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Recommneded octane is 91 for the GT's.
FWIW, I had an aftermarket ASI roof installed on my F-XT. Pics here: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4286857491 Looks very professional and offers tilt (which the OEM moonroof in the Forester can't do). If you go to a reputable shop, it shouldn't be a worry at all.
-Brian
Nope
DaveM
All you guys that don't like leather, contact someone on this board that DOES like leather but doesn't want to have to pay for the limited edition to get it and swap seats.
Is that allowed?
- Very fast! Since I wasn't familiar with the car and didn't want to break the engine, I didn't push it too hard. But, my overall impression was that it's very fast! I'm guessing 0-60 in 6.5 to 6.7. Very quick off from a stop and nice acceleration on the highway. At one point, while entering the I90 East, I hit 80 and didn't even know it until I looked at the speedo. And, I didn't have the accelerator floored!
- Excellent handling! This car is VERY easy to drive. There are some cars that disappear when you drive them. I.e., the suspension is so well tuned good that you forget about the driving motions and the car becomes an extension of you. Your reactions become automatic. It's a very difficult feeling to explain.
BMWs and Mini Coopers are like that, but my Audi is not (it requires constant attention). I'm not sure yet, but I think the XT is like that.
Also, I took a tight cloverleaf exit at 40 MPH (the same speed as with my Audi) and the XT felt very stable. Except for a little more tire scrubbing than my Audi, it did very nicely. Since my Audi has Z-rated performance tires, and the XT has all weather tires and more than twice the ground clearance, that says a lot for the XT.
And high speed stability is excellent! It is VERY stable at speed. If anything, it might be too stable! You could be going faster than you think and attract "unwanted" attention from certain people that take a dim view of that sort of thing.
- Very good ride. The ride is a bit stiffer than the base OB, but it's comfortable and better than my Audi. At one point in my test drive, I hit some wavy bumps on I90. When I hit these bumps with my Audi, I get a constant SLAP-SLAP-SLAP sound and feeling in the car. With the XT, it was more like a muted thump. Thumbs up on the ride.
- I LIKE the 5EAT! I expected the 5EAT to shift nicely and it did that fine. And I expected the Sport mode to be similar to the 4EAT. And it did that too. What I didn't expect is how much I liked the thumb shifters on the steering wheel. The thumb shifters on the right side of the wheel are right under my right thumb. After about two minutes in the car, I almost ALWAYS shifting manually with my right thumb. It was VERY sweet! I LOVE that tranny!
And now some issues:
- Seat problem still exists. I still had a problem with back cushion being uncomfortable. :-( But, I think it's fixable at a local upholstery shop. We'll see.
- Funny pressure wave. There was a funny booming pressure wave in the car while I drove it. It was a very low frequency "thumping" in my ears. Very strange. This XT hadn't been completely prepped and the piece that fills the space between the luggage area cover and the rear hatch wasn't installed. I think that might caused the problem. I didn't encounter this in the other two OBs that I drove. I'll try the car again when it's fully prepped and see if it repeats.
- Black interior! I'm still not sure about a black interior. It's growing on me, but I'm also looking at the Gold exterior with the taupe interior. Again, we'll see.
Well that's it. Overall, I was very impressed. It's a good sign when your appreciation and liking of a car increases the more you drive it. (Not something that happened with my Audi.) I LIKE this car.
Regards,
Dan.
I'm persuaded Subaru offers some of the very best values for those seeking light weight, agile, and safe vehicles with performance and reliability. A small amount of custom seat work or giving up the moonroof seems, to me, a price worth paying if the everything else is good to go.
It's may be useful to note that IIHS/NHSTA crash test dummies are within average male height ranges (exception is shorter dummy used by IIHS for their "T-boned by an SUV" test). I suspect Subaru, like most other automakers, optimizes crash protection with these heights mind. What that means is the more we deviate from this norm, the more crash protection degrades. Corollary is: a safe dummy is a comfortable dummy (if he's driving a Subaru).
The Headroom Vigilante,
Jake
One recommendation I'd make is to get the windows tinted with True Grey tint. I am loving the tint on my car....one day I'll have to wash the car and take some pics! If you have a local tint dealer ask about True Grey. It's worth every penny (I paid $210)
oh, it would entail swapping door panels too, if "leather" trimmed.
-Dave
-Brian
Thing is, on paper, the Subie doesn't seem any worse than the competition in the headroom area: 38.7 inches with the sunroof, the same as the Mazda 6 and Saab wagons, more than the Passat's 37.8 inches, and only slightly less than the Volvo V70's 39.3.
So does anyone know how they take that measurement and if there's any wrinkle that renders the results not directly comparable? The practical feedback here certainly seems to indicate the Outback at least feels tighter somehow. The crown of my chrome dome thanks you.
Thanks for your continued reporting!
That wouldn't have been an Atlantic Blue/Granite Grey OBXT from Chaplin's in Bellevue would it?
If so, I was out on some errands yesterday afternoon did a drive through of Chaplin's to see if they'd received any turbo models yet. Didn't see anything so continued on my way home and spotted said vehicle parked on the shoulder of a local street, hazards flashing and no one in it or near it. Since it was the first turbo I've seen I stopped for a closer look. I sure hope it was the car you drove as that would mean it's OK and not broken down as I had feared. Unless of course you drove it before 4 pm or so. ;-)
-Ian
A market that will help Subaru surpass their North America sales goals.
However I note that subaru offers such items. Is anyone able to give an idea of pricing for the warranty extension, eg to 4yrs/50, or 5/50 or 5/60
, and the service plans. Are the service plans good value compared to pay as you go?
A warranty backed by the manufactuer is the only one Id consider, I was quite surprised by the mazda warranty - only $700 for 7/75 on a mazda6 - hopefully subaru has something similar.
OB XT automatic = $29,770
Honda Pilot EX automatic = $29,960
About same level of equipment between the two, but Pilot is much bigger and has more seating. OB will have better performance. All in all, I feel the Pilot is a much better value.
I think I'd bite if the sticker on the OB XT was a couple grand less than the Pilot.
For the 250hp and 250ft/lbs torque you can't match it with the other performance buiders. Not to mention reliability.
If a 7 seater is what you are looking for, Pilot all the way. If you want a 5 seater that is fast and handles well with off-road capabilit Outback XT it is. BMW, Saab, Audi can't beet that price...
Agreed. Though I'm not seriously considering a new Legacy GT or OB XT, I am considering a non-PP Forester XT with cloth seats, followed by a trip to a good upholsterer to replace that cloth with alcantara, at least on the seating surfaces if not on the entire seats and door panels.
Ed
Ken
I found one at a dealer about 70 miles away and they sell more VWs then they do Subarus, but they had a GT Limited and our major Subaru only dealer hasn't gotten their invoice on one yet let alone seen one.
What's up with this crazy distribution of the 2005 GT Limiteds???????????????????
If you feel the Pilot is a better value because it can fit more people that's fine. I don't haul many people so I value the performance of the Outback XT over the room of the Pilot.
This is what makes America great...choices. You can choose seating for 5 and 2 kids while I can have seating for 5 (yes, it'll be tight) AND the quickest crossover on the market (OK, one of the quickest).
Cheers!
-Ian
Yes there is no such thing as a perfect car, but Subie has alot to offer.
C'mon Subaru, give us the base Outback XT @ cnd$1.5K over the GT. Is this payback time for the US Forester XT nonsense (no moonroof in MT)??
JP
Actually, it was still going through the prep cycle. The one that I drove had the "Check Engine" light blinking and the heater and radio didn't work. That bothered me a bit, but it didn't take away from the driving experience!
Regards,
Dan.
My wife likes the interior in both cars, but she likes the Subie version better.
Also, I bet the Subie comes out on top with the crash test results.
But I'm still doing my value analysis.
Years ago I wanted a Subaru in the worst way, to replace an Accord, and the OB was my first choice. But I was very disappointed by the tight fit: head scraping the ceiling, a mirror blocking my central visual field. Then I tested the tall guy's Subaru, the Forester. Though the OB headroom specification is very close to Forester's, the big difference in driver fit is the angle of the roof: sharper in OB (vs Forester), as it slopes downward to the doors. I had OK headroom for the top of my head in the OB but the left side of the head overrode the OB door frame, and almosted kissed the side wall above it. Not comfortable, or the place I want to be case of side impact. The Forester provides much more space between occupants, B-pillars, and doorframes, than does an OB. Think comfort, and safety.
Side curtains for 2005 OBs may not offer tall guys much help if they deploy from doorframes, rather than from the side wall/ceiling. Better designed curtains deploy from the walls/ceilings, and are thereby able protect the heads of taller occupants during rollovers/side impacts. From looking at OB Owner's Manual, it appears the curtains cover only windows, not the door frames and walls. I hope to see photos of the curtains deployed, soon.
So what to do if you're too tall for an OB? Test out a Forester. Though a second-class citizen to executives who run Subaru (ie you arn't offered a VTD so no VDC either, or even an H6 engine, and no side curtains...), what the Forester does offer is well designed and executed, such as the XT version with a nice AT and identical brakes as the 2005 OB but on a lighter vehicle so you have more stopping power for that turbo engine. And don't forget the proven crash test results, best in it's class (OB owners must wait to see what 2005s do if and when the IIHS, NHSTA review them). If the OB fits I'd buy it. If it don't, check out Forester before you give up on Subaru.
Hope some of this is helps,
Jake
The only car I've ever felt lacking for headroom for me was a Lotus Europa.
I currently own a 2000 Forester S and am planning on trading it for a 2005 or '06 Forester XT.
Ed
Looked for the seat problem mentioned by Dan in earlier posts, but could not find it. But when I had the lumbar support fully engaged (the handle to the right of the driver's seat), I could feel something sticking to the middle of my back. Perhaps this is too simple a solution?! Otherwise, the ride was very good. Left with the overall impression that this is a very solidly built car. But rain gutters, if truly a problem, could be quite annoying. So more input please.
The Legacy/OB dont really have door/window frames. Where else can Side Curtains deploy from other than the roof/A-B-C pillars?
~alpha
5% over invoice sounds like a great deal to me. What's wrong with the dealer making some money? It is, after all, how they make a living.
I think the only way you're going to do better is to a) have a relative with a dealership or b) to join one of the organizations that offer VIP Partner programs with Subaru.
Cheers!
-Ian
But, based on my extended drive in the 2.5i, I'm not sure about the driver's seat for long-term comfort. I'm above average size (6' and 200 lbs...maybe a little wider than most, but not excessively/embarassingly so) and was quite uncomfortable in the cloth seat of the 2.5i. The side cushions on the seat base dug into my legs, making it almost impossible to find a comfortable position. I'm in a '99 Volvo XC now, with great seats. When I drove the LL Bean (first), I was aware of the seat sides but not too uncomfortable. I drove the XT Ltd after the Bean and 2.5i and thought the seat bottom was much better.
Does anyone know if the seat bottoms are different sizes? I'm leaning strong toward the XT Ltd. with manual, anyway, and have generaly found leather to be more comfortable than cloth (2.5i), but can't find any info. on seat size to confirm that the difference is real and not imagined.
Experiences...information? Thanks. Peace.
-Ian
Keep up the good posts.
dbdy
Don't worry my friend, I've driven the 2.5i and it rocked. I can't imagine the GT. The reviews are trickling in and all are good .. check this out ...
http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=7169
Congrats! It's a great car. I'm looking at the Outback XT myself.
One issue to be aware of is that the subwoofer/amp goes under the driver's seat. This means that the rear footroom behind the driver is limited.
Regards,
Dan.
Craig