 stick of butter or margarine (I always use real butter. If you're gonna splurge, use the best!)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup Karo Syrup
1 tsp baking soda
Large brown paper sack
Pop the corn (air pop or traditional method) and discard the unpopped kernels. Put the popped corn in the paper sack. While the corn is popping, put the butter, sugar, salt and syrup in a glass bowl and bring it to a boil in your microwave. Stir after one minute, and let it boil for an additional minute. Add one tsp of baking soda and stir well, until thickened. (The baking soda will cause the mixture to foam briskly at first, so be sure to use a large mixing bowl.) It will turn light in color and look like taffy. Pour this mixture over the popped corn in the paper bag and shake well. Put the paper bag back in the microwave and cook an additional 1-1/2 minutes (90 seconds). Remove and shake well again. Return to the microwave and cook another 1-1/2 minutes. Shake again. Open the bag and spread corn on baking sheets. Once it is cool, break apart and eat! Then make another batch to give away. :-)
Mark
Perfect!
Hope all you other dads had a day at least as enjoyable as mine was.
Cheers!
Paul
Upgrades from the '96 Impreza L AWD 4EAT 2.2L:
Whiteline rear adjustable sway bar
Whiteline end links front and rear
WRX Wheels with Toyo Proxy RA1 tires
WRX Momo Steering Wheel
Whiteline front strut tower bar
APC Hood Pins
Took 3rd place in my class @ NASA-x and was the 2nd or 3rd fastest subaru in a field of ~10-15.
Upgrades still pending:
Whiteline Springs
KYB AGX Struts
WRX Front Calipers
WRX Front Rotors
Goodrich SS Lines
RS Hood
Exhaust
RS Front Bumper Cover
-mike
mike the mechanic was hard at work! :-)
-Dennis
That L is coming along nicely
-mike
P.S. Congrats on the solid race, Mike.
Jon
He was getting ready to take a new red Forester 5-speed XT out for a spin.
I'm sure his road test will be forthcoming within hours, if not minutes...
Bob
Sandy:
Oh...my...God, Lucky, look at her hood scoop. I mean, it's just...out there, you know. I mean, juice only likes her because she's got a big torque curve. Who likes those Crew guys anyway, they just like big curves.
Sir Mix-a-lot:
I LIKE BIG SCOOPS and I cannot lie
and you other Crew can't deny
That when an itty-bitty SUV
With a sweet and smooth 2.5T
I get sprung!
So I hit the gas to try it
This thing must've gone on a diet
'cause there is no lag
and it goes zig-zag
Look at what Subaru brung!
Man, oh man. XT envy only got worse. Some quick comments:
* very, very fast at any rpm
* loves to rev
* smoother than N/A engine at idle
* steering is quicker than on mine
* it's quieter (not sure why)
* still some lean, dive/squat
* clutch was very smooth
* tires are ok but could be better
My main complaint is no premium package is offered. If it had, I might just have bought it on the spot. I cannot believe it but Fitzgerald had them at just $100 over invoice, already?
Forget my whining about 93 octane being required. After driving it you can clearly see why every time you ease into the throttle. It's just intoxicating. Seriously, it's as quick as the Altima 3.5SE 5 speed I drove, maybe even quicker. Much faster than the Mazda 6s automatic I drove. It's hard for me to even compare, so few cars I've driven are that fast. I drove a V6 Vue right afterwards, not the Redline though, and it didn't have half the torque.
Smooth and fast. I want one. Silver 5 speed, but with the Premium Package please. I will put a deposit the day I hear Subaru will build it.
-juice
Gee, I bet you are popular with your friends. I will try the caramel popcorn recipe with the kids. The only downside is the calories. I guess they can burn it off okay but somehow kid activity does not work to trim my waistline.
Cheers
Graham
<fainting under the desk>
Jim
Boy, that test drive must have been something -- bustin' those rhymes!
Dang, I wish I could have tested the XT in a 5-speed. So, how's it compare to a WRX 5-speed?
Ken
When I get around to testing the XT, I'll likely have to test both MT and AT.
Juice, can you go test an AT out too? We need more comparisons between the two....and to see what kind of rhyme you'd come up with for the AT. ;-)
-Brian
Don't get it switched around.
People can reciprocate...things can't.
Jim
I don't know if this is WTLW, but do you guys know that they are testing STi bits on the Forester?
-Dennis
Love the new review method.
Mark
Len
The WRX is Jeckyl/Hide, i.e. docile and crazy-fast, while the Forester is just plain powerful all the time, it's hard not to drive it fast. It's fast at 2000rpm, the WRX isn't. The WRX is hyper-fast at 5000rpm though, and gas mileage is potentially better (if you stay off boost).
Imagine someone got the WRX's torque curve and smoothed it out, less peak but a lot more down low. The package is quieter, though, it's deceivingly quick.
I'd pick the 2.5T any day, though. It really does not feel like a turbo at all. I think small V8, at least big V6, like the VQ in the Maxima.
Our nanny has shingles so I'm Mr. Mom right now, there goes my time off. Oh well, the kids are fun. I'll drive an XT auto if it has leather and the moonroof, though, just for comparison.
The salesman is going to come dealer training session, I told him to pound it in that 5 speed customers want that moonroof (what were they thinking, yada yada yada).
Edit: a more useful comparison might be the H6 - the 2.5T feels far more powerful at all rpm, idle to redline. The tuners did something right!
-juice
Greg
I'd really like you to try an auto and see if you agree with me. I'm beginning to doubt my butt-dyno.
Ken
So it was 1st-2nd-3rd OOPS I'm doing 80. In under 10 seconds.
OK, nanny's shingles are past the contagious stage, I'll see if I can drive an auto XT tomorrow for comparison. In a way the auto might be an advantage since I kept having to shift so often.
-juice
So I went all to hell and ordered 17" Rota sub zero with Kuhmo Ecstas, bit more money than I wanted to spend but what the hell you will be a long time looking at the inside of a coffin lid.
They are supposed to be here in a week and a half or two weeks, we will see.
Cheers Pat.
-mike
Not a bad safety record, eh? IIHS Best Pick in offset tests. Quadruple 5 stars in NCAP testing, and now the top score in IIHS side impact.
9/12 models tested earned a Poor rating, including most of Forester's rivals.
-juice
Len
-juice
MX is very grippy but a tad noisy.
I'm guessing Pat got 712s. more than adequate for his needs!
-Colin
Steve
Pat: loved your comment about spending money and the coffin lid. Must remember that one...
Bob (I must resist, I must resist, I must resist...)
How is she doing?
Did the letter writing campaign have any apparent affect?
Ron
The whole package was $2300CDN bit more than I wanted to spend, plus I am left wirh a nearly new set of 16" Eagle RSAs to get rid of.
I will make a decision on them later.
Cheers Pat.
-Colin
-mike
"The Dish" is lovely. One of my favourite movies - very gentle and affectionate. It was made a year or two back by a local (ie near us in Melbourne) company. I know one of the guys involved. It evokes beautifully the feel of 1969 Australia. I found it very funny to look back on the moon landing and watching it on grainy black and white TV.
Parkes, home of the radio telescope used in the movie, is a long way from anywhere.
Glad you enjoyed the movie too
Cheers
Graham
Well, bad news - the tranny does everything it can to take the wind out of the 2.5T engine. It's a shame, really. It hesitated to shift down, and even in gear the torque converter somehow makes low end torque vanish. I only felt a kick once it hit 3500 rpm. A 5 speed WRX has less lag.
I swear the 5 speed XT, even in gear, accelerated so much better. Better gearing? 5 ratios? Manual selection of ratios? All of the above, really.
Launch from a stand still actually ain't bad, because it starts out in first. You get a little lag, then the power comes on strong and builds with the revs. I bet 0-60 arrives in 7 seconds or so, maybe even a little slower. Off the line an Escape would start quicker, then the XT auto would pass later, once boost came on.
30-50 passing acceleration did not impress me. You hit the gas, it waits, picks a gear, shifts, then there's still a second or two of lag before you feel the rush. Total maybe 2-3 seconds waiting for the tranny and the turbo to spool up.
50-70 was even worse, because it would shift from 4 to 3, then from 3 to 2. Two hesitations.
It very badly needs Sport Shift, and maybe a 5th ratio as well. I'll allow that this had 12 miles on the odo, was very green, and the tranny could of course adapt to my driving style.
But I would buy the 5 speed, no doubt. In fact the XT makes a profound case for the manual transmission, period.
I'd be interested to try a broken in and tranny-adapted XT later on, hint hint, if any one local buys one. But unless there was a noticeable improvement, I simply would not buy it with the auto. Maybe if you never try the manual you would, though.
-juice
-mike
I have a pretty good idea of what it would look like after 10K - lowered, modded, faster!
Cheers
Graham
But I've test driven a lot of other autos, even recently. None seemed to suck the life out of an engine the way this one did.
For instance the Mazda 6s felt better matched to its auto, and that engine isn't known for low end torque.
-juice
Actually, I felt the automatic felt very much like a big American V8 with an auto. It's certainly light years better than my non-turbo automatic Forester.
I think for those who are not gearheads, but want more power than what the X/XS automatics offer, it's a great engine/combo. I'm sure the average Joe (or Jane) would love it.
Hopefully, after the Legacy gets the 5EAT w/SportShift, that tranny will trickle down to the XT.
Bob
These 'real' reviews aren't making it any easier to choose an XT AT. I'll definately have to go test an AT and MT XT soon.
Wonder if an aftermarket moonroof could be as big as the OEM one...
-Brian
-mike
Like I said, it might be the fact that the TCU hasn't learned enough to really shine. I'd love to try it again with a model that was driven aggressively.
I went by another local dealer to see if they had any 5-speeds, but no avail. It looks like it'll be a few more weeks until they get one. I took a 5-speed WRX wagon out for a spin since I was there. Honestly, the 5-speed WRX wagon was loads more fun to drive than an AT XT -- but that's coming from a 5-speed driver.
I'm still a little worried about the XT 5-speed not having any modifications over the N/A models, though.
Ken
It took me a year and a half from the time of the WRX's intro until I actually drove one; I was afraid I'd like it too much and wouldn't be able to live with my Forester. From the sounds of you first several test drivers I'm not sure I should even bother with the XT, unless the Legacy GT's 4EAT Sportshift or the next-gen Legacy's 5EAT shows up in a year or more. Bad knees and the type of traffic I encounter rule out a manual for me, so I endure slower acceleration and aspersions cast on my manhood on various web boards. You guys make it sound like this new "Direct Control" AT has nothing over the current setup; if so then why the effort to intro a "new" 4EAT? Is it really some sort of remapping of the existing tranny?
It's a good thing I don't have to rush out and replace my car tomorrow, not sure what I'd do now. I can't imagine anything more appealing will appear before I'm eligible for the ACA VIP program.
Ed
PS: BTW, I did get the dent removal done, $75 for 4. One in the D-pillar (from a snow shovel) couldn't be removed but the rest came out great.
Ed, I wouldn't write off the Forester turbo automatic at all. Our Forester is an automatic, and the XT automatic is way better than that. What most of us are saying is simply that the 5-speed is even more fun.
Bob
Ed, still go test an XT AT just for grins. It's free to test drive 'em. ;-)
-Brian
Bob
Even though I haven't driven the 5-speed yet, the auto still holds up on it's own. Just don't expect the rush you would feel with, say a 5-speed WRX. It's just smooth.
How about a Baja turbo?
Ken
I would expect that the XXT will be sold down under without the Dual Range transmission. That was how the previous generation was sold. Possibly there is less likelihood of them being used off road than the otherForesters.
We are supposed to see them soon. Looking forward to it although the new Outback is looking more attractive.
Cheers
Graham