Subaru Crew - Meet The Members II

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Comments

  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    (rhetorical question) Re: lucien2 Feb 5, 2001 4:00pm.

    I agree with Loosh, I'd like to see the JDM turbocharged Legacy platform in North America. Here is my wish list (powertrain only, I'll leave ergonomics alone):
    • Turbocharged -- more efficient at highway speed; turbo lag off the line isn't important (and why I prefer turbo 2.0l over H-6 3.0l).
    • Legacy platform -- Impreza hatchback/wagon is too small for my family and needs.
    • Manual transmission -- 5MT exists and is better than any form of automatic, including sport shift, so I'll accept that until FHI develops a 6MT. As Bob Holland (rsholland) notes, look at Subaru's competition and you'll find 6 speed manuals.
    Here are my JDM preferences by priority (with links): I know FHI is a small company with limited resources but I'm not in the minority. For but one example, look at Stephen Barrett (barressa11) right here on Edmunds, who is selling his one year (!) old Outback Limited wagon for a WRX wagon.

    Thanks for passing this on to Product Planning. Please have PP email MichaelCSmith@hotmail.com when it's available. :)

    ..Mike

    PS - I ask SoA Product Planning to consider a segment of their customer base -- engineers, including software engineers like me. The IT field is booming and engineers are predominantly college-educated males. Those engineers are the people that buy your cars. In the future, will we see fewer computers used to schedule, design, test, and manufacture products? Will we see more or fewer IT jobs in the future? Think about it.

    ..Mike

  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    Leave it to you to use bullets to seperate the points. Looks good! ;-)


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  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    hehe. The HTML or the B4? ;)

    For aspiring HTMLers, that's:

    {ul}
    {li} foo
    {li} bar
    {/ul}

    Replace { with < and } with > and you are list-enabled.

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

  • francophilefrancophile Member Posts: 667
    (Smith) sorry to bust your bubble but I know software engineers who would *never* buy a Subie, certainly not a performance model at any rate. A fair number of the ones I know prefer no-brainer-cars like Toyotas and Saturns. They just want to get in, get there, get out, and get back in front of a keyboard.

    Regards,
    -wdb
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    Dude, scribble that message before it makes it to PP ;) WDB, you have good points but I still think there is a market for a performance model. Who buys A4s and S4s? Surely that market has room for competition. Thoughts?

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

  • francophilefrancophile Member Posts: 667
    Right here! But, guess what, I'm not a software engineer ;-) Well, not exactly. (Who or what is PP?)

    The biggest reason I'm hemming and hawing over the Impreza is its size. I need a car that will carry four adults in comfort, and the Impreza just barely does that. Don't get me wrong, for its size it has a really great back seat - as good as a Bimmer 3-series and better than an A4 (although there is a new A4 coming soon). But the adults I carry tend to be, ahem, more experienced in the birthday department, so ease of ingress and egress comes into play. Also the Impreza's cargo capacity is a bit tight. If the wagon was squared up in the back a bit more (did I really say that?) I'd be more inclined to get one.

    So, yes, a performance Legacy would be a very appealing car to me. But you already knew that.
  • natescapenatescape Member Posts: 176
    francophile, everyone always comments on how easy it is to get in and out of my Forester... :)
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    PP = Product Planning. Might be my acronym, I saw Patti post referring to the SoA group; now it's fact.

    Amen, brother WDB, amen. Now PP has heard you too.

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    G'day

    Interestingly the B4 is sold in New Zealand but not in Australia. I don't know why. WRX are very popular here so there is no obvious reason why the B4 isn't sold here. The Legacy RS Turbo was sold in the UK for many years and was fairly popular.

    Cheers

    Graham
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    Doesn't look like I'll be able to afford my own WRX wagon for quite some time, although we may get one for Kirsten in a year. But if waiting a few years to replace my Outback meant I was rewarded with a B4 wagon, I'd be MORE than happy to wait. Heck, even a Legacy GT wagon with the WRX and a 5-speed would be fine with me! It would still do 0-60 in 7 seconds or so. Leave the H-6 for the OB and an "LSi" type deal.

    Just make sure Mike's has good cupholders.
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Anyone read the recent Consumer Reports? They reviewed the new RAV4, Escape/Tribute and Santa Fe. All four models scored very well. In fact, the RAV4 has inched out the Subaru Forester as Consumer Reports top rated model. The other three come in after the Forester causing the CR-V to drop in relative rank.

    Ken
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    Graham, thanks for the clarification, I didn't realize the B4 was NZ but not Australia.

    Ken, I just got it; thanks for the heads up.

    Aw Loosh, so you have been reading my posts ;)

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Yeah, I saw the new CR. I'm surprised that with the wrong-way opening rear hatch and the lack of a rear bumper they'd rate the RAV4 so highly, but they must've loved the rest of it.

    We looked at one in Philly, and I found the seats too soft and the interior a bit too "fake TT", but the rest impressed me.

    Note that when they originally tested the Forester, it rated higher than the new RAV4 did. Guess with the newcomers upping the ante, their 2nd test Forester didn't score as well (still "Excellent" and in 2nd overall).

    The WRX drew crowds pretty much most of the time. Yes, we were swamped when Omar gave us the demo. Maybe they figured if a bunch of guys with Subaru hats were listening, it was worth waiting for.

    I'd like a turbo 4 in the Legacy as much as anyone, but realistically that platform ain't gonna get it. The H6 and US Legacys are built here. So from a cost perspective, a B4 RSK Wagon would a fortune - $35-40k. Would any of us really pay that much for it?

    OK, many would. What was my point again? ;-)

    Loosh: the reason USB is inconvenient for me is that it does not work at all with NT 4.0. If it's for personal use only and you have 95/98, fine, but if you share it you still have to hand that cable and the software around to each person that uses it.

    Also, look at it this way. I could have taken a box of 10 diskettes, and taken a photo of each person at the show, and let them take the diskette home! No cable, adaptors, software, nothing. Just a diskette.

    That's why I find it convenient, and everything else less so.

    -juice
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    I was just giving you a hard time! Now if only my G4 accepted diskettes..... :)

    SHHHHH!!!! The people at PP will hear you! D'oh! You are right, of course. bummer. I her the H-6 is too big to fit the MT5 bell housing onto; sounds like the days of a hip, cool, 5-speed wagon alternative are numbered.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Sounds like a perfect reason to design a new, compact MT6!

    -juice
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    TOTALLY! How can SoA expect to compete against Audi and Bimmer without a manual on that new engine? I know it is low volume, but it is a must. If I have to choose, I'll take whatever has a manual over a Soob, so just gimme a manual Soob, please!

    Also, I think the GT needs a boost, because I predict the faux-suv look of the OB is going to start losing popularity soon. Something more sophisticated is needed to really sell the $30K buyer. Think Saab and Audi, not SUV.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Me too. I'm not sure I'd ever buy an auto.

    OK, unless my knees start creaking, but still. They are missing out on a complete group of buyers. Sport sedans REQUIRE manual trannies. It's what separates the Taurus from the 3 series Bimmer.

    -juice
  • tincup47tincup47 Member Posts: 1,508
    Sold 15,540 IS300's in 2000, and that is only available as an automatic. Granted it has the manual shift option, but it is marketed against the BMW 3 series.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    That's a drop in the near-luxury car bucket.

    Heck, that's less sales the slowest selling Subaru.

    Don't get me wrong, I drove one and it certainly was entertaining as heck (my favorite at the all-automatic Edmunds live event), but I haven't bought one, either.

    -juice
  • tincup47tincup47 Member Posts: 1,508
    That was less than 6 months sales. For the year BMW sold less than 90,000 3 series vehicles. Also BMW has all the different 3 series models in that total.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    But BMW doesn't lead that category in sales, and it would still be 2 to 1.

    Lexus is getting a wagon, plus manual transmissions, in the fall, which is good.

    Even if 80% are automatics, the manual validates the vehicle as a sports sedan in the eyes of the public.

    -juice
  • tincup47tincup47 Member Posts: 1,508
    The public generally doesn't look at cars the way that enthusiasts do. I know people who thought the Reatta and the Allante were sports cars because they were 2 seaters. Everyone I knew that owned a Taurus SHO auto thought they had a sport sedan. I agree that you should have a manual trans available if you want to get the true enthusiast, but you won't sell enough to make money on them.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    It's not about making a profit on that car. It's about creating a halo image around all your vehicles. BMW gets a lot of mileage out of the image created by the M3 manuals the press drive.

    I'm sure their best seller is the very tame 325i automatic (we tried one at Emunds live, and the auto Lexus IS won, hands down).

    It'll happen with Subaru, too. The WRX will create showroom traffic. Those folks may end up driving off in an Outback or Forester, but I'm sure Subaru doesn't mind.

    The VDC didn't exactly produce tire-burning track numbers. That's mostly because competitors offer manuals, and those are the models tested, whether the public buys them or not. Hence it seems slower, yet compared to automatic competitors that's not at all the case.

    -juice
  • subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    Sorry I haven't checked in for a few days. Had a bit of a run in with an ice patch. Unfortunately, my feet do not have AWD or a VDC system. Typing is a bit tough in a sling. I have your info. and I'll get some answers for you tomorrow (hopefully, I'll be back at work).

    I'll probably chat/type with you all by tomorrow night. My daughter is keying this in for me today.

    'Til tomorrow!

    Patti
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Patti: sorry to hear that, but I think a viscous limited-slip differential would have done the trick!

    -juice
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    Sorry to hear about your slip, Patti. So did your daughter volunteered to type for you tomorrow night? What a trooper.

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

  • francophilefrancophile Member Posts: 667
    Sorry to hear of it! It's been pretty nasty over the past few days, traction wise. However I think you may have come up with a pretty clever idea with the "personal AWD" thing. Send it up to Dean Kamen at DEKA, he'll make it go :-)

    Cheers,
    -wdb
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    WDB, got me. DEKA?

    ..Mike

  • francophilefrancophile Member Posts: 667
    http://www.usfirst.org/bios/dean.html


    Kamen's the guy who built that wheelchair that lets people stand up, do stairs, all kinds of cool stuff. He's also the brains behind "It", the who-knows-what that is supposedly going to change the world. It could have something to do with a practical Stirling cycle engine, which would be pretty neat.


    Cheers,

    -wdb

  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    It, I forgot. Trying links now. Thanks.

    ..Mike

  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Sorry to hear about the spill. Hope you feel better soon.

    Bob
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    Patti, my sympathies as well. Get well soon!

    Ross and Stephen: Looks like our incessant whining about the lack of snow is about to pay off :-)
    http://weather.ec.gc.ca/forecast/yvr.html


    Drew
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  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    I said I would do my best. ;-) Not sure about the school zones though.

    Ross
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    Maybe I'll be up at SNAFU playing around in the B-lots until Campus Security comes and drags me off. That SFU decal that I have on the windshield could come in handy in explaining things if that happens ;-) They still use the RWD GMC Safari vans as campus patrol vehicles though, so I don't they'll be able to keep up with me if I decide to jet out of the place. Heh heh...

    Maybe Burnaby Mountain park is a better place!


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  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    I don't have any classes on Thursdays, so if the snow turns out to be real I might just head up there myself. If you see a pudgy bald old six footer in a gold 2001 S it's probably me. I'll even bring my digital camera. ;-) You might be right about the Park being the better bet. Enjoy!!!

    Ross
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Man, I can't imagine chasing anyone in DRY conditions in that!

    -juice
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    have long considered me a little -well- different. Then I bought a Subaru. Here it is 0530 local time and I have just returned from a snow quest. Got up at 0300 to discover the "snow" we were expecting didn't even cover the sidewalks properly. Sigh! Rather than doing the sensible thing and going back to bed it was into Rufus for the 45 minute drive to Burnaby Mountain and SFU. Even there the snow was only an inch or two in the parking lots but since they were completely empty there was still some fun to be had.

    SFU is an odd place in that it is on the top of a 1500' "mountain" and when I went to school there it was not uncommon for there to be 20" or more on the ground at the top while the ground was bare at the bottom. This year, no such luck. I did go off to the Park and found some semi-virgin snow on the very steep road. I found the near limit for Rufus. Steep hill, glare ice covered by an inch or so of fresh snow -2c. From a dead stop Rufus had to search a moment or two to fully find his feet (I had more trouble when I got out in the lot and tried to walk!) and trying to stop going down was - interesting. The ABS did a nice job of slowing us down to .1 kph but didn't quite stop us. I discovered that going off the pedal and right back on finished the stop very nicely. Learn something new every day and if you live long enough you may become wise. I think it's time for bed. Have a good day all.

    Ross the Mad
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    1500' is a lot around here. The peak at the Shanendoah is barely more than 3000'.

    -juice
  • tincup47tincup47 Member Posts: 1,508
    I grew up on the west coast, we didn't consider anything under 5000' as a mountain, just a hill.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    1400' @ my house in the Adirondacks was a decent Hill :)

    -mike
  • tincup47tincup47 Member Posts: 1,508
    In the San Bernardino mountains, a popular resot and camping area outside of LA is at 7000', and wasn't near the summits of the surrounding mountains. Scenery on the East Coast is very pretty, but many areas in the west are majestic, a totally different sense of scale.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yep and we don't usually have to worry about mud slides and earth quakes. :)

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    You want high, check out Taos. The Ski Valley peaks way up there. Makes the Shanendoan look like a speed bump.

    I remember I could barely breathe. I have asthma and was gasping for air.

    Nice skiing. Beautiful views. Maybe that's what took my breath away. :-)

    -juice
  • tincup47tincup47 Member Posts: 1,508
    Just Tornadoes an Hurricanes :)
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    No tornadoes here in the Northeast (rarely and localized) Hurricanes, in my 25 years, barely noticed them, and I live right on the coast. ;)

    -mike

    PS: you guys get wild fires and riots too :)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I think paisan *causes* tornadoes and hurricanes with his driving style.

    ;-)

    -juice
  • tincup47tincup47 Member Posts: 1,508
    I've lived in Md for 26 years.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Jeez, I just drive expediently... Time = money ;)

    -mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    @ the next edmunds test-drive event?

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I didn't say bad, just, ah, hurried.

    Between you and Hutch, I'd need therapy!

    -juice
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