Subaru Crew: Suggestions for Subaru

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Comments

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Can you guess what car got all this standard?

    * dual stage front air bags
    * front and rear side impact air bags
    * side curtain air bags
    * ESP
    * electroluminescent gauges
    * all windows are express up and down
    * sunroof is one touch open and close
    * dual memory power driver seat
    * High intensity discharge headlamps
    * reverse dipping rearview mirrors
    * full size spare
    * 5 speed auto w/Sport shift

    Take a guess? Lexus? Nope. Kia Amanti.

    Point is, Kia used to be a punch line, now even the least regarded make it pushing technology hard. At a $25k price tag, too.

    So the bar is raised; these features are no longer luxury-exclusive. This is mainstream stuff now.

    -juice
  • merrycynicmerrycynic Member Posts: 340
    How about a tilt instrument pod ala Porche 928/original Ford Probe. This would prevent the steering wheel from blocking the gauges. Personally I don't have a problem with the WRX as I use it, but, I could imagine someone else having a problem with it.
  • bigelmbigelm Member Posts: 995
    Are you talking about the G35 instrument pod?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Same thing, I think.

    -juice
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    That's old school Subaru!! I think the SVX has that. Maybe the XT?? Where's paisan? :-)

    -Dennis
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    oh man I can't stand tilt instrument pods. I haven't seen a modern one but the 1990-96 Nissan 300ZX was awful. and I do believe the XT had one, but not sure about the SVX.

    -c
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    a telescopic steering column and adjustable pedals.

    My daughter is short at 5'2" and I worry when she drives her '92 Prelude because she's so close to the steering wheel. I think's she's too close to the steering wheel if she were in an accident and the airbag were to go off. She says she has to be that close to reach the pedals.

    I really think it's a safety issue that should be addressed. There's a lot of 5'2" or shorter drivers out there.

    Bob
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    disable the airbag; simple enough. I know we've covered it before but the seatbelt provides an overwhelming portion of the safety protection in the vehicle, which structure being next and airbags being at the very bottom of the list. and since it's only one, and she's too close... disable it.
  • subarusaleshousubarusaleshou Member Posts: 161
    The distance to the wheel should be 10" however I suspect a very large number of drivers are closer than that. In my college days I'd have been plenty far enough away. Now in my middle years I'm probably an inch or two too close. I'm sure it has nothing to do with eating/exercise habits. Nah, couldn't be.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I'm lucky I guess, my wife is fairly tall and we don't have that problem. I can actually sit in her seat and drive without even adjusting it. I'm about 3" taller, but my inseam is only an inch longer.

    Guess I never "got it", why cars need that.

    -juice
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Really Juice? I thought a telescoping steering wheel was a no-brainer on any wish list. It's not like everyone's arms are the exact same length. And even if they were, some would prefer more bend at the elbow than others. And what about the 6-footer whose inseam is 3" longer than yours but whose arms are the same length?

    -Frank P.

    P.S. Just make sure they include stereo controls on that telescoping steering wheel :-)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Not in my household. ;-)

    Guess I've never had the need for it. I haven't ever used valet parking with my Subie, either.

    The 2005 Legacy gets the same steering wheel from the STi. So does the Saab 9-2x.

    -juice
  • subarusaleshousubarusaleshou Member Posts: 161
    On the Impreza line the sun shade that folds down above the rear view mirror needs to be enlarged enough to cover the gap between the sun visors. As it is there is about a one inch gap on either side. The gap should be between 1/8 to 1/4 inch max because as is there can be significant sun problems.

    It seems worse to have something that doesn't do what it is supposed to do than to not have it at all. It's kind of a "here's an idea, let's do it" without the thought or follow up to make sure it is done correctly and works properly.
  • merrycynicmerrycynic Member Posts: 340
    I agree. As I've said before, it think it would be cool if they could have the visor pivot with a mirror on one side to keep an eye on the little ones in the back.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    The Baja needs a locking tailgate, like that found on the Ford F-150 and others, to help protect the optional bed extender from theft.

    Bob
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    My '88, '91, and '92 XT6s and SVX all have(had) telescopic wheels and MEMORY tilting. To which NO subaru has offered since. What's up with that?

    -mike
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Speaknig of the Baja, the dealer where I bought my XT had a very nice looking Baja on the showroom floor. It was black with tinted windows and leather and had a sharp looking matching black tonneau cover. The cover was lockable and had hydraulic hinges etc but I still got a serious case of sticker shock. They were asking $1,200 for a piece of plastic!

    -Frank P.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Caps are expensive, my buddy is spending $900 for a pretty plain one for his Tacoma.

    $1200 is a bit much for a tonneau cover, though.

    -juice
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    And don't for get the Baja's bed is only what, 4 ft long?

    -Frank P.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Part of the problem with the Baja, as far as a hard over is concerned, are the goofy sport bars which complicate the production of the hard cover, hence the higher cost.

    I believe the Baja's hard cover is a 2-piece unit, whereas others have a 1-piece unit. Not only does it cost more to produce, but there's probably more labor time to install.

    Bob
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Bob- The one I saw was a one-piece unit that was painted to match. When I scoffed at the price, the salesman tried to justify it was due to a relatively low production run. Seems like a self-fulfilling prophecy to me. Price it that high and of course you're not going to sell many! If they'd priced it at say $600, they would probably sell twice as many and the bigger run would mean a lower per-unit cost.

    -Frank P.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I went to the DC car show yesterday. Here are a couple of thoughts/suggestions as I was checking out Subies:

    Problem:
    After sitting in several Subies, I then went to sit in a WRX wagon and noticed that the driver's seat wasn't as comfortable as I once thought. The deep side (thigh) bolster on the seat base was not positioned as I would have liked.
    Solution:
    Why not have adjustable side bolsters for both the seat base and the seat back, so that they can be adjusted to a wide range of body types?

    Problem:
    I was watching a couple of small kids (3 - 5 years old) playing around the Baja's bed. They were climbing in and out of the bed, with the bigger kid opening and closing the tailgate several times. The Baja has a very heavy tailgate for such a small car, and can be very dangerous for small kids. One time this bigger boy was trying to lower the tailgate, and he wasn't strong enough to lower it safely, and let it drop. If the smaller kid had been under the tailgate, I shudder to think what might have happened...
    Solution:
    (1) Put a lock on the tailgate so that kids will be less likely to play with it, and (2) lighten the tailgate, or figure out some way so that the weight can be transferred so that the task of lowering/raising it is much easier. Ford has done that with their new F-150 with a torsion bar system; Subaru should do the same.

    Bob
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    Inflatable/Deflatable bolsters?

    ... like the Nike Pumps :D

    -Dave
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Bob- Weren't the WRX seats redesigned this year to allow for the "growing" driver demographic?

    -Frank P.
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    I can’t believe that I’m bringing this subject back up! – On the previous Forester model, the button lit up when the cruise control was turned on (but no instrument cluster indicator light). Well on the 04s it says “CRUISE” on the dashboard when turned on but still no indicator showing whether it’s engaged and naturally the button doesn’t light up anymore.

    Now if you’ll recall, I never saw much need for the dashboard indicator but… it would seem to me that if they’d kept the original lit button indicator showing that cruise control was turned on and used the dashboard light to indicate that the system was engaged it would have made everyone happy.

    -Frank P.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    On all other '04 Subies, a word "set" (in addition to the word "cruise") goes on when the CC is engaged, that it says "cruise set." You're saying that doesn't happen on the Forester?

    Bob
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Bob- Unless I'm going blind, it only says "cruise". However, I'll check again on the drive in to work in the AM (not that'd you'd know anything about that :-)

    -Frank P.
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    I'm still happy with no enabled or set light. ;)

    hehe

    -Colin
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The Baja's tail gate is incredibly heavy, and I can't explain why. It's so small!

    -juice
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
  • subarusaleshousubarusaleshou Member Posts: 161
    would be nice. On the 6CD Impreza unit there is only scan. Picky little thing but you have to reach over and press it again to stay on station. It would be nice to have both seek and scan like most units offer.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I bet you will see it on '05 models. The Forester is apparently the only '04 Subie without the CC "set" indicator.

    Bob
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    I bet you will see it on '05 models

    That and a MT PP option.

    -Frank P.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    let's hope so! :)

    Bob
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Of course if they do I'll be mad! I'm getting aftermarket leather but there's nothing out there that comes close to being a suitable substitute for the factory moonroof.

    -Frank P.
  • ken_from_njken_from_nj Member Posts: 105
    on the 03 forester - it only says 'cruise' in the instrument cluster. no button light. it says "cruise" as soon as the button is engaged whether the CC is on or not. it only removes the word "cruise" once the button is disengaged. sorta bad engineering i agree.
  • bigelmbigelm Member Posts: 995
    It's not like you can't see the button illuminated when you press the CC :rolleyes:

    That was an imbesil (sp?) move!
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    NJ Ken- Yeah why'd they bother? I would have preferred it if they'd just stuck with the lit button.

    -Frank P.
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Did they forget to add cruise "set" on on the instrument panel? :-)

    I was puzzled about this as well. I didn't have any issues with the old cc after using it for the past six years.

    -Dennis
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Only reason this is important is that without cruise you guys are going to pile up speeding tix! Easy out there! ;-)

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    up in the instrument cluster. Virtually every other automaker that has some sort of CC light ("on/off" and/or " cruise set") has the indicator up in the instrument cluster. It's more "ergonomically correct" that way.

    Bob
  • dcm61dcm61 Member Posts: 1,567
    My '89 GL-10 4WD Turbo Touring wagon (yeah, that was the official name) had a cruise light in the dash. It lit when you turned on the master cruise button. I don't think there was a "set" light though. It was kinda silly to have the light in the dash since the cruise button was high up on the right side of the instrument panel and it also lit up and was more in your direct line of sight. However, I agree that the "modern" Subarus would benefit from the in dash cruise light since the cruise button is kinda hidden to the left of the steering wheel.

    DaveM
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Subarus would benefit from the in dash cruise light since the cruise button is kinda hidden to the left of the steering wheel.

    I think that's in the process of changing. Both the STi and all-new Legacy/Outback now have the CC master switch incorporated at the end of the CC stalk, like Toyota and a few others. That's my preferred solution. I would assume other Subies will also get this CC set up at some point.

    Bob
  • dcm61dcm61 Member Posts: 1,567
    about the cruise buttons migrating to the stalk. Having a "senior" moment and I'm not even close to being a senior (another 20 years to go per SSA).

    DaveM
  • ken_from_njken_from_nj Member Posts: 105
    the problem is not the light in the instrument cluster going on when you engage the button/system into the 'on' mode - it is when you actually ENGAGE the CC - the light doesn't change in any significant way, doesn't show 'set' or doesn't change color or anything. granted - when i'm driving i know if i'm in cc or not so no real bid deal but there is a difference between having the system 'on' and ready to use vs. being 'on' and actually engaged.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    when you activate the CC master switch on the '04 Imprezas, a green "cruise" lites up on the dash, like your Forester. Unlike your Forester, when you engage the CC, an additional "set" appears, so that it reads "cruise set.".

    On the '04 Baja (and I would assume Outback and Legacy too), when you turn on the CC master switch, that switch lights up orange, as in the past. When you engage the CC, a green "cruise set" lites up on the instrument cluster.

    I've driven the '04 WRX and '04 turbo Baja, so I know for a fact that's how they work. I'm surprised the '04 Forester missed out on that upgrade.

    Bob
  • steine13steine13 Member Posts: 2,825
    ... it is always fun to see what all the complaining is about.
    At least nobody's saying their engines/transmissions/AC compressors need replacing... back to our regularly scheduled program.

    And right on, juice! I use cc in town to avoid speeding. My right foot is trying to get me into trouble!

    Peace.
    -Mathias
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Wonder what CC system the Saabaru will get. It's an Impreza with a Forester interior.

    Hurry up with that 7 seater, please!

    -juice
  • goneskiiangoneskiian Member Posts: 381
    Bob and Juice,
    I know it's probably been mentioned before but I just want to make sure it gets added to your list.

    An accessory plug in the stereo (both standard and high end Macintosh) for an mp3 or other type digital audio player. With manufacturer's leaving out cassette tape decks that leaves us only the FM adapters to listen to anything but the included radio or CD player.

    Thanks,
    -Ian

    p.s. Have a great time in Detroit next week!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    We will!

    Do you think MP3 popularity will drop now that song sharing is mush less common? The RIAA has scared file sharers into submission.

    -juice
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