1605 messages,
Last post on Apr 19, 2013 at 2:22 PM
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Subaru Impreza Forum.
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Subaru Impreza, Subaru, Sedan, Wagon
#511 of 1605 Re: Impreza sales up 175.51%! [rsholland]
by thom52
Feb 02, 2012 (1:05 pm)
Its nice to see Subaru rewarded for coming out with a sensible, well designed, well made car, that addresses a large need in the marketplace.
In spite of the Impreza being panned in about half the reviews for not having neck snapping power. I don't know about other places, but here in the Northwest, MOST of the Subaru drivers are VERY tame drivers, and thats putting it politely. MOST of the drivers would want safety and good handling with excellent fuel economy over neck snapping acceleration, that seems to be the requirement of the vocal minority of Subura owners. (per my informal local road survey
I have test driven Subarus when new car shopping, since moving to the Northwest many years ago. After all, about every other car at hiking/biking trailheads is a subaru around here. But I was just never impressed by them.
The 2012 Impreza is the first Subaru my wife and I will own. It caught our attention as the perfect balance to fit OUR needs.
The engineering/manufacturing company where I work is very unusual, having only one Subaru in the entire parking lot. Heck there are more Prius.
I have 3 coworkers, just in my general engineering area, that are now seriously considering the Impreza, pretty much waiting to see how the deal goes down and how I like the car, when it comes in.
Short of some unlikely fatal flaw surfacing on the new Impreza, I think they knocked this one out of the park, and with excellent timing for the marketplace.
I ordered mine after a mild Fall/early winter, as the first snow storm hit. I figured it was likely to start moving a LOT faster after that and would be harder to bargain for a good deal. That seems to be happening, especially for the hatchback, which I think is likely to be the most popular style in the Northwest.
#512 of 1605 Re: Oil Change Cost [techdude]
by tyguy
Feb 02, 2012 (1:09 pm)
We had Ventureshield installed on the following areas:
1. Side mirrors (full coverage on painted surfaces)
2. Under the splash guards for both front and rear wheels
3. Front bumper (full coverage)
4. Hood (20" covered from leading edge of hood, and rolled under the edges)
5. Fenders (length matches the hood)
Time to install was about 5 hours. We picked up the Impreza from the dealership and literally drove straight to the shop where it sat overnight. They started in the morning and had it covered by 12:30. They recommend leaving 2 days following the install for a full cure before washing the car.
#513 of 1605 Re: Impreza sales up 175.51%! [pao]
by thom52
Feb 02, 2012 (2:12 pm)
in addition to break-in and first oil change hits on "optimum" mileage,
Don't forget this car rolled out AFTER the seasonal switch to less efficient winter blend gas, and just in time for winter driving and cold, long warmups.
Plus, I am guessing a lot of people are still having the initial novelty "fun" period of driving, which may be a bit heavy on the pedal.
I would say not too many Imprezas are rolling with best case gas mileage yet. And thats what you are comparing generally with other cars. Most prius owners will quote you their nice warm dry Spring days of gas mileage, not the hilly dead of winter mileage.
..of course there is the news of lawsuits against Honda for the Hybrid Civic only getting 30mpg with REAL driving conditions, PLUS battery life is poor. (recent news article)
#514 of 1605 Re: Impreza sales up 175.51%! [ateixeira]
by pao
Feb 02, 2012 (3:47 pm)
mine is the CVT 5DR HB
#515 of 1605 Re: Impreza sales up 175.51%! [kanjii]
by pao
Feb 02, 2012 (3:51 pm)
I got mine changed at 3300....my dealership likes to change it halfway to the first 7500 mile interval....they did the same on our 11 Outback...again this one was a free one on the dealer...I didnt pay for it....nothing was noted by the service tech during the change.....the OEM interval is 7500 miles...which the service writer reminded me of when I picked the car up for its next change.....
#516 of 1605 Re: Impreza sales up 175.51%! [thom52]
by onemodog
Feb 02, 2012 (3:58 pm)
I am rolling up on 1000 miles and on my 2nd complete fill up (I had two partial fill ups in between) I am averaging about 28.5 mpg. This is up about 1 mpg from my first tank when I bought the car.
I would say I have driven pretty mildly as well....and thats been tough.
It hasnt been too cold the past two weeks, since Ive had my Sport Premium CVT. I expect the mileage to keep creeping up!!
Love the car. First Subie and it will not be the last one in the family I am pretty sure!!
#517 of 1605 Sound of thunder
by kanjii
Feb 02, 2012 (4:02 pm)
Hey everyone, this is my first boxer engine since by days with a 56' VW oval bug. Do all boxer engines sound like this? I wonder sometimes how can you tell if you are having problems with the engine with it having its own special sound? Do 911s rumble like this also?
#518 of 1605 Re: VentureShield [tyguy]
by thom52
Feb 02, 2012 (10:58 pm)
I have 10 year old 3M Expel equivalent to Ventureshield on my Element. It made a HUGE difference, especially if you do a lot of highway driving.
We are considering it for the Impreza, and I have read good things about Ventureshield.
How much did it cost to have it done?
Has anyone been brave enough to try doing it themselves? I did it myself on the Element and it wasn't too bad, but that was a very simple single piece plus headlight covers.
#519 of 1605 Re: VentureShield [thom52]
by tyguy
Feb 03, 2012 (7:57 am)
The Ventureshield install was $500. I priced self-install kits, but the bumper would have been VERY challenging and the pre-cut hood would not have allowed for rolling the edges, leaving that exposed area vulnerable to chips. I'm the kind of person that likes doing things for myself, but in this case, I'm confident in my decision to hire a pro.
Oh, I forgot to mention in my previous post that we had the headlamps covered, too. The wax I use prevents headlight hazing, but they still get shipped and cracked from rock hits, so I wanted the protection.
#520 of 1605 Re: Sound of thunder [kanjii]
by ateixeira
Feb 03, 2012 (8:34 am)
Boxers have a unique sound, but the old air cooled ones sounded a lot different than water-cooled ones do.
They have an inherent 2nd order balance and do without the balance shafts that an in-line 4 requires, reducing reciprocating mass. It's one of the reasons a 2.0l Impreza AWD matches the tiny Kia Soul's gas mileage, even with FWD and Direct Injection.