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Subaru Impreza Outback Sport & TS
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Well, nice little wagon. Very cute. 16" wheels, 4 wheel disc brakes, white gauges, generally inoffensive. Handling pretty solid, no torque steer, but then again no torque either.
It needs more engine, badly. It could not hold a candle to the OBS I test drove recently, which was far more relaxed accelerating. I prefer the Subaru shifter and seats, but the Mazda's brakes.
Nice car. I wouldn't stop anyone from buying it, but I'd pick the Outback Sport myself.
-juice
I think the P5 looks great, if only someone asked us we could tell them it needs AWD and more power!
Usually there are only two bushings, plus the bar attaches at the two ends links (with no bushings).
-juice
sorry I seem to be asking so many stupid questions, but it is much appreciated when it is time to order...
*sigh*
-juice
-juice
First, put in the fatter sway bar. See how you like it.
If you want even better control, do the bushings, because they are very cheap.
Then, consider the end links, which are a bit expensive.
-juice
Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
A few more quibbles, however, if anyone has the time for a comment!
1. Arial is not as good as the external Forester 00 and no one at the Soob dealer knew anything about improving it. Any ideas for improving my reception w/out buying a whole new receiver unit?
2. Already got a tiny chip where the hood meets the bumper, probably from a bit of gravel on the road. What do you all think about the small and large mask/bra thingies that cover some/all of that area? A friend discouraged me, saying the vibrations from that can actually damage the paint more than the occasional rock chip.
3. When turning headlights off there's a distinct sound which I don't care for. Could this be intentional or is it just an el cheapo factor?
4. First oil change at 1500 miles or so, I'm planning. Should it be 5-30 the first time? And what grade gas do you all use? My dealer told me 89 octane but all i ever used in my Forester was regular 87.
Again - many thanks to you all for the opportunity to ask these questions and garner such fine responses.
Best wishes,
Rachel
IIRC the recommended viscosity is 10w30. You could go with lower numbers if you're in a very cold climate.
87 octane is fine, that's actually what they recommend in the owner's manual. Car & Driver had an interesting article on fuels, and found that in the cars meant for regular gas, premium was of no benefit. It actually slowed 2 out of the 3 cars on their test track.
On cars meant for premium gas, it's a different story. So the rule of thumb is to stick to what is recommended by the manufacturer.
-juice
Dennis
-juice
Dennis
-juice
Dennis
Anyways, juice, could you give a mini-comparo of your Miata, a BMW 330, and the WRX? i.e. which is most fun/handles best? I hope that's not asking too much...I think I might want to get a Miata in a coupl'a years.
Also, does the WRX handle much better than the OBS, or is it similar taking into account suspension differences?
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/roadtests/spin/46587/article.html
They refer to the WRX a lot.
I've driven a WRX and a new OBS. I was paying more attention to the surge of power in the WRX rather than the handling. :-)
Flemington Subaru usually gets 2-3 used Miata's every summer to sell. The owner there loves them.
Dennis
Miata: all about fun. Impractical, cold, and cramped, but light and agile, with telepathic steering and go-kart handling. RWD is fun and you can get the tail out. A toy, but a great toy if it meets your needs.
BMW 330xi: I drove the AWD version. By far the nicest accomodations, but you expect that for $40 grand. Quick and smooth inline 6, steering a bit light, good automatic tranny. It understeers, which surprised me. Great brakes. Tight inside. I prefered the 5 series for its more practical size, and for $40 grand I want a 5 series, thanks.
WRX: only got a quick drive, but I guess all drives in a WRX are quick. Cheap sun visor, carpeting, and headliner, but that's about it. Great seats, by far the best. Cozy, but generally tight structure. Docile at low revs, like a refined small sedan, but becomes wild above 3000rpm, with power building linearly with revs. Biggest push into the seat, no question.
So, which is the weapon of choice? Depends on the job. Pick the Miata for a sunny day cruise on curvy roads with the significant other and pack light.
To impress the friends at the 10 year high school reunion, take the Bimmer, which will also hold its own at the track. It may be the easiest to drive fast, with all the electronic babysitters and the flexible engine. Most at home at the country club I don't belong to.
The WRX is a car you buy for yourself, not to impress anyone else. Get a wagon and you could even take the family along, but I think it would excel at providing the most bang for the buck.
-juice
Stephen
Juice: liked that glowing review of the new Mazda whatever wagon vs. the OBS.
By the way, I test drove a Miata this summer and loved the clutch and shifter. Very fun to drive. But was kind of rough because you are so close to the pavement. Wouldn't want to make a distance drive in it. Can see why people say it's fun, though. That new aqua blue color is pretty awesome and I like the look of the hardtop.
Oh yeah, sport-package-equipped Miatae have really stiff rides, so it's for AutoXers only. The base package is a little more tolerant of rough roads, though. It revs high on the highway and generally would prefer that you take the long, twisty roads home.
On the highway, any Subaru or Bimmer would be more at home.
The 2.5l boxer uses a belt. Service interval is 90k miles for an inspection, 105k miles for replacement. The 3.0l H6 is chain-driven.
Drew: yep, I was just surprised that coming into a turn a little too hot in the 330xi, it almost understeered off the course. I recovered and didn't knock down any cones, but I'm sure it hurt my lap time.
-juice
So I thought a miata would be the most fun for the least money, I'd just keep my OBS instead of trading up. I still don't know if I want a turbocharged car...
But I'd never driven any of these, and short of going to a dealer I won't have the opportunity, so I was just curious because I knew you'd driven 'em all.
Anyway, this is all pointless speculation, in a few years I'll probably want something else.
Do what I did - keep the Subie as a practical year-round car, and get a Miata as a sunny day 3rd car.
-juice
A used Miata seems a lot more affordable, and I know yours has been reliable.
Mid engine sounds good, though. And it's feather light, too. But it does have struts and a transverse mounted engine, while the Miata uses double wishbones and a longitudinal layout, the latter not unlike Subaru.
The catch is you can't find plentiful, cheap used ones, like you can with the Miata. They only started selling last year, and with a markup, too.
-juice
-juice
Why don't these car companies make more RWD cars?
Next generation of Intrepid and 300M will be RWD
GM:
Next Generation of Impala will be RWD (hopefully it will be the non-us Holden Commodore SS)
All Caddys will be RWD within a few years
Ford:
LS, towncar
Toyota:
IS300, IS300 wagon, LS430
Nissan:
Q45, next gen Maxima
-mike
Btw, if you just feel like chatting with your friends on any subject..., feel free to do that in our Roadside Cafe. Another good place to hang out and talk about some of the cars mentioned recently (i.e. Miata, S2000) would be in the Women's Auto Center discussion Talk about Sports Cars. Hope this is helpful.
And now back to the discussion of the Subaru Impreza Outback Sport. Thanks for your participation.
Revka
Host
Hatchbacks / Station Wagons / Women's Auto Center Boards
Nissan will offer a RWD G35 based on the skyline, and of course the upcoming Z car.
But the Outback Sport offers both FWD and RWD, AWD rules! :-)
-juice
I guess the state troopers will be happy...
Bob
I think things like traction control and more importantly, stability control, have given automakers the courage to go back to RWD.
-juice
Bob
-mike
I know the Acuru RL is rumored to be switching too. (it's also rumored to get an AWD version too), and the that larger Lexus models are RWD. My thought here is that RWD is "perceived" to be better in those segments because both BMW and Mercedes use RWD. Well, the latest I've heard from Mercedes is that they will be offering AWD in all their model lines within the near future. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if at some point all Mercedes and BMWs become AWD.
Sorry, I just don't buy it. To me it's a step backwards, not forward. Yeah, the performance crowd may be happy; I'm not so sure about Harry and Harriet homeowner.
Bob
-mike
The instructions that come with the GansFlow tell you how to reset your ECU and I've had mine on since April. It sucks up air thru the fender well on the passenger side, up high under the hood, so I don't know how on earth you could suck up water unless you're crossing a very severely flooded road, and then you'd probably float away. Yikes!
If you want to do more research on it go to i-club.com, and there is a search function there. Or ask in the Newbie and FAQ forum. They are a very nice addition to the OBS.
By now, though, horsepower figures are back up, gas is cheap and plentiful (despite a short-term price scare early this summer). 200hp used to be big news, now it's common, even kind of low in some niches. FWD just doesn't put that kind of power down effectively.
It depends on the size of the vehicle and a lot of other things, but generally FWD applies best in vehicles with no more than about 150hp, maybe a little more. Above 200hp should be RWD or AWD, though.
If you off-road, just custom make a cover (snorkel) for your intake, no matter who supplies it. The trick isn't necessarily the depth of the water, but the size of the splash you create. he he he...
-juice
My daughter's Prelude (160 hp?) doesn't have any torque steer that I've found. I don't like the steering at very slow speeds (under 5 mph), it just feels strange. It feels great, at speed, on a curvy road however.
One of the other advantages of FWD is better packaging. You can make a small car much roomier with FWD than with RWD. I know, this is less of an issue with larger cars.
Bob
Honda's trick is that it's engines, at least its 4 bangers, don't produce much torque. HP, yes, but not torque. Gearing and light weight meant there could be quick.
FWD does have better passenger space packaging, but it makes a mess of weight distribution, with much of it ahead of the front axle, even. True, most owners don't have a clue.
RWD will be common on luxury cars and sports cars/sedans, but I still think most of the mainstream sedans will remain FWD.
-juice
Bob
The 'teg is a better setup, as is the Prelude. Still, look at all the effort Honda put forth - 4WS and ATTS, that failed in the market place. Also, nice as it was, the Prelude was dropped, too.
-juice