Consumer Reports kudos for Subaru

[tom]

I think Consumers Reports are excellent refs. I bought my first new
Subaru in 1986, an 86 GL Wagon based on Consumers Reports of the day
claiming crash worthiness and owner satisfaction. I bought my current
04 Forester for the same (and other) reasons. I would never trust the
industry voice publications such as Car & Driver and the like.

car and driver rated the chrysler omni/horizon "car of the year" circa 1985.

'nuff said...

 

[tom]

a "realistic" test of a possibly fatal design flaw? might be hard to
find volunteer test drivers under those circumstances. how would YOU
propose to test cars for rollover stability?

 

[Edward Hayes]

Roll over tests are preformed using traing wheels so if a car tips
past a certain angle (wheels off the ground) it does not roll over. At
least this is how CU does it. For the government test it would be easy
to find stunt drivers or remote control the car. ed

 

[John O]

car and driver rated the chrysler omni/horizon "car of the year" circa

1985.

'nuff said...

C&D doesn't do CotY, do they? (website is thin)

But, try 1978.
http://motortrend.com/oftheyear/car/cotywinners/

I drove my 1984 Horizon to about 150,000 miles, on the original clutch, one
replacement alternator, and basic maintenance. (lots of mufflers, tho) The
engine (Mitsubishi) was bulletproof, the body was a POS. It was my first new
car, and I never regretted buying it for a second.


-John O

 

[Fuzzy Logic]

a "realistic" test of a possibly fatal design flaw? might be hard to
find volunteer test drivers under those circumstances. how would YOU
propose to test cars for rollover stability?

It's already being done:

http://www.safercar.gov/Rollover/pages/faqs.htm

 

[jabario]

It was cheap roomy , and performed well in the GLH trim for 10K or so.
I had an 86 Daytona and loved it. My Brothers Shelby Daytona 89 kicked
a lot of cars' butts and it was under 12k.

 

[Al]

It was cheap roomy , and performed well in the GLH trim for 10K or so.
I had an 86 Daytona and loved it. My Brothers Shelby Daytona 89 kicked
a lot of cars' butts and it was under 12k.

The belt on my H6 Outback was replaced under warrenty at 12500 miles.
The reason was that it was glazed; that't why it squealed. Why was it
glazed so soon? No answer.

Will it glaze again and not be under warrenty? If you don't know why it
happened, you can't fix it.

Al

 

[Gilles Gour]

The belt on my H6 Outback was replaced under warrenty at 12500 miles.
The reason was that it was glazed; that't why it squealed. Why was it
glazed so soon? No answer.

Will it glaze again and not be under warrenty? If you don't know why it
happened, you can't fix it.

Al

Preuming you mean the drive belt, the most probable reason is that it
dit not have enough tension and slipped on the pulleys causing the
glaze. I think your user's handboook tells you how to check for a
properly tensionned drive belt.

 

[Al]

Preuming you mean the drive belt, the most probable reason is that it
dit not have enough tension and slipped on the pulleys causing the
glaze. I think your user's handboook tells you how to check for a
properly tensionned drive belt.

In the old days, we called it the fan belt, the alternator belt, the
power steering belt and the A/C belt. Now there is one belt that does
all. When it fails, all fails. On one car, I had the alternator seize
up. The belt broke, but I was still able to get to work and then home
after work on the battery. Try that if that damn serpentine belt breaks.

Yes, I checked the tenssion and it was correct. The H6 has an automatic
tensioner anyway.

Al

 

[jabario]

But its easy to carry a spare and if it does break its easy to swap it
on your own. Changing individual belts is a pain and requires tools.
The all purpose emergency belts they sell are iseal to replace a
serpentine belt.

 

[Al]

But its easy to carry a spare and if it does break its easy to swap it
on your own. Changing individual belts is a pain and requires tools.
The all purpose emergency belts they sell are iseal to replace a
serpentine belt.

It's my wife's car. She wouldn't have a clue. And also isn't strong
enough to horse around with car mechanics.

Many years ago, she drove her '71 Pontiac home with almost no coolant.
She told me that she thought the red light meant, "Get home, quick."
Fortunately, the old big block V8 was durable and it was several more
years before two hydraulic valve lifters had holes worn into them by the
cams. Since I only lived 2 miles from work, I drove that beast on six
cylinders for about half a year before I sold it for parts for $75. The
whistling from the engine would drive the local dogs crazy. Yes, I
removed the spark plugs from the two bad cylinders so there was no
compression. Try that with your Subbie!

Al

 

[Guest]

What is CR's problem with the gated transmission? That was a selling point,
when I bought my 2004 Forester XT, and I in practice, it is one of the
better features of the car.

If anything, the stupid automatic climate control is the Forester's greatest
weakness. (To be fair, it does a stellar job when I have defrosting
problems, but is horrid when it comes to heating.)

Niels

 

[Hal Whelply]

For the life of me, I don't understand the "gated shifter" complaint either.

You're right, the automatic climate control is the main (only?) wart on this
car. I didn't realize heating was a problem. Fortunately, here in SoCal,
that's not an issue; very rarely (and even then, very briefly) do I have the
system pumping out heat.

HW

 

[Guest]

I didn't realize heating was a problem.

I have griped about this before. The temperature control is set in fine
enough increments. I have to alternate between turning off the heat
completely, and the first notch on the dial. Even when the temperature is
in the mid-teens, I have to turn the heat off for a few minutes at a time,
otherwise I would bake.

But like you & others have mentioned, the Forester is an exceptional car.
It has out-manuavered sports cars on the PA Turnpike, and gives me the power
to get out of trouble. Recently, I gravel truck ran me off of an
interstate, onto a snow-covered grassy medium. The Forester not only didn't
loose control, but allowed me to get back on the highway without incident.
AND it makes a great kayak carrier!

Niels

 

[kstahl]

I have griped about this before. The temperature control is set in fine
enough increments. I have to alternate between turning off the heat
completely, and the first notch on the dial. Even when the temperature is
in the mid-teens, I have to turn the heat off for a few minutes at a time,
otherwise I would bake.

But like you & others have mentioned, the Forester is an exceptional car.
It has out-manuavered sports cars on the PA Turnpike, and gives me the power
to get out of trouble. Recently, I gravel truck ran me off of an
interstate, onto a snow-covered grassy medium. The Forester not only didn't
loose control, but allowed me to get back on the highway without incident.
AND it makes a great kayak carrier!

Niels

I have a solution to the heat problem that probably no one else would
agree with, but I'll throw it out anyhow.

I don't care how cold it is, but once the heat kicks on I lower the
driver's side window an inch or two. That way I get to breath cool/cold
air and yet my body stays comfortable. I don't remember when I started
doing it, but it has probably been my practice since the 80's.

 

[John Rethorst]

I have a solution to the heat problem that probably no one else would
agree with, but I'll throw it out anyhow.

I don't care how cold it is, but once the heat kicks on I lower the
driver's side window an inch or two. That way I get to breath cool/cold
air and yet my body stays comfortable. I don't remember when I started
doing it, but it has probably been my practice since the 80's.

Heat on full directed out the floor vents, windows partly open, is a great way
to enjoy a ride in the country on a nippy day.

 

[KLS]

Heat on full directed out the floor vents, windows partly open, is a great way
to enjoy a ride in the country on a nippy day.

Heat on full blast in the floor wells, and sunroof open is my
preferred approach, barring ice and snow on the roof.

 

[Guest]

A duh! Why didn't I think about that? But wouldn't the passenger-side or a
back window be better? (No, or minimal draft, especially at highway
speeds.)

 

[uglymoney]

Depends. Wasn't it Consumer Reports, about a decade ago, that criticized a small
Jeep kind of car - Suzuki? - as tending to roll over. The testing agency then
showed videos showing the car being tested. The agency had added steel bars
extending out 10 feet or so from the middle of the left and right sides, with a
wheel at the end, to prevent the car from rolling over and injuring the driver.
Fine, but these bars changed the whole angular momentum (if that's the right
term) of the car, making the test car much less stable than the stock vehicle.

I've read other CR tests that similarly showed that the organization didn't have
much depth of knowledge of what they were testing. That's not too much of a
criticism, since they test everything in sight, but an editorial staff that
spends all their time testing cars would do better in some ways. Reliability is
not one of them, though: the agency just counts problems per year.

Depends. Well said.

I read an auto battery test in CU once that took a bunch of new
batteries off shelf and tested them for output and then rated them.
Worthless!

Almost all new batteries work perfectly well. I want to know what
battery is going to work perfectly well in 10 years.

So CU is good, but each study or survey must be looked at with
perspective.

nate