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Comments
Bob
Zman
a. Over 50% of the vehicles sold today aren't Porsches, they're trucks.
b. I stand a much better chance in a collision with a Porsche than with a Suburban or Expedition. And many of these full-size SUV buyers think they're in some type of "arms race" with the owner of the largest SUV the winner.
So yes, I do think it's a little bit my business what other vehicles I have to share the road with.
-Frank P.
Patti - Maybe the 4th time will be the charm.
DaveM
-Frank P.
Sorry Patti... but they didn't play as good as with the Packs...
But then again, the Panthers were just too good!
-mike
I ski mostly at Crystal Mountain. I also like Stevens Pass and Alpental. Of course I grew up in Jackson Hole, WY so that's where my heart is, though I haven't been back in WAY too long. My other favs are the Wasatch in Utah, the North Shore of Lake Tahoe and of course Colorado. I haven't skied nearly enough in either Tahoe or Colorado. Of course I'd love to ski in the Alps some day as well. ;-)
I don't know about those boxes. I like the idea of keeping the skis out of the weather though. They just seem like they add so much weight to the top. Besides with a wagon I'll be able to put them inside! ;-)
Cheers!
-Ian
the only times I've wished for more "pep" were on some of our long-distance trips ... in a city where you enter a freeway and it's uphill .... I feel like I'm pushing the squirrels a bit hard ...
Happy skiing!
Craig
In other words does a Sub give an advantage or is it strictly marketing?
Robert
I believe the Acura MDX has a similar system to the CR-V.
In manual transmission Subaru models, the nominal split is 50% front / 50% rear, so it's true all-wheel drive. That gets shifted if slippage occurrs.
In auto transmission Subarus, the nominal split is 90% front / 10% rear when cruising above a certain speed. When starting from a stop, power gets shifted aft where it can be better used by the rear wheels. Conversely, when slowing down, power gets sent back up front for better braking. I think the auto-trans Subaru AWD system is very advanced. It's somewhat of a predictive system -- they way it distributes power around, it's more likely to help you avoid slippage in the first place.
There are also VDC and VTD systems on other auto-trans Subarus, which go one step further. I don't know a whole lot about them, but they do offer a rear-drive bias for sportier driving. You can read more about them on the Subaru website.
We have an Outback and Forester with auto-transmissions, and the AWD systems have been outstanding in snow, light offroading, and inclement weather. I also have a manual-transmission WRX and find it to be one of the most neutral and driveable high HP vehicles (for it's size) around. Having the nominal 50/50 power split really helps manage 227HP without any fuss. The same power in a FWD vehicle would be a handful (I speak from experience).
So, you really need to know how the other AWD systems work to compare. There are some very good systems out there, but the vast majority are like the CR-V's system, and not "true" AWD in my opinion. Subaru has managed to give us a real AWD system and still get decent gas mileage. We regularly get 22-28mpg in our Forester (4-cyl) and Outback (6-cyl), which is pretty darn good in my opinion.
Craig
I agree completely with you that the mileage could be better. Interestingly, though, the overall 5th-gear gearing on the XT is almost identical to the XS (about a 100rpm more at 120mph in the XT).
Even more interesting, the STi turns about 300 rpms less than the XT in 6th gear at 120mph. So it may do better!
Craig
ps: Here are the exact numbers: RPM at 120mph in final gear
XS: 4943 rpm (5th)
XT: 5053 rpm (5th)
STi: 4761 rpm (6th)
You can ratio these (V/120) to get the rpm at other speeds (V). I assumed the nominal tire diameter, so the actual rpms will be a bit higher (due to tire compression).
-Ty
Steve
I had to laugh last thursday when the local 10PM news was discussing the snowstorm and their visual was a big SUV(looked like a member of the Ford family) up over the sidewalk into a display window in the middle of NYC. I guess it helps to understand the laws of physics!
Robert
The only other thing I'd like to add to Craig's great answer is that Subaru also designs their vehicles with AWD in mind.
The 2005 models will start advertising Subaru's "Symmetry" AWD. The engine, drivetrain and AWD mechanism all are placed along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. This enables a much more efficient transfer of power and eliminates torque steer due to the fact that equal length half-shafts are used.
Other car manufacturers have to somehow shoehorn in their AWD transfer mechanism.
Ken
Here's what I've gathered to date:
Step 1
Re-drawing the Subie oval stars icon. This is already done.
Step 2
Incorporating this new logo with the name "SUBARU." The new Legacy brochures that Juice and I picked up have this new type logo combo. Essentially what Subaru has done is to use the oval very large, and the type much smaller. It's still the same old typography, but the new combination of oval-to-type is much more pleasing, as well as being more contemporary. I still wish they would change the typeface to something more stylish, but this new arrangement is much more pleasing -- and long overdue!
Other comments
It appears that Subaru's preference is to use the oval star logo large, and without supporting type wherever possible. There are several occurances in the new Legacy brochure and press packet where the star oval is used alone (with no supporting type), and very prominent. Also, look at the back of the new Legacy. The oval logo is large and replaces the word Subaru as the main focal point in terms of rear badging; and only on North American Legacys is the word "SUBARU" used at all on the rear deck.
Also, the star logo is now rendered to give a slight 3-D feeling. This works fine in RGB and CMYK applications, but I'm not sure how it will translate into a 2-color or 1-color black & white application.
For me it will be interesting to see how Subaru applies this new "freshened" logo to additional marketing pieces.
Bob
The spare tire location, the way the gate opens, and the front leg room are 3 important misses IMO. Forester has better safety scores and better bumpers, too. Plus you're just way too close in price to an XT, and performance is high on my list.
I hated the brown interior, too, but I think they use a beige now.
Go drive an Expedition, I finally understood the appeal after a test drive. They are very nice, and have many family-friendly features (ex: 2nd row middle seat moves forward for babies). My wife absolutely loved it, I'm glad we bought a Legacy before she did, 'cause I don't know if I could have stopped her, though it might have been a used one with an extended warranty.
It was the first big SUV I have to admit I liked. The Pathfinder Armada lacked half of the family-friendly features I'm talking about, and only seats 4 adults truly comfortably, so the Expedition is still the only one I'd consider.
Do we need it? No. I tow very light loads. We off road on rare occasions, and even then we don't have to, we could hike or walk. The gas penalty is very stiff.
The Sienna minivan impresses me enough that it would knock it off my shopping list because it seats 8, with a similar front-and-center position for my kid, plus AWD. And it's cheaper plus has better resale and lower operating costs.
So basically, if we go "big", it would be Sienna right now. Of course I haven't even driven one!
-juice
Bob
http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=6769
Bob
mtngal is shopping for these cars and measured the distance from the rear head rest to the rear hatch glass, even I was surprised to hear Forester had 7" more space!
So, modify the seat track to move the front seats 2" farther back, then move the rear seats up 7" to match the Forester's cargo length, and the advantage disappears.
Honda deserves kudos for making the seating flexible, though.
-juice
Bob
Until my 4 year old is 6' tall (which she will be one day), it won't matter.
-juice
I've used a Thule ski box for about 4 years now. The box is light-weight, one person - 6' guy - can remove it from the car rack and move it out of the way easily. Sure keeps the road salt (MN pours it on) and other crud off the skis. Plus the box is somewhat aerodynamic so gas mileage doesn't really suffer.
MNSteve
-Frank P.
thanks again
Interesting take on the B9. The response down under was fairly negative with motoring writers suggesting that peter Stephens had been brought in to tidy up Zappatinas mistakes.
Personally, I like the headlamps but think the inverted Alfa grille is overly derivative and will dae very quickly. It already looks old when I look at the images again.
Cheers
Graham
Thanks for the recommendation!
Craig
Juice: My sister's BF has an Expedition - nice ride, for sure, but a much firmer suspension than the Chev/GMC counterparts. Our Suburban rides nicer, but without much of a handling penalty, relatively speaking.
Cheers!
Paul
So, e-mail me your address. Seems I have a debt to pay!
Already over it and moving on...Patti! (if I say it often enough, I might convince myself)
Zman
-Frank P.
Craig (a Giants fan, need I say more?)
Here's an overall shot:
http://members.cox.net/craig.hunter/ipod3/dash1.jpg
I filed the holes on the radio brackets so that I could mount the 9813 about 1/8" deeper into the dash. It ends up nearly flush with the bezel, and looks quite good.
The iPod dock is on top, in the clock pod recess:
http://members.cox.net/craig.hunter/ipod3/dock3.jpg
I removed the clock and replaced it with a piece of shiny black plastic. I was looking for black plexiglass, but couldn't find any. So, I used a piece of a black CD-ROM I had hanging around. The end result looks like the clock is still there, but I could drill through the panel to run wires.
The dock is held down by a couple dabs of clear silicone caulk.
I hid the Belkin Auto-kit iPod charger under the clock pod, and wired it into the clock harness (+12V acc and ground). The Belkin connector comes out through the fake clock panel, along with a headphone connector that goes to the stereo's line in:
http://members.cox.net/craig.hunter/ipod3/dock1.jpg
http://members.cox.net/craig.hunter/ipod3/dock2.jpg
The overall package works nicely, and looks very clean. It's a reach to the iPod, but OK for my long arms. I generally try to avoid fiddling with the iPod while driving anyway, through the use of playlists. When Alpine comes out with their Ai-Net iPod controller, I'll actually be able to control the iPod through the head unit controls (and remote). Right now, the iPod is easy to read, so I can see what song's playing.
About the only thing I'm toying with is some sort of safety tether to keep the iPod from flying around in the event of an accident (it stays in place during hard acceleration and braking just fine).
Here's a night pic:
http://members.cox.net/craig.hunter/ipod3/night.jpg
Note that the iPod backlight reflects in the windshield, so I probably won't drive around with the backlight on at night, unless I can figure a way to block the reflection.
Craig
Excellent job! That looks like a very nice and clean set up.
I finally bought the Belkin Auto Kit and I've been listening through the cassette adaptor -- much better sound than through the headphone out.
I've been thinking about ways to mount my iPod in my Forester -- you've inspired me to try the dock. On my Forester, there's a small area between the center console and shifter that would be ideal for it. I like the idea of silicone caulk -- it should come off when you need it to. I like the idea of being able to access the iPod control and display.
As for securing the iPod to the dock, that's a good question. I think it would take a very nasty bump to dislodge it from the base. Short of securing it down with rubber bands (which would be tough if you've secured the dock), I'm not sure.
The Ai-Net interface sounds intriguing. Is it an upgrade to existing headunits? Do you know if it will allow for playlist changing and viewing through the headunit as well? I'm a little bummed that the upcomnig Legacy headunit is integrated. It'll make it tough to modify.
Have you shared you setup over at iPodlounge forums?
Ken
Patti
I was thinking some black bungie cord (the thin shoe-lace variety) might work as a tether, but otherwise, the dock holds the iPod very snugly. I've purposely wiggled the iPod in the dock, and there was no interruption in playback or charging. So, that dock connector is very robust.
I have heard different stories on the Ai-Net interface, but most of them indicate it will work with existing head units that have MP3 capability (which includes text display and extra buttons for navigating songs). From what I've heard, it will allow you to basically put the iPod in the glovebox, as the head unit can control everything.
Here's the Apline press release:
http://www.alpine-usa.com/html/D2_n_1_n_n.html
This one makes it sound like new receivers will have the feature. But, some of the 2004 receivers are identical to the 2003 receivers except for cosmetic changes, and they've had Ai-Net and MP3 capability for several years. So, I'm thinking it will be backward compatible with my head unit.
I guess we'll know for sure when Apline releases the product.
Craig
Ken
OK, Frank, since you're the only one here going for the Panthers, I'll join you. I'm a big Stephen Davis fan (couldn't believe the Redskins tossed him aside like that!).
Loosh: Quest is just too, I dunno, bizarro. Hate the dash in the middle, it kills it. Plus no AWD option, and no significant price advantage. And no 8 passenger seating, or even 3 in the middle row.
Nice job with the stereo, Craig.
-juice
I like Park City for different reasons. It's sort of like Sun Valley in that it's lure for me is it's long groomers for high speed GS turns.
I've been to Deer Valley. It's like skiing in Beverly Hills! ;-) They do an amazing job of mountian maintenance though. I've never seen so many well groomed trails. Talk about looks. I've only been there for competitions and we'd always get a lecture about appropriate "behavior" before our races there. It was quite entertaining! ;-)
Another great area that is a bit harder to get to, but well worth the effort is Grand Targhee. Grand Targhee is in Wyoming but on the West side of the Grand Tetons (vs. Jackson Hole, which is on the East facing side and doesn't get nearly the snow fall Targhee does) so you get to it through Driggs, Idaho.
MNSteve - Thanks for the "box" review. I'll definitely consider one this time around. One thing I like about the shorter skis now days is that they fit much easier inside the car. You should have seen me stuffing my 223 cm DH boards in my Civic!
Craig - Very nice installation. How much would you charge someone to do this for them? I'm lazy and quite the novice (OK, more like a pure beginner) when it comes to electricity and wires.
-Ian
My Panthers have enjoyed some excellent Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches and, come February 1, the Bahston Scrahd is going to be pretty tasty, too..
Ive been a road warrrior the past 2 days..trips to Charlotte both days and again this Thursday. The Carolina countryside in winter is so beautiful...the mountains at sunrise just take your breath away..and I've been thinking a lot about the fun I'm going to have rowing a 5 speed Legacy GT wagon around "Country Road"s while I've got "Carolina on My Mind". BTW..is there really a basketball team in Connecticut? Huskies? sounds like a Balto rip-off.....
The next level of Carolina Road Zen could involve a B9 Scrambler equivalent...the starry nights overhead in a convertible in winter with Nelson Rangell on the premium sound system are hard to describe.....Nirvana, maybe.....
Bar B Que, yall?
Mark
-Frank P.