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Subaru Outback vs Ford Freestyle

134 messages,  Last post on Feb 27, 2007 at 4:06 PM

You are in the Subaru Legacy & Outback Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Freestyle, Subaru Outback, Car Comparisons, Sedan, Wagon

Messages Page 11 of 14

#95 of 134 Re: Freestyle no more [ateixeira] by xwesx

Feb 09, 2007 (12:49 pm)

Replying to: ateixeira (Feb 09, 2007 12:39 pm)
Ugh. Yes. Really bad name there. Taurus has a ton of name recognition, and not all bad, either. Now, if Ford decided to rename Fusion to Tempo.... I would be concerned!

#96 of 134 Re: Freestyle no more [xwesx] by barnstormer64

Feb 09, 2007 (6:21 pm)

Replying to: xwesx (Feb 09, 2007 11:42 am)
>>> no more CVT (a big plus)
 
That's a big MINUS, in my book.

#97 of 134 CVTs by paisan

Feb 09, 2007 (9:08 pm)

Ford Trannies were never good, can't imagine tht their CVT would be any better. I'm not completely sold on the CVT concept on a whole.
 
-mike

#98 of 134 Re: CVTs [paisan] by barnstormer64

Feb 10, 2007 (9:59 am)

Replying to: paisan (Feb 09, 2007 9:08 pm)
I'm not completely sold on the CVT concept on a whole.
 
It's what the automatic transmission should have ALWAYS been.

#99 of 134 Re: CVTs [paisan] by freealfas

Feb 10, 2007 (7:56 pm)

Replying to: paisan (Feb 09, 2007 9:08 pm)
"no more CVT (a big plus)"
 
"I'm not completely sold on the CVT concept on a whole"
 
Armchair test drivers at their finest... You probably are still intimidated by the whole concept of fuel injection as well, what no carb under here...what gives???
 
CVT in these type of vehicles is a fantastic solution, what's not to like about seamless acceleration, better mileage, less parts to break, simpler in concept, that's what's getting you, it's actually simpler...

#100 of 134 Re: CVTs [freealfas] by paisan

Feb 10, 2007 (8:49 pm)

Replying to: freealfas (Feb 10, 2007 7:56 pm)
I'm not sold on it due to a few reasons, mostly I don't have much experience with them, so I'm not anti-them, nor for them, just not sold on them yet.
 
As for simpler, lets see how much the repairs cost when they start hitting 100k+ miles. Also note that CVT for some reason has been dropped by most folks who had them burst onto the market in the past few years most notably the Saturn and Ford CVTs have been canned. I think only the Nissan CVT is still widely used.
 
-mike

#101 of 134 Re: CVTs [paisan] by xwesx

Feb 10, 2007 (11:00 pm)

Replying to: paisan (Feb 10, 2007 8:49 pm)
Yes, I am not against them either, but, as with ESP, they can be a drawback in the crertain situations. I saw a Freestyle get "stuck" once on a hill simply because it just could not overcome gravity. The driver put his foot to the floor at one point and the car just sat there. Score one for CVT. That might just be the Ford implementation, though, or the unit could have been defective. Cannot say for sure, but the only time I had my 4EAT do that to me I was trying to tow a 3/4 ton pickup with a pallet of bricks in the back up a steep, extremely muddy driveway. Ended up backing down and giving it another go with no further problems.
 
As for seamless acceleration, no thanks. I think that would just put the driver one step closer to removal from the driving experience. But, I might change my mind as I age.

#102 of 134 Re: CVTs [xwesx] by barnstormer64

Feb 11, 2007 (7:57 am)

Replying to: xwesx (Feb 10, 2007 11:00 pm)
I saw a Freestyle get "stuck" once on a hill simply because it just could not overcome gravity. The driver put his foot to the floor at one point and the car just sat there. Score one for CVT.
 
And you know that this is an inherent flaw in the CVT how?

#103 of 134 Re: CVTs [barnstormer64] by mmccloskey

Feb 11, 2007 (11:09 am)

Replying to: barnstormer64 (Feb 11, 2007 7:57 am)
Actually, there are many current vehicles that have CVTs. Toyota has the Hybrid Camry, Highlander and Prius along with the Lexus RX400h and GS450h. Honda has the Element and Civic Hybrid, both with CVT. Of course Nissan has several vehicles (Murrano, Maxima, Altima, Sentra) available w/CVT. Way back in the 80's (I think) even Subaru produced the 'Justy' which had a CVT. Even Audi produced the A4 w/CVT in the early/mid 90's. CVT's provide a different (some say strange) driving experience and most drivers are used to feeling the transmission 'shift' from one gear to the next while the CVT provides seamless acceleration with no shift points. I had hesitations about buying my 2005 FS due to the CVT, but have come to prefer it over my other vehicle (2002 Lexus ES300). As smooth as the Lexus tranny is, the CVT in the FS is even smoother. Maybe if consumers were better educated about the workings and benefits of the CVT, more would come to like them.
 
Regards -
 
M. J. McCloskey

#104 of 134 Re: CVTs [mmccloskey] by paisan

Feb 11, 2007 (1:12 pm)

Replying to: mmccloskey (Feb 11, 2007 11:09 am)
Like I said not many vehicles out there with CVT (except the hybrids). Nissan is the only one using them in non-hybrids (and the former Saturn and former FS)
 
-mike

Messages Page 11 of 14

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