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.
Comments
LD- I'm curious as to the basis for your statement since I've yet to see an impartial study that substantiates that claim (but plenty from the oil/oil change industry).
-Frank P.
It's easy enough to get your hot tub water analyzed in a minute or two (for free); it's time to put Jiffy Lube in the testing business instead of dumping all that oil out.
Engine Oil - A slippery subject Part 2 and Synthetic motor oil are fun places.
Steve, Host
John
Anyone have the oil pump flow rate & the OEM filter specs to review (mfgr., filter media, by-pass pressure, flow rate, burst pressure, avg. / absolute micron rating, etc.)?
'04 XT AT
'00 Troop
Oil Filter Brands and Types
Steve, Host
I wouldn't want one anyway. Hideous cladding, almost as bad as an Avalanche.
I agree with ballistic that I still prefer XT over Baja, not just for appearance's sake but in terms of overall utility.
Ed
I will reserve judgement on appearance until I actually see one. I dislike the '03 Bajas, but the '04 is a new critter with new color combos and a higher clearance than the Forester. I am TRYING to like it though, as I think it will be more utilitarian for me than the Forester. There are just some things (eg chemicals and gasoline) that are definitely better outside the cab.
I am thinking too that the BT will be a better car for towing, since it is a heavier, more massive vehicle than the XT.
John
In my view, they made 2 critical changes to the production Baja from the concept vehicle:
1) reduced engine power - now fixed
2) pass through instead of Switchback.
The latter is hard to fix, of course, but it just killed the concept. Afterall, you have more space inside a Legacy behind the rear seats than you do in the Baja's bed. The original Switchback addressed this very elegantly.
It's too bad they couldn't find a way to make the concept work in production.
-brianV
There are just some things (eg chemicals and gasoline) that are definitely better outside the cab.
I absolutely agree with that, but unless I needed to carry large quantities, I'd consider a Forester with a hitch plus one of those exterior hitch-mount cargo carriers. I'd think that would would let you occasionally carry at least two or three 5-gal containers, safely outside. And the rest of the time, look how much nicer (and nicer looking!) your car would be for most other purposes - not to mention less expensive. Just a thought.
-Frank P.
For instance, a gasket will leak, or an oil pump will fail, and the engine will blow.
Has anyone had engine oil cause a failure in less than a 4,000 mile interval? I doubt you'll find any even if you stretch it to 10,000.
Basically I don't think the warranty carries any weight.
-juice
John
That's obviously a consideration, but isn't the Forester rated to carry upwards of 150 pounds of trailer tongue weight? What I'm suggesting doesn't exceed, let alone approach, that. It's also in the same ballpark as the weight of 3 or 4 mountain bikes on a hitchmount rack. People do that all the time.
-juice
Same here! Indeed, that's what led me to a Forester in the first place. Unless you buy a canopy or bed cover for a BT (which I assume you'd do), then anything carried back there is exposed to the elements and vulnerable to theft.
I decided to keep our roomy hitch-equipped '91 Grand Caravan for the major cargo-lugging or trailer-towing tasks (it had hardly any trade-in value anyway). This was made much more appealing by a deal I worked out with State Farm; I only need to pay $70/year comprehensive while it sits in the driveway, and then I call or e-mail to temporarily activate the suspended full coverage whenever I need to use it. Perfect solution (for me).
If I ever get rid of the van, I'll put a hitch on the Forester and carry anything that won't go inside in a small, light trailer.
Anyone find any tech specs of the BT yet to compare it to the XT? Guess we'll have to wait until a auto-rag tests one. Don't count on me posting the results this time though :P
-Brian
Anxiously awaiting some specs on BT performance, but in no way could the BT at 400 pounds heavier and with 1 inch more ground clearance run circles around the XT. Turning radius is about 4 feet more too. My hope is that the final drive ends up being like the original Baja (a relaxed 2500 rpm at 65 mph..) but I bet it is the same drivetrain as the XT. However, with the extra clearance in the wheel wells, it might take a 17" tire and that could change it all.
John
Or maybe a taller 70-profile tire on the 16" wheel instead of 60, which is definitely what I'll put on my XT when the Geolanders wear out in four or five years. I don't need any greater tire width, but I'm going to put the tallest tires on this thing that will clear the fenderliners. It's only a partial solution, but this car will be much improved with fewer revs per mile.
I tried to register my car at MySubaru.com and it said the VIN could not be accepted at this time...Anyone else get that?
What exactly do I get out of that site and is it worth the time?
I saw a great "logbook" idea for new home owners. This book was set up to log all the products and furnishing you'd buy for your home...down to the brand of carpet in each room and warranty info. I've been looking for a similar book for cars. I'm hoping mysubaru.com has some of this functionality, but I'd still like a log book for receipts and things that I'd keep for the car but no necesarily enter into my computer. Any suggestions?
Also, my moonroof still rattles...my dealer said they were going to send it to a sunroof "specialist". I think the dealer is a bunch of idiots. Thoughts on if I should go with their suggestion or pitch a fit?
TIA,
Stuart
I try to keep it simple as far as warranty / maintenace. I use a file folder & if necessary, I would use a database or spreadsheet for data / sort / calc / filter / find routines. I expect / hope that it will be a very thin file...I hate duplicating effort if it's not necessary.
On your moonroof rattle. If the dealer doesn't want to inspect or adjust it, don't force the issue - let an experienced shop handle it. Otherwise, damage may result. I've had to pull the roof & make repairs on my Gen II SHO moonroof & while not necessarily difficult (a hassle, yes), you don't want just anyone learning at your expense - go with their suggestion to farm the repair out under warranty. It's not uncommon to send moonroof work out.
Bob drove one and liked it, but it doesn't impress you like the lighter XT does. One nice thing is that it gets Sportshift.
-juice
Ken
Oh, the many AWD systems Subaru markets. They should make VTD the one and only.
-juice
Bob
DaveM
Ken
Got that? ;-)
-juice
with about 350 mi. on the Subie, After 1326 miles to Canada, all went well-NO rattles etc. and got about 24.8 mpg , tho last 250 miles was at 40-45
MPH in single lane heavy snow.Overall, was very pleased with the performance. In good weather I ran about 68 mph at 2750 rpm.
Later, Deadeye
A 5-speed would have been turning closer to 3,000.
-Dave
The all-member link threw me off. And I don't think that's really happening.
4 days of boarding in a row has wiped me out, lol.
Steve, Host
-Frank P.
P.S. The Porsche Cayenne is faster (5.0 0-60 as tested by C&D) but then it costs almost $100k (4 x times more than the XT)
I have always felt that Car and Driver's acceleration times represent the absolutely best time that a car driven by a professional driver is capable of. Another factor may be the fact that the car you drove was brand new. When I first picked up my XT I was mildly disappointed with the performance. It didn't have the punch I expected. I remember posting a comment on this forum stating I didn't think it was a 6 second 0-60 car, more like low 7's I said. (That was before the C&D road test). I now believe that my car was initially filled with low octane gasoline and had been driven 50 miles in heavy traffic from another dealer rarely exceeding 45 MPH. The first time I filled up with 93 octane I noticed a dramatic improvement. After accumulating several hundred miles I believed the 5.3 C&D time. I have owned many high performance cars including a Firebird 400, an 85 Corvette, an Eagle Talon Tsi, and a BMW 320i that I installed a Calloway turbo kit in. I can honestly say that the XT is the quickest accelerating automobile I have ever owned by a wide margin. I think it would give my BMW R75/6 motorcycle a close run through the quarter mile. The XT is the sleeper of the century.