XV test drive
Picked it up a couple of days ago, but haven't had much of a chance to drive it (daughter and two kiddies now staying with us, so things are somewhat chaotic!).
Anyhow, the drive home was going to be the telling point. I live up in the hills, out of Adelaide. The freeway from the city up is 10 kms - 100 kms/hr - of constant gradient (17% I think), and it's a killer for automatics. If you don't lock them in a lower gear they hunt up and down. The 4 speed in the Forester hates it.
The CVT is brilliant! Plonk it in D and away it goes, no hunting, no shifting, no lurching between gears! Whether it's going uphill, downhill or just around town. Luvverly! Pickup seemed slightly better than the Forrie, a bit quicker response from the throttle (electric throttle, I suppose?).
The electric steering feels a bit different to the hydraulic, slightly touchier, maybe, but it's early days yet to judge it. It certainly works well, but just feels different.
Brakes work well enough, of course, but they seem strangely "dead" compared to the Forrie (admittedly, I've just fitted new pads to it, so they probably have different material to the XV). Nevertheless, they don't seem to have the initial bite that the Forrie has.
Suspension feels a bit firm, but should soften a little as it loosens up.
In general, it's a very nice car and feels very classy!:D
Downside? The internal storage pockets, strangely enough. The door pockets are smaller than the Forrie (can't even fit a street directory in) - although each one has a cupholder in it , and the glovebox is smaller. The Forrie has a strap on the spare wheel cover that lets you clip the cover up out of the way - the XV has nothing like that, you lift up the cover and have to juggle holding it up while fiddling around with the spare wheel. Only a little thing, perhaps, but it's the little things that tend to annoy me.
Speaking of which, I bought the Subaru Cross Bars for the roof rails (I've always had crossbars on all my cars, very useful things). I decided on the genuine parts, figuring they would be designed specifically for the car. These are Thule bars, so pretty good quality. Well, after stuffing around with them for a couple of hours I came to the conclusion that the clamps were the wrong ones, as no way would the inner clamp sit flat to the side of the rail as I tightened it up. I took them back and spoke to the spares guy, who confirmed it was the correct part number. Hmmm. He agreed that it didn't look right, but said they'd fitted about 30 of these and no-one had said anything before. I then looked at a display Forester that had the same rail/bar setup and yep, the inner clamp stuck out at a funny angle. He said he will pass it on to Head Office, as he agreed that, considering Subaru genuine accessories are supposed to be designed to fit the particular model, it didn't look the best. I said in my opinion it looked cheap and nasty!
Be interesting to see what happens.
Anyhow, the drive home was going to be the telling point. I live up in the hills, out of Adelaide. The freeway from the city up is 10 kms - 100 kms/hr - of constant gradient (17% I think), and it's a killer for automatics. If you don't lock them in a lower gear they hunt up and down. The 4 speed in the Forester hates it.
The CVT is brilliant! Plonk it in D and away it goes, no hunting, no shifting, no lurching between gears! Whether it's going uphill, downhill or just around town. Luvverly! Pickup seemed slightly better than the Forrie, a bit quicker response from the throttle (electric throttle, I suppose?).
The electric steering feels a bit different to the hydraulic, slightly touchier, maybe, but it's early days yet to judge it. It certainly works well, but just feels different.
Brakes work well enough, of course, but they seem strangely "dead" compared to the Forrie (admittedly, I've just fitted new pads to it, so they probably have different material to the XV). Nevertheless, they don't seem to have the initial bite that the Forrie has.
Suspension feels a bit firm, but should soften a little as it loosens up.
In general, it's a very nice car and feels very classy!:D
Downside? The internal storage pockets, strangely enough. The door pockets are smaller than the Forrie (can't even fit a street directory in) - although each one has a cupholder in it , and the glovebox is smaller. The Forrie has a strap on the spare wheel cover that lets you clip the cover up out of the way - the XV has nothing like that, you lift up the cover and have to juggle holding it up while fiddling around with the spare wheel. Only a little thing, perhaps, but it's the little things that tend to annoy me.
Speaking of which, I bought the Subaru Cross Bars for the roof rails (I've always had crossbars on all my cars, very useful things). I decided on the genuine parts, figuring they would be designed specifically for the car. These are Thule bars, so pretty good quality. Well, after stuffing around with them for a couple of hours I came to the conclusion that the clamps were the wrong ones, as no way would the inner clamp sit flat to the side of the rail as I tightened it up. I took them back and spoke to the spares guy, who confirmed it was the correct part number. Hmmm. He agreed that it didn't look right, but said they'd fitted about 30 of these and no-one had said anything before. I then looked at a display Forester that had the same rail/bar setup and yep, the inner clamp stuck out at a funny angle. He said he will pass it on to Head Office, as he agreed that, considering Subaru genuine accessories are supposed to be designed to fit the particular model, it didn't look the best. I said in my opinion it looked cheap and nasty!
Be interesting to see what happens.
- Tweety
- General Member
- Posts: 1253
- Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 9:45 am
- Location: ea81 powered trike Victoria
Congrats Dikman
Re: suspension firmness.
I had a brand new VW Tiguan. Being fully optioned it had a rare set of mag wheels (that didnt look much different to the standard mags) and these came with lower profile tyres.
I then noticed on my tyre calculator (on google) that the circumference was less than the standard tyre and furthermore the speedo read less than real speed.
The biggest issue though was the rough ride mainly on bitumen bumpy roads.
So when the time came to renew my tyres I returnd to the tyre calculator to find a tyre that gave me the required 6% increase in circumference, that would fit under the guards and the spare would fit in the full size well.
It was much better all round, the speedo spot on, the tyres were cheaper and my dentures stopped rattling..
Re: suspension firmness.
I had a brand new VW Tiguan. Being fully optioned it had a rare set of mag wheels (that didnt look much different to the standard mags) and these came with lower profile tyres.
I then noticed on my tyre calculator (on google) that the circumference was less than the standard tyre and furthermore the speedo read less than real speed.
The biggest issue though was the rough ride mainly on bitumen bumpy roads.
So when the time came to renew my tyres I returnd to the tyre calculator to find a tyre that gave me the required 6% increase in circumference, that would fit under the guards and the spare would fit in the full size well.
It was much better all round, the speedo spot on, the tyres were cheaper and my dentures stopped rattling..
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Tweety trike- EA81 (full reco 2014) 32/36 weber, SPFI manifold, 9.5:1 CR, VW auto.
- El_Freddo
- Master Member
- Posts: 12519
- Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2005 10:00 am
- Location: Bridgewater Vic
- Contact:
I did last year and the year before, but unfortunately I am not this year, trying to get a full time teaching job. But I've been lucky enough to hang out up here while my better half trains some staff for this season. It's worked out very well so far.thunder039 wrote:do you work at hotham bennie? you seem to spend alot of time there...
I'll be keen to hear what they have to say. I'm hoping it's positive!Dikman wrote: He said he will pass it on to Head Office, as he agreed that, considering Subaru genuine accessories are supposed to be designed to fit the particular model, it didn't look the best. I said in my opinion it looked cheap and nasty!
Be interesting to see what happens.
Cheers
Bennie
Couple of other things I thought about. DiscoP would absolutely hate it! The electronics inside are a technological junkies dream ! Suits me, though, I have lots of settings to play with! Amongst other things you can set reminders for the next service (based on time and/or distance) - oil, filter, next service itself and tyres (!). This last one has me a bit perplexed. However, the beauty of this system is that it's completely at the control of the owner, you can set whatever you like or turn it off completely. Which is good, I hate those things where you have to go to the dealer to have them reset.
Engine oil. It uses 0-W20!!! Jarvis have a Subaru-trained "Master Technician", and I got to talk to him abut a couple of things. When he told me about the oil, I said I didn't recall seeing that grade anywhere. As I like to change my oil a bit more often than the recommendation, particularly when new, he said if I bring in a container he will provide some (they use bulk drums, of course). He also mentioned that these engines have extremely hard rings, and can take a while to bed in properly.
There are two handbooks with it, which I'm still wading through!!
Engine oil. It uses 0-W20!!! Jarvis have a Subaru-trained "Master Technician", and I got to talk to him abut a couple of things. When he told me about the oil, I said I didn't recall seeing that grade anywhere. As I like to change my oil a bit more often than the recommendation, particularly when new, he said if I bring in a container he will provide some (they use bulk drums, of course). He also mentioned that these engines have extremely hard rings, and can take a while to bed in properly.
There are two handbooks with it, which I'm still wading through!!
- Brumby Kid
- General Member
- Posts: 1297
- Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2011 9:19 pm
- Location: Belair S.A.
Went to Jarvis today to pickup my head studs. Han a look at one of about 10 xv's.
Not bad but one major complaint. Where is the boot?
It is tiny!
Cheers Cam
Not bad but one major complaint. Where is the boot?
It is tiny!
Cheers Cam
When life gives you a corner, drop a gear, pitch, and stomp the loud pedal
Bianca: 1991 Subaru Brumby
My First / Project car
EA81 Rebuilt by Tony Knight from knight Engines
2" body lift
25" 185r14 Yokahama Delivery Star, light truck tyres
2" Sports exhaust
Rear Aguip step/bar
Liberty seats
Mums Car 08 Liberty Wagon
Bianca: 1991 Subaru Brumby
My First / Project car
EA81 Rebuilt by Tony Knight from knight Engines
2" body lift
25" 185r14 Yokahama Delivery Star, light truck tyres
2" Sports exhaust
Rear Aguip step/bar
Liberty seats
"Bianca"
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Dads Car: 02 Impreza WRX STi[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Mums Car 08 Liberty Wagon
Regarding the roof bars, Subaru are still trying to find the right guy to talk to, but in the meantime I contacted Thule Aust. about my concerns. They said yes, that is the right kit and that's how it fits. They said it's perfectly safe (!) the way it clamps up, and apparently the fact that it looks like something copied by a Chinese factory (who didn't quite get it right) doesn't matter!!
I've attached a photo of it, you decide whether I'm being too picky, but I find it disappointing that a company like Thule considers it acceptable to use a clamp that is obviously not designed for that particular rail.
They also state that the clamps should be tightened to 4Nm, but don't provide a suitable socket to fit to the spline-headed bolt that they use. Maybe you guys are better than me, but I'm not real good at judging a specific torque by hand (that's why I have torque wrenches!).
Personally, I wouldn't advise buying the Thule bars for the XV, as they're obviously not designed specifically for the roof rails.
I'm thinking of writing to the Swedish factory and complaining, I'm just not impressed.
I've attached a photo of it, you decide whether I'm being too picky, but I find it disappointing that a company like Thule considers it acceptable to use a clamp that is obviously not designed for that particular rail.
They also state that the clamps should be tightened to 4Nm, but don't provide a suitable socket to fit to the spline-headed bolt that they use. Maybe you guys are better than me, but I'm not real good at judging a specific torque by hand (that's why I have torque wrenches!).
Personally, I wouldn't advise buying the Thule bars for the XV, as they're obviously not designed specifically for the roof rails.
I'm thinking of writing to the Swedish factory and complaining, I'm just not impressed.
- Attachments
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- Thule1.jpg (57.05 KiB) Viewed 3083 times
- thunder039
- Junior Member
- Posts: 998
- Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2011 6:41 pm
- Location: victoria AUS
my roof bars dont fit perfectly either but they are functional and i carry a fair bit of weight on them aswell,
but mine do fit better then the picture you put up
but mine do fit better then the picture you put up
2004 subaru forester -gone
1999 subaru forester- no more
1989 subaru brumby- sold!
2008 zook jimny -sold!
2003 mitsubishi pajero - missus car
2013 nissan d22- set up for long distant touring
1999 subaru forester- no more
1989 subaru brumby- sold!
2008 zook jimny -sold!
2003 mitsubishi pajero - missus car
2013 nissan d22- set up for long distant touring
- thunder039
- Junior Member
- Posts: 998
- Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2011 6:41 pm
- Location: victoria AUS
Personally, I wouldn't advise buying the Thule bars for the XV, as they're obviously not designed specifically for the roof rails.
I'm thinking of writing to the Swedish factory and complaining, I'm just not impressed.[/QUOTE]
Shit I would not like to go over a speed hump with those on my roof with weight on them to me they don't look attached enough and not safe at all
I'm thinking of writing to the Swedish factory and complaining, I'm just not impressed.[/QUOTE]
Shit I would not like to go over a speed hump with those on my roof with weight on them to me they don't look attached enough and not safe at all
I don't think they will come adrift too easily, as the outer clamp (which is a "universal" clamp, again not designed specifically for the car), is a reasonably close fit and extends under the bottom of the rail. What I don't like is that the clamping force on the inner rail is only along the top inner edge, not flat along the whole inside rail surface - which the clamp is clearly designed to do.
At least I know it's not just me who is unimpressed! These, btw, are the same ones fitted to new Foresters (and look even worse), whereas my 2004 ROLA bars are a perfect fit on that car.
At least I know it's not just me who is unimpressed! These, btw, are the same ones fitted to new Foresters (and look even worse), whereas my 2004 ROLA bars are a perfect fit on that car.
[quote="Dikman"]I don't think they will come adrift too easily, as the outer clamp (which is a "universal" clamp, again not designed specifically for the car), is a reasonably close fit and extends under the bottom of the rail.
:sad:Well if the bottom lip is secured under the rail it may be safe but I still don't trust it, the whole set up with the inside top clamp looks like something the cat dragged in only worse.
The whole setup is not aesthetically pleasing plus not at all in keeping with the overall look of the vehicle.
Hylton:evil::twisted:
:sad:Well if the bottom lip is secured under the rail it may be safe but I still don't trust it, the whole set up with the inside top clamp looks like something the cat dragged in only worse.
The whole setup is not aesthetically pleasing plus not at all in keeping with the overall look of the vehicle.
Hylton:evil::twisted:
- Grant_Adelaide
- Junior Member
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 5:25 pm
- Location: SA
Hi All,
I ended up buying the Prorack Whispbars, fit perfectly and are the quietest on the market.
http://www.whispbar.com.au/findmycar
Check out the comparison video for wind noise and there are close up photos of the fit on the roof rails... and to top it off they were considerably cheaper from Supercheap or BCF here in Aus.
Cheers
I ended up buying the Prorack Whispbars, fit perfectly and are the quietest on the market.
http://www.whispbar.com.au/findmycar
Check out the comparison video for wind noise and there are close up photos of the fit on the roof rails... and to top it off they were considerably cheaper from Supercheap or BCF here in Aus.
Cheers
Now that is more like it they do add to the vehiclé not subtrack from its looks.Grant_Adelaide wrote:Hi All,
I ended up buying the Prorack Whispbars, fit perfectly and are the quietest on the market.
http://www.whispbar.com.au/findmycar
Check out the comparison video for wind noise and there are close up photos of the fit on the roof rails... and to top it off they were considerably cheaper from Supercheap or BCF here in Aus.
Cheers
Agreed. They look pretty neat. Which version did you get?
In the meantime, I've sent off an email to Thule Sweden (cc to Thule Aust) voicing my concerns about what I consider to be poor design and fit, amongst other things. (For instance, they specify a tightening torque of 4 Nm, but they use a non-standard fastener - a spline-headed bolt - and do not provide any adaptor to fit a torque wrench. There is nothing in my pile of tools that comes even close to fitting it! So how am I supposed to know if it's tight enough? Or too tight?).
I'm not expecting a positive outcome .
In the meantime, I've sent off an email to Thule Sweden (cc to Thule Aust) voicing my concerns about what I consider to be poor design and fit, amongst other things. (For instance, they specify a tightening torque of 4 Nm, but they use a non-standard fastener - a spline-headed bolt - and do not provide any adaptor to fit a torque wrench. There is nothing in my pile of tools that comes even close to fitting it! So how am I supposed to know if it's tight enough? Or too tight?).
I'm not expecting a positive outcome .
Don't hold your breath remember that the swedish manufacturers think that they are doing you a great service just by letting you purchase their products .Dikman wrote:Agreed. They look pretty neat. Which version did you get?
In the meantime, I've sent off an email to Thule Sweden (cc to Thule Aust) enough? Or too tight?).
I'm not expecting a positive outcome .
Hylton;):evil::twisted: