Subaru Crew Cafe

14582 messages, Last post on Dec 05, 2009 at 2:40 PM

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#13468 of 14582 Re: Subaru bucked the trend. [p0926] by ateixeira Aug 06, 2008 (11:59 am)
Replying to: p0926 (Aug 06, 2008 11:53 am) It was low volume, but still, that was the halo model. It helped get it on the 5Best Trucks list in C&D for 3 years.
#13469 of 14582 JD Power not kind to Subaru by kurtamaxxxguy Aug 07, 2008 (3:13 pm)
For 2006 reliability, Subaru apparently came in below the industry Average - not bu much, but below average. By comparison, VW was worse. LandRover was much worse (and bottom rated - problems in every vehicle). Toyota's Rav4 led the CUV segment. Replies to this message: p0926 (Aug 07, 2008 3:25 pm) ateixeira (Aug 08, 2008 8:59 am) volkov (Aug 08, 2008 11:08 am)
#13470 of 14582 Re: JD Power not kind to Subaru [kurtamaxxxguy] by p0926 Aug 07, 2008 (3:25 pm)
Replying to: kurtamaxxxguy (Aug 07, 2008 3:13 pm) JD Powers has always rated Subaru below avg. I think it's because they only take into account initial quality and totally ignore long-term reliability. So for instance, your door buzz would drag down Subaru's score but the a major component failure in 2-3 years wouldn't hurt the score at all I find Consumer Reports reliability scores far more useful. -Frank Replies to this message: ateixeira (Aug 08, 2008 8:59 am) volkov (Aug 08, 2008 11:08 am)
#13471 of 14582 Re: JD Power not kind to Subaru [p0926] by ateixeira Aug 08, 2008 (8:59 am)
Replying to: p0926 (Aug 07, 2008 3:25 pm) I agree, and note that many brands that do well in the IQ study do not score well in their Durability study (and vice-versa).
#13472 of 14582 Audi Experience - Summit Point Raceway by ateixeira Aug 08, 2008 (9:27 am)
Got to drive 4 different AWD sport sedans on Summit Point Raceway. Needless to say, this was a hoot. First we drove the A4 on a modified loop that included the Carousel. First I went as a passenger, for about 8-10 laps, then I drove and my brother was my passenger (Bob was in another car). We followed a lead car in formation, 5 cars in a row (no passing, of course), but they went pretty quick and it was quite a bit of fun. You'd learn the racing line for the first couple of laps, then keep refining the line as we got progressively quicker. We sampled the A4 in Comfort mode (Lexus like) and then in Dynamic mode (BMW like). They said it was chameleon-like, but honestly the Dynamic mode was better in every way. Comfort had some throttle lag and I can't imagine when that would be desireable. Later we repeated the same drive, but in a Q7. Bob got to drive an A3. While the A3 is probably the sportier car for that type of drive, I figured the Q7 would be closer to the limit, plus the other cars were all booked up. There was an A6, and A8, and I think one TT. Same type of drive - in formation, 5 in a row, no passing. The Q7 felt big, of course, and visibility is poor for that type of driving. Another problem was the stability control kept interfering, in fact it cut off the throttle completely on the Carousel (which is a banked turn). Later we figured out than with the Transmission in Sport mode, it wouldn't do that. I was surprised because we did have the suspension in the sportiest mode - Dynamic, and I still experienced that problem. Don't ask my why the Transmission mode it what affects the level of intrusiveness of the ESP, but it did. I drove the Q7 first, then my brother drove, again another 8-10 laps or so each. He drove with the Trans in Sport so he got to have more fun, in fact I was pretty darn proud of how much he learned and improved throughout the day. At first he was hesitant and jerky, but by the end of the day he was smooth and quick, keeping up with the sportier cars in that SUV without any drama. In between those two drives, we got to run a comparo. Audi had the A4 V6 Quattro. They brought along a BMW 328xi, a Benz 300 4Matic, and a Lexus IS 250 AWD. Audi said they chose those because those models have AWD, and in the case of the Bimmer the price was comparable. If you ask me, they should have compared an A4 with the 2.0FSI engine, not the upscale V6, which is expected to have a higher price than any of those competitors. Any how, we got to take each on one very short "hot lap". It was on a small part of the track, but it felt more like an autocross run than a race circuit. You went left, right, left, right, then a slalom and a brake test, and you were done. We drove the A4 first, which felt quickest (of course) and handled very well for its size and mass. It ain't the light compact it used to be. Then came the Benz, which was slower and had a lot more lean. It also understeered a lot. It was actually the best in the brake test, though, with straight and smooth stops. Next up was Lexus, the slowest by far, with only 204 hp from a small V6. It also had tons of body roll, so it would not surprise me if they raise or soften their AWD model compared to the base, which I've driven before and felt a little better. I will say it has the softest leather and the most comfortable seats, plus the most ergonomic interior. It's a softy, but a very plush one. Finally we drove the BMW. The funny thing was it handled as well, if not better than, the Audi A4. The Audi was quicker, but we were comparing Audi's upgrade engine to BMW's base engine. It was a close call, but I thought BMW won on handling, Audi on acceleration. The BMW's interior was the worst of the 4 cars by a wide margin, cold and stark. So the funny thing is we (my brother and I) felt like each had something unique to offer. I'd take the Audi's engine, the Lexus' seats and dash, the BMW's suspension, and the Benz' brakes. Overall, though, the BMW and Audi were just about a match for each other, so for me it might even come down to price. In summary a great event, and one I recommend to anyone who enjoys driving. The funniest part was when the introductory peice talked about the AWD philosophy that Audi employs. Well, then, why isn't it standard in all your cars, like Subaru? Replies to this message: subearu (Aug 08, 2008 10:17 am) ateixeira (Aug 08, 2008 10:29 am) volkov (Aug 08, 2008 11:25 am) ateixeira (Aug 08, 2008 11:45 am)
#13473 of 14582 Re: Audi Experience - Summit Point Raceway [ateixeira] by subearu Aug 08, 2008 (10:17 am)
Replying to: ateixeira (Aug 08, 2008 9:27 am) I've been to two Audi Experience's at Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, IL. Not too shabby a deal for free minus the drive down, which is just about 2 hours. Though, I did get 32mpg in the S40 T5 at Chicago freeway speeds. Same setup there it sounds like too. I would have liked to drive the 328xi on the track to see how it did compared to the new A4. Of note here too, these were "German" new A4's, so the U.S. ones might vary a tiny bit. The adaptive handling modes were fun to try, you're right, Dynamic was the best one. Lots of people after driving the A4 found the MB to be like a boat on the mini-course. Several cones hit whenever folks were driving the MB. I thought the MB ranked last because the handling was just awful, something like 1.5 turns of the wheel just to get through those twisties. The IS250 AWD was third, while it seemed to handle the course fine, it was not quick about it and really offered no feedback. Comfy seats indeed though. The BMW and A4 were close in my opinion too. With the A4's dynamic mode though, I thought it edged out as the favorite though, plus the seats and interior were far more comforting then the BMW. Too bad they didn't have the Audi 2.0, it would probably have been quite a hoot to tool around in there too. I have only gone to 3 of these "drive" events this year so far: Lexus IS-F and Audi A4 Experience (both at Autobahn CC), and the BMW Komen drive in Chicago on Lake Shore Drive. (BTW, the 135 convertible is a fun car). -Brian Replies to this message: ateixeira (Aug 08, 2008 10:29 am)
#13474 of 14582 Re: Audi Experience - Summit Point Raceway [subearu] by ateixeira Aug 08, 2008 (10:29 am)
Replying to: subearu (Aug 08, 2008 10:17 am) I put the IS' trans in Sport mode, and didn't realize you had to do all the shifting manually. That stalled my single lap in that car a bit. Had I driven a complete lap properly, I may have liked it better than the Benz. So 2 (!) times a silly Trans selection interfered with my drive.
#13475 of 14582 Re: JD Power not kind to Subaru [p0926] by volkov Aug 08, 2008 (11:08 am)
Replying to: p0926 (Aug 07, 2008 3:25 pm) To be fair, I did have a few squeeks and rattles on the WRX from the get go. Only the loose panic handle was bad and that was fixed. OTOH, in over 4 years nothing more has arisen and the the vehicle has been perfect otherwise.
#13476 of 14582 Re: Audi Experience - Summit Point Raceway [ateixeira] by volkov Aug 08, 2008 (11:25 am)
Replying to: ateixeira (Aug 08, 2008 9:27 am) For AWD performance sedans, the infiniti G37 is more in the game than the Lexus based on what I've read. Maybe that's excluded for not quite meeting the brand cachet factor. Wouldn't the Bimmer 335xi be closer in $$ to the A4 with the six if price parity is their claim? That is a completely different animal to the 328. Replies to this message: ateixeira (Aug 08, 2008 11:45 am)
#13477 of 14582 Re: Audi Experience - Summit Point Raceway [volkov] by ateixeira Aug 08, 2008 (11:45 am)
Replying to: volkov (Aug 08, 2008 11:25 am) Per their estimates the A4 would cost about $2000 more than the 328xi, but a lot less than the 335xi, so they argued t he 328xi was closer. I still think they should have had 2.0FSI engines as well. They evaluated sedans, so I'm not sure why the G35x wasn't there. Good catch.