Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see May lease deals!
Options
Subaru XT Turbo Forester
This discussion has been closed.
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
So yeah, the Enzo has more lag off the line.
-juice
4-runner has better off-road, cargo room, ?more or less wind noise. It is a modified truck, and will drive like one. Interior design should be at par but depends what you like I guess.
There is no way the 4-runner will touch the FXT's performance on the road. There is no noticeable turbo lag, period. It spools up at least by 2200rpm and it is there when the pedal is 1/8" down. It will run circles around the 4-runner. In fact, it handles better than my Toyota Solara. It is not as quiet as the Solara, but the wind rush is little especially with the roof rack off.
With the FXT, you have a screamer in disguise + "functional space" (more cargo room than BMW X5).
-juice
Steve, Host
I am finally ready to get my 1st new car ever, and I am trying to go away with a new 2005 FXT. Since this is my 1st time I thought some of you can help with the following issues:
1) Somebody warning to be careful: stock right now is limited, and I may run into one of those cars that had problems early on and were returned to the dealears. I am surprise that such a thing may happen here in the US. Should I give any credit to that warning or is just some kind of baseless comment?
2) I learned to drive manual transmission while in the Army in my original country. It was an old 1969 Jeep truck that everybody treated without mercy. Several years have passed by since. If price really does not really make a difference: Should I stay away from manual, or jump into it? I would like to be able to tow a light trailer to the mountains from time to time, perhaps in snow conditions, so I kind of believe that manual will give me better response, but I am not sure.
3) I will need to install a hitch for the trailer thing. Should I ask the dealer to install it, or look for alternatives somewhere else? My concerns, as with any accessory, is to know what is the right price to pay, and what may invalidate the warranty
Finally, the new models are arriving soon. All things considered: SFXT 2005 or 2006? That is the last question.
Thanks in advance guys,
Sombra
In answer to your questions:
1) That sounds like a urban legend to me and as far as I know, is totally baseless.
2) First off, test drive both and see which you prefer. 2nd, There's ceratinly nothing wrong with a manual and it will give you a little better response. 3rd, an automatic is actually better for towing (no worries about clutch slipage).
3) You can almost always get accessories installed cheaper than what the dealer will want. Of course there is the convenience feature that the dealer provides and you may get them to put one on for a good price if it's part of the purchase negotiations. Regardless, there aren't any warranty concerns with installing a hitch.
4) You're going to get a better deal on an 05 but it also boils down to what's still available on the dealer lots and how much you like the changes Subaru made for 06. So really, it's your call.
Good luck and let us know what you end up with.
Frank
How do you figure that Frank?
Dunno about the US but here -
- XT Manual Towing Capacity 1800kg
- XT Auto Towing Capacity 1600kg
Also the prices in towpacks were Man $530 vs Auto $980 (cost of Trans Cooler bumps up price). And towbars genuine vs non-genuine was $20 difference.
Craig
Does it mean servicing is included in the price?
Does it cover roadside breakdown and towing etc..?
Is it from the Dealer of from a third party?
Hopefully someone can shed some light so I can understand it better.
Craig
No OEM towbars or tranny coolers are available in N. America.
-Dennis
1 year/12k mile adjustment period: including wipers, fit and finish issues, clutch, almost everything except tires I think (those carry a seperate warranty)
3/36 bumper to bumper warranty: includes all the items except wear-and-tear like brake pads, clutch, etc.
5/60 powertrain warranty: covers internal engine components and transmission.
The car has to be serviced according to schedule to keep the warranty valid.
-juice
-juice
-Frank
The Subaru Gold warranty we have has zero deductible and basically covers everything under the Bumper-to-bumper warranty for the full term. Ours is 7/100, so we're pretty much covered.
And yes, that includes roadside assistance for the full 7 years or 100k miles. So even if the wife locks herself out or runs out of gas, help is on the way for free. Plus they tow to the nearest dealer.
Of course Murphy's Law will surely apply and we'll never actually use it.
But if that's the case you get a refund.
Our old friend Patti is now in charge of the program so I have no worries at all about them honoring any future claims.
-juice
I know we had this humungous discussion a year and a half ago and I walked away thinking that was just someone's wishful thinking.
Can you tell me where that part is in the contract?
John
Many thanks to all of you who replied to my inquire, specially to Frank who was the fastest one. I already scheduled my driving tests (manual and automatic models) for this coming week. I will keep you posted.
Sombra
The noise is only at startup (either cold or after sitting for a few hours) for a few minutes and only appears when the engine is under load (in gear). It's a single TICK TICK TICK that seems to happen about 1x per second (at least at idle in gear). Then it quiets on it's own and the engine is fine.
My thought is that the M1 is having a similar effect as it did for those who used it in their F-XT or other Subie turbo. Should I jump up to 10w-30 for it too? Or would switching oil brands and keeping the OEM spec weight 5w-30 be more successful? I know it's a bit O/T, but I thought it was a bit related to those having some valve noise in their turbo's with M1.
-Brian
M1 10W30 is thicker at start-up than the 5W30, so maybe that will take care of the noise in your case since it happens only at start up. Castrol GTX Start Up is a Group II oil with Group IV (ester) synthetics added (even though they don't call it a blend). The esters are polarized so they cling to the engine better. I've read comments from others that say the Start Up worked for them, although it didn't help the OB. I don't think anything will help the OB though.
If you're looking for the thickest 30 weight, go with German Castrol Syntec 0W30 from Autozone. Although it might be too thick for the MPV. Are you running 5-7k between oil changes? If not, I would use a conventional or synthetic blend in the MPV. Either Mobil or Castrol's conventional oils or blends will be thicker than Mobil 1 if you're comparing 30 weights. Check out the Product Data Sheets on their web sites.
-Dennis
It used to be normal for hydraulic lifters to clatter until they filled up with oil. I don't get too concerned about tic-tic noises if they go away in a couple minutes when the metals have heated up.
John
We've used the roadside assistance portion so I doubt I'd be eligible for a refund. Besides, we plan to sell the car with some warranty still left as a strong selling point.
-juice
Neither do I after getting an exellent used oil analysis report on the OB. From the analysis comments:
"Everything looks very good in the initial sample from this engine. All wear read well below average, which is a good indication of normal wearing parts and careful operation. The universal averages show normal wear after about 3,500 miles on the oil. Insolubules (oil oxidation due to heat, use and blowby) were low at 0.4%, showing good oil filtration. No fuel dilution or anti-freeze was found. Silicon was not excessive at 11 ppm, so we think your air filtration is still getting the job done. At 70,848 total miles, this engine appears to be doing well."
One other option would be M1 0W40. M1 10W30 is a great product (quite shear stable from what I've read), but it's on the thin side for a 30 weight oil.
If you look at your owner's manual, you'll see that although 5W30 is the recommended grade (primarily for fuel economy), 10W30 and 10W40 are listed as approved weights for the listed temperature ranges. As long as it's not freezing outside, any of these weights should work fine. In fact, Subaru engines seem to do well with almost any oil.
M1 0W40 is on the thinner side of a 40 weight oil and provides very good cold startup properties due to it's 0 rating so it has a very wide usable range for our engines. I read favorable results from other 2.5 turbo owners so I've recently tried it in my Legacy GT. So far, I have noticed that it does seem to keep things a bit more quiet than with the previous M1 5W30 I was using. Valve noise and turbo spool noise both are less noticeable with 0W40.
Ken
John
Ken - do note I'm inquiring about my MPV, which specs 5w-20 (and 5w-30 per a TSB John elluded to) oil only. For my F-XT, I'll use 10w-30 M1 for now, but I have some time to think of what viscosity I'll use come Sept/Oct when I change the oil.
I change the oil every 6 months (2x per year), which is about 5k miles, on both cars.
For the MPV: I think I'll probably just go to a different brand of full synth 5w-30. I'll have to review some more of the product specs you guys referred to.
-Brian
John
Oops. My bad. I thought you were talking about your FXT.
Ken
I can't find a spec sheet on M1 0w-20 (now 5w-20) either to see how it compares to 5w-30 and the other 5w-20 stuff.
I suppose I could go to a synth blend for the summer in the MPV and then go back to 5w-20 synth for the winter. Decisions, decisions. I again appreciate the responses and apologize for the slightly off-topic-ness of this discussion.
What are those F-XT synthetic folks running in the winter months?
-Brian
This Advance Auto Parts link has good info about viscosity.
http://www.advanceautoparts.com/english/youcan/html/ccr/ccr20010101ov.html
Also check bobistheoilguy.
Of course the thickness doesn't necessarily tell you the full story about how well the oil will perform, but it's a starting point. The Syntec is more shear stable than M1 30 weights due to the types of PAO's/esters added. Conventional oils are usually slightly thicker than synthetics. I see that Mobil removed the M1 spec sheets. They're probably updating them with the GF-4 info. A virgin oil analysis showed that GF4 M1 5W30 is a little thicker (11.0) than the GF-3 formula.
-Dennis
-Brian
I use Quaker State Full Synthetic 5W-30 year round. Change the oil every 7,500 miles and never have to add one drop between changes.
2004 FXT 5-speed.
Again, thanks for the replies.
FWIW, I haven't had to add oil to any of my vehicles on M1 - including my previous Outback. 6 months is about 5k miles or so for us in both vehicles.
-Brian
http://www.mobil1.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Oils/Mobil_1_5W-20.aspx
I believe they've taken them down to update them. M1 no longer makes a 0W20.
-Dennis
Anyway, there have been some folks here that run M1 5W20 in their Foresters in the winter (which is not good, IMHO).
-Dennis
:rolls eyes:
-Brian
Craig.
On topic: My F-XT turned 1 year old this week. Only 8k miles though. 21mpg overall. And still a grin every time I drive it! :shades:
-Brian
My intercooler has taken quite a beating, and I'm hoping this will give it some relief.
For anyone who is watching their intercooler fins get mashed by road throw, this might be something you're interested in.
Larry
Got a link for that GrillCraft screen or a pic?
-Brian
The odo on my FXT is just about to hit 29k and it's barely 16 months old
On a positive note... the overall mpg avg seems to be holding steady at 24.2 :P
-Frank
Elissa
If you visit grillcraft.com then look for SUB-1715. Its actually the same as the 02/03 WRX's. Does look pretty sharp. Black went well with the red, but they have silver as well. If you were to decide on one, shop prices on the net. The Grillcraft site's prices can certainly be beaten.
HTH
Larry
These alloy wheels are incredibly light. Makes tire rotation a breeze.
John
Weight was a huge concern for me when I switched from my OEM 16" wheels to 17" wheels on my WRX, as I didn't want to add any unnecessary weight. I ended up putting the STi BBS wheels on with a light set of Pirelli PZero Nero tires and saved a few pounds (at each corner) over the stock 16" setup.
On your Forester, you could easily save a few pounds per corner just by switching to lighter 16" wheels, but it would likely be on the order of <5 pounds per corner and not a 50 pound total savings like you'd hoped for. Five pounds, though, is a huge improvement and you will almost certainly notice a better (smoother) ride than you did with the OEM setup. With less mass for the shocks/springs to try and control, they will more effectively be able to do their jobs.
Brian
Weight sounds low to me, also. My 16"x7" alloys with slightly bigger tires weigh about 44 lbs.
20 lbs for the rims alone, I'd believe. Rims and tires, no way.
Maybe KG? Not lbs?
-juice