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A 5EAT transmition thats actually GOOD. That might actually give more people reason to buy them and consider models like the Legacy GT Limited upscale.
And, I rode in a brand new Saab V6 Turbo yesterday
I can honestly say that that Automatic transmition coupled with the Turbo is flawless. Especially when you put it into "sport shift" mode, that thing takes off even with FWD!!! I couldnt feel any turbo lag, neither could my cousin... The WRX is much different, it has more kick and higher revs but less low-end power, and the WRX's wheels dont chirp when the EAT shifts when flooring it :P
And a Turbo GT would be great in the US, especially if its the WRX's turbo... But, the H6 would probably sell more cars cause of the stupid American Stereotypes
I disagree, and think that a Turbo Legacy Wagon (Namly the B4 wagon) would be a waste unless it was severly limited in numbers... (say, 1000 only?) The Outback sells enough wagons for subaru, and the WRX wagon fits this purpose well.
Patti
Bob
Hope that wasn't Hutch you saw!
-juice
Sorry I haven't posted for some time, very busy with the WRX launch, etc. I have been trying to visit the site as often as possible though to ensure that Ash and everyone else is enjoying their cars!
Hope everything is well with all the Canadian Subaru owners out there!
The comments on the WRX and other models are great. I try to forward as many of them, or at least the spirit of the comments, to other Product Planning and Marketing people in the office here. Your enthusiasm and support of the brand is appreciated!
On the comments that Subaru will never be thought of at the same level as an Audi, I suggest that it is long road of continuing to produce quality cars and to really make the value that each vehicle has apparent. It wasn't that long ago that the Audi 5000 was being compared in national car magazines to cars like the Ford Taurus and Chevy Eurosport. In fact, I still have memories of the old Audi Fox, which was hardly a luxury, or high performance vehicle.
Granted, Audi and VW has done a great job over the last decade or so getting over controversy and branding and positioning their lines to reach the status and reputation that their brands enjoy.
There is a lot if hidden value that goes into each Subaru. It is the recognition of this value and an increased focus on overall performance, that will see Subaru recognized as a premium brand.
Ross
They've got styling pinned, though.
-juice
Other benefits are smaller engines and thus weight, for the same power output and also possibly reduced fuel consumption.
Air induction technology unfortunately got a bad name in the past due to reliability issues. There are though major benefits in applying more of the technology for every day transport.
Daniel
-mike
I borrowed an old Rodeo for a weekend and it was OK. Felt the cross winds a bit, and gas mileage wasn't very good. Plus it actually felt small in Texas, where I was using it.
My best bud is an Isuzu guy. He had an I-Mark, then a Stylus, remember those? Then his mom bought a Trooper (generation before yours) and he traded in for a Rodeo recently. He's had luck with them, so he's been loyal to them.
I do like the idea of a bigger engine in a more car-like Rodeo. Do you think they distinguished it enough, though?
-juice
-mike
It's only turbochargers that make power referenced against atmospheric. The can compensate for lower atmospheric pressure so long as they have compressor efficiency to spare.
-Colin
Sniff, sniff, he may have hell to pay with our Risk Management group.
See ya!
Patti
..Mike
..Mike
I was sitting waiting for the light to turn green when a red car pulled next to me. I wasn't bothered. But when i glance to the right there was this middle age man with a daughter. The man kept gesturing me to roll down my passenger side window. So I did with some hesitation...
father : Sweet car you got there!
Me : Err...thanks.
father : is that 2001!!!
Me : Yeah. (I thought how can he tell! I can;t even tell a 2000 and a 2001 RS apart!)
father : must be fast. Pretty good 0-60 times too.
me : I guess. (7.7 seconds fast? I don't think so...)
father : how long did you wait for it?
me : not long.
father : very nice. Functional hood scoo too.
Then i realised he thought my car was a WRX. hahahah.... however before I could say no, the light turned green and
father : Let's see her go!!! Go! Let's Go! Come on!!!
And father and daugther there hauled [non-permissible content removed] with their Legacy L.
Caught up to them at the other side of the traffic and proceeded to blew past them at the uphill curve. Gave them a wave and a honk and proceeded on my ways.
Well looks like the aging RS still gets attention. hahahaha.... It made my evening pleasant. she still got it!
Gun in the trunk - sorry officer!
-juice
My last visit up to the Sierra's with my VDC was spectacular. From Yosemite to Lake Tahoe there was nothing but Subaru's everywhere. I could not believe how many Subaru's we saw. My wife thought I was crazy because I kept saying,"there's another one, there's another one". There were old ones and new ones. There were Outbacks, Legacy's, GT's, Forester's and Impeza's. Being up in the Sierra's is like running with the pack. It was like a Subaru convention. I have to tell you I didn't see any Audi's or VW's. I did see a few old Volvo's.
There were quite a few 2000, 2001 Outbacks. They seem to be very popular. What's amazing is in the eastern Sierra side from Palmdale/Lancaster, CA to Reno, NV (that's about 340 miles) there aren't any Subaru dealers. There are a few dealers on the western side.
If they put the H6 in the GT's, Wagon's and Sedan's I think they'll really pop out and become a big time manufacturer. I think they're better than Honda or Toyota. They certainly can do more.
Thank you very much.
Bobby
But, theres a Subaru dealer in Auburn(I80), One in Tahoe, and one in Shingle springs(50), so its a pretty well covered area...
http://www.mrtrally.com.au/performance/St-Xcar.htm>
Also you can go to http://www.subaru.net
Look under future products (or something like that).
Dennis
Grr, no Speedvision on Cox Cable.
Subaru Truck eXperimental = ST-X. It's a Legacy based 4 door pickup with a short bed.
For production, looks like we might get a 2.5l turbo, which would be pretty cool. Looks like a butch crossover, basically.
It ought to compete with the Explorer Sport Trac, Frontier Crew Cab, Dakota Crew Cab, etc. But it is by far the most car-like in its class.
-juice
http://www.auto.com/reviews/ulrich29_20010329.htm
Looks like Subaru is doing another early 2002 model release, if they've just announced the pricing and model changes.
DRLs, 2-speed rear wiper, leather option for "S" Premium and standard cargo cover are most of the changes. The color on the "S" lower cladding is slightly different (same as new OBS), so I think we can safely assume that change will also occur on the 2002 Outback too.
Bob
http://www.autonews.com/html/main/stories/subaru329.htmz/a>
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010329/phth019.html
Anyway, the ST-X is being ramped into production because GM will sell a GM-branded version too. The concept was all Subaru, but let's see what the production car/truck ends up as.
-Colin
Prices are actually flat for all models, only freight is up $30. That's pretty amazing.
So the cargo cover and DRLs are basically free. Cool.
-juice
Ross
Ken
Dennis
-juice
Bob
Cheers!
Paul
Leo
-juice
Bob
-juice
That's the good news (for them). The Bad news (for them) is that the whole country is only getting 15 vehicles.
Why? The new 6-speed tranny is a in-house product (the first new in-house manual in 20 years according to the May issue of C&D), and they simply cannot meet the demand. Subaru is having problems supplying enough 6-speeds just to meet the demand for the home market. So, it sounds like the STi orders are way backlogged.
Bottom line: The rest of the world won't be seeing many 6-speed STis until Subaru can dramatically find a way to increase production of these transmissions.
BTW, the May C&D article on the STi said the new 6-speed was, in their words, "delicious," with great gear ratios and very short precise throws.
Frustrated yet? You know I am.
Bob
One thing I saw on UK-spec Foresters that I wish we had here was the headlamp-leveling system. There have been occasions where I've been loaded for bear and would've found that helpful. Why don't we get them?
Ed
Bob
Ross
So how about a hybrid? Could go the Insight route and stick an electric motor in versus a flywheel, or maybe it could fit in at the center differential?
The other idea is less is keeping with the full-time AWD mantra. Instead of sending engine power to the back wheels, just have an electric set-up, similar to what the new hybrid SUVs are sporting, except on different wheels.
Thoughts? Comments? Ideas?
I put an aftermarket wiper delay box on a Nissan pickup I used to have... long way from the tailgate to the dashboard for the wire run on the OB, though...
Wishful thinking....
Cheers!
Paul
Bob
Patti
-mike
Dennis
-mike
Whichever; c'mon, SoA, put it in a *car*.
Cheers,
-wdb
I could live with that!
paisan: you mean 2.5l instead of 2.2l.
Beanboy: sounds interesting, but a hybrid would eat up too many development dollars. I say wait for GM to come out with something.
Even then, a FWD Impreza with electrically assisted RWD doesn't seem to fit in with the product line. And it would be such a low volume model that it would not impact CAFE numbers much.
I say work on getting a 10% gain in efficiency via varialbe valve timing.
-juice
-mike