Simon C

Ok its been a week and 360 miles later I thought I'd report in.

What can I say, I like it, which is a good thing considering I bought it!!!

First up, what I consider to be a dangerious design flaw, and the 1 thing that caused a brown trouser moment on the A1m the other night. I'd just driven through a bug cloud so activated the windscreen washer jets........ Which are tied into the headlight washers now

Which bloody idiot thought that a good idea, I don't know and I shall be making comments to the dealer and to Subaru UK. I was not expecting a 80% drop in light on an unlit road!!

Now onto the reason for buying a diesel, fuel economy.
Its not been what I expected, I'm averaging 42.9mpg at the moment, but given that its a new car and I'm having to learn how to drive a derv full time, I'll watch it and hopefully it will get better. Pottering about in 4th / 5th it returns 45 - 47 mpg. However on my commute 20 miles of it is motorway so 65 - 75mph and this sees the drop im mpg. I use works diesels, but didn't care about MPG, have fuel card, will floor it. Typical company thrash box driver.

Now for the general impressions.
Coming from bucket seats to what Subaru call sports seats, I'm sliding finding my bum slides about a bit when cornering. This I excpect to reduce as the seat roughs up a bit and starts to sag with use (I'm 14st).

When cold the gearbox is a little stiff and selecting 1st and 2nd can be a little on the hard side. Once warm though, it easy to select.

Other than that, its quick, has plenty of punch (2nd and 3rd once the turbo kicks in give you a big kick in the back) and a very comfortable ride. Steering takes some getting used to, its now some new fangles speed sensitve thing and I am not a big fan and takes some getting used to. I much prefer the system on the classic.

Any questions ask away. And no, there is no burble, this car as the biggest muffler known to man (its the width of the diffuser).

The Rig

iTrader: (13)

glad you like it

i read the boxer deisel isnt very economical so i guess your mpg wont improve that much.

hope it all continues well for you

Simon C

Ok I've now read teh manual and the headlight washer is triggered when you push the windscreen wash button for more than 1 second.....

Who blasts their winscreen with cleaner for more than 1 second??? Yup you and me both..

Janspeed

iTrader: (1)

????

It is economical, who said otherwise??

Janspeed

iTrader: (1)

The law states that all Xenon headlight cars have to have washers, and they activate when you clean the windscreen.

If you have ever driven/owned a car with said lights, you would know this amazing nugget of info..................

lloydee

iTrader: (2)

What about if you changed the exhaust for a Blitz Nur spec R I'm sure that will release the burble

Not sure what you mean when you say it's the whole width of the diffuser?

corradoboy

I'd guess that like all (I think) current UK Scoobs it'll have equal length headers, so a different BB might make it louder, but there'll be little/no burble. It's the imbalanced gas flow in unequal headers which gives the burble.

Simon C

Ahhh, nope gone from a 96 sport to this, quite a jump in technology and laws it would seem.

Neither of works cars have headlight washers, and neither do my parents VW's.

Janspeed

iTrader: (1)

But do they have Xenon headlight?

To be honest, the headlight washers go a bit overboard in my Forester too, the ones in the last car I had with such headlights (VW Golf IV) were more imperceptible.

It is good to see that you seem to be happy with your new acquisition!

Mark'sWRX

Yes, they must have washers with Xenons, but on the wife's Golf, the lights are only washed 1 in 5 times the screen is.

Janspeed

iTrader: (1)

Yeah I remember it being not so often, which is good.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

My Golf has xenons and headlamp washers, not very obvious as they look like blanking plates in the bumpers. The headlamp washers seem to spray the screen better than the screen washers..including any poor sod who is walking at the side of the road as I drive past

I'm not impressed if after just cleaning and waxing the car I accidentally catch the washer switch very briefly, out pops washer jets and give three two second blasts, covering the whole car with screen wash.

Think I might fill the washer bottle with car shampoo instead...might make it more usefull then

Funkii Munkii

Does it have Xenon's ? I suspect it doesn't? the reason I say that is I noticed the same thing on my wrx, but I didn't lose anywhere near the 80% you're experiencing, if anything it goes all disco for a couple of seconds and makes pretty patterns on the road without really losing any vision.

It's a pretty pointless toy imo, splashing some water on them wont clean them, thats why we have sponges

Simon C

Well, its been 1250 miles now and I'm like a Cheshire cat.....

Just completed (well last night) a 310 mile round trip and all is good apart from it needs a damn good wash.

First up, the discovery today. The tyre pressures, fronts were 35 and rears 32. These have been dropped to 29 and 25 respectivly (yoko A10 advan is what its shod in) and it tranforms the car. Its reduced the perceived body roll and tighted un the feel of the steering, next week will tell if its had an effect on the fuel economy.

Now for the boring stuff. With tyre pressures that high, it loved the Mway. So easy to drive, comfortable and relaxing, something my classic sport wasn't (although a hoot on b roads).

On the fuel front, I'd filled up on Tuesday, so a mixture of commuting on the A1m, then the drive up to Deryshire (A1m, A14 and then M1) inc the tailbacks at J21 - 26. Then the drive from Ashbourne to Shropshire down the A518, then the home leg of M54, M6, A14 then A1m all done at 75 - 80 on cruise control. Total mileage since fill up was 434.8 miles, filled it up today ready for work tomorrow, and the maths show an average of 44.9 mpg. Not bad I think, although I'd love to see it what it would be like on a clear run.

So all in all, I am a very happy owner, although still searching for that perfect harmoney!! I will find it!!

Downside is, the car goes back to the garage next week hopefully to have 3 rather annoying rattles fixed, 1 from each side of the dash, and 1 from the radio area. At which point I'll be asking about the Prodrive springs.

Would I recomend getting 1? A quite firm Yes.

rob84

iTrader: (5)

Nope current uk scoobs are still on un-equal length headers its the design of the exhaust system that loses the distinct burble

lordharding

iTrader: (1)

Is the body roll anoying ?

Any more Info on firmer springs or prehaps eibach alternatives would be the way forward?

Interesting to see 45 mpg

Simon C

Yes, the body roll is ******g annoying!!! And I am doing something about it Lets just say I do not have the confidence to push it, it feels like I'll either end up summersaulting into the fields, or if it doesn't make you feel unsafe, it will understeer!

I just need to see what the dealers say on monday when it goes in to have the rattles fixed.

On the fuel side Ive seen, 42.3, 41.9 (my fault, I should rememeber I have 6 gears now) 44.9 and 42.2 mpg.

As for springs, IM do not offer anything for the dervs, they say they may look into it once the cars go on offical release and if demand requires it, at which point it will be to late for me cos I'll have spent money with a tuning house.

ScoobyNoobie

I'd love to know how you find it when you've a few more thousand miles on it.
I test drove one an quite liked it. It just felt a little rolly, and a little slow, but not much. I thought the fact it was brand new may account for the slow feel, and thought the 16-inch rather than 17-inch tires didnt help the roll and slighlty vague steering.

Any thoughts on getting it re-mapped by RS tuning or the like? Would love ti know how it goes after that, go on the diesels

Anyone heard any thing more than the rummors of a derv sti with a 200bhp mill? That should finally be a VAG or Bmw beater.

p1doc

i know one daler who had caremapped to 185bhp forgot how much torque and that was nice!
martin

Simon C

Test drove wrx on 18's and it felt harsh, the rx I drove had 17's (although on sale comes on 18's), and that felt nice (hence my choice in buying 1).

Yes, in 3 years when the warrenty runs out and so my car isn't a test car. Already thought about that and its pending a couple of things....

You probably won't until the boxer diesel goes on general release.

scoobyboy

what ever you do don't put petrol in it, we just had one in with petrol in it and the bill has just gone over £6k

Simon C

Jees, what did they do to it.

lordharding

iTrader: (1)

Great comments coming out

looks like firmer springs might be the answer I would imagine 18'' wheels would be better then 17''

im sure prodrive will fetch out firmer springs once the other tuning firms come out with some

are they the same size as the WRX or would the WRX s ones fit I wonder ?

rob84

iTrader: (5)

as a rule diesel engines are heavier, so would imagine the wrx petrol springs would be to soft for it, could be wrong like

Simon C

The RX I test drove was on 17's and that felt good. Mines on 17's and handles like ****.

People can only hope.

IIRC they are the same!

scoobyboy

filled it up with petrol and ran it until it stopped on them,

an injector is £480 + vat
the high pressure pump is £1400 + vat
then all the pipes are one way fit only if you undo them you have to have new ones
the engine has to come out to change the injectors, manifold off to change the pipes and the front has to come off to change the pump then all rocker gaskets etc etc it soon adds up not to mention that all the above parts have to be coded in so theres time involved with that as well

Simon C

That is 1 thought I had, which reminds me I need to check.

Also waiting to see what the dealers say on Monday andthen I might be going to wales in July the long way...

Yup, RC and RX 1455kg v WRX 1395kg so 60kgs heavier.

Simon C

Well its now over 5000 miles!!! Holy brown and smelly, I only bough this car 2nd April!!

Now its had its RARB done, its a much nicer car, athough I think slightly stiffer springs will see the handling 100%.

The devil in me keeps thinking "mod it" biut I'm keeping in check although a remap would be nice, I've got used to the torque now and doesn't feel as fast as it once did.

Will have to give it a good dose of right lead foot after payday, cos i'm driving like Miss daisy at the moment and its boring me... Some of you will have seen the wheel damage sustained in the avoidance of a tawt in the 08 / 09 thread. Getting the car checked out, cos whilst my local garage says the tracking has been corrected, I don't think the were as accurate as any of the tuning houses are. It doesn't feel the same as when I left Litchfields, so the geo is getting redone on the 5th.

Saying that, even with suspect geo, most of this tank has been registering at 47.4 mpg, and only dropped yeaterday to 46.5 (friday commute home never sees good eco). To give you a referance point, when I left Iain's place on my way to Wales, I saw 53mpg at 60 mph!! The computer even registered 72 mpg at 1 point!!!!!!!!! :0

Overall I'm a happy owner, just a few things I'd like to sort out (but waiting to see if they do a PPP kit now its on official release).

Once the cards paid off, I'll be importing a ipod connection kit from the USA, as they get an OEM 1 and we don't.

p1doc

mine is not that economical 8.5mpg around nurburgring and 9.5mpg around stelvio lol but 44.6mpg over 1500 miles so far!!
martin

lordharding

iTrader: (1)

glad to see youe enjoying it """

mine has done 3300 miles in 10 weeks now and acording to the computer is averaging 43.2 so it is going up slightly but mailnly used for short fast 10 mile basts to work

love the car engine is starting to loosen up nice now

no rattles or any teething problems getting better every day now

It is the future



(although the spec c in yellow will look nice in the garage in the future with the blue derv and my beloved green classic wagon which has done only 240 miles in the last 10 weeks )