Subaru Crew Cafe

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Comments

  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    is it me or does the top portion look like a Beetle?

    -Brian
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    I had exactly the same reaction as Brian: that roof-to-rear line is very much like Beetle's
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    but too fast - must go soak head to cool down brain. It was wonderful having Patti & Kate back in action. I'll need to take both a typing course & a speed reading session if I'm going become a regular again.
    ;-)

    Ross
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    I headed for the sidelines more than one. Couldn't follow, couldn't keep up. By the time I got a word in, we were two topics downstream! Still, it is an awful lot of fun....

    Steve
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    Beth told me that all Emily talked about (snow day) was what fun we would have when Daddy got home! We frolicked from 5 to after 7 when Beth finally pulled us inside for dinner. Sledding, snow angles, 'jump on daddy', bury daddy in the snow, start building snow fort, etc.

    The only 'accident' was when our 100lb shepherd took me out on one of the downhill runs!

    Steve
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    I hear you brother. I had to go on a food break! I really did have some gingerbread since it came up in the chat. And here I just lost 20+ pounds - guess I'll have to avoid the chats again.
    ;-p

    Ross
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I missed it. Had to get wife a birthday present.

    Bob
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    Tough call, Bob!!

    Steve
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    Bob,

    Sounds to me you have your priorities in perfect order. ;-)
  • jfljfl Member Posts: 1,399
    Bob, you could've joined the chat and then shared the dog house with Steve's 100 lb shepherd. 8~P
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    OK, just read that review, too. A couple of things:

    * they criticize the small trunk and tiny pass through, but the wagon addresses both complaints

    * it can tow twice what the Accord can

    * wagon also has a roof rack, neither sedan does

    * Accord wins 0-60, but Legacy has the best brakes and was tied for quickest in their slalom

    * Legacy is about $900 cheaper, plus street prices would have an even bigger advantage, and AWD comes free with the deal

    And further to paisan's comment, they also criticize it for the tail coming out in a turn. But that's actually an aspect that many owners, including me, enjoy. It's controllable and fun, the tail wags but stay in the gas and the front wheels pull you out of the skid.

    They want boring, I'll take the fun.

    I agree, that Max looks overdone. They tried to leave a hint of Z car in the back, but it just looks wierd.

    -juice
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    I find CR is usually on the mark. Of course, I wouldn't give up the OB, especially after yesterday (Sienna got stuck in driveway this morning). One thing I noticed - on previous reviews they stated that the Subarus have mushy brakes with good stopping distances. This time they hint to the dual stages stating it is soft at first but braking becomes more effective when pushed harder.

    Greg
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The other thing is the overall ratings are still pretty close. They're calling all the cars "Very Good", just by a varying degree.

    A funny thing is the '98 Forester was rated way up in the Excellent range. They downgraded it when they tested a 2001, even though it had improved. Proof they like brand new products.

    The Legacy had the shortest stopping distances by far.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    to pull out of '03 WRC, only to return in '04!


    http://www.apexjapan.com/


    Bob

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Loosh mentioned that in the MTM thread and in the chat. You're geezin' Bob. ;-)

    What do you think of this - Saturn is offering huge rebates now. That was the only thing left to distinguish them!

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    What's the MTM thread?

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Meet the Members. Sorry, like we don't have enough acronyms around here.

    -juice
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Drove one last Wednesday. Dealer peeved me when I called to ask if there was an AWD model in stock, "sure, come on in", and then only had FWD models to drive. Grrr.

    Any how, this vehicle is no threat, none whatsoever, to the Forester. The Subaru is superior in just about every way.

    We drove a very loaded up LS model, with heated leather and a (small) moonroof. It could not get out of its own way. I mean sssssslllooooooooow!

    My Forester was quicker pulling Bob's trailer. Loaded. And the Outlander is about as loud as a Forester with the windows open. Lots of road noise only drowned out by the loud engine racket, it screams near redline with little/no results. All this with 20/25 mpg? You gotta be kidding!

    Lots of shiny plastics, in fact all the materials felt cheap. The seats are an imitation suede that attracts lint like crazy and does not look dubrable.

    I hated the twin archs over the speedo and tach, goofy looking. And the window is canted so you end up with a long dash, like the New Beetle. Top it off, front head room is tight, much less than the Forester.

    Now some likes. The back seat has good leg room, though cargo space gets sacrificed. The rear door is nice and wide, and easy to get in. Fit and Finish is good, if only the materials were better. Beefy wheels and tires.

    And more misses: drum brakes. No cross bars on the roof rack. Automatic only. Thin/cheap carpets and headliner (though Forester is about the same with those).

    Ride was pretty good, handling not bad. Felt a little softer than the Forester, though.

    I guess they could put an EVO motor in there and things might get interesting, but there are so many misses that it would have to come along with dozens of upgrades as well. I'll pass.

    Edit: top it off, this one had a $3 grand dealer markup, and stickered for $24k! Fitz has them below invoice, so Rockville Mitsubishi just be high.

    -juice
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    aaaaahhhh, what is it the kids on nasioc say?

    WTLW!

    :'))
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    What is WTLW????

    Steve
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    welcome to last week. there's even a picture for it. ("hello and welcome to last week")

    -Colin
    nasioc off-topic frequent flyer
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Steve,


    Try this for those ever-increasing acronyms:


    http://www.netlingo.com/inframes.cfm


    Ken

  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    ken-- interesting link, but there's no WTLW there. ;-)

    -Colin
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Yeah, I realized that after I posted the link -- silly me not to try it first. :-)


    I tried http://www.netlingo.com/inframes.cfm and couldn't get it either. At least on this site, you can enter new ones. Anyone want to be the first to register WTLW?


    Ken

  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    well they shouldn't turn it down, with gems like whiskey tango foxtrot on there...

    it definitely is used in places other than i-club & nasioc, but not yet in wide circulation apparently.

    -Colin
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    First Mercedes revives the Maybach nameplate. Now Nissan will revive the Datsun nameplate...


    Bob


    http://www.motortrend.com/features/news/112_news41/

  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Ghosn has hardly made a wrong step thus far, but still...

    WHAT?

    -Colin
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    That song (I want to have fun??) mentions "people washing their Buicks and Datsuns on their lunch hour". Funny thing is, I believe the Datsun name plate was long gone before the song came out. Wonder why she chose Datsun. The cars do last longer in SoCal.

    Greg
  • jfljfl Member Posts: 1,399
    The original 240Z was a Datsun in the states and I see some value in the name.

    Did you see the next blurb about Mitsubishi reviving "Colt"?!???

    Jim
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The name "Datsun" carries a lot of weight. Nissan's identity is foggy at best. Cheaply built pseudo FWD performance?

    Though with Nissan and Infiniti, I don't see how a 3rd brand is needed, not at all.

    -juice
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    Sheryl Crow singing "All I want to do" (is have some fun).


    -Brian

  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Oh, forgot one important thing about the Outlander - it's shiftronic was actually very nice. Very quick responses, I'd venture to say as quick as any I've ever tried, including BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes.

    Definitely quicker than Subaru's. Subaru shiftronic falls in the middle, while Volvo and VW are on the very slow end of reponse times.

    That may be the only feature I'd like to see Subaru copy from that vehicle.

    -juice
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    'washing their shiny Datsuns....' as I spread the suds on my still good looking '79 810 coupe (forerunner of the Maxima, L24 engine (240Z car powered). We saw that beauty up on a pedestal at Grubbs Datsun in Fort Worth, drove in and bought it. Too bad it eventually corroded away to dust!

    The Datsun name continued into the mid '80's, transitioning to Nissan with each new model. I think the new for '82 Sentra & Pulsar (?) may have been the first ones to wear the name, IIRC. Most of the 'numbered' cars (210/310/510/200sx) remained Datsuns until they were retired.

    Steve
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Those were nice and boxy, simple, light. I had a used 210 coupe for about a year. RWD! Got rusty, exhaust fell apart, and clutch started slipping so I sold it.

    Changing names to Nissan was a huge mistake at the time, Datsun carried an excellent reputation. To this date Nissan trails Honda and Toyota in reputation, and they didn't back then.

    -juice
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    the song was released after the Datsun name was long gone if I am correct.

    Greg
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Oh, yeah, it was a hit in the mid 90s IIRC. Datsun had been gone a decade - but not forgotten. And with that hit song, people remember it.

    -juice
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    I was thumbing through my latest issue of C&D last night and noticed that the Outlander made it on C&D's 10 worst under 0-60 acceleration. I believe it was in excess of 11 seconds!

    BTW, the WRX made it on the top 10 car list again.

    Ken
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Good, so I wasn't imagining things. And remember, mine was FWD! Add 150lbs or so and more driveline drag, and it'll only get slower.

    Funny because the tranny is actually very nice. Ed - here is the automanual you want. Quick, almost immediate shifts. Touch/shift. Not touch...and...and...shift, like Volvo.

    -juice
  • hammersleyhammersley Member Posts: 684
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    I think I learned the principles of driving stick watching my Grandma drive her flat yellow Datsun 210 (I was probably only 12 or 13 at the time). Tan colored vinyl seats, no a/c, and no radio.


    I don't remember it having much rust, maybe a bit near the wheels. But, boy was that engine clean. I remember opening the oil cap on the valve cover and seeing nothing but clean metal (no foam, gumming, etc.) It was a quiet engine too. Of course, it probably was all of maybe 1.5 liters or something...


    -Brian

  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    on an old Datsun 510 5-door Hatch :)

    -mike
  • ffsteveffsteve Member Posts: 243
    That's funny. I also learned to drive stick on a Datsun, my sister's B210. It was the ugly green color, hadn't much power at all, but the gears and clutch were soooo easy!

    Much easier than my other sister's Triumph Spitfire or Volkswagon Squareback.

    Steve
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    I learned to drive stick on a 1962 Ford Falcon 4-door sedan. Three on the tree, no radio, vacuum wipers, and an anemic little 144-cid inline six. Fun. Later I got to polish those skills on a '68 Ford F-100 Ranger. I've driven more manuals on the column than on the floor, which dates me I guess.

    Ed
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    First stick was a tractor in our bean field. Then a 57 Ford Fairlane with 312 and a 3 speed. Next was a 1960 TR3.

    bit
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    That's one I wish I still had.

    bit
  • ffsteveffsteve Member Posts: 243
    May be irrelevant, but the only column shift vehicle I drove was on a delivery van in Hong Kong. Took a while to use the left hand at all, let alone operate the shifter on the column. Took it slow for the first couple of days...
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    Learned by test driving Mustangs. Then bought my 86 GT. (Auto before that) Can't wait to go back to a stick.

    Greg
  • jfljfl Member Posts: 1,399
    Spent a few days with the dog clutch on a Honda 600. Then, several years later, on a Fiat 124 Spider. That's the one I wish I still had.

    Jim
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    dog clutch?

    dog transmission is one without synchronizers... is that what you're thinking?

    I learned manual transmission first on a dirtbike at age 7, then after many years of riding the elementary concept seemed easy enough in a car, it's just the left foot coordination and timing. '85 Mazda RX-7 GSL. If I had it back I'd stuff a turbo Buick V6 in it. ;)

    -Colin
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