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Comments
I like the 22psi recommended pressure. It's on the trim tags of millions of Explorers. No way 22psi is enough to support a 4000lb Explorer.
-Colin
I think this has been said before: those instructions aren't the greatest. They're basically pictures with little or no text.
I'll probably be ordering the subwoofer, trailer hitch, and bike rack (for the hitch) in the near future. Maybe I should get a digital camera first so I can take pictures of the installs....
-Brian
BTW I made it to Edmunds Live at Englishtown, NJ and drove the Esacpe and the Forester back-to-back. The Forester definitly rules over the Escape. The Escape had a wider turning radius, and little bit longer braking run also. It made me want to try the Outback on their course, but my wife quickly nixed that idea. 290 miles so far and it is NICE! Thanks for the help.
Mark
A lot of complaints about pulling to the right or being sensitive to the crown in the road. I thought my GT pulled to the right, but now I think the steering is just sensitive to any grades at all. I had my GT pulling to the left when I thought the road was pretty flat.
Brakes will be softer than you will probably expect, but you'll get use to it. The sedan's trunk has to be slammed pretty tight to close. RE-92 tires are only average. I can't wait til wear mine out. I'll probably replace with Goodrich Comp-TA HR4.
Other than these minor issues, I've got everything that I expected. No real disappointments except that my driver door suffered its first bad shopping cart dent. I don't even have 3000 miles on my GT yet and I get bashed by a shopping cart.
Don't do any undercoating or rustproofing. If you read up on the body treatments during manufacturing, I think you would agree that it's pretty well protected.
Read the test article linked on Edmunds.com's homepage (right now at least).
-Colin
An inline six would be even worse than a v6, as it is long and tall.
As far as debating the benefits of each type of architecture by itself... Eh, I'll pass.
-Colin
Think about it. Would you want to have a V-6 coming into your engine compartment in a front end collision, or a flat-6 that drops down and under? This is just my opinion, but it is based on seeing a lot of accident testimonials from Subaru owners and commentary from rescue personnel.
Just thought I'd share!
My '96 Outback called for 91 Octane which I used for the first 32k miles (over 3 years). After I planned to order a 2000 I changed to 87 and there was absolutely no difference in performance or otherwise over the next 8k miles
To those of you concerned about the cost of gas ...suggest you try priceline, got my last 50 gallons for $1.42.
Jerry
So I'd be interested in hearing from anyone with ownership experience with these things.
First 90% of the ones installed in the US including the subaru one are for astetic purposes only and don't provide a wink of protection. The main problem is that they are mounted so close to the vehicle that if they get hit, and pushed even 1/2 an inch, they are going to damage your grille, bumper, hood, light assemblies (and on wrap around ones your fenders) I've spoken with several body shops and they don't reccomend any bars that aren't at least 1-2 inches off the bumper and are connected to the frame (instead of the body)
Here is mine:
http://www.iace.com/ia/trooper
The place I got it from is:
http://www.ecb.com.au/
Juice saw the bar on my truck, these are quality bars and I like the non-gaudy look of the nudge bar (especially on a forester)
-mike
Breakin: Just don't use cruise and no hard breaking til 1000 miles. I've broken in all my cars like that and had no problems
Octane: run the lowest reccomended in the manual, until you hear knocking, then kick it up a notch until the knocking goes away. The OB should be fine on 87 (just don't get the 87 at like gaseteria or some other El Cheapo place) I'd stick to the major manufacturers personally (especially in our area)
-mike
Suggestions, anyone?
--Kate
Discover cashback isn't 1% until you reach some threshold. The Soob card is always 3%, and though it is in coupons, if you need stuff (and we'll all need service one day) it may be a better deal. Drawbacks: cashback coupons are in $100 increments (no change given!) and expire in 4 years.
Mastercard is taken in more places than Discover too.
Patti: yes, please come! It's great to meet people in person, it always surprised me. For example, I expect you to have a little halo above your head...
Brian: getting a digital camera would be great. I'm sharing instructions for the Forester, but it would be nice to have someone doing that for the Outback (especially since they sell more).
Mark: more details on Edmunds Live please! How'd the Escape do in the slalom? Where you able to push it hard? Did the tall sidewalls give in, or hang in there? What about off-road, and all of these compared to the Soob?
Yes, I saw paisan's push bar and it was sweet. Pure and simple, good function, not at all gawdy. I figure it'll absorb some punishment before the bumper even comes into play. Also a good place to mount lights if you need those.
-juice
As for Discover card, I somehow manage to reach the 1% threshold ($ 3000) really fast ;-(. However, 3% or better 5% sound really sweet.
I'll take a stab at the engine configurations, at least in general.
V6s are most common. They're not too long or wide, and can be angled at 54, 60, or 90 degrees, perhaps even other variations. Most require balance shafts, however, and the exhaust usually has to be tuned to sound right. They can be mounted transversely, like my wife's 626 (which complicates the route of power delivery), or longitudinally, which is generally preferred.
I6s are less common. BMW uses these, and soon the Chevy Blazer will. So does Lexus in the GS and IS 300. My '81 Mustang also had one of these. They're smooth and the exhaust sound is sweet, but they're very hard to package. They're long so they're mounted longitunidally, and require a long hood to accomodate the long block. They also tend to eat into front leg room, and reduce cabin space, hence the interior space in most models is compromised (the 3-series and IS300 are smallest-in-class).
H6s are rare, only Porsche and Subaru makes them nowadays. They have perfect second order balance, but are generally noisy so engineers work a lot on that. They offer flexible packaging: Subaru uses a longitunal front mount, while Porsche has a mid-engine configuration.
In Subaru's case, a short block with a longitudinaly mounted engine allows for straight drive shafts and less frictional loss in its power delivery. That's why they're more efficient than other AWDs with similar power.
I had guessed 20/25, but C&D stated the preliminary EPA figures are 19/24. Still, Volvo XC gets only 17/22 and the VW 4Motion 17/24 both with 22 fewer horsepower.
The block lies very, very low in the engine compartment, so the center of gravity is kept low. Also, as Patti stated, they'd slide under the passenger compartment in a front-end collision. Not surprisingly both the Legacy and Forester mastered the industry's toughest safety test - the IIHS offset front crash tests.
-juice
There are absolutely ZERO H6s available for test drive in the Bay Area. I was just at Carlsen Subaru with my brother who is shopping for one. The only way you would get to drive one is to place an order with them now (they're charging 5.75% over invoice) and get first dibs when they arrive sometime in October. They're actually encouraging people to go that route since it gives them more H6s to sell.
Ken
I expect to add a few pages myself, once I get back from the OBX. Digital camera is in hand, ready for the road trip and hopefully some sand blasting.
-juice
-The Escape had a little bit better acceleration in the straight away, compared to the Forester. Right off the start the Forester did jump a little faster, but then the Escape edged out.
-The Subaru defintely did better in the slalom with the Escape rolling a little (someone else on the test track almost rolled with it!)
-I am not sure what you meant by the "tall sidewalls give in, or hang in there?" I did not notice anything unusual regarding the sidewalls.
-Off road the Escape handled more with a truck like feel, whereas the Forester had the nicest ride for the small SUV's. My wife with her bad back was more comfortable in the Forester over the Escape. (That is until I hit that last bump on the off road portion, whereupon she sat out the rest of the day.)
-As regards the bigger trucks (Durango, Expedition, and Tahoe) the Tahoe had the nicest ride and handling.
-I do have to admit that the only small SUV's I drove were the Forester and Escape, since they were the only 2 I was interested in.
My apologies for the non-technical review. This was the first time I was ever able to do anything like this,and it was definitely worth it! I hope Edmunds makes it into an annual event, because I know I will positively go again.
A little quicker off the line is no surpise, there's a 3.0l V6 with 200hp under the hood. The difference should be bigger if you ask me, since it won't match the mpg of the Forester.
As far as the sidewalls go, I meant the tires were leaning over onto their sidewalls, like on the CR-V and XTerra I drove. Alas, you didn't try those.
Yeah, I really liked Edmunds Live, too. Just two things I'd change: next time I'll plan on spending a full day there instead of half, and I'll wear a helmet if Hutch is driving!
-juice
Also, Subaru Forester still holds Consumer Reports' top spot.
True, they're subjective ratings, but it's nice to see them recognized and awarded.
-juice
Well, anyway, since my car is an auto .. I was wondering ....
- hutch
-mike
Yes, the Subaru has a horizontally opposed H-4, often referred to as a "boxer" configuration. This is similar to what Porsches uses. Not bad company to be associated with.
Bob
You have a horizontally opposed 4-cylinder engine in your Forester. It's also called a boxer engine (for the way the pistons move), an H4, B4 or flat-4. Basically, the engine layout is flat where the pistons all lie on the same plane; two on the right, two on the left.
The boxer layout is good because it's compact and it keeps the center of gravity low on your vehicle. Also, because the piston movements oppose each other, the engine is naturally quiet.
Ken
I think that V6 post was just someone trying to stir us up, without realizing the Soob 6 is available now.
Juice is either on vacay, or actually had work to do. One or the other.
I will miss y'all at the fall foliage meet, but will try to get some good pics of me at driving school that same day. Juice better have his HTML manual out that week...
Patti, do you have any sales figures and/or sales projections/comments regarding this vehicle, and its place in the automotive landscape?
Bob
=mike
How many 5-speed owners out there?
I'm one.
It is interesting to read the comments about lack of options in the cars. In Canada, if you want a manual Outback, you have to get the base Outback wagon. The Limited and the Sedan are auto only. I am not sure if I would have bought the Ltd if I could have bought it in manual guise, but I didn't even consider it. I believe the Legacy Gt is also auto only. The restricted options also rule out the H6 and most likely the SVX/OutBrat..
Oh well, at least the Cold weather package is standard on all Canadian Outbacks :-)
MikeF
Craig
Craig
It's supposed to come in sometime in October. Man, oh, man, I can't wait to drive it!
Ken
Drew
John
Regarding SOA offering additional options: I understand Subaru's dilemma....every option offered increases the per-vehicle cost of production. SOA may be enjoying record sales but still only accounts for a small fraction of the total market.
Regarding the Outback sedan: SOA doesn't sell very many. Probably because they are cross shopped against camcords, which are several thousand cheaper and come with a V-6 option.
-Frank P.