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Comments
She had the advantage of 4 paw traction vs. my 2 feet, though. :-)
-juice
Take care.
My sympathies to you and Kirsten. Reading your story reminded me of my pet Siamese that passed away years ago. It's never easy.
A big hug to you guys.
Ken
Sorry, I'm brain dead from playing with toddlers too long!
-juice
Cheers Pat.
Better topic. I've been saying how my WRX seems to be getting better mileage since 20,000. I drove from Evansville to Louisville and back on I 64. I averaged about 68 mph for 260 miles and got 27.5 mpg. Nice to beat the EPA # on this little beast. (That is at $1.34/gal for premium locally)
TWRX
Baja reviews vs Crew-cab reviews- The local paper recently ran a review on the Baja followed the next day by a review of a mid-size crew-cab (the name of which escapes me). Two different people wrote the reviews making their biases even more evident. The first reviewer dinged the Baja for having a backseat that was inadequate for transporting adults in comfort while the second reviewer praised the backseat in the crew-cab. Oddly enough, while the reviewer gushed over the width of the rear seat and the plentiful headroom in the crew-cab, there was nary mention made regarding leg room. I suspect that the leg room was either comparable to or less than the Baja's but since crew-cabs in general aren't known for having much in the way of leg room, the reviewer didn't consider it a worth mentioning. Also, the Baja got little credit for having a car-like ride but the crew-cab's truck-like ride was basically ignored. My point to all this is that I consider the Baja as a natural competitor of mid-size crew-cabs and in many cases to be the better choice if perspective buyers honestly evaluated their needs. But as far as I can tell reviewers don't get it and continue to extol the virtues and ignore the drawbacks of truck-based vehicles while doing the opposite for car-based vehicles like the Baja.
Lastly, finally got to window shop on a lot full of new Subarus (dealership was closed). I like the silver Baja best followed closely by the black. And why can't all Subarus get those nice tinted windows? I know that many of us have gone aftermarket so you'd think the SOA could at least offer it as an option. Hmm, now I think about it, my guess is that SOA is targeting the Baja towards So. Cal beach surfer wannabes (therefore the need for tinted windows) while the rest of the line is aimed at winter drivers in the snowbelt who don't have much need for tinting.
-Frank P.
The tinting doesn't offer 100% security, but it's better than no tinting. It does discourage prying eyes somewhat.
Speaking of tinting: I noticed in the Baja brochure it mentioned that it met all federal car safety standards, except for the tinted windows. So, my guess is, if you offered deep tint windows on the Outbacks, etc., they would no longer be considered cars, but multi-purpose vehicles.
Bob
Frank: here's an idea. Let's let a group of females review a group of Crew Cabs. Wanna bet the Baja comes out on top?
Perhaps the reviewers are the same testosterone-hardened men Click & Clack talked about. ;-)
I like the factory tint, too.
-juice
A dodge dakota quad has 36 inches of rear legroom compared to 33.5 for the Baja.
The dodge has another inch of head room and 4 more inches of hip room too.
At 6'5" I've sat in the back of a dodge quad cab and I'll call it adequate. Subies need more iin the back. I never sit in the back of my Outback. Its more fun to drive.
However the subie gets 6 mpg better on the highway and rides much nicer.
--jay
They are too big for city use. Try a U-turn in DC, and good luck. The Baja would be far more at home in the city.
If you like Dodges, might as well get a Ram Quad Cab, IMO.
-juice
215.1" is no longer "compact", I feel.
-juice
Bob
So get the full-macho big boy Ram, all the way. Diesel while you're at it.
-juice
-Frank P.
Oddly, she didn't like the Highlander or the MPV. Guess those aren't as high and don't have the tough image?
Consumer Reports got 12mpg and took 10.7s to hit 60, so it's a double-whammy.
-juice
-mike
Ram Quad cab has a surprisingly small back seat in relation to the overall size of the truck. Chevy & Ford crew cab back seats have much more room, and as we all know, more is better!
Click & Clack: If indeed they consider cars as "appliances", with minimal powertrains & maximum economy, it's no wonder they rant! They have no fun! Too much PC is not a good thing.
Cheers!
Paul
How many people here haul adults regularly? I bet it's usually kids, if anyone at all.
-juice
To me, reasonable size means getting it all to fit & only having to make one trip! We don't have the big city turning, parking or general driving difficulties here that a large vehicle would exacerbate in other places. We shop at the malls or Costco, don't go downtown very much, and if I have to park a ways out in the lots & walk, I chalk it up to "I need the exercise anyway"!
Cheers!
Paul
Juice - thought it was funny since the first one I saw on the screen when I clicked in was the We Are Siamese song .. my uncle used to sing that one to me when I was a kid .. we just got a big kick out of that part of the movie!
Sorry about the pet .. we lost a dog that had been with us 17 years once ... longer than our kids at that point .. was also raining as we buried her in the back yard as I remember
Lots of people make a big fuss about back seats, but they remain empty most of the time. I dunno, I think the comfort and the space in the front seat is far, far more important.
Having said that, I'd love to see a Subie with a wider center armrest. They are made for one person, not two. I'd like to see them wide enough for two elbows or my laptop, so the kids can watch a DVD resting there.
I just measured - 12 inches. Tell product planning to give the 2005 big SUW a bit more width.
-juice
Ed
Bob
I also saw that advert, though not all of it. It is stupid and irresponsible. I think having Jo Lo draped over a WRX will get them a lot more business, maybe they can use a JDM advert over here! Or does she only get drapped across B4s ?
Click and Clack is great,in fact its the funniest thing on the airwaves which is not Xrated!
They are not always correct though! Their car'oscope says I'm a cheap bum for having Subies and I should be driving an Infinti! An Infiniti?? Barf!!!
I also took the car-o-scope and got a similar response to yours: Subarus too cheap for me and that I should be driving a Range Rover. As if...
Ed
Steve
That mysterious photographer takes great pics.
Who's that masked man?
-Dave
Both vehicles take 225/60-16 (H speed rated). I picked the Dunlop SP Winter Sport M2 based on both Consumer Reports and Tire Rack's good reviews for balanced performance in dry, wet, ice and snow. Beth couldn't care less about looks, so I went with steel wheels and covers ($590). I just couldn't do it - had to have alloys! Their FOX-5 wheels look sort of like WRX wheels - five narrow double-spokes (lots of brake visible), for a total of $820. Add shipping and it just topped $1500.00. So today I am having a bit of "buyers remorse". Please tell me I did the right thing!!!
Steve
Steve
Loosh, very sorry for your loss.
Jim
OK, here is conclusive proof that the WRX ad is no big deal: a new BMW Z4 ad has a couple hauling down Pacific Coast Highway, and when a massive downpour starts, he....speeds up! We're talking with cliff drop-offs, top down, going super-fast, redlining every gear. In a RWD roadster.
The WRX ad is nothing, NOTHING, compared to how irresponsible the BMW ad is.
mike: cool pics. You're right, the SVX appears to have much less body roll than any other stock Subie I've seen.
Steve: Tire Rack is actually very conservative on what they'll sell, so I'm sure it'll fit. They would not sell me wider-than-stock tires, even though Discount Tire did, and even those fit.
You made a smart buy. Alloys have less unsprung weight and look better. Wheel covers are cheesy, and combined with steelies they weigh more. You'll have better handling 'cause the springs aren't fighting all that mass bouncing up and down. No regrets necessary. $57.50 extra per alloy? Total no brainer.
I'd have a little buyer's remorse about NOT getting alloys for the Honda.
-juice
-mike
It was soooo funny Juice, in the last round I gave the pointby to a supercharged Integra GSR then proceeded to stay up his butt through the whole twisties. Afterward he came running over asking what mods I had and how did I stay up his butt with such a porker car! I told him it was stock, less the brake pads/lines and ATF cooler! He posted up on honda-tech.com about it even! I was quite proud.
-mike
We're too close to the subject to be really objective, IMO.
* = Not picking on soccer moms, it could be any non-car-type person.
Bob
Here's another, perhaps more valid point. Ice used to stick to my steelies. My alloys are smoother and don't have the same problem, plus they're waxed. There are fewer crevices for slush to form and throw the wheel off balance. That does happen.
GS-Rs are set up for the track, so keeping up with a modded one is impressive.
Bob: it could be if you stretch a bit, but the BMW ad is without question completely irresponsible. Let me know if/when you see it, I'm sure you'll agree.
Point is, there are targets far more worthy of the negative attention.
-juice
The first couple of times I saw that commercial, I was turned off by it. I didn't "get it" at first—and I'm one of the WRX's biggest fans! Once I "analyzed" it, my opinion changed. That's why I think it could have unintended results for SOA.
And, yes, there are other commercials out there too, that could come off the same way.
Remember, we're not exactly an unbiased group here...
Bob
-juice
Bob
Bob
Who knows, maybe Click & Clack will bust on them next.
-juice
Speaking of commercials... has anyone seen the new Passat one where the guy is pondering the advantages of an LSD while his car does repeated 360s on an icy stretch of road? It's pretty good. Too bad Subaru didn't think of it first.
-Frank P.
Saw that ad, Frank. I think they show a FWD Sable spinning. Why not show a FWD Passat? Hee hee.
-juice
The same holds true for TV commercials. If you make it difficult—or somewhat obscure, as in the case of the WRX commercial, it could have a negative impact. Yeah, the WRX crowd may love it, but everyone else could hate it. And—"everyone else" is a MUCH larger audience, with a lot more marketing/political clout than the WRX crowd. It could backfire...
Just the fact that it's generating far more discussion here on the Subaru forum(s), than any other previous WRX commercial, is a good example. Imagine what kind of discussion it might be generating on all the anti-car forums...
Bob
We're discussing it because it was singled out to be the scape-goat for all car commercials, which IMO isn't fair.
-juice
Think how many other (politically influential) groups may also be discussing it in the same fashion. In the past the government came down hard on car companies that promote high performance in their advertising. This is a decades old argument, and Subaru just re-lit the flame.
Bob
I think once they see the BMW ads, the heat will be on them.
-juice