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The dealer charged me $39.95 for rotate and balance.. do I really need both.. or a rotate only...
Also, what are you doing about the paint? What year is your Impreza and how bad did it get?
Sol
Just get a can of touch-up paint. I've had one for every car I've owned for as long as I can remember. Dings are unavoidable.
Mine is a 2003, and for a while it was chipping quite a bit, and I was painting over them like once every month or two. I think the rock shield helps, and I also don't pay as much attention as I used to as the car has gotten older.
To get me to work while they were fixing the paint on my Subaru Impreza, they rented a car for me. The car I got was a Chrysler with the identical paint. The paint was all scratched up, just like my Subaru. I think the quality of paint is on the decline...or maybe the dealers try to sell you a hardner to make a few more bucks. This is my first experience with getting an incomplete product. I will be very careful with the next purchase. Buying a new car today seams full of pitfalls.
Sol Briks
Dana
Not sure what the next step is to deal with the rust issue. The dealer has proposed body shop work, but my experience with prior cars that this only buys a few years in Canadian conditions, and the rust returns. Any feedback / comments are invited. I really like the feel and drive of this wonderful car.
Thanks
I would let them fix it.
Manual transmission
Dark, dark gray with black cloth
Also had some port installed options:
STi metal pedals (sporty, but out of sight, mostly)
Mesh sport grille.. Instead of the normal bars.. looks really good.
STi short-shift kit.. this is awesome... really short throws..
Traded in my '02 CR-V, and leased this one for two years...
Only 200 miles so far.. but, here goes.
Likes
Shifter
AWD
Better handling than expected
Supportive, sporty seats
Great visibility
Decent power
6 disc CD in-dash (part of premium pkg)
Steering wheel stereo controls
Comfortable rear seating (for two)
Plenty of fore-aft room (leg room for adults in rear)
Alloy wheels (part of premium pkg)
Fog lights (premium pkg)
Stability Control (premium pkg)
Nice size trunk w/fold down rear seats
ABS and a half-dozen airbags
Dash appearance and layout (step up from Civic and Corolla)
Dislikes
Throttle.. hangs on to revs too long.. shifts aren't smooth (yet.. I'll get it)
Engine.. I'm partial to Honda in-lines in comparison.. a little rough
EPA fuel mileage estimates.. 20/27. Hopefully, I'll do better
Cloth interior... relatively unattractive.. doesn't look durable
That's about it... It is a little more mature looking than the last model, though I wouldn't say it's pretty.. Metallic paint is very rich looking... I can't tell if the engine is noisy, or if it's the dual exhausts... Doesn't bother me, either way, though.. I'm happy with it, and very happy with the lease payment..
regards,
kyfdx
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The Premium package is a bargain. In fact, per car_man it actually increases the residual values as a %, so it basically pays for itself.
I think the whole hangs-on-to-revs issue is for emissions purposes, but that's just an educated guess.
That's what I thought, as well.. This is the first stick that I've bought since '98, so I'm sure they've changed... I'm learning to get off the gas just before I shift.. It's not as weird as it sounds, and I'm getting smoother... The shifter is great and the clutch is good.. It's not Honda-like, but I'm still glad to be back rowing my own gears...
The premium package is $1500 more.. It would be a bargain, even if it didn't improve the residuals... A lot of stuff for that amount (stability control.. didn't even know I was getting it, until I read the sticker)..
Now.. having to hang out with the Subaru Crew? :surprise:
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-mike
Exterior
Interior
looking In
Bob
I love the stuff i got to pick out better than factory options. The sunroof I got is amazing! Double vent, multi position one touch auto close option... I think customizing a base model has a lot of advantages if you don't want to go with premium fuel and hood scoop etc. on a wrx. I think i got something different and it was about $22.5K total. Granted, I did give up wrx performance. But I live in Minnesota, so I am focused on the AWD and heated seats!
We had an aftermarket moonroof on our 2002 Legacy and we were happy with it.
Our 2009 Forester Limited had the huge moonroof standard, so I can't complain.
Looks great! :shades:
-mike
Likes
* Great handling
* oodles of power
* more fun to drive each day...I am hoping this continues after the break in period.
* I fit in it comfortably, actually 4 grown ups fit comfortably.
* Radio - MP3 jack, 6 disk MP3 via CD functionality, good sound.
Dislikes
* Jerky power delivery under normal driving conditions in "Sport Sharp Mode".
* Cheap headliner - see edmunds long term test blog
* Summer tires - this isn't so bad, they are great, but I cannot expect to use them year round...so I need to spend $$$ on all seasons later on.
* Radio - Poor radio performance and sound while running stock radio.
Neutral
* cheap interior overall...I knew I was buying a base subaru with 18K worth of performance enhancements...there are no major luxury add-ons to this car. I was shopping against Lexus IS-250, Infiniti GX35x..so I chose all out performance vs. leather wood grain appointments.
* Gas mileage isn't great, but not the worst. I average 16-17 around town, 23 Highway...however it is as advertised and my Isuzu got 9 mpg...so it is almost double.
I drove an IS250 AWD on a short track at the Audi Driving Experience and I have no doubt you choose the better performing car - in every way. The Lexus did have plush leather and nice wood, but you could do circles around one.
Likes
* fits a good amount of stuff and comfortable
* handling, power
Dislikes
* Constant plastic popping noise from the trunk area going over highway expansion joints - This is caused by the removeable trunk cover - I wiggle it like crazy and cannot hear it...take it off and there is no popping. Annoying, my kids even said it was annoying - not just an OCD thing.
* HID low beams - Adjusted as high as possible, they are not really good over 35 mph. They are so sharp and cutoff into dark that you cannot see very far. Lots of flipping between low and high beams on dark curvy country roads.
Interesting
* some reviews have called this car front heavy...I noticed downshifting into a corner that the front does feel heavy and the back light...it almost feels like the car is ready to have the back swung around to do one of those rally turns with the car flying sideways. I wonder if on the road I should have the center diff adjusted more towards a rear wheel drive car while hitting winding country roads.
Put some Hella 4000s on the front
hee hee.
-mike
Thanks for any information.
Dana
I grew up driving country roads and never experienced low beams that are this short, though I never drove with HID's. I haven't had enough chance to get used to them, so I will let time tell for now.
Well, the customizations were done at Automotive concepts here in Minneapolis. the leather is Katskin, and is basically a kit. So there really isn't a lot of difficult chores to make the base 2.5 really cool. I think it was a great way to go, and stay under $22,000. By the way, the seats are heated. If you need any more info, just holler!
I grew up driving country roads and never experienced low beams that are this short, though I never drove with HID's. I haven't had enough chance to get used to them, so I will let time tell for now.
Low beams are not made to be any kind of distance lights. If there is no oncoming traffic you are supposed to use the highbeams. Also don't forget that you are coming from the Trooper that has the lights significantly higher off the ground, so by default they will have a wider-further pattern.
I dunno, I have projectors in my LGT that I've since converted to HIDs and they seem to be ok for normal driving in the country, but I do use my highbeams when there isn't oncoming traffic.
-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host
So far..
26.1
26.6
27.1
28.2
Is it because there is a gauge, telling me my mpg? I think so..
The gauge is actually about 1.5 mpg off on the optimistic side.. My numbers are from the actual calculation..
I'll probably get tired of this game, soon, and just drive at my normal rapid pace... I'll be happy with anything at 26 mpg or above, as the car was only rated at 20/27..
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We just filled up our 2009 Forester automatic and it got 25.5mpg in mixed driving, mostly around town.
If revs are too low, you can feather the throttle to get a smooth shift, but nothing you can do if revs are too high..
So, made an appointment and took it in this AM..
Good news: There is a service bulletin for this exact problem, dated Sept 5th. The cure is a reflash of the ECM programming files.
Bad news: Service having a problem with their computer, and it hasn't dowloaded the new files. Have to bring it back, after they have the download.
At least I'm not the only one..
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Hopefully they sort it out with the reflash. Keep us posted.
However, you should still be close to the official consumption figures once the car is fully broken in.
Our new Forester Limited auto gets 22-24 or so around town, 27-33 on the highway (more at lower speeds, less going fast).
Ours did improve with break-in, as vcheng mentioned.
Your Impreza is lighter so you should be able to match or beat our numbers.
Enjoy the new set of wheels. :shades:
Still, you should not have that problem on a brand new car. Take it in before the rotors get any worse.
Big time panic stop... made it by about six inches..
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The rear brakes actually can do something to help.
But, snow or even just wet roads.... Subaru should be ashamed to put them on an AWD vehicle...
Kudos to the kid.. "Dad! Watch out!" :P
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Plus, a revelation that I really wasn't expecting - this is the first Subaru I have ever driven with a factory sound system that was not only decent but actually quite good (mine has the 10-speaker circle sound dealie, not the base stereo)! :-)
I remember how bad the Potenzas on my previous Sube were in snow or rain....I'm glad summer is approaching! When these are worn out I will certainly be changing brands.
How many miles do you have now? I forget, yours is a 2.5 Premium, right?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I'm somewhere around 12,500 miles, I think...
Other than than the weird look of the cloth, I think the interior is one of the nicest in the small car category... The dash layout, console, etc. look like they came from the next model up the line.. Seat comfort and adjustability is good, as well..
The engine is definitely torquier than most inline-4s, but not so great at the upper reaches of the tach..
I'm not in love with mine.. but, it's a nice, short, cheap lease... with just 15 months to go...
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I am used to Imprezas not wanting to rev much - my old one was the same way. But while they are not especially fast, they are very torquey - going up steep hills at highway speed in top gear is usually not a problem. It's a great curvy-hilly-road car.
I'm still not sure if I will forgive Sube for cheaping out and deleting the coolant temp gauge, but it's a trend that's spreading among all automakers, so I guess I can't fight it. :-(
I guess if I had WRX money, Subaru would have deemed me worthy of a temp gauge.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
You won't miss it after a while.
Put it this way - my Miata has one, but no average mpg readout like the Forester has. I miss that trip computer function in the Miata, but I do not miss the temp gauge while in the Subaru.