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Comments
John/Fresno
We had more snowfall this year than what we have seen in the past many.... I'm just ready for it to start melting. Thanks for helping me put it into perspective!
We're supposed to break freezing during the day starting tomorrow, so I'm gonna call winter done within the next 3-4 weeks! :shades:
You might want to sit in seats for awhile to make sure they are comfortable - XT touring leather's seems stiffer than '09's.
Ride and handling seem well suited for Oregon roads: taut without being harsh, eats up sharp bumps, and while not track car, leans less in turns than '09.
New hidden venting does fine job of directing bugs into the intercooler - got more bugs in the '14's in two weeks than I got in the '09 for 4-6 months :surprise: Still, nice to have better road view __and__ not be advertising that car has sporting nature.
Most leather seating I see (on cars that get regular use) looks pretty aged by the 8-10 year mark.
Only time will tell if this Forester fogs its windows like every other black interior car I have owned: The fact that the '14 does so well in other areas made me bite the black interior bullet again. The exterior's white satin pearl.
I'm using Meguiar and Weimen's leather products on the seats. The leather doesn't absorb much (very little porosity to it).
Service techs I talked to are aware of potential problems but claimed Subaru will provide additives to minimize buildup.
I wonder if they'll offer intake system cleaning service. We had to do that on a 626 we owned and it wasn't even DI.
Dashboard indicator had been gleefully reporting 28, 32, and other higher MPG's during that evaluation drive. Feh - was too good to be true.
Perhaps it'll do better once it's fully broken in and with Camguard in the engine.
Am still impressed by the ride - would be good to know how they managed to keep the ride taut without making it harsh (sharp bumps are well muted compared to Outback and the Euro cars I drove).
Dashboard indicator had been gleefully reporting 28, 32, and other higher MPG's during that evaluation drive. Feh - was too good to be true.
Check the odometer; my 2012 Impreza Sport Limited odometer records less miles than actual miles driven ... IIRC, only 27 miles against 29 actual miles. I think the gas mileage meter is closer than people think.
P.S. The speedometer is spot on with my GPS.
1) First verify that the speedometer is accurate at 60mph via GPS.
2) Drive at 60 mph.
3) Note the trip meter mileage at the start and end of one minute of travel.
4) Trip meter error = trip meter (end - start) - 1 mile.
Note that this assumes that the trip meter and odometer are in synch (i.e., they both have the same variance vs. actual miles), your timing device is accurate, and you drive at a steady speed throughout the test.
http://www.youtube.com/feed/UCoyrcdib1HkM_TWNVMtubVA
I do like this heritage themed video:
http://youtu.be/ohQYv9QVIY4
I doubt my results would be the same for the Forester, but I can't know that for sure without recording the data. Since my wife is the primary driver of that car, I'm just happy that she usually remembers to write down the distance and reset the meter each fill! :P
I'll have to try that next time I have the opportunity to get on a highway, or at least a good straight stretch. ;-)
Bob
Great TV spot! Reminds me of their 'Baby Driver' commercial.
Bob
Bob
Temperature, obviously the colder it is makes a difference, as does actual driving between town and highway, in town you could have more stopping and starting with longer idling times, versus previous trips, or you could do a lot of highway at a steady speed, versus some highway trips at varying speeds.
All these factors effect gas mileage, unless I get the impression that gas is going quicker than water off a ducks back I don't bother. What's the point, you own the car, you have to fill it from time to time, so what does it matter if it is getting 25MPG versus 28MPG.
Cheers Pat.
Some guys I know have a log of every gallon they have put in the tank from day one, then if the car is down one or two MPG from the fill before, they are in a tizzy trying to figure out whats wrong. My Motto is just enjoy the car already or take the bus.
The figures I quoted were arbitrary for illustration BTW.
Cheers Pat.
.
I think the fuel mileage nuts are the ones who care enough to jump to conclusions and complain, but don't care enough to record and analyze. One tank means nothing - it's all about the trends.
Kinda like the people that don't consider a wash and wax complete until they've dusted their spark plugs.
Given '14 XT's euro style ride and general feel, Subaru may have studied Range Rover closely before redesigning the Forester. In any case they managed to avoid the Rover quirks (no lifting of wheels in turns, etc.).
I had a slow leak on the Miata, and that wheel is cleaner than any other because I took it off, and cleaned it. I should clean the others but I never seem to have time any more.
Kids' sports rule my life - basketball alone takes up Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (twice) and tournaments vary but can fall on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Wish us luck, my daughter's first tournament with her travel team starts tomorrow at 9am.
Hey Juice, if you use anti-seize on those lug nuts they might just change themselves one of these days!
Cheers Pat.
I never used the stock XT tires (Bridgestone Duelers) on snow, replacing them with Nokians before winter hit. Looks like that will have to be done again.
A pity Subaru can't fit their vehicles with better stock tires. :sick:
They're not even inexpensive, either!
Why do they wait until they are stuck, THEN engage x-mode?
Before that, watch how the tires fail to shed snow as they drive up, even before they get stuck.
http://youtu.be/lmnpsHA4rww
Tires seem a little better, if you watch closely they shed snow whenever they spin at all.
They almost ended up in that creek!
Is it me or did they turn back in the Escape, but kept going in the Forester?
But, their point was made: Even with Subaru's all-wheel drive and ground clearance, get proper snow tires!
But why does an AWD crossover need 18" rims? Think of all the unsprung mass.
Not to mention the cost of the tires. The 17"s are expensive enough!
Not to mention the cost of the tires. The 17"s are expensive enough!
Agreed! The new 2.0XT is going in the wrong direction with its "improvements". That includes everything that makes the price equal to or more than an Outback.
It is time again for an Impreza GT turbo automatic, perhaps with the 2.0 tuned to actually run on 87 octane.
I'm ready for an even smaller Subie engine/hybrid combo. I like the VW arrangement in their new Jetta hybrid with the 1.4 liter turbo, hybrid, 170 hp, AND 48/42 mpg. That's impressive engineering.
John
I do seem to recall that the VW engine might be DI, so from that sense, potentially complicated. That's the way this world is going in order to squeeze more from less.
John
35-series tires on a midsize sedan? That's a 3.5 inch side height around a 20-inch wheel. Yeah, that'll feel good on rough pavement.
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