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
The brakes on my GT feel very solid and progressive. I forget which review, but it was mentioned that the brakes on the GT were very fade resistant.
Ken
Craig
Definitely expect the Turanzas to handle worse than the RE-92. Part of the reason they are so smooth and quiet is the softer sidewall, so turn-in will not be as crisp. That's my only concern, but I may go with the Turanzas yet.
Craig
Craig
Also, are the audio speakers for the VDC and non-VDC models a particular brand or are they simply generic paper cone speakers, albeit better in the VDC? On the subject of audio, what is the wattage output of the head unit in the 3.0R and 3.0R VDC models?
Thanks.
it didn't sound to me like it had an amplifier and deck power is largely irrelevant... regardless of how they rate it, the real output will be small. you can't fit much of an amplifier inside an indash receiver.
my suggestion: by aftermarket components if you're serious about sound. I always do.
~Colin
You can always replace the stock speakers with something better, but the factory radio will likely have a harder time driving aftermarket speakers. The result is that the radio runs out of oomph. I upgraded the speakers in my WRX with some nice aftermarket ones. They sounded better, but I had to turn the volume up farther to get the same noise levels I had before. And unfortunately, the WRX headunit (and the one in the 05 Legacy/Outback too) has a built in loudness function which reduces bass at higher volume levels to minimize distortion.
On my 05 Outback, I start to loose bass past a volume setting of 17 or so. So if I had to go to higher settings to drive aftermarket speakers, the sound would get really flat.
So my recommendation: if you want to add aftermarket speakers, plan on adding a LOC and an amp in order to drive them properly. And adjust the gain on the LOC so that the stereo never has to go past about 17 or so!
Craig
Craig: Volume at 17!? Hope that's not a sustained setting!
Ken
det
tom
Something to do with the feedback loop at part throttle versus open loop at WOT? Reflash from Subaru in the future? Cat in the uppipe issues? Turbine stalls at lower RPM/high load? Weird electronic throttle issues? Bueller?
-B
Craig: Volume at 17!? Hope that's not a sustained setting!
What?!? Actually not on all CDs, but I have a few that seem to have a low "gain" and I need to pump the volume up. When I use the RF-mod with my iPod, I have to push 17-18. But most of the time I am down around 10-12.
Additional soundproofing in the old Bean/VDC is an understatment! They had kludged on pieces of dynamat and sound blankets all over the car, which I noticed right away comparing my 02 Bean to my 00 standard OB. There was even a gray pad on the firewall in the engine bay.
I think all the 05 models have the same basic "integrated" soundproofing, which is better than my 02 Bean. As I have taken different parts of the 05 interior apart for stereo upgrades, it is clear that Subaru was serious about reducing NVH in the 05 models. Even crawling around under the car you notice different noise reduction devices. Most interesting to me -- when you open the driver's door, look in the gap between the front fender and the frame -- there's a big chunk of foam wedged in there.
When I pulled a door panel, I noticed numerous insulating pads on the inside of the interior panel, and several pieces of dynamat on the inside of the door sheetmetal. Instead of using one big sheet of dynamat, they use smaller strategically placed pieces. Kind of neat.
Craig
It's also due to the ECU trying to interpret what one is doing when they stomp the gas.
Ken
Yes, I've noticed that older CDs tend to be encoded at lower gains. I hate it when jumping from disc to disc and having the volume spike cause mild cardiac arrest. I've found that even the auto-normalize feature on iTunes isn't enough to even things out. I'm also too lazy to go back and MP3Gain all my recordings.
When cruising at the highway around 70-80mph, I find that 8-10 on a CD is fine. If I'm really into a song pissed about something I might go to 12.
With my Belkin transmitter, I average around 10-12. Unfortunately, above 12 I do notice quite a bit of white noise. Finding that right balance of not clipping the signal but minimizing noise is tricky.
Is the sound at 17 when playing your FM modulator relatively clean?
I've been hoping for more progress on a direct line-in hack, but it appears we're at a standstill for now.
Ken
Does the whole Outback line have the same level of soundproofing or is the VDC enhanced above the others?
I now have 30,000 miles on the LS-V's and they look like they will last 60,000 (7/32 of tread left). Wet grip is undiminished with age so far, just like Bridgestone's literature says. Very impressive tires; they totally transformed the Accord!
I've been away from the forum since I bought my Outback XT Ltd and enjoying the ride very much. I have 3000 miles on it. One thing I'm having a hard time with are the rear seat belts. I have two (backless) child booster seats in the back and it's VERY hard to get the seat belts clicked in while the child is in the seat. The female connectors are so short and close to the seat bottom that I have to twist my hand and really work at pushing the belt connector in. I think I saw another similar message but it this common? Do you find that the seat connectors do not extend enough out of the seat bottoms?
Thanks,
Avi
TKS, John
I'm having leg/foot room issues as well. The tunnel under the dash is too wide..etc...
I try not to think about it when I drive. If I think about it, I imagine it's worse than it is!
We need a qualified EE to make any more progress on the direct line-in mod. I still have the connectors and parts spec'd out. For now, I am happy enough with the FM mod that the direct line-in is not a huge priority.
Craig
I also have my own space issue--the fact that the Outback and Imprezza apparently have almost the identical amount of cargo space with the allowance for the sunroof on the Outback. Even without the sunroof, the difference is marginal. It appears that, with seats back, there is more luggage space in the Outback, but this size difference vanishes when cargo numbers (seats down) are calculated.
Since, unlike the Forester, the shapes of the Outback and Imprezza are pretty similar, can it be that there is no cargo space advantage to what I'd assumed was a larger vehicle?
Now it just pop open but not notice enough to tell from a distance wether it's open or not.
thanks in advance
Craig
The spoiler is pretty heavy, it's noticeable how much lighter my trunk is now.
I think I've lost 0.03% of my rearward weight bias now! ;-)
Much happier without the spoiler!
tom
Although there's a big jump in volume when I go from radio to CD. It's just not a great stereo. I'll be happy when some more options become available (maybe they'll offer more with next years model.)
tom
Craig
-juice
It's waaay cheaper than having the dealer do 'their' treatment and works fine.
-Brian
You paid for treating the seats, not cleaning them!!
If I were you, I'd go and get my $159 worth and have them get the stains outs.
It sounds like you have modified the stereo on your OB. I will be replacing my 01 OB with a new one in the near future. I have a set of component speakers I never got around to installing in my old car. I want to put them in the new one if I can add an amplifier without too much trouble. Have you added an amp and if so, where did you mount it? How about the sub-woofer. Did you add the under seat one from Subaru?
Thanks, Bob
No amp for me, but I did add the Subaru sub. It's decent -- fills out the stock system, but not a real boomer.
The room under the front seats is really limited. An amp would have to be thin to fit under there. Otherwise you're looking at someplace in the cargo area, which may not be ideal.
Craig
http://www.stinkyteapot.com/images/car_reflect.jpg
http://www.stinkyteapot.com/images/car_reflect2.jpg
http://www.stinkyteapot.com/images/car_reflect3.jpg
http://www.stinkyteapot.com/images/car_thumb.jpg
Meguiar’s #7 Show Car Glaze followed by California Gold Natural Formula Pure Carnauba Wax. Plan on keeping the car clean until the "newness" wears off, so just as close to pure polish and wax as possible. Might try some of the protective stuff once I start getting lazy...years from now.
Neat after all these years here talking about Soobies, I actually now have a new one in the driveway...
Oh, and Happy Halloween everybody!
http://www.stinkyteapot.com/images/car-024.jpg
Thanks.
Jay
I own an 05 OBXT and I've had 2 emergency braking situations so far: one on wet pavement, the other on a dirt road. In both cases I was very disapointed in the ABS system which seems to actually fully lock the wheels before releasing. (I saw the same phenomenon on a rental Sunfire, arghh!!!) As a result, in both cases the stopping distance was suprisingly long, seemed much longer than I would experience in my Highlander in similar situations. In fact my 93 Volvo had better ABS than this.
In some tests, they calculated stopping distances for the Outback that were in the same league as the Hummer and the Suburban. This is not exactly stellar.
It doesn't seem to be only problematic with the Outback. Saturday morning I saw a TV show that did a head-to-head between the S40 T5 and the Legacy GT. The S40 trounced the GT on stopping distance, which really suprised them because the GT has MUCH BIGGER brakes. After further investigation, they attributed the problem to the weak ABS system.
So while some people say their brakes "feel" fine, I disagree, and it appears that much of the trade press does too.
Makes me wonder about Subaru's self-declared committment to safety.
-B
I had taken a break fron Edmunds for a while while enjoying the first 10,000 Kms on my new Garnet Red Outback XT. Yes, 10,000 in the first 3 months!
I wanted to ask your opinions about handling and braking.
I too feel that the brakes seem under par, not only in stopping, but quickly slowing down on the highway. I have had a few cases on the highway where the brakes felt like they were just not powerful enough for the car, certainly not as good as my 2003 Bean. At least the rotors aren't warping on this one
Second, how do you feel the handling of the car compares to the previous Outback generation? My impression is that the suspension is softer, and feels less less stable on the highway. I know that the Legacy is the handling king of the two, but I am disappointed that the 05 is not as tight as the 03. Maybe it is the Potenzas that I had to go back to, but I don't think that stiffer tires will make much of a handling difference. I am actually contemplating lowering the car an inch or so to improve handling, and that odd looking uneven gap between the tire and fender.
Lastly, does anybody know where a standard DIN or Double DIN radio bezel can be found? As with the handling and braking, the stereo is also a notch below my 2003 Bean, and I am thinking of doing an upgrade. I actually might install a small form factor PC into the car, and use the storage bin as the location for an LCD display. The new version of Microsoft Streets and Trips includes a GPS reciever that is both much more affordable than my PocketPC with navigation, and much easier to use.
Other than that, the car is a vast inprovement over the last one, both visually and in performance. The turbo is great, doesn't come on too strong to suddenly, it is a nice gradual increase that does get the car moving quickly. The sunroof is a great improvement over the last one, however I wish it extended a little futher back.
Now I just need to know how to properly launch the car, I had a late generation Sienna minivan keeping up with me off the line on the highway
Thanks for your feedback!
on dry pavement you should be able to chirp the tires briefly before ABS engages.
and yes the stock tires are not all that great.
~Colin
Any special techniques you used to get that shine?
Good ABS systems will release just before the wheels lock on all but the most slippery surfaces. As I said, the only other cars I noticed this behavior on was with the Sunfire/Cavalier, one of the worst cars on the market. I would certainly expect better than that from a safety conscious "foul weather" capable automobile.
I was stomping on the brakes as hard as I could and it certainly wasn't stopping as fast as I expected. Adequate perhaps, but certainly not as safe as could be, especially given the performance potential of the car. Test numbers don't lie, there is no reason for this car to take as long as a gargantuous Hummer to stop...
I have spent substantial time autocrossing them, plus a bit of on-track.
~c
But the real issue is not the initial chirp, but the continuous lock/unlock cycling of the ABS. A properly designed ABS system is supposed to release pressure just before the wheels lock.
As far as ABS goes, I can hear the tires chirping during ABS stops. Happened with my last couple of cars, and happens with the Legacy. That moment right when the rotation of the tire is off but before the car responds.
-B
Wish it had better interior courtesy lighting in the front seat area, also true twilight sentinal type auto lites, and memory seats.
I saw a posting for a dealer who did discount pricing on parts and accessories - can't find it now - can any one help? Would like to get rubber mats before winter starts.
Thanks,
Craig
I came up with a fix that switches the map lights on with the courtesy (dome) light when the doors are open. It's on the LegacyGT forum.
Craig