drove a 2010 outback today

[98outbackpdx]

the big thing that i noticed between my 98 outback and the 2010, besides the vehicle size, is the steering, it is A LOT lighter, kind of nice. drove really well, but the front end felt like it was going to slide out on wet windy roads, it was kind of scary, and i was not going more than 40mph. also the ride in my 98 outback car feels smoother, than in the 2010 outback that i felt just about every bump in the road.
the head rests, after about 15 minutes the head rests were killing my neck. i hate these new active head restraints, they kill my neck.
but i am not sold on the car. if it did not have the horrible head rests i would be more sold on the 2010, (not that i have the money for one anyways.)

[slaytalera]

the push button e-brake is a killer for me, i like the handle type

[98outbackpdx]

yeah i commented on that to the sales man, it is suposto be safer in a crash, but apparently they think if you dont have a pull handle e-brake you cant crash it. and that neck rest is still bothering me over 24 hours later. not very happy.

[ccampbell2546]

That's good to hear about the handling. My 97 GT feels real smooth too over the bumps. Not to get off topic but, I just really hope they bring the Diesel version to the US soon.

[ouch1011]

The new Legacies are way too huge for my tastes. And way too heavy to have an N/A 4cyl under the hood.

And the e-brake isn't going to save you in a crash, it will fade to nothing well before you stop unless you are going <10mph. Give it a try sometime. There is a reason that most manufacturers call it a parking brake.

[lord flashheart]

That's good to hear about the handling. My 97 GT feels real smooth too over the bumps. Not to get off topic but, I just really hope they bring the Diesel version to the US soon.
they are scheduled to be released next year.
and i agree ^^ the outbacks have become too big. and i dont find them all that good looking.. outbacks have always been good looking, and the 09 was the last good looking outback.. if you ask me

[lord flashheart]

The new Legacies are way too huge for my tastes. And way too heavy to have an N/A 4cyl under the hood.

And the e-brake isn't going to save you in a crash, it will fade to nothing well before you stop unless you are going <10mph. Give it a try sometime. There is a reason that most manufacturers call it a parking brake.
by the way im pretty sure they were saying the active head restraints are there for saftey purposes, but someone else mentioned how they dont like the push button parking break. and the to comments got mixed up..

[jey]

The new Legacies are way too huge for my tastes. And way too heavy to have an N/A 4cyl under the hood.

And the e-brake isn't going to save you in a crash, it will fade to nothing well before you stop unless you are going <10mph. Give it a try sometime. There is a reason that most manufacturers call it a parking brake.

But the e-brake is good for kicking the rear out when sliding around in low traction surfaces :)

[d1giPhux]

'emergency brake... button'! LOL. Thats instant fail right there in my book. Sorry.. guess I'm just too use to pulling the ebrake in my car.. not pushing some stupid button.

I hate the 2010 outbacks.. i mean seriously, what MORONIC type of company makes their cars even BIGGER during a 'gas crisis' time our world is coming upon? What a bunch of idiots.. subaru has definitely been hitting the crack pipe WAY too much in my opinion. These things are ass ugly, huge, fat, and bloated. Wait.. wait. I cant say they are that bad though. If you weigh 600 lbs and your ass is the size of a goddamn small horse, then sure, this may be the car for your and your bloated friends!

Seriously.. i hate how were in a 'gas crisis' and these idiotic companies KEEP making bigger and bigger cars. Dumb-asses!

[jey]

Calm down. Subaru sales keep going up so they're doing something right. By making the Outback bigger they are offering more choices to their customers. If you want a small car, buy an Impreza. If you want a big car, buy the Outback. If you want a medium sized car, buy a Forester.

[d1giPhux]

You sure got that right.. catering to fat obese Americans who are willing to take out more and more loans to pay for useless stuff they don't need that wont last.

After this subaru..I will never own another one again. So while they may gain more new customers.. they are certainly losing their fan base. I hate all of the new subaru's.. and would never buy one. Especially because they aren't making the MPG any better.. and in fact.. they just keep making their cars bigger and bigger. Didn't we learn anything with giant american cars and SUV's? Guess not.

[98outbackpdx]

The new Legacies are way too huge for my tastes. And way too heavy to have an N/A 4cyl under the hood.

And the e-brake isn't going to save you in a crash, it will fade to nothing well before you stop unless you are going <10mph. Give it a try sometime. There is a reason that most manufacturers call it a parking brake.
by the way im pretty sure they were saying the active head restraints are there for saftey purposes, but someone else mentioned how they dont like the push button parking break. and the to comments got mixed up..

i am the one who was complaining about the head rests, and it was the Subaru salesman that told me that the push button parking brake is for safety so you don't get jammed with a handle in a crash
and i said,
"it is suposto be safer in a crash, but apparently they think if you dont have a pull handle e-brake you cant crash it." it was a joke what i meant was since people wont be able to do hand brake turns they must not be able to crash then, hope that clears some things up
the new outback does have some get up and go with the CVT, much better than my 98 outback with an auto, but mine does have 195k on it

[lord flashheart]

ohhhh. my bad. i was the one who got confused with 2 separate comments... my apology

[jey]

You sure got that right.. catering to fat obese Americans who are willing to take out more and more loans to pay for useless stuff they don't need that wont last.

After this subaru..I will never own another one again. So while they may gain more new customers.. they are certainly losing their fan base. I hate all of the new subaru's.. and would never buy one. Especially because they aren't making the MPG any better.. and in fact.. they just keep making their cars bigger and bigger. Didn't we learn anything with giant american cars and SUV's? Guess not.

40% of Subaru owners pay cash. That's twice the industry average. And Subarus last longer than many other cars. So if you're buying a Subaru it is likely you are not taking out a loan to buy a needless useless car that won't last.

MPG is getting better (source: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/)

2010 Legacy 2.5 now has the CVT which improves fuel economy to 23/31 mpg from
2009 Legacy 2.5, which is 20/26 mpg, which was already an improvement over the BE:
2004 Legacy 2.5, 18/25 mpg which was even a slight improvement over the BG:
1999 Legacy 2.5, 18/24 mpg which was actually the SAME fuel economy as the old
1994 Legacy 2.2, 18/24 mpg

The engines are getting more powerful, AND MPG is getting better.

[lord flashheart]

You sure got that right.. catering to fat obese Americans who are willing to take out more and more loans to pay for useless stuff they don't need that wont last.

After this subaru..I will never own another one again. So while they may gain more new customers.. they are certainly losing their fan base. I hate all of the new subaru's.. and would never buy one. Especially because they aren't making the MPG any better.. and in fact.. they just keep making their cars bigger and bigger. Didn't we learn anything with giant american cars and SUV's? Guess not.

put 2 and 2 together. the cars are bigger, and more powerful, yet they maintain the same fuel economy. good luck finding a car in the 90s the same size with the same amount of power and got the same fuel economy. why would you buy a smart fortwo if you live out in the country? and as far as the fan base goes, they have the highest costomer retention (brand loyalty) of any car company. if you dont wanna be a subaru owner anymore, i say thank god.
why are you cracking on amaricans? im so sick of ignorant people going off on america. the usa is number 1 for immigration?
so if america is so shitty why are more people coming here than any other country in the world? stop being so ignorant.

[jey]

Well he mentioned specifically "fat obese Americans" so I don't know if he was hatin on America in general. That said, now that I think about it, I have never seen a fat obese American drive a Subaru. Ever notice that they usually drive minivans?

[lord flashheart]

Well he mentioned specifically "fat obese Americans" so I don't know if he was hatin on America in general. That said, now that I think about it, I have never seen a fat obese American drive a Subaru. Ever notice that they usually drive minivans?
lol you have a exelent point. but i may add that by government standards, George Clooney is considered obese lol

[hapatimmy]

It actually grew on me. I saw a black 3.6 in the mountains the other day and I fell in love. Like many of the new Subarus, I didn't like it at first, but it grew on me. Subaru never goes for the practical ideas, which is why I love them.

[mike-tracy]

Yeah, even though I like the previous legacys better (styling wise), I'd totally drive a black 3.6 Legacy with a 6-speed. Oh wait, they don't offer that. :-( 256hp and it doesn't call for premium like the 3.0 motor did.

[98outbackpdx]

yeah but you can get the 2.5GT as only a 6-speed, and if Subaru was smart they would put a similar knock sensor that the Saab uses so you don't have to run premium with the turbo.

[stevo75]

You sure got that right.. catering to fat obese Americans who are willing to take out more and more loans to pay for useless stuff they don't need that wont last.

After this subaru..I will never own another one again. So while they may gain more new customers.. they are certainly losing their fan base. I hate all of the new subaru's.. and would never buy one. Especially because they aren't making the MPG any better.. and in fact.. they just keep making their cars bigger and bigger. Didn't we learn anything with giant american cars and SUV's? Guess not.


I have to dissagree with your post about MPG, they are actually better than past models with the CVT. I just bought a 2010 Outback for the wife and feels it's just the right size and it gets almost 30 on the highway:) "Traded a 2007 Santa Fe." I have always liked the Subaru but felt they were slightly small since I have 2 kids and like going on weekend camping getaways. I think Subaru did a smart thing by increasing the size and the dealers here in New England have been jam packed and can't keep up with demands.

I drove both a 2009 and the 2010, the 2009 w/8,000 miles felt sportier and I actually liked the looks of the 2009 better. The biggest reason i went with the 2010 was for the slight size increase, the MPG increase and the cost difference between the 2 was only $1100 for the same trim. The 2010 has grown on me in terms of style/looks and the CVT. Subaru didn't just increase the size of the vehicle, they also upgraded the technology behind it while keeping it affordable. If I remember correct the weight of the 2009 and 2010 is not that significant but I'm not 100 percent sure.

Anywho I liked what I saw in the new Subaru I ended up trading in my 2002 Cavalier for a new 2010 Legacy. Yes frightening to buy 2 cars in 3 days time! LOL!

I don't mean to sound confrontational but thought I would share my experience and BTW many trade in's that I saw coming in were previous Subaru owners. :)

[ouch1011]

Fuel economy has more to do with aerodynamics and tuning then vehicle weight. Weight only affects economy on hills or under acceleration.

And all companies are making their cars bigger. ALL of them. Most conpanies are coming out with new small car models to replace their old small models that have now grown into a different size class (Honda has the Fit to replace the now huge Civic, Toyota has the Yaris to replace the now huge Corola, Ford and Mazda are bringing the Fiesta and Mazda2 to replace the Focus and Mazda3) so Subaru is just doing what they need to in order to fit into this market. And like someone pointed out, its working. And let's face it--is Subaru really going to care if their new cars don't appeal to the people who can only afford or would prefer to buy 10 year old car? Probably not. They want to appeal to NEW car buyers.

[stevo75]

Fuel economy has more to do with aerodynamics and tuning then vehicle weight. Weight only affects economy on hills or under acceleration.

And all companies are making their cars bigger. ALL of them. Most conpanies are coming out with new small car models to replace their old small models that have now grown into a different size class (Honda has the Fit to replace the now huge Civic, Toyota has the Yaris to replace the now huge Corola, Ford and Mazda are bringing the Fiesta and Mazda2 to replace the Focus and Mazda3) so Subaru is just doing what they need to in order to fit into this market. And like someone pointed out, its working. And let's face it--is Subaru really going to care if their new cars don't appeal to the people who can only afford or would prefer to buy 10 year old car? Probably not. They want to appeal to NEW car buyers.


Very true and lots of hills here in New England. :-) I certainly appreciate the 10 plus old Subaru cars though and it's nice to see many of you guys here with cars almost 20 years old with high mileage.

[slaytalera]

Also dont forget CAFE standards...the larger the cars in a manufacturers fleet, the less fuel milage they have to have, so a company with smaller cars is going to be expected to have rediculously high MPG, which a smaller "high" horsepower car like a 3.6 or 2.5 turbo just cant get