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Subaru XT Turbo Forester

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  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    Samantha,

    Don't use the gas gauge as your mpg indicator...it isn't linear, and you can't be sure whether the tank was all the way full when you picked it up.

    Go a few tanks tracking it, before being disappointed. Tire pressure, driving conditions, driving habits, etc. Your mileage will vary.

    John
  • growler5growler5 Member Posts: 67
    Q: Anyone else experiencing lower than expected gas mileage?
    A: Just about everyone else who checks the gas mileage for the first tank of gas after buying a new car.

    So the fuel gauge is not the best (pun intended) gauge for actual mpg. For an FXS - I've covered 280 miles when the tank gauge shows 1/4 full. At that point it looks like I'm getting only 23.5 mpg. I usually wait to fill up after the low-fuel light comes on. It takes 13 +/- gallons to fill up, and the calculated (true)mpg is in the 28-30mpg range.

    You'll see gas mileage inprovement until you hit about 10k miles, so the best is yet to come.

    You'll also see the best mileage once the motor has thoroughly warmed up (not the same as "temp needle just reached the normal level"). I have a weekly commute of 28 miles at 60 mpg. From watching the on-board computer display on a BMW for over 10 years, I've noticed that the instanteous MPG readout reaches the highest level after about 12-15 minutes of driving. Thus it's no surprise that if I take the wife's Prius to work regularly, I can expect 50mpg or so, but she can manage only about 40-44mpg for her daily commute of 2 miles.

    Finally, if your gas station sells gas with extra additives (MBTE?) in the winter, you should soon see a bump in your gas mileage when the summer gas becomes available. I usually expect to see a 2mpg drop in gas mileage in October, and a corresponding 2 mpg bump in April of each year.

    Bottom line - just relax and enjoy your new FXT!
  • drwalesdrwales Member Posts: 18
    I was going to wait until my 7500mi service before posting my "life with a new FXT" experiences, but I'll contribute here now.

    I have put on 6000mi since Christmas, at an average of 21.2mpg. (I religiously zero the trip counter every fill, and divide miles driven by gallons delivered by the pump.) The best I've done (virtually all highway, but in mid-Feb) is 23.6, and the lowest was 19.9... My daily commute is ~17 miles, half on stop-and-go city streets, and the other half on highway (going the "wrong" way at 70mph).

    For comparison, my old 2003XS averaged 24.1mpg over its life, against EPA numbers of 22/27. So allowing for winter additives, 21.2 against EPA numbers of 20/26 is probably about right. I'm probably more disappointed that 21mpg translates into ~300mi between fill-ups than I am about the number relative to, say, an Accord or Prius...

    And I'll second the comment about the gas gauge being highly non-linear.

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Try combining trips, it's those short drives with a lot of warming up that really kills your average.

    Also, it obeys your right foot, try to ease up on the go pedal once in a while! :D

    -juice
  • destroirdestroir Member Posts: 4
    Greetings all!

    I just signed all the necessary papers and will pick up my 2004 Forester XT (Silver) tomorrow! Looking forward to having dicussions about, what I have no doubt will be, a great car/truck/crossover/what it is! Previous cars include a 1990 Eagle Talon Turbo (not AWD) and a 2000 VW GTI VR6. Both great fun to drive but now that I'm a little older, space is a requirement so the Forester suits my needs. That being said, of course I still have the need for speed and, again, the Forester XT suits my needs! :) I bought it from a dealer and paid CDN $30,000.00. Think I paid too much? Well, it was a demo model and has only 340 km on it! Still think I paid too much? Well, it has the upgraded 17" rims and they're giving me the 16" rims and rubber too. How about now - too much $$$. I think I got a decent deal... and still have two years left on the bumper-to-bumper warranty.

    First thing to do is get myself a K&N and a nice (not too dark) tint!

    image

    Cheers,
    Dave
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Welcome aboard!

    Fortunately, we are not able to read picture files directly off your hard drive. To learn how to post the picture click on the help link over on the left of this page. Even better, check out our new www.carspace.com site where its even easier to post pictures.

    tidester, host
  • samiam_68samiam_68 Member Posts: 775
    I had my MT trans oil changed as part of the 30K service at a dealer. It has been almost 3K miles since then, and the tranny has not been shifting as well as it used to. It feels notchy going in and out of gears. It doesn't grind, it doesn't feel heavy, just the notchy resistance right as the gear starts to engage / disengage.

    I took it back to the dealer, and of course, they didn't find anything wrong. Told me the gear oil needs some time to "wear in". I think 3K miles is enough for the oil to "wear in".

    I'm not sure what the problem could be. Could it be the viscosity being too light or too heavy? Any synchro additives that may be causing this? I'm willing to take it to an independent shop and get the fluid changed again, but would like to know which fluid grade / brand would work best. I'm not interested in synthetics since I've heard numerous negatives with regards to synthetics and synchro problems.

    I would actually like to have the same oil in the MT as the one the car came with from the factory - does anyone know the OEM brand and grade oil Subaru puts in the Forester MT (mine is an '04 XT). The tranny always shifted very easily and smoothly with the OEM oil.

    Any help greatly appreciated.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I think it takes 75w90 or 80w90, basically some thick stuff. I put Mobil 1 synthetic 75w90 in my Miata, and conventional dino oil 80w90 in my Forester. Both have been fine.

    Get a funnel and a long tube, feed it down from the engine bay. Fill until it tops off.

    Draining is easy, there is a plug at the bottom of the tranny tunnel.

    It's about as easy as doing an oil change, if you want to try this yourself. The oil is something like $3-5 per quart and you need 3-4 quarts IIRC.

    -juice
  • samiam_68samiam_68 Member Posts: 775
    Juice - thanks for the advice.

    I went out and got 4 qts of Valvoline 75W-90 Gear oil - GL-5, MT-1, non-synthetic ($4.29 each). Changed the oil myself this afternoon. Except for spilling some when draining, everything else was pretty easy.

    I followed Peaty's excellent directions on scoobymods. The tranny took exactly 3.5 qts and the fluid level is just a hair above F on the dipstick.

    So far, it seems to be shifting A LOT smoother. I can actually get into first while rolling. I will see how it does after a few weeks. I'm guessing the dealer used much heavier oil.
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Hey congratulations on your new Forester! I use to have an 91 Eagle Talon turbo but mine was the AWD version (you must of have some serious torque steer with yours). What's funny is that I thought my Talon was a pretty darn fast little sports coupe yet the FXT (with 10 times the cargo capacity) would blow the doors off of it :surprise:

    -Frank
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    You da man! You make us proud! :shades:

    -juice (a do-it-yourselfer)

    PS Does your wife hate the smell of "gear oil cologne"?
  • samiam_68samiam_68 Member Posts: 775
    No wife... yet :P
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    SEE WHAT I MEAN!?

    ;)

    :D

    -juice
  • kumarikumari Member Posts: 72
    Try combining trips, it's those short drives with a lot of warming up that really kills your average.

    Well, on my second tank now and only 150 miles with 1/4 tank left. (Will post exact numbers at next fill-up - and I wait for the empty light to go on) I HARDLY ever engage the turbo - most drives are only 2-3 miles from home and I already combine trips (only drive around 3000 miles per year because of gas costs). No warmup necessary. Live in Southern California - was 81 degrees here yesterday! Have never had to warm up a car. Hoping that this mileage gets better. Premium just went up to $3.26/gallon here, 30 cents more than regular.

    Gas mileage notwithstanding, this is the best car I have ever driven - LOVE it! The acceleration, the handling ....... the cargo capacity!

    Samantha
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    Samantha, you gave yourself away (The acceleration) lol.

    If I don't get 300 miles to the fuel gauge 1/4 point in my XS, something is wrong. So far nothing has been wrong :)

    John
  • dstew1dstew1 Member Posts: 275
    My XT auto usually shows somewhere between 220-240 when it gets to the 1/4 tank mark. The guage is going to vary slightly from car to car, but not THAT much. But there's no reason to talk about a plastic needle when we can look at actual numbers - since you said you're on your second tank - did you calculate mileage after your first fill-up?

    If you're going easy on the turbo, the kind of mileage you're assuming is even questionable for the engine's break-in period.

    On the other hand, you can also be TOO cautious with acceleration - particularly with the automatic transmission. On more than one occasion I've managed to be so reserved in my input on the accelerator that the car tricks itself into staying in a lower gear (usually first, as it happens from a stop) while eventually revving well into the 5000 range. As you can imagine this gets me nowhere fast while making the engine do a lot of unnecessary work.

    While you want to be conservative with the turbo in order save on gas, you can use just as much gas by babying the accelerator, as your lower gears burn more fuel than the higher ones because the engine works harder down low. If you're spending too much time in 1st and 2nd, afraid to mash on the gas, even briefly, then you could be doing your pocketbook more harm than good.

    As an example, a lot of XT owners who use ECU reprogrammers (Cobb, Ecutek) in order to get more power from their vehicles by maximizing the torque curve and boost control ALSO suprisingly report a 1-2 mpg increase in mileage despite the added acceleration (since usually the two don't go hand in hand). Popular theory behind this is that since these devices create smoother shifts (especially between 1st-3rd), reducing the amount of time the engine in those lower, harder working gears, they end saving the engine a little of that hard work down low.

    My advice would be to drive it like you feel like it wants to be driven (in most circumstances ;) ). On the other hand, given you make mostly 2-3 mile trips, depending on what traffic is like you may never reach 4th gear, and only occasionally touch 3rd, in which case you may be out of luck. Sadly, in an FXT, 15 mpg is definitely not out of the question for driving habits like that...

    Doug
  • kumarikumari Member Posts: 72
    Thanks for the tips, Doug. The more I drive, the more I think I might have liked a manual trans even better - at least then I would know for sure what gear I was in! Would a turbo boost gauge help? The first tank got around 15 mpg - was hoping this one would be better. On the next tank, I will drive the car more assertively - I have been babying the engine. There's nothing I can do about the short trips, though. Everything I do is very close to home. The farthest I have driven was around 25-30 miles round-trip (and that was only one time).

    Samantha :shades:
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    http://s60.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=...3N1DZI2N7K9O7MV
  • dstew1dstew1 Member Posts: 275
    The link's not working (seems to have omitted some of the url when you posted it) - could you repost it or direct us to where we might be able to find the article?

    Thanks.
    Doug
  • destroirdestroir Member Posts: 4
    I've been driving my car for two weeks (just bought it and it only has 700 Km on it now) and I've noticed some hesitation when accelerating... in 2nd and 3rd gears mostly. It's at the low end of the RPM band (between 2500 and 3500). It's not as noticeable as the car warms up, but it's still there. I have been, for the most part, abiding by the "break-in rules" - only been above 5000 RPMs a few times and haven't driven it hard at all.

    Any thoughts out there about this problem?

    Just thought I'd see what you guys had to say before i called the dealer.

    Thx,
    D.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I found it over at nasioc, News and Rumors form. I don't remember which thread, however.

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Auto or manual? The auto takes a while to learn your driving style. Until then, shifts can lag a bit.

    If it's a manual, try rolling into the throttle gradually, don't stab it (floor it). L-GT owners suggest that.

    -juice
  • destroirdestroir Member Posts: 4
    Manual.

    Thanks... but I found this;
    http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/attachment.php?s=df5c530525310bf880211ee81cecea- - d5&attachmentid=4272

    I think/hope this is the problem and solution.

    Entire thread:
    http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?p=20694

    Cheers,
    D.
  • spokanemanspokaneman Member Posts: 1
    If your trips are only 2 to 3 miles, it is unreasonable to expect anything approaching EPA rated mileage. Internal Combustion engines are very inefficient until they reach normal operating temperature, which takes at least 3 miles or so, even in warm ambient temperatures. At that point your trip is over.

    Trips of that length are very hard on the vehicle because water and byproducts of incomplete combustion accumulate in the crankcase and exhaust system, and never get a chance to boil away. I have the same problem with my daughters car, as her school commute is about 3 miles. So, I have her take the long way around at least once a week to give the engine a chance to get rid of the water and acidic deposits.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Very well stated. :shades:

    -juice
  • gagecalmangagecalman Member Posts: 11
    I have a 2005 FXT that is a year old with 9800 miles. I am changing to synthetic and was looking at Mobil 1. I was wondering what people were running in their vehicles. Subaru recommends 5-30 but I hear people running 10-30 in warmer weather. I live in Baltimore MD. I went to Mobil.com and looked at the properties for different Mobil 1 oils. It looks like the 5-30 is thicker at 100 C than the 10-30(11.3 vs 10.0) so now I am confused. I could really use some help.
    Also has anyone used Wix oil filters on their Subaru? Thanks Jim
  • lfdallfdal Member Posts: 679
    I've tried a number of different synthetics (Quaker State and Castrol) as well as some synthetic blends. Regarding the blends, depending on who you talk to, it can become a religious issue.

    The reason I mention that, is that every third oil change, about 9000 miles, I send out a sample to Blackstone Labs to look at. I do this on my 04XT and my wife's 03 OBW. In all cases, except for the synthetics, the oil that goes in as 10w-30 changes to a 5w-30 viscosity by the time its run 3000 miles or so.

    Currently I'm running QS high HP 10w/30 synthetic blend. Seems to give me the best reults on the Backstone reports.

    Even with the synthtics, the flashpoint remains marginal om my FXT. Colin put up a good explanation of flashpoint quite a while back.

    On the other hand, even with a synthetic, if you read the owner's manual carefully, you'll find there's no relief on the change time with a synthetic vs a dino oil. Someone's also asked SOA about that and posted the same answer direct from Subaru.

    Most of my trips are of the 4 mile variety, probably 70-80% of the time. That's the rason I don't complain about 14 mpg.

    Although they can't complain about it if you use another brand filter, I'd be tempted to buy a box of Subaru filters and a dozen crush washers.

    HTH

    Larry
  • destroirdestroir Member Posts: 4
    update;

    I brought the car in to Subaru and they said that everything was "normal". They hooked it up to the computer and active valve timing was at 9.4% (whatever that means) and that they didn't notice any hesitation during the test drive. Very annoying! I asked them if they even looked at the union screw filter and they said, "No, the computer indicated that nothing was wrong and the service bulletin that you gave us was from the U.S. and wasn't applicable in Canada". :confuse: "Is there no filter in the Canadian Foresters?", I asked sarcastically. "Well, yes, but the bulletin isn't for Canada so we didn't check." GREAT!

    As the Service guy pulled my car out of the bay, he cranked the wheel all the way and it made a strange high pitch pulsating squeel type of noise. I never crank the wheel all the way so I hadn't heard this noise until then. The Service schmo said taht it didn't sound normal. My question is - is it normal? Is this some kind of warning that you've cranked the wheel too far? It wasn't a really loud sound but it was definitely apparent.

    Any comments would be appreaciated.

    Thx,
    D.
  • kumarikumari Member Posts: 72
    Most of my trips are of the 4 mile variety, probably 70-80% of the time. That's the rason I don't complain about 14 mpg

    At last, someone else who only gets 14 MPG. I thought I was the only one!! Yup, car still getting 13/14 MPG - even with 10 mile trips and some freeway driving! 2006 Forester XT Automatic.

    But, I love the car!

    Samantha :shades:
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Looks like it will finally get 17" alloy rims for MY07. This from a dealer web site.

    -juice
  • kumarikumari Member Posts: 72
    I just bought my 06 Forester Turbo in March thinking it was the best combo of SUV/sports car (except for the Cayanne) on the market. Just now, I was watching TV and saw a tremendous ad for the new Mazda CX-7.

    I don't know cars like you guys do, so will someone please tell me is the Mazda is now the second fastest SUV on the road (we all know the Cayanne is #1).

    I'm gonna go and check the Mazda out, even though I just bought my car. Just how sick am I gonna get??? Anyone test drive one yet??

    Samantha

    P.S. Still getting between 13-14 MPG no matter how I drive the car. Really, really disappointed with the mileage, which was the entire reason I bought a 4-cylinder car (and now I've got a 4-cyl car that requires Premium!!) :cry:
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    The easy solution is to kill your TV and then block your browser ads. :D

    Steve, Host
  • bkaiser1bkaiser1 Member Posts: 464
    The CX7 looks like an impressive vehicle, but I don't know that anyone has called it "fast." True it's got the Mazdaspeed 6's turbo 4 in it, but from what I've read the acceleration and gas mileage are nothing to write home about. It's seems to be a very sporty-handling and looking car, and it does make decent power, but I wouldn't necessarily rank it higher than the XT in my mind. Enjoy your new car -- it's really one of the best on the market!

    Brian
  • dstew1dstew1 Member Posts: 275
    Check out the top right hand of your screen - you'll notice the CX7 review is Edmund's featured video.

    According to the video, it's plenty fast for highway passing but lacks good low-end grunt, giving it a 0-60 time somewhere in the upper 7s. They do say it handles well though, which is no surprise given it's a Mazda.

    So no, it's not the "second fastest SUV on the road," but neither is the stock Cayenne turbo the fastest; you'd probably have to look to Jeep for that distinction. Their Grand Cherokee SRT8 with the 6.1L Hemi is a few ticks faster in a straight line than both the stock FXT and Cayenne turbo. Motor Trend ran a 4.8 0-60 in the Jeep, with it doing 13.5 in the 1/4 mile.

    Doug
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    CX7 is heavy, I think C&D took high 7s to reach 60mph as well. That's not slow, but not nearly as quick as your XT, even the autos are a good 1.5 seconds quicker. The manuals leave 'em in the dust.

    Mazda has had issues with heat soak on the MazdaSpeed6, so this powertrain is still not fully sorted out, plus it's v1.0. I'm not saying I would not consider one, but I would not buy one until I knew those issues were sorted out.

    I love the styling of the CX7.

    -juice
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Personally, I'm confident that the FXT is still the best combo of SUV/sports car on the market :) The Cayenne TURBO is faster but then its price is also pushing 6 figures! X3 owners claim that it has sportier handling but it too costs twice as much as the FXT.

    I'm baffled on how exactly you're only managing 13-14 mpg :confuse: Have you taken a several hundred mile hwy trip in it and if so, what was your mpg? The lifetime mpg avg for my manual XT (mostly hwy) is almost 24 mpg.

    -Frank
  • rbladerrblader Member Posts: 28
    We don't typically get good gas mileage on our FXT/4EAT either. But on our way home from our Memorial Day weekend roadtrip(which took us from OC,CA to Crater Lake, OR), we drove from Monterey,CA back to Orange County,CA (370 miles) via Pacific Coast Highway (Big Sur) and 101 on ONE TANK of gas. I still had enough gas left to go to work (20 miles) the next day. I was really surprised that our XT could reach almost 400 miles on 1 tank. By the way, don't try to pump your own gas in Oregon... it's illegal. : )
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    Oregon must be the land of the lost gas cap and the check engine light. I wonder if they get annoyed if you tighten up your gas cap before leaving the station.

    I wonder how our bearded submariner Ballistic is doing (Oregon, wasn't he?)

    John
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    When I visit over there (state line is ~40 miles away), I always hang around the tank to prevent topping off and I do click the cap myself. :shades:

    Steve, Host
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Southern CA to Crater Lake? Whoa that's a pretty long weekend road trip! Crater lake is stunning though and certainly worth the drive, I need to go back there.

    -Frank
  • nibsnibs Member Posts: 65
    Hi Samantha, you may recall that I too owned an 06 FXT Auto. Although a wonderful car, the longer I drove it the more the deficiencies began to matter to me. For example, a telescopic steering with wheel mounted audio controls, 5 speed auto with manual capabilities, factory tinted windows and the console was mounted too low in the car as well. Otherwise I found the FXT to be the perfect car but could not do without those other conveniences I mentioned and I therefore sold the FXT and purchased a Volve XC70 Ocean Race. Hopefully Subaru will gather their wits and incorporate or at least make optional the things those like myself want in a vehicle of this cabiber.

    Good luck!
  • growler5growler5 Member Posts: 67
    Agreed, Subaru could add a few more niceties to capture a bit more ot the upscale market share. But given that the MSRP of a basic XC70 is about 30% more than a base FXT, you're talking about two different "calibers" here.

    (Starting price of a XC70 is $8k more than FXT.)

    I could make the same argument for dumping my '05 FXS for a different vehicle that I drove in late May. This vehicle was by far superior to the FXS (or FXT or XC70) in terms of comfort, driveability and performance. But there is no way I could justify saying that Subaru needs to gather their wits and add more content or options to the Forester to enable it to compete with a Ferrari F430. :shades:
  • kdshapirokdshapiro Member Posts: 5,751
    I agree with your assessment. Pay more get more. Would I like to see Subaru add more content to the Forester and hold the price! Would I like to see a car with $38K of options sell for the price of an XT Premium? You bet! I'd buy two. But that ain't gonna happen.
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    A telescopic steering wheel with audio controls would definitely be nice to have.

    IMO, manually shiftable automatic transmissions are rarely used once the test drive is over and ther car is in your garage (if you really wanted to shift yourself you'd buy a manual tranny).

    Factory tinted windows would also be nice but aftermarket looks just as good and is fully customizable. It is susceptable to scratching or tearing but without abusive treatment, it will last for years.

    -Frank
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    IMO, manually shiftable automatic transmissions are rarely used once the test drive is over and ther car is in your garage (if you really wanted to shift yourself you'd buy a manual tranny).

    I agree. I'd be curious, if we took a poll of man-u-matic owners, how many actually use the manual shift function? Do they ever use it, and if so under what conditions? I suspect many rarely if ever use it. I bet the ones who do use frequent car sites like this, and those who don't, are not gearheads. ; )

    Even so, I'd rather have it than not have it.

    Bob
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    I've driven rental cars with man-u-matics and while it was fun doing the shifting for the first few times, I quickly got bored and just let the auto tranny do its thing from then on.

    Would I rather have it? Sure but would I be willing to pay several hundred more for it? Putting ego aside, obviously not :)

    -Frank
  • nibsnibs Member Posts: 65
    I use the Man-u-matic during towing or going up or down steep hills. I also use it when offroad to my cottage/camp. It is a good means of controlling speed down a hill.

    I believe that the few things I mentioned are not extremely pricey options. In most cases the auto manufactureror has used such equipment in other models. For instance I believe Subaru mounted a telescoping radio mounted control steering in either Europe or in Australia. Why not give us all the same access of those oftions? JMO
  • nibsnibs Member Posts: 65
    Without those additional options that I have mentioned I could not get fully comfortable.

    Now I drive the Volvo XC70 and am totally comfortable. The torque isn't there on the lower end like the FXT but it is a better cruiser with the fifth gear.

    Have a great drive!
  • kumarikumari Member Posts: 72
    Hi Samantha, you may recall that I too owned an 06 FXT Auto. Although a wonderful car, the longer I drove it the more the deficiencies began to matter to me. For example, a telescopic steering with wheel mounted audio controls, 5 speed auto with manual capabilities, factory tinted windows and the console was mounted too low in the car as well.

    I'm 100% with you on the window tinting issue - my car is like a Swedish sauna, even with the reflective shade I always have to put on the windshield. I never knew a car could get so hot!! And the little cubbies for sunglasses, etc., are virtually unusable! Already fried two pairs of glasses and anything kept in those ceiling cubbies gets too hot to put on your nose without burning it! I love driving the car, but it is the most poorly insulated thing I have ever driven. I'm having it tinted in the next 2 weeks, as dark as I can get away with. Even tinting the moonroof and hoping that will help. Now, if I could just find something, ANYTHING, to improve the lousy (13 MPG) gas mileage.....

    I'm wondering what your city MPG in the Volvo will be? And, if it's as fun of a car to drive?

    I pulled a "rice rocket" maneuver tonight on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. I was behind a Porsche Carrerra that was driving too slowly and there was barely enough room to get in front of him from the other lane, but I shot out just like "warp speed" in the Star Wars movies. My head smacked back against the headrest. Must admit, the car impresses! It's a fast little sucker! The last time I pulled such a maneuver, the guy caught up with me and pulled up with a shocked look in his smile. I rolled down my window and said "it's a TURBO" and sped away. I'm thinkin', it's a great way to flirt with guys driving Porsches. Wouldn't try it with a Ferrari, though! :P

    Samantha
  • nibsnibs Member Posts: 65
    Samantha,

    Totally agree that the FXT was/is a hoot to drive. I loved the spirit of the car. The fuel economy sucked big time and yes the Volvo is better on the highway but about the same around town due to the weight of the XC. Fuel capacity is nearly the same but I now can go nearly 700 KMs on a tank.
    The Volvo may not be as light on its feet but the comfort level is so much higher.

    I too had all of my windows tinted, except of course the front drivers and passenger windows. If ever Subaru takes this vehicle seriously and makes the effort that can launch the FXT into a higher level of performance and customer satisfaction I will then revisit it.

    I did look at the Cobb upgrades as a means of bringing out the capabilities of the FXT but needless to say I am now looking at improving the low end torque of the XC70.

    Good luck to you with your FXT.

    Nibs ;)
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