Subaru Crew: Suggestions for Subaru

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  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Bob: for which model? The trailer package that is. Maybe the 2005 SUW?

    For reference, check out the current Consumer Reports. They test all the mid-size luxo SUVs, mostly car-based. Towing ranges from 3500-5000 lbs.

    I'm hoping the 2005 SUW comes in at about the same size as the MDX and XC90 tested in that issue, minus the luxury content and price, of course.

    More direct competitors might include the Pilot, Highlander, and maybe even the Explorer. I'm not sure the current capacity would cut it in that segment.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    the new Outback will match the Volvos, and the Surveyor will better that.

    Bob
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Well I towed down the car-trailer to WV this weekend. Not too bad, although I can't imagine pulling anything near the 4500lbs behind a subie. Not without some significant upgrades. I turned 9-10mpg @ 70-80mph with some dips to 55-60 due to traffic. Other than that it ran well, I'm going to be getting some airbags for the rear coils cause the back is seriously getting weighted down.

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    4500 lbs is above even the optimistic towing limits the Brits allow for Subies. :o)

    paisan with air bags? I thought you swore those off?

    -juice
  • earthwomanearthwoman Member Posts: 47
    I know this thread is for suggestions for Subaru but it is amusing to read it after a few days and see all the "I want....'s". LOL

    I agree with Brenda, I'd like the cladding to go higher. I had a Saturn for over three years and never a door dent. It looked new when I returned it after leasing it. I liek the look of the new Pathfinder also with the grey cladding similiar to the Forester.

    My 5 month old Forester has four small dings in the rear passenger door already. I am quite frustrated and saddened. I am going to have them removed by a dent removal service, there is no paint damage, but it is gonna cost me.

    Rebecca
  • jlemolejlemole Member Posts: 345
    Don't you ever watch T.V. at 3 in the morning? You can get one of those pop-a-dent thingies for, what, $19.95?? :-)

    Jon
  • earthwomanearthwoman Member Posts: 47
    Do those pop a dent thingies work? or am I being naive? I have a personal rule...Never buy anything off TV that is advertised at 3am!

    They sell those pop a dent thingies (technical name?) online too.
  • jlemolejlemole Member Posts: 345
    Honestly, I haven't a clue whether those things work! But for the price, it might be worth a try. And for the record, I have never bought anything off an infomercial either...though I've been known to spend quite a bit of time watching those darn things in the middle of the night. My favorite is the set of 453 pocket knives, 2 broad axes, a compass, and a set a plastic kitchen utensils for three easy payments of $29.00!

    Jon
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    If the dent is minor or "half-past" minor, try using suction cups.

    -Dave
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    The local station here "tries" those 'as advertised on tv' products and pronounced that one as ... no good
    Brenda
  • earthwomanearthwoman Member Posts: 47
    The dents are minor. It couldn't hurt to try suction cups. Thank you Dave.

    Brenda: Thank you also. If the suction cups don't work I will have a pro do it. There were two small dents at delivery and the dealers contractor did an excellent job of pulling them out.

    I think I figured out how they are happening. My cargo carrier opens on that side and to get out the cargo we use a step stool. I am always very careful not to hit the side of the car with any cargo as I remove it but my 16 yr old has helped put a few times lately with cargo and I think she is allowing it to hit the side. The dents are too high for another car, even a big SUV to have done it.

    Rebecca
  • ken_from_njken_from_nj Member Posts: 105
    i just remembered the infomercial product - the ding king. did a google search & found the following,
    http://www.tvgadgetjudge.com/ding%20king%20review.htm
    enjoy - ken
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Hilarious that he takes that kind of time to build that site. :o)

    -juice
  • joybelljoybell Member Posts: 275
    our 1993 Loyale wagon is gone. Picked up by the recylers today, and the whole family gathered to watch it go. It still ran fine. We had it for almost 11 years and only had the exhaust system, a battery and a tie rod end changed. Brakes never had to be changed, just checked. It was abused the last couple of years here on the farm, since it was rusting out and we figured the body wouldn't last much longer, so it didn't even get an oil change. For the last 5 years it a lot of the dirty work hauling flat equipment tires out of muddy fields, chasing down a combine to deliver a cell phone messages, bringing replacement parts to the field, hauling horse harness, saddles, grain bags, shavings (bedding), hay, a dead calf.... It was more practical than our pickup for all kinds of errands. I think this is the car that gave Subaru their reputation. I have my 2003 Forester which is a great wagon, but I lament the passing of such an affordable, practical, dependable and all around tough wagon that could do almost anything.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    May she RIP, a decade of loyal service!

    I wonder if a throw-back Loyale with just galvanized steel would sell well at a price to compete with the Aerio SX and Scion xB?

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    almost like a death in the family... How many miles/kilometers on the old beast?

    I'm sure the new Forester will handle the chores, as well if not better, than did the old Loyale. I can understand not wanting to dirty up a new car, however.

    Question: Did the old Loyale have a dual-range tranny? If so, that might(?) be missed, considering your Forester's future role. Then again, maybe not, as the Forester has a much more powerful engine than the Loyale. Older (much less powerful) Subies needed the dual-range tranny more so than the new (much more powerful) ones.

    Bob
  • joybelljoybell Member Posts: 275
    "I wonder if a throw-back Loyale with just galvanized steel would sell well at a price to compete with the Aerio SX and Scion xB?"....

    as long as it's made in Japan! I would have bought one for sure two years ago. It would be the ONLY made-in-Japan station wagon (other than the Forester), and there are people,like me, who only buy Japanese cars if they are made in Japan.

    No Bob, it didn't have a dual range tranny. It didn't even have 4WD! Sure, it waddled a bit in mud and I had to floor it at times until I got to firm ground but it never got stuck anywhere. The odometer reading was 143,102 kilometers.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    WRX wagon? Or do you consider that a hatch.

    What about the IS300 Sportcross. Pricey, though.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Not bad. Be curious to hear your comments on the Forester (vs. Loyale) after the first big snowfall. :)

    Speaking of snow, living in the great white north, did you use snow tires on the Loyale? If you put them on the new Subie, you need to do it on all 4 wheels.

    Bob
  • joybelljoybell Member Posts: 275
    I always put snow tires on all 4 wheels all year round. We just never know....if it's not snow it's mud. I never got the Loyale stuck in snow. The only time it ever happened to me was with my Chaser and it ended up on top of a snow drift with none of the tires getting any grip. I had to shovel the snow out from under it.

    WRX wagon is a hatchback. No, the Loyale was great for cargo capacity. The Forester falls a little short there (literally).
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
  • joybelljoybell Member Posts: 275
    Does anyone know where I can get an extension for the rear cargo mat that would give protection to the back of the rear seats when they are down? Any ideas? Also, a slip cover for the driver's seat made of a waterproof wipe-clean material. Husband jumped out of a muddy water line ditch (we are building another barn) to drive the Forester to a lumber yard in the middle of a rainstorm. He didn't use his truck because it was full of cement bags and in a shed to stay dry. Today we are going to a wedding. Double duty (and dirty) Forester!
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Off hand I don't know of a long bed mat. That doesn't mean they don't exist. One thought is to check out some Australian Subaru club or enthusiasts sites. The Aussies have long used Subies much in the same way you do. They may very well have such an item.

    You may want to start your search here:

    http://www.myperformancecar.com/

    Caution: One of these links (on this site's home page) keeps crashing my computer. The other one seems to work fine. I don't remember which is the offending link, however.

    Bob
  • jlemolejlemole Member Posts: 345
    I don't know if you have Advance Auto Parts in Canada, but they sell a "wetsuit" style throw-on seat cover, good for when your at the beach. I bet it would work for you. Any other large auto chain might have something similar. They might also sell it on their website. Next time I'm there (which is frequently), I'll get the name of the product for you.

    Jon
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    The ding king like all similar devices is vastly overated, when things seem too good to be true they usually are.

     Rebecca, my advice is to find a good dent removal outfit to remove the dents, I am all for DIY. repairs wherever possible but some things are better left to professionals and IMHO dents are one of them.

      Cheers Pat.
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    Subaru should adopt the use of wiper movements where they wipe inward to each other instead of the parallel left right wiping motion. The parallel wiping motion leaves the better top right area of the windshield unwiped and reduces visibility. The inward wiping motion will leave a smaller area unwiped at the top middle section so visibility isn't too impaired, since the rearview mirror is already there and in the way.

    -Dave
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I dunno if that would work, I think they tried that on some GM cars (Lumina?) The inward wiping would push water down the front windshield and then it would fly back up the window, also this would lead snow to gather below it?

    I personally like having the non-hiding wipers on my trooper, never have snow build up in that area. Also on the SVX there is a "winter" position for the wipers that leave them up on the window, so they don't compact the snow in there either.

    -mike
  • blaneblane Member Posts: 2,017
    Every U.S. automobile manufacturer used the old "clap-hands" (inward toward each other) wiper pattern until sometime in the late 1960's. It was necessary when cars had split windshields (two pieces of glass) that were around until the mid 1950's.

    Every study, at the time before the changeover, concluded that the parallel wiper stroke was more efficient and effective at clearing the glass than the clap-hands stroke. The clap-hands stroke left large blind spots in both upper corners of the windshield. That was especially a concern on the driver's side of the car.

    It would be a wrong step backward in time for Subaru, or any other manufacturer to consider such a poor design.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The problem with your logic, is that you are assuming that it's a clean arc, which with today's technology doesn't have to be true, the arc can change, so it might make sense, there were some GM cars that used this in the late 80s/early 90s, I believe the lumina and some oldsmobiles used it.

    -mike
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    I didn't pay attention to the minivan make I was following that had those inward wiping; my mind was on the windshield and wipers in motion as well as my driving :-)
    Anyway, I didn't see any blind spots on the left or right.

    -Dave
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    There's an opportunity for Subaru to make a cargo cover that extends when the seats fold down.

    I use a tarp, if I have one with me. Or old card board boxes.

    I rented a van that had wipers like that, the thing is one side has to wait for the other to get out of the way, so their speed is slower in a torrential down pour. I prefer conventional wipers, FWIW.

    -juice
  • gearhead4gearhead4 Member Posts: 122
    The newer Chrysler, Dodge (MY2001 and newer) all have this "inward sweeping" design. It seems to work pretty well on large windsheilds. It clears a larger percentage of the glass than any parallel design. The blades are quite long. I think the GM minivans use the same design.

    I think the Subaru's could benefit from the design, but first I would put windsheild heating elements on the lower priced Subaru models. I did not want to pay the difference between the Legacy L and Legacy GT models to get this option.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I took a survey...

    Mazda MPV
    Dodge/Chrysler Caravan

    Both with the inward sweeping wipers.

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Vans have huge windshields, Subies don't, really.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    the new ones will, like the B11s, my old SVX takes 22" and 20" wipers as it is and 18" in the rear!

    -mike
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    our '02 MPV has the wiper arms that fold inward. They seem to work fine in rain and snow so far. FWIW, I use Rain-X on the glass as well, but that's another topic...

    -Brian
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    What works even better and looks cool are those single-armed wipers that you see on the Benzes. The wipers follow some kind of track that allows it to pull in at the vertex so it doesn't leave the glass. But I'm sure something like that would increase material costs.

    Ken
  • jlemolejlemole Member Posts: 345
    You were asking about seat covers. Check out this site:

    http://www.seatshield.com/

    Jon
  • joybelljoybell Member Posts: 275
    Jlemole....thanks, I am going to get the "Allsport", and very inexpensive too. But one thing I am wondering....will it interfer with the deployment of the side air bags?
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Joybell, my guess is yes.

    Bob
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    joybell: You might also consider http://www.wetokole.com.

    Ed
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Ken- Ack! Those single-wiper Benzes look freakish to me.

    -Frank P.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    That's more cost and complexity than we need, really.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    got them from the XT/XT6. The problem is they leave bad un-cleared areas in the upper corners of the windshields.

    -mike
  • lakepoplakepop Member Posts: 221
    I've a 01 Forester L with A/T and have amassed about 50,000 miles including some pretty harsh WNY winter miles.

     The Forester has been seamless and has performed up to all my expectations. With that said....what I really would like to see improved:

            1. bigger gas tank or improved mileage

            2. more torque/power in the NA H4

            3. some kind of window visor/gutter arrangement to stop the water from dripping in the drivers side window .(I put on window visors)

            4. something to stop the rear window from accumulating soo much crud (ok...this one might not be possible) deflector is near useless.

            5. variable speed rear wiper that I can control as desired.

     OK....thats my story and I'm sticking to it. Now if Subaru could tweek these small issues.....they will have made some good progress.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Subaru should incorporate some sort of driver-controlled on/off switch, for those situations in which the Hill-Holder feature is not wanted. They have that on the H-6 VDC (to turn it off), why not the Hill-Holder too?

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Yeah on the bigger gas tank. Our Legacy holds just 1 gallon more and we notice it, and go an extra 25 miles per tankful.

    -juice
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Lakepop- May I make a few counterpoints?

    1. Re bigger gas tank/improved mileage- Hey, I've gone over 400 miles on a tank of gas and seldom fill-up before the 350-mile mark so I've no complaints there.

    2. Re more torque/power- I think Subaru did an excellent job of addressing that with the XT. Oh, you meant the H-4 ;-) Well 165 ponies from a 4-banger is already pretty good so I'm not sure there's much room for improvement.

    3. Re some kind of window visor/gutter arrangement- I'll grant you that water dripping in the window is kinda annoying but adding a gutter isn't easy to do with frameless windows (at least one that doesn't look dorky)

    4. Re something to stop the rear window from accumulating so much crud- Well the deflector was supposed to be the fix for that. If that doesn't do the job, there's not much hope since the real culprit is the vertical rear plane of the vehicle. Besides, that's why the Forester comes standard with a rear wiper :-)

    5. Re variable speed rear wiper- Couldn't agree more with you on this one and you'd think it'd be a low cost item. I guess there's just not much perceived demand.

    -Frank P.

    P.S. I've got you beat with 56k on my 01 Forester!
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    I found it to be VERY effective on my '01 Forester S. The spoiler doesn't seem to do any good, but I found the difference amazing when I had the deflector installed. There was very little accumulation even when driving on logging road at "significant" speed. Previously, I wouldn't be able to see out after the first kilometer or so.

    Ross
  • joybelljoybell Member Posts: 275
    does exist.....in Japan only. Check out the Subaru Japan website. Now why can't we have something so usefull offered here?
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