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If it really concerns you a lot, get some mesh wire from home depot and hot-glue it to the back of the grille, it will be both stylish and functional.
-mike
-mike
And waiting for the full gauge sweep does improve matters: the loudness remains but the stuttering/chugging is reduced.
I AM babying my new car like I've never babied one before. Age has something to do with it (I'm now a mellow 34) but the instantaneous mileage display has been very revealing and instructive for me. You hear similar stories from Prius owners but it's just as effective for non-hybrids. When you get immediate feedback from the car on its fuel usage you are able to evaluate on-the-fly whether the current rate of consumption is appropriate. After all it is liquid money you are burning, among other things.
I was shocked to see the mpg's dip so low whenever I tried to maintain my speed - or worse, accelerate - up a hill. Allowing the car to slow a little when going uphill saves a lot of gas. Likewise, you burn a lot of gas whenever you accelerate (OK, this is intuitive), but I never realized that acceleration, even light acceleration, burned much more gas than maintaining your speed. So you learn not to drive so fast in situations where you may have to stop soon (suburban/city traffic) because you want to spend more time maintaining speed than accelerating.
Subaru apparently modified the gear ratios as well. They are pleasingly longer and require shifting later.
-mike
That said, I think the computer said I got 32 on the last tank and it was much closer to 30 (05 2.5i Legacy wagon 5spd).
-mike
The integration kit is part number H621SFG500 and it is actually for the '08 Impreza's.
Cheers!
-Ian
23 Civic Type-R / 22 MDX Type-S / 21 Tesla Y LR / 03 Montero Ltd
jeffmc - Actually, my wagon is an '05 but I purchased an '07 radio (Subaru part number 86201AG67A ~$400) a month or so ago as I was planning to add an Aux input plug in the center console cubby like the '07's come with. I had yet to install it when I found out about this integration kit. It just made the installation totally plug 'n play instead of having to add wires for the Aux jack. Plug 'n play I can do, tapping into the existing wire harnesses I'm not as comfortable with so I was going to pay a stereo installer to tackle it.
Next up is a Parrot bluetooth kit (which is also plug 'n play)! :shades:
Cheers!
-Ian
p.s. Not sure how the powers that be here are nowadays with references to other discussion boards but there is a lot more information in the Interior/Audio section of legacygt.com.
Cheers!
-Ian
Is Jamie with Chaplin's (subarugenuineparts.com) now, rather than Carter (allsubaru.com)?
23 Civic Type-R / 22 MDX Type-S / 21 Tesla Y LR / 03 Montero Ltd
Gotta love Subie Bucks!!!!
Yeah, Jamie moved to Chaplin's a couple years ago.
Cheers!
-Ian
-mike
Great to see you poppin' in at lgt.com and joining the wagon mafia!
It's totally plug and play. Unplug the connections at the back of the stereo, swap some mounting brackets and the plug for the hazard lights, plug everything back in where they fit and VOILA! New stereo with satellite radio/integrated iPod and AUX in capability. Well, OK, the AUX input won't be plug 'n play as you'll need to run some wires from where ever you decide to put the AUX port to the harness at the back of the HU.
If you're looking for further details on this do a search on "2007 Spec B radio" over at legacygt.com and you'll find all the details you could want.
Cheers!
-Ian
I want to carry 2 mtn bikes and a cargo case (I can't believe how much paraphernalia is required for an infant on a trip...stroller, pack-n-play, toys, etc).
Does anyone have any experience with either one?
23 Civic Type-R / 22 MDX Type-S / 21 Tesla Y LR / 03 Montero Ltd
Then again I don't know if the cross bars available from Subaru are long enough for a box and two bike mounts. Guess you'll have to do some measuring!
Cheers!
-Ian
Yeah I have the hidden-hitch already but I will be towing a small trailer on the way back. I have the Rhode Gear by Yakima 4 bike hitch mount rack - it is very entry level and while I do like that it holds 4 bikes, I don't like that the arms don't fold down making it hard to park in the garage or in the city.
I want the stroller and then pack-n-play to go on the roof and 2 ~25# mountain bikes. The cargo area of the wagon is where the dog hangs out on trips. I think there will be very few occasions where the box and the bikes will both be up there at the same time.
Sorry, just re-read those last posts. It's weight your worried about not space!
I've never used a cargo box so I can't comment about how heavy you can load those. I bet you can get a lot of stuff in there though!
I am not too worried about weight, I figure 50# of bike and 50# of baby stuff + 20# of rack and I'm still under the 150# limit with some room to spare.
I appreciate all of your thoughts and input.
After lurking here for sometime now and endless deliberations with myself about getting an OB, I think its time. My VW Passat wagon will need to be replaced and the 08 OB is contender for sure. I have driven in rental pre-08 OB's and there are somewhat unrefined as you stated, which has kept at arms length. Your comments on the overall performance is also encouraging. Its definitely a contendah!
The 2005 rides better than the Passat did on rough roads and has less throttle lag from a stop. No doubt the Passat had better 0-60 times for those who care.
The 3.0R VDC has much less understeer than the Passat which you will appreciate. High speed stability seems identical. Fuel economy for my six is similar to the W8 on the highway but much better in city driving. You might want to test drive the 3.0R.
W8's are great to drive but boy they need some $ for TLC ...
In all fairness my 03 VW Passat 1.8T wagon has been relatively troublefree over the last 4 years/135K miles and I have enjoyed driving it with a few tweaks (chipped, lowered suspension). I now have to change my ride because its too "old" for our company car plan.
I have always fancied the OB/Legacy especially one with 5MT. Shame they killed the Legacy GT wagon and the XT is beyond my budget (as is the new Passat Wagaon). I was going to wait for the Jetta Sportwagen but its will be in its first MY and I don't think I will have the same fortunes I have had with my Passat.
Looked at leftover 07 Mazda6 wagons and while the prices are right (they have $2,750 rebates on them!), the choices were either high-end GTs or low-end VEs, and no AWD.
I think the 2.5i with 5MT is a darn good package now and as before, its a contendah!
There is a downside to this: the new Outback is tamer, a little boring even. The current Outback is more like an Accord/Camry appliance; the refinement is there and the comfort and the smoothness but if you are a driving enthusiast you may not like it because that mechanical grittiness has been whittled away. It seems out of character to drive this car aggressively, it wants more relaxed and nuanced piloting.
And OK, the "brand new car" aura is starting to wear off. Some issues: the power windows squeak occasionally when lowering them, I notice a lot of little vibrations and noises but they happen in different places at inconsistent times, the felt covering the back of the rear seats is ALREADY starting to pill, no weather band on the radio, the new lighter tailgate shuts with a cheap, tinny sound, the headlights don't spread light high enough, I'm uncertain about how well the cloth seats are going to wear - the "suede"-like part seems a little cheap, the Potenza tires have ridiculously short tread-height (designed to be replaced too quickly). The theme here is cost-cutting and I don't see Honda/Toyota-esque build quality.
But for the price ($22K)... eh, you know, I just want to avoid the shop and the hassles of warranty repairs. I once owned a Ford Contour and I want to say "never again, Ford". My old Outback had very little problems and very favorable TCO so if I see the same out of my new Outback I will be satisfied and may continue to buy Subarus. Even though it's a wagon I appreciate the way it looks, I like the image it invokes - it suggests I am an educated, passionate, financially-secure, liberal-minded, outdoorsy-type who is confident enough to drive a station-wagon instead of a dreadful SUV. This kind of stuff can be a little hookey but it's true to a certain extent. Whenever I am at the trailhead or launch ramp, I always see Subarus, one after another after another. It's like a fraternity.
I thought your comments about drive-by-wire were interesting also. I thought the 03/04 still had a cable, but it might have been an early drive-by-wire implementation. I always felt that having a real cable controlling the throttle was smoother and more responsive than the computer controlling it, as it took out a few middle-men (you push gas, gas pulls cable, cable opens TB vs you push gas, electrical sensor reads pedal position, relays information to computer, computer runs algorithm to determine how much gas it should put in, tells the fuel system to put that much fuel in...etc).
I got a 5MT and this is one area where I want a traditional mechanical design. I know it is only a matter time before all cars (save performance/specialty cars) have mandatory automatic transmissions, even though these will likely be advanced (6+ speeds, CVT, etc). There's just no way in hell I am going to buy a 2008 model with an archaic 4 speed slushbox...and then pay $600-$1000 extra for it! That's just nuts.
I would have considered the 2008 CR-V but since Honda killed the MT for the current generation, Subaru re-earned my business. The only alternative I felt I had was the Suzuki SX4...just not the right fit.
* - Heh, yea, until I trade in the car! Dealers like to low-ball you on your 5MT trade because they say "nobody wants manuals".
The 5 speed ZF in my VW Passat wasn't any better and it had a extra cog, plus is had ridiculously expensive proprietary fluid requirements.
I'm close to leaving the world of VW too ... do you have an OB?
Retail cost of the option likely has little to do with actual costs.
I mean, would a say 08 OB with stock 17in wheels have the speedometer calibrated differently than say the base OB with the 16in wheels or would the manufacturer consider that for such a small difference (about 0.3in diameter for stock tires) that one car will be "inaccurate" and the other "accurate". It seems that quite often even comparable tire sizes are in reality different in diameter by 1/2in or more or even between different makes of the same size tire. It would certainly seem that if different wheel sizes are optional on a specific model it would be too much of a hassle in the factory to make sure the speedometer was specifically calibrated for one tire size.
I believe odometer laws actually prohibit them from reading fewer miles than have been actually traveled, hence my reasoning for that logic.
will probably get 215/65-16s for winter - 0.1in larger than the stock 17in RE92As (then when I replace the junk stock Potenzas with Nokians in the future I can put those 215s on another car which comes with 215/65-16s - the Sienna!)
now all I need is my darn car to be delivered from lafayette! I asked for a PZEV spec one and its taking forever, I just missed the cutoff for an order for Sept delivery!