Subaru Crew Cafe

1209210212214215343

Comments

  • bigelmbigelm Member Posts: 995
    GM can't supply a boxer diesel, so no potential synergy there.

    Since Subaru is building their own, there's no need (even if GM is helping them) to continue with a risk taking corporation.

    Over at nabisco, someone posted a link about GM going to use the Saab version of the B9 with a diesel engine by 2007 for Europe. But if Subaru is building their own engine, I don't see why GM would need to get involved unless there some political binding in selling diesel models in Europe through GM.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Saab would use a different platform entirely. Not sure which one, though.

    -juice
  • njswamplandsnjswamplands Member Posts: 1,760
    the high % of GM SUVs/Trucks with DRLs that are burnt out. next time your driving and bored, take a look. it is amazing how many 1 eyed GM DRLs you see.

    i know it is not a big item but i start to wonder about what else they shortchanged to save $0.50
  • jfljfl Member Posts: 1,398
    Looks like every GM retiree needs to buy one or two GM vehicles each year if they want to keep their benefits!

    Jim
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    There shouldn't be that many "Padiddles", as we used to call them in high school. A halogen bulb can last for several years. My Forester's are still original, 8 years old and 7 years in use (I had Hellas in there for a year).

    So even if you cut that time in half, that's a long time.

    Maybe the electrical systems are poorly designed and there are surges.

    -juice
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Okay you home improvement people: blinds or plantation-style shutters, that is the question.

    I'd like to upgrade our west-facing living room window coverings and am debating between the two. Obviously, blinds are a lot less expensive than shutters, but they do not provide as much insulation against the hot afternoon sun. Shutters look great, but they tend to be bulky.

    What's been your preference?

    Ken
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    Have you looked into the insulating draperies? They are not your 'mother's draperies' anymore. J.C. Penney had some in the catalog that are even room-darkening if you like and you can even 'seal' the edges if you want - helps keep the heat out also ...

    Anything that fits 'close' to the window is going to help .. and if you could shade the 'outside' of the window it's even better ...
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    I had plantation shutters in my last house and loved them.

    -Frank
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Depends on what else you have in the room. Whatever blends better.

    I have *got* to stop watching those design shows on TLC! ;)

    Anyone else get an invite to the Benz ML test drive event? Bob - you wanna come? I can take one guest.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    in today's Baltimore Sun, in the Business section, about the recent SUV sales slide. Every full-size SUV, except the Dodge Durango and Nissan Armada, have lost sales in the 1st quarter of 2005. The Durango's sales were up ~ 16% and the Armada's sales were up ~ 41% over the same period last year.
     
    The Sun's link on this story is not up as of this moment, otherwise I would post it.
     
    Also interesting is that they quoted a sales person at a Subaru dealer, who was in the used car department. It seems Subaru—and other too, I'm sure—are benefiting from this; but especially Subaru, as April was the best sales month in SOA history.

    Bob
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    http://www.cardesignnews.com/autoshows/2005/seoul/highlights/index.php

    Note the Baja/Ridgeline-like Ssangyong XMT concept.

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    mike caused that sales spike. ;)

    XMT's front-end is scary, one of the ugliest in the industry. But oddly enough the rear end is nicely sorted out, perhaps the best looking rear for a Crew Cab!

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    http://www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=102318

    Hey, if Caddy and Lincoln can offer pickups, why not Mercedes?

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The timing seems odd, given they dropped the frame and went with a unibody.

    Plus the bed looks too small. I realize that's a chop, but they'd have to make the whole thing bigger to make it useful.

    What I heard is that SUVs now have a soccer mom image so more men are going towards pickups and crew cabs, so maybe this is Mercedes' way to keep those male buyers that make up the majority of Benz shoppers.

    I still think it's a bad idea. It would have half the utility of a Ridgeline and in pickups that matters a lot more than in SUVs.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Keep in mind this is based off the next heavy-duty G-Class, not the new M-Class. Now the upcoming G-Class is based off the new M-Class, but it will be properly reinforced I'm sure. I have no doubt that if and when this Benz pickup debuts, it will be a beefy unit, and up to the task.

    Also, both BMW and VW are also seriously considering similar pickups for the US market, and are expected within the next 5 years.

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Maybe it's the chop that makes me think it wouldn't be a success.

    The G would certainly be beefy enough. I wonder how many H2 are the SUT model? Probably only a small amount? Once the novelty wears off I bet the H2 SUV represents 90% or more of the sales.

    So it would be like an Outback sedan. :P

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    The Benz pickup won't have that kind of aura—or appeal. It will be far more mainstream, I'm sure. I don't see many Benz buyers as Hummer customers.

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    :P
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Not to pick on Bob but when the RL came out I mentoined that the traffic feature would only be as good as the data coming in. Well, early reports are not good:

    dib, "Navigation / GPS Systems" #179, 11 May 2005 10:49 am

    Garbage in, garbage out. This owner gets better info from the local AM radio stations. Too bad.

    -juice
  • bigelmbigelm Member Posts: 995
    But we all know that you want to pick on Bob. :p

    One thing that Acura took to their advantage was to advertise this "traffic" capability and market it well. But what they failed to mention was that this applies only to those traffic monitoring agencies that feed the signal of traffic updates, which are very few.

    There are many still out there that don't have this technology nor feel the need to invest money into it. People do fine with radio traffic updates. There is not much demand nor marketing for Traffic Signal Navs.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    The RL is just ahead of the techno curve, that's all. There's nothing wrong with the concept, and besides, someone has to be the first, so why not Acura? I bet in 5 years this will be pretty commonplace.

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    And hopefully by then the info will be complete and current.

    -juice
  • bigelmbigelm Member Posts: 995
    GM should focus on meeting their sales forecast before throwing in another "just for kicks" design. They have much bigger fishes to fry.... :rolleyes:
  • Hmmm, where's the roll cage on that thing? Nothing like a windshield frame caving in on your head in a rollover. I don't mind driving something a little top heavy, but, please, give me a structure to protect my noggin.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    That looks kinda fun actually. Jeep alternative, I'm sure.

    Jeep is gonna have some serious issues - Hummer H3 is coming right into their sweet spot, and now this potential Wrangler alternative. And Jeep is already hurting.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    http://www.cadillac.com/cadillacjsp/prov/specs.jsp?type=protection

    Or how about a Caddy funeral car? Or just a plain old Caddy limo? All are here on this link.

    Bob
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Came across this website by chance:

    http://www.funco-motorsports.com/subaru_motor.htm

    A series of companies use Subaru engines for powering dunebuggys. There's actually quite of bit of interesting reading as to why they favor Subaru's boxer engines. The links to the additonal vendors have even more reading.

    Ken
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    It has a fully independent suspension,unibody construction with ladder-frame chassis (like Honda Ridgeline) full-time 4WD with a locking center differential and low range. In Japan HIDs, NAV and an electronic stability program are standard. a 5-speed auto is standard with the V6 model. In Japan the V6 is 2.7L, but I think we will get a larger engine. Not sure if it has 3-row seating?

    image

    image

    image

    image

    image

    I would love to see the Forester evolve into something like this; not holding my breath, but I'd still like to see it happen. I saw the concept that was shown at the NY show, and was VERY impressed! Should be on sale here next fall.

    Bob
  • bigelmbigelm Member Posts: 995
    I saw it from far and said... nah.. won't bother seeing anythign Suzuki, but as I wondered around I eventually walked up to it without noticing. Impressive it was... The rear looks very much like the new Cherokee but Suzuki has a nice design here.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    From NY auto show:

    http://www.suzukiauto.com/about_suzuki/concepts/concept_x2/

    From Japanese Suzuki web site:

    http://www.suzuki.co.jp/escudo/

    Looks like it could be a poor man's mini Touareg.

    Bob
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    I like the styling too. The front looks like they grafted the outgoing A4 lights and grille and mounted it on a Saturn VUE.

    Ken
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Wow, that's some interesting stuff.

    Wouldn't that hurt unsprung weight, though?

    Ken
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Alfa Romeo might lay claim to that Maybach's grille. ;)

    That 2.7l V6 is the wimpiest engine in the world (for its size) and definitely would be the weak spot in that Suzuki. Plus it's not very efficient, either. Other than that it looks good.

    The cabin seems narrow but otherwise I really like it. :shades:

    The warranty alone will draw in some folks. It's the longest fully transferable warranty in the biz.

    In-wheel motors would be interesting, hybrids are heavy anyway. And the real weight is in the batteries, which are sprung.

    -juice
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    As already mentioned, I would think at least a 2x, maybe more like 3x increase in unsprung weight over the basic suspension/brake/tire/wheel. A few kilowatt motor is a heavy piece of equipment. Item two is durability. Powerful motors need lots of venting. Water and dust intrusion will be an issue.

    Steve
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Several people have mentioned the unsprung weight issue, and I too was wondering about that. I wonder if these motors could be mounted in-board, a la in-board disk brakes?

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    They could, but then they'd required shafts and I think mechanical simplicity was sort of the whole point.

    You could still have shorter-length shafts and have all 4 be completely indy of each other. But you'd still be limited to just 25% of full power to any given wheel. Subaru's VDC can send 100% of power to any given wheel.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    that makes the HUMVEE look like a Mini.

    http://www.forceprotection.net/models/cougar/

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    but can it tow a Class II trailer without trailer brakes?

    LOL

    -juice
  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    G'day

    On that theme, have a look at a more useful alternative, the world's only High Speed Front End Loader and Backhoe, developed for the Australian Army

    http://www.adi-limited.com/2-01-010-040-040.html

    the same company also make the Bush Ranger, Australia's LAV.

    Cheers

    Graham
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I can see it already: Backhoe racing! Hey, they race lawn mowers here, so why not backhoes?

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The scary part is that Bob actually looked into pricing. ;)

    -juice
  • amsbearamsbear Member Posts: 147
    Bob,

    Gizmag - Outstanding stuff here. I could bounce between this site and HowStuffWorks all day! :shades:

    Alan
    98 OBW Ltd
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I think they were too optimistic. 2004 was a record year and they are under target? :confuse:

    I think they were just way too optimistic.

    Plus, you can't raise prices and have volume grow rapidly, it just doesn't happen. Pick one of the other.

    Incentives gave them record sales in April. So that answers the question (they picked volume over price).

    -juice
  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    G'day

    having shown what the backhoe looks like, this is the Australian answer to a Light Armoured Vehicle.

    http://www.adi-limited.com/pdfs/bushmaster.pdf

    Cheers

    Graham
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    These are from our '02 MPV. I think I've come across an exhaust leak on the front header.

    Right-click, save-as (~1.5mb wav file): sound clip two
    Right-click, save-as (~2.5mb wav file): sound clip one

    I initially thought it was valve or lifter noise and started checking into the Forester XT thread since I had read about some having better success with 10w-30 instead of 5w-30 when using M1 (which is what I use in the MPV). I did re-do my last oil change with 5w-20 Motorcraft Synth Blend, just to rule out the M1 as the cause. At first glance, it could sound like a lifter or valve, but upon getting closer to the engine and approaching from the below the radiator, you can clearly hear "pfffftttt"-like sounds and even a little exhaust gargle/rumble. Sure, the Duratec 3.0L might not be the quietest/smoothest engine, but it certainly does not normally have this 'rumble'. Once warmed up, the noise is almost gone or is undetectable, even under load. So, the gasket or header metal quickly warms and fills the gap(s).

    It's too tight in there for me to see where the header or exhaust gasket is compromised, so I'm taking it in this afternoon.

    -Brian
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    "unibody" + "Box frame" trucks are. I mean it sounds like marketing jargon if you ask me. From what I researched it appears to be just unibody with a frame to mount the suspension to. Anyone have any details on the? I know the new Tacoma has a "semi-boxed" frame which means it uses U-shaped frame rails v. Fully boxed frame rails.

    -mike
Sign In or Register to comment.

Your Privacy

By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our Visitor Agreement.