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Comments
Or maybe they did the research and it told them their market has evaporated because that buyer just went out and bought a GTI.
Yeah granted the GTI has fanboi styled wheels, but I've already ordered a set of 17 x 7.5 Enkei Tuning Fujin wheels with a set of 225/45 R17 Yokohama AVID ENVigor tires to replace the factory 18" Detroit wheels (the complete set will be on Craig's List sometime next week).
Subaru needs an inbetween model, and not just the XV 2.5.
Put the BRZ's engine (FA20) in the Sport model, exclusively, make the name mean something.
What is the cost that is been quoted for you ? please share your price.
Looking for
2012 Impreza Premium 5-Door with CVT auto transmission
I guess in CA, PZE is automatic...
There are still a few 2011 Nissan Juke AWD in my area. I am confused to go with cheaper 2011 Nissan Juke or wait and give a deposit for Impreza.
2012 Juke AWD cost same as Impreza so have a limited amount of time to decide.
Please share your experience and thoughts
But, aesthetics aside, the useable space on the Impreza looks better; I haven't run the numbers on them, though. The Impreza AWD is superior - do you live in an area of CA that really needs it? If so, that may be a factor.
Fuel economy on the Juke is significantly lower (25/30 versus 27/36 on the Impreza), which also may be a factor depending on how much -and where- you drive.
we ordered the 5Dr limited with pkg 1, nav and moonroof, in deep cherry pearl with ivory leather interior.....Im planning on it replacing my 200K 04 malibu maxx. I currently have a 100 mile roundtrip commute each day through some back country roads, so looking forward to the AWD and improved MPG over my Chevy, though it has been a true workhorse for me with no problems at all.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm
But basically you'll spend about $350 more per year to fuel up the Juke, which is much smaller inside.
If you get it, just make sure you like it a LOT better.
I will respectfully disagree with you and throw my lot in with shipo.
Beware the argument that the professionals must know what they're doing.
And beware the focus group.
Just ask Ford; they focus-grouped their minivan in the 90s and concluded that driver's side sliding doors were unnecessary. They found out very quickly what the market really thought.
It's not that Subaru is a "different kind of company," to borrow a phrase, it's that Subaru truly has a different kind of customer.
First up, they have all of VW's customers from 20 years ago, at least the sane ones. And now that VW reliability is up, that's who they stand to lose customers to.
Then it has all the people that don't like what the mainstream has to offer -- I'm not just talking about the AWD market, which they have clearly cornered.
I'm talking about the "real" outdoors people who need their cars to get their toys to the river or the mountain. And to do it for better than 14 mpg.
All the brands have cars that purport to cater to those markets, but in reality, they cater to the posers more than anything else -- that's a big market, nothing wrong with selling goods to posers, but Subaru's customers are looking for something different.
What's the industry-wide take rate for manuals? My last numbers are a decade old, and it was well under 10% then. Subaru's is way high -- I dont' remember the number, but I do remember reading it somewhere. It was higher than the mainstream, and I certainly believe the Impreza's 30% take rate.
Now consider the used side: A few years back, when I had access, I searched Manheim auction reports for used Outbacks. Nationwide, several hundred cars; the manuals made up 3 percent of that bunch. Why the difference?
A lot of Subaru's core customers buy a car every ten years or so; they get the manual, they drive the snot out of it, then they pass it on to a family member or sell it on the street. And then they get a new one.
Subaru just screwed up big-time by putting a useless rack on the Outback. Their focus groups told them that it was wonderful, but the paddling forums are full of people looking for alternatives.
It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of people, like shipo, weren't turned off by not being able to get things like sunroofs and leather with their manual-transmission cars.
If Subaru wants to sell mainstream cars to mainstream people, they will find that they can't really compete with Toyota. They better not alienate their traditional customers.
FWIW, I've never owned a Subaru, though I'm fixin' to.
Cheers -Mathias
I wonder if the 30% Impreza stick shift number includes WRXs?
If Subaru is going to put more sticks in more cars, they should do it right: put in 6 speeds that get at least as good fuel economy as their CVTs, and keep engine revs (and noise) down at cruise like CVTs do. Otherwise Subaru will be forced to put more CVTs into the mix just to meet the Federal fleet FE regs.
Also very well said; a 6-Speed Impreza would make a wonderful compliment to the CVT model.
Bob
Considering how conservative Subaru is at introducing new technology, I was surprised that the 2012 Impreza received both a new engine and a new CVT in the same model year. So, thinking we would get new engines and two new transmissions simultaneously is simply a pipe dream. Such a manual transmission next model year is a possibility, though.
Heck, they didn't even manage to put the CVT into the Forester in the 2012 model year, which I expected after the new engine intro in 2011. I'm sure it will be there for the new 2013 model.
Personally, I don't care if the Impreza ever gets six speeds unless the transmission offers better utility with smoother shifting. I don't ascribe to the "more is better" school of thought. The five speed is perfectly adequate for the job it performs and it is dead reliable. If they want to improve on that through a six-speed, great. If not, give me a better five-speed and I'm just as happy.
Well... Hyundai/Kia rolled out four new engines and three new 6-speed transmissions within one year. For example, the 2011 Elantra got not only an new engine but two new 6-speed trannies. Same with the low-bucks Accent (and Kia Rio). I know Subaru has fewer resources, but I don't think it's too much to ask to give us the 6MT that they already sell in other countries, along with the CVT.
A 6th cog could provide a super-overdrive that might get FE of the manual close to that of the CVT, and also reduce RPMs and engine noise on the highway.
Given the engine's ratings, etc., I don't know that a taller gear would serve much purpose other than exercising the left leg a little more. Perhaps the midwest/plains areas would get good utility out of it.
Is there a lot of "new technology" in a 6-speed manual tranny?
This car wasn't very conservative:
... usually, top gear stays the same and sometimes it even gets shorter. I believe the 2001+ Miatas are a case in point. As is the RX-8, but that's a whole different ballgame.
The car makers don't trust us to drive the car properly and stay out of 6th unless we know we'll just be "cruising" for a while.
I don't drive much, but I from what I do see out there, I'd say the car makers have a point. "Driving as a skill" does not seem to interest a lot of people.
Still, a nice & sporty 5speed PLUS a really tall 6th for fuel efficiency -- you know, for driving I-70 in Kansas on a calm day -- would be a really good idea.
One would have to know how to use it, though.
Cheers -Mathias
Bob
Subaru tends to be quite conservative when it comes to rolling out new technology
And you have a company which peaked last year and will not grow again until that changes. Plain and simple.
I have a Miata and yes, the 6th ratio is so close to 5th, it's pointless. I usually skip 5th.
But...Subaru's 5 speed doesn't match the CVT for fuel economy, and it should match it, or even beat it. Especially real-world.
Remember, they made the gas tank smaller. A tall cruising gear would help range per tank. C&D only got 24mpg out of their Impreza tester.
As for traffic, well, I've lived on some of the most congested cities in the world and with the exception of the nearly four years I was banished to minivandom (complete with an automatic), I've driven exclusively manual transmissions since the mid 1970s. Can't say that even in the worst of the multi-hour grinds through Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, New York, Boston, and Stuttgart, I never once wished for an automatic (quite the opposite while I was driving a family minivan).
I agree with you, though.... In today's automotive world, their pace is too slow even if the current machinery is tried, true, and adequate.
And to bring this full circle ... the SVX was only available with an automatic transmission.
John
If you want a quick approximation of invoice as compared to a particular Subaru's MSRP, just take the MSRP and multiply it by 0.94.
Is anyone hearing a date for vehicles to go back on sale?
NASIOC thread
I'm still waiting for mine. I know it's in transit.
Anyway, the stereo on the Base is so basic--just 4 speakers and a CD, no iPod jack etc.--and with no cruise, I will have to go with the Premium.
I had a two-tone Civic hatch once (1985). So I guess a two-tone Impreza would be a trip back 25 years for me.
The back end of the car is just so blocky. It makes me want to gag when I see it with light colors, but the dark ones seem to tone it down a bit.
In general, though, I'm leaning away from the Impreza as my own purchase... but I still want to drive one (or two). I have some time yet to decide what I want to purchase. We'll see what MY13 brings to the automotive world.
Seriously, I would never buy another car without heated seats. Once you live with them for a while, you'll agree. On a cold day, they'll warm you up much faster than the car's heater.
Bob
A Premium hatch with MT lists around $20k. Not too bad... actually pretty close to the likes of a Focus SE hatch with alloys, and that doesn't have AWD.