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It's not going after Camcord sales, at least not directly. It's more aimed at Subaru, Mazda, VW, etc.
Bob
There are number of Subaru owners who think the new 2010 Legacy has gotten too large and too ugly. Just visit legacygt.com to see what I mean; they absolutely HATE the new Legacy. This Suzuki just may be for them, and other like-minded folks?
Bob
-mike
Subaru Guru and Track Instructor
As an Insurance Loss Adjuster, I get to see some weird accidents. For some reason, they seem more common in Sydney than Melbourne. I am not investigating this one, but it is going to be interesting for someone.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/car-crahes-into-house-roof-in-par- klea/story-e6freuzr-1225787964203
The video is instructive, for the sense of wonderment of the policeman.
I particularly like the detail that, having climbed out of a car parked upside down in someone's roof space (in a generally flat suburb) the passenger got lost in the roof space.
The traffic light becoming lodged in someone else's roof 120m away is also a hint. I wonder if alcohol and speed were factors?
Cheers
Graham
Is there a particular reason why Subarus have weak rebound damping?
Wrt my '09 Forester, the same speed bump that doesn't phase a 2008 Lexus RX450H (it goes over the bump and that's that), the '09 Forester will try to launch its tail skyward once it gets on the downward side of the bump.
Wow, with the 4 banger, too.
all-wheel drive is available in combination with the CVT
Boo, no 6 speed manual/AWD. Bummer.
20/29 mpg with the manual and 23/30 mpg with the CVT
Just like the Legacy 2.5i, the CVT is significantly more fuel efficient than the 6 speed manual. I wonder if this will translate to the real world, though.
It's nose-heavy at 59/41 with AWD. And the V6 will be worse.
even the center tunnel is nicely sculpted to give relief to the driver’s right knee
That was a deal killer for me in the Mazda CX9. Close to it in the Miata, as well, though on the left side - the bottle holder in the door.
I remember a few months back there was a story of a bunch of kids in Florida in an M5 who went airborne and ended up in a tree. I think they all died though.
A fast car in the hands of a dumb person is a dangerous thing.
tom
Bob
The must have been a well-built roof! I can imagine that the roof on many a cookie-cutter house would not have withstood that sort of impact. If not for that, this oddity could have been a tragedy.
http://www.subaru-msm.com/global/sgt2009/machine.html
Look at where the front differential is. It's in front—and above—the engine!
Since Subaru is competing with this car, it tells me that there is still hope for an AWD Subaru coupe using a similar set-up.
Here's Edmunds story on the car:
http://blogs.insideline.com/straight...show.html#more
Bob
-mike
Quote:
Few, if any, automotive icons have as wide and as immediate a recognition factor as the Land Rover Defender. Spanning the globe and over six decades of production, the classic boxy go-anywhere-mobile is finally due for an update, and according to previous reports, it's already underway, appropriately dubbed Project Icon. Now it looks like the due date for the brand-new Defender will be 2013.
The Land Rover team is hard and secretly at work on the project despite the somewhat distant deadline, aiming to update the classic Defender with modern design principles while keeping its simple, brutally efficient capability intact. Unlike most of its current stablemates, the new Project Icon vehicle is expected to eschew aluminum for a dependable and rugged steel chassis borrowed from the soon-to-be-replaced Discovery and Range Rover Sport models, reports Autocar. The news of the 2013 due date comes from a report out today by the Detroit Free Press.
Like its predecessor, the Project Icon truck will be made in myriad form factors to suit the mission, and though initially built only in England, there are thought to be plans to send it to China, Russia, India and elsewhere in knock-down form for final assembly down the road.
Upgrading the Defender to the T5 chassis will mean independent suspension, hard or soft tops and a choice of steel or air springs depending on the application. Power will most likely come from the company's existing lineup of four- and six-cylinder diesels.
Americans, however, aren't likely to see the new vehicle, just as we haven't seen the Defender since their last brief stint here in the mid-1990s.
Bob
a used Mini Cooper Clubman S. 2009, 14k miles, premium package, cold package, sport package, convenience package, manual. 17" BBS-style rims, back up assist, rear fog light, blue accent interior. New: $31,000. CPO $22,900. More than I want to spend really, but a hell of a car that we'll be in love with for the whole decade we're likely to own it. Jeebus, what a hoot to drive. Seriously. Should never have even started it up.
So Kirst will drive that, I will drive the OB. Which is cool, because I REALLY miss my old Subie. Thank you corporate America for the Camry. It was.....um, free while it lasted. But a car more incompatible with my lifestyle, driving style, and, er, style, would be difficult to find. At least you were red.
Re-united with the first new car I ever bought. Still in pretty good shape after 10.5 years. Those RS seats are going to be such a relief after the Camry's Lay-Z-Boys. Now, what to do with the SSRs I still have from the FXT....
Bob
I was at my local MINI dealer this weekend, and they had a dozen left-over '09 Clubmen... Weird, because all of the coupes in stock were 2010 models...
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Where's your dealer? 1.9% for 60 mos on '09s!
http://www.motoringfile.com/2009/10/23/the-r60-mini-crossover-gets-an-official-n- ame-a-revised-debut/
AWD—and supposedly with a low range! The Mini Moke grows up.
Bob
But, as you've seen, MSRP is $29K-$31K... 1.9% @ 60 months on $30K is still a heck of a big payment!!
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http://www.autoobserver.com/2009/10/...s-success.html
A quote from the article:
The common wisdom is that this positive brand identity has been achieved in large part by the fact that the company has stuck steadfastly to selling only all-wheel-drive vehicles in the U.S. over the last decade. As one contributor summed it up, "It's gotta be AWD to be a Subie."
Some worry that the fuel economy penalty incurred by AWD drivetrains - roughly one mile per gallon compared an otherwise equivalent two-wheel-drive model - may end up hurting sales in the long run, assuming the price of gasoline continues to rise. "People in my office have told me that they would never consider an AWD vehicle because 'they get poor fuel economy,'" says one, who then suggests that "a FWD offering might help."
But most insist that AWD-only is integral to Subaru brand in the U.S. and that if "they start offering FWD or RWD even on just a few models that... brand identity starts getting watered down." One post questions, "Is it worth losing your identity for a 10% gain in fuel economy?" Another argues, "They need to maintain the exclusivity of AWD standard; otherwise... they'd wind up being in the same position as Mitsubishi or Suzuki -- good but overlooked over for having nothing to stand out." And a third likens the potential effect of Subaru abandoning AWD-only to GM overtaking Saab in the 1990s, noting that Saab was "no longer the 'quirky car' once GM homogenized and pasteurized them."
Clearly this is not just a view shared me and a few others on this site. Hope they stick to their guns on this.
Bob
http://www.autoobserver.com/2009/10/word-on-the-street-the-secret-of-subarus-suc- cess.html
I bet it also comes with SH-AWD, at least as an option.
Bob
Not happy about this news at all. Glad I got the 100K extended warranty on mine.
Bob
A quick visit to CR's site suggests it's the WRX's manual Transmission that's the weak spot ('06 is a bad year, '08 is average).
And I remember CarAndDriver having trouble with their long term STI's manual transmission (second gear gremlins).
Especially sans the chrome Acura snout.
1,000 times nicer than the Acura ZD-X.
2008 MINI Cooper Clubman S, Laser Blue with silver bonnet stripes, blue leather accents. Getrag 6MT, Cold Weather package, Premium package, Convenience package, Sport package, 17" alloys. CPO, 14k miles. It was a dealer company car, never had a private owner, never tagged and titled. New: $31,500, we paid $22,990. Still, more than I wanted to spend. But on the other hand it is a LOT more car than Fit, and we intend to keep it for a decade. And if not, it enjoys strong re-sale.
The car is faaast. Turbo comes on a little later than the 04FXT we had. Which is nice actually....the FXT goaded your right foot into fuel guzzling behavior, whereas this car is more sedate around town....unless you put your foot in it, and then it really lights up. The sport package plus the 17"s is..... an acquired taste, but one that Kirst and I wholeheartedly enjoy. It is VERY stiff. I haven't driven an STi, but I imagine they're similar. Pretty crashy over bad pavement, but completely and unrelentingly connected, and very very flat.
That's an initial impression. Looking forward to developing a more detailed opinion over time.
The Mini requires premium gas, I would assume?
Here's what MT had to say:
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/wagons/112_0712_2008_mini_cooper_clubman_s/i- ndex.html
Bob
The extra length really does make a world of difference. I see the test car photos are with 16" rims. The sport package suspension upgrades and the 17s make it even more athletic, but with a ride penalty some may not be prepared to pay. Torque steer is an issue, no doubt.
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Bob
Video here as well. Pretty neat.
Bob
Oh yea, Kirst is home sick which is the only reason I'm getting any seat time
Here is the info I have now...
Jan 14th Kickoff in Cherry Hill
Jan 15th SOA Breakfast Visit w/Museum Cars on Display
Jan 15th Staying in Burlington, VT
Jan 16th Tour of VT Sports Car (Where they build the Subaru Rally Cars)
Jan 16th Dinner Banquet/Awards Dinner at Dunham's Bay Resort in Lake George
Jan 17th Final Dinner (Not sure where we are ending yet)
Website is still http://48hrs.info
-mike
Subaru Guru and Track Instructor
New Legacy and Outback sales at record-breaking pace.
Bob
First time in a while.
Edit:
SOA sold more Imprezas in Oct 2009 (3049) versus Oct 2008 (2891—not 3891).
Bob
Yes I'm still into bikes but I can hardly find the time to ride much anymore.
Sorry I was gone for a while, I had a huge backlog of work and then use-or-lose vacation, which caused another pile of work...
But I'm back, and that Viffer looks pretty neat!
You have to try to incorporate them in your hobbies. I took the kids to a lot of car shows. Had my daughter on my backpack carrier for an entire NASIOC meet here in MD.
1500 towing. Real-time 4WD (part-time AWD) only on top model—which starts at $34K! Base 2WD—which is the EX!, starts at $29.7K. That adds up to a whole lot of not good.
Bob
LOL
Give the man a gold star !
Yikes!
EX-L AWD is similar to the Limited, heated leather + 6CD + moonroof.
$34020 plus you forgot $710 freight, Bob. That is $34,730, yikes. About $3 grand more than an Outback.
Boy am I glad, though. It will help keep the numbers down, so I don't hurt my eyes looking at that beast!
Outback actually has a pretty decent price advantage.
http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/chryslers-5-year-business-plan
• Ram (to become its own brand, distinct from Dodge) could expand into large 18-wheelers.
• Dakota could become a Ridgeline-like unibody pickup, but heavier-duty I'm sure.
Bob
Fortunately as Benz’s go, the GLK is pretty reasonably priced and we were able to get a great deal. Plus, MB-USA was offering 1.9% financing AND making the first two monthly payments which equated to an effective interest rate of negative 1.8%.
At 4,200 lbs, the GLK is built like a tank but can still hustle 0-60 in 6.5 secs. Of course the downside of moving that much mass that fast is a not-to-be-bragged-about mpg rating (est 18 mpg combined)
As you would expect in a Benz, the GLK has comfort, safety and convenience all in spades. There are too many bells and whistles to name but the “panoramic sunroof” is definitely a nice feature.
Unfortunately, other than bringing it home from the dealer, I've yet to drive it. But that's okay; the F-XT has now reverted to being my daily driver so I'm not complaining.
-Frank