So, the other day while dropping my car off at Parkway Subaru in Wilmington, NC, to get my trans diagnosed, and was offered a test drive to kill time by a very friendly sales associate. She knew I wouldn't be a potential customer, but she saw that my car was modified, and that I seemed pretty worried about it, so she offered it as something to keep me from just sitting in the waiting area and worrying. :lol: (I had good reason to worry... :icon_frown: but that isn't what this is about).
She pulled it up. Gorgeous black 2011 Outback 2.5i Limited, with CVT.
First impressions?
-Tan leather interior with black carpet (very nice touch as far as contrast goes).
-Very well executed interior in terms of fit and finish. I don't normally care for fake wood, but they pulled it off okay, and I actually didn't mind it. Joints in plastic were finished well, and had even, tight gaps.
- The dual zone automatic climate controls get an A+ for being easy to use, I reached down and instantly knew what to do with them, without ever having operated the system before. A/C cooled down fast, and adjusted fan speed to maintain the selected 72F (was 90 outside) without being obnoxious. Excellent.
-Leather was typical Subaru, erring more on the durable side than soft and squishy (durable I like). Power driver's seat, I didn't look at the pax though.
-Pedals were even and well placed.
-Paddle shifters for the CVT's simulated 'manual mode' were decent. Wish they were bigger.
-Steering wheel mounted controls were nice, felt solid, and were much easier to read/use than those of the SH Forester (to me, anyway).
-Gauges were nice, easy to read and tasteful looking. No idiot temp gauge, just an idiot temp light. Noticed the redline was set at 6400 instead of the 6200 that (I think) the Forester and my older OBW have.
-Smaller sunroof than the Forester but not tiny or anything
-Center stack was intuitive and easy to navigate
The drive:
-Backing was okay, little less visibilty than the Foz, but it is also a larger, longer car, so that is expected.
-Turning radius was great. I made a U-turn on a regular 2 lane road with no drama, not quite at full lock.
-Blind spots weren't bad, just like the Forester
-Handling was surprising. Coming from a BH Outback (MY'00) I was expecting it to feel like a SUV! Nope! It was surefooted, planted, and surprisingly stiff, but well damped. I felt much more planted in it than the newer Fozzies. Felt very similar to my car.
-Great brakes... I was very pleased
-The CVT was not bad! I really expected it to suck. Definitely wouldn't want it with an exhaust, but for a stock car, the sound is not obtrusive. Little odd at first, but it drives well. The simulated manual mode can be activated by moving the shifter over into a sportshift sort of mode, or by flicking the downshift paddle (and it will downshift... no shift knob motion necessary). It feels similar to a real sportshift, but not quite as satisfying.
-Seemed to have decent pickup around town, but I'm sure it's a little sluggish on the highway with the 2.5L
-Easy to park
Only options missing on this Limited were Navi with backup camera, and a couple other little things. Sticker was $31,502. Worth it? That's up to you. :biggrin:
Any questions, fire away. I'm rushed for time so I didn't elaborate too much in my review.
She pulled it up. Gorgeous black 2011 Outback 2.5i Limited, with CVT.
First impressions?
-Tan leather interior with black carpet (very nice touch as far as contrast goes).
-Very well executed interior in terms of fit and finish. I don't normally care for fake wood, but they pulled it off okay, and I actually didn't mind it. Joints in plastic were finished well, and had even, tight gaps.
- The dual zone automatic climate controls get an A+ for being easy to use, I reached down and instantly knew what to do with them, without ever having operated the system before. A/C cooled down fast, and adjusted fan speed to maintain the selected 72F (was 90 outside) without being obnoxious. Excellent.
-Leather was typical Subaru, erring more on the durable side than soft and squishy (durable I like). Power driver's seat, I didn't look at the pax though.
-Pedals were even and well placed.
-Paddle shifters for the CVT's simulated 'manual mode' were decent. Wish they were bigger.
-Steering wheel mounted controls were nice, felt solid, and were much easier to read/use than those of the SH Forester (to me, anyway).
-Gauges were nice, easy to read and tasteful looking. No idiot temp gauge, just an idiot temp light. Noticed the redline was set at 6400 instead of the 6200 that (I think) the Forester and my older OBW have.
-Smaller sunroof than the Forester but not tiny or anything
-Center stack was intuitive and easy to navigate
The drive:
-Backing was okay, little less visibilty than the Foz, but it is also a larger, longer car, so that is expected.
-Turning radius was great. I made a U-turn on a regular 2 lane road with no drama, not quite at full lock.
-Blind spots weren't bad, just like the Forester
-Handling was surprising. Coming from a BH Outback (MY'00) I was expecting it to feel like a SUV! Nope! It was surefooted, planted, and surprisingly stiff, but well damped. I felt much more planted in it than the newer Fozzies. Felt very similar to my car.
-Great brakes... I was very pleased
-The CVT was not bad! I really expected it to suck. Definitely wouldn't want it with an exhaust, but for a stock car, the sound is not obtrusive. Little odd at first, but it drives well. The simulated manual mode can be activated by moving the shifter over into a sportshift sort of mode, or by flicking the downshift paddle (and it will downshift... no shift knob motion necessary). It feels similar to a real sportshift, but not quite as satisfying.
-Seemed to have decent pickup around town, but I'm sure it's a little sluggish on the highway with the 2.5L
-Easy to park
Only options missing on this Limited were Navi with backup camera, and a couple other little things. Sticker was $31,502. Worth it? That's up to you. :biggrin:
Any questions, fire away. I'm rushed for time so I didn't elaborate too much in my review.
