If that's the only issue, see about adding a bunch of sound damping material or having a local stereo shop do it for you. There are plenty of threads on the internets about people doing this on their subarus. . . . the noise bugs me a bit too, but not enough to do anything about it on my car. But there are solutions.
They're selling like hot cakes around here! I was contemplating selling off my V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and buying one or the new Forester, but I need to drive the Jeep at least another year or Gas will need to go up more before I can justify taking on a car note. These are pretty cool, 30 MPG SUV that'll kick ass in the snow and still make it down some fire roads.
One potential improvement might be to buy (or request at purchase) the sound dampening under hood pad from the CVT. No idea how much difference it would make but it would be the first thing I would try if we bought one.
I'm repeating this from an earlier reply I posted: 'You can still get an Outback with a 6-speed manual transmission in either base or premium trim. Lots more power, same raised ride-height as the Crosstrek, good fuel economy, 2,700 lbs. TOWING CAPACITY, great interior and very comfy and quiet.' I was surprised by how well this car/cuv drove. Great steering feel and not a lot of roll unless you pushed it like a sports car. The prices of the two Outback trims you can get the manual tranny with are surprisingly close to the Crosstrek's. As an added bonus, if it matters to you, the Outbacks are built in the U.S. whereas the Crosstreks are built in Japan. In any case, I still feel the Outback is a viable alternative to the Crosstrek. Doesn't look nearly as cool for sure, but it's a Subaru, they've never really been style leaders -- although I've always like their utilitarian designs.
my whole life I have owned a truck and this liitle subie has made me want ditch my 16mpg truck and ask why I still need a truck.
Everyone has a friend with a pickup, so just do what I do -- borrow it when you need it! I mean, other than true work trucks, how often does the average person really NEED a pickup?
i like the looks of the crosstrek, and if i total the outback i'll certainly check one out as a replacement. the new outback is ok, but seems a little bulky and soft. the upgrades to the forester's interior make it a viable option as well.
Finally saw the Cross Trek in the flesh for the first time yesterday.....not many Sub dealers in our neck of the woods. It was nice looking but the dealer got one in white (boring) and it was the premium level (cheaper line) loaded up with crap stuff (my opinion) that jacked the price to nearly $26K. At that price it didn't even have the leather gut or moon roof. It did have the CVT (stndard on Limited) and the nav system. Those two options add $2700. Overall I wasn't as impressed as I wanted to be. The '14 Forester is looking better all the time. My only concern is that manufacturer specs are showing that towing capacity has gone from 2400#s to 1500#s....I'm thinking it's a website glitch they haven't caught as the Forester data has gone to the 2014 specs in the past week. The 2.0 shows a 1500# capacity as does the 2.5 which doesn't make sense. If I didn't want some of the newer updates to the Forester, I'd be jumping on a '13 with their 0% financing 'til the end of Feb.
Helping my mother car shop and we saw a base crosstrek.....for a car that expensive they sure skimp out on the interior :eek1 I'm sure in the higher models there's a big improvement but the cheap hard plastic was everywhere....even the shift know IIRC.
I was going to hold out for the 2014, but that 0% was too good to pass up when they ran that same promotion in January. Picked up a 2013 Forester Premium..mainly for the sunroof. Nice car, really. Wanted the XT for the added HP, but couldn't justify the cost for the few occasions I would really need it and it's not like it's sports car anyways. I had a wrangler for 10yrs, I'm familiar with getting in line with the trucks and struggling up the mountains when I head out west.
I was talking number with my dealer last week, going back and forth between a BRZ and a Crosstrek. As we were discussing this, he casually mentions that he has a World Rally Blue WRX coming in that happened to be allocated to his dealership. It wasn't really on my radar but I ran the numbers, and now it's in my driveway. Impreza #6 for me.
He did, and he's sold quite a few. Someone ordered a 5-speed khaki colored model that looked very sharp.
Dropped my wife's Forester off for service today and saw a Crosstrek in the dealership. Great looking car, and she really liked it, but I think it would be too small for us. Her next car will probably be an Outback.
I have a 2010 Impreza Outback Sport - of which the Crosstrek seems to be a logical extension/successor. I like it - it's small, has a stick, handles great in the snow/ice gets decent mileage for an AWD car (the newer ones seem to have better ratings - 33 vs 27 on mine) and with care, I can even transport lumber on mine. It's not fast by any means, but it will get out of it's own way if you whip it. Comfortable on the road (for me, anyways). Plenty of room for a bicycle in the back, or for ski-trip luggage (well, for 1 or 2 people, anyways).
I love a manual trans, but have to wonder if the CVT isn't better suited to crawling along off road. I loved the "Extra Low" gear that could be used in our old Tercel when in 4wd. You could really get places in that car, and it could crawl along without smoking the clutch.
Hmmm...good 'ole ADVrider... I've been looking hard at one of these Desert Khaki 5pds, test drove a CVT and a 5pd standard Imprezza since the dealer didn't have a 5pd in a XV. Mid range power is noticably lacking. So I dunno, I've been driving a 300hp GLK350 so I'm kinda spoiled. Got on the freeway but it was bumper to bumper (typical LA) so I only got it up to about 60 and did not notice it was noisy. In fact, it didn't seem much noiser than the baby benzo. Rode good too. About a month ago I was out riding with the fellas and someone had a new Tacoma TRD which I thought was peachy. So I went looking and found a four-door longbed and test drove one. Nice driver. Then went riding with another buddy with a Ridgeline, and you should'a seen us trying to get the TE630 and the DR650 in the back of that thing...WOW!! Tight fit and kind of a PITA. So I went looking at full size, Silverado, F150...and then thought gee, why do I really need a pickup? I have a trailer that works great and it easy to load and tow. Plus, living with a pickup day to day is a royal PITA, hard to park, hard ride, hard to get in and out of, crappy mileage. The new trucks are nice though, and an extended cab Silverado with a 5.3 is not much more than the little Subaru. So then I'm thinking if I'm going to get another smaller SUV it should be able to be used as a 'toad' for the RV. Well, the Crosstrek does that just fine with a 5pd. Now I'm thinking maybe I would hate the lack of power. I've owned 4 pickup trucks, 2 subarus - my first brand new car in 1977!! And 6 benzos, and a whole host of euro, japo, and domestic cars, trucks, and vans. I'm looking to cut some overhead so the payment savings over the benzo would be a couple'a hundred a month, plus regular gas, plus about 25% fuel savings. The GLK averages about 18.5 on premium. Y'all think I'm nuts???? Tell me yes or no before I trade that f'ing baby-benz in for a XV Crosstrek. Here's my current setup with the trailer, and then the RV that would tow a car as well.
