Crosstrek (AKA raggin wagon aka why did I buy this thing)

[Cookie Monster]

I like the wheels/tires you added. Is the paint a Subaru issue? You must expect some chips when you offroad your vehicle. Too late now, unless you get it repainted, but maybe a clear vinyl wrap might have been a good investment.

Yeah, a lot of people on the forums and Facebook groups are having issues with the orange paint. The chips started before I even started off roading the car (within a thousand miles), and honestly while off roading the speeds are generally slow enough that the front of my car isn't getting pelted with stuff.

I was going to get a clear vinyl bra but spent the money on the wheels and tires instead.

How is the output on your light bar? 

Idk, I just have this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LFKZDWO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The entire light bar setup was like $80. It's not DOT legal and is bright as fuck.

How much did the light bar improve your autox times?

(I think you were gone for the genesis of this inside joke)

Yeah I don't get it...

[Cookie Monster]

Love it. Thing must be a beast off road with those tires. I'd love a rig like that if it weren't for needing/wanting to do truck things (clearance, dirtbike, etc).

Thanks! It does have 8.7" of ground clearance... over 10" with a lift!

I will admit I'm coming off as pretty negative, but overall the car is pretty nice. For being an awkward looking CUV thingy it looks pretty nice IMO and for being a lifted economy car it's surprisingly great off road. I was able to hang with a group of people who were convinced I wouldn't make it up a particular trail.

It's also comfortable on road but despite the A/T tires and high ground clearance it drives surprisingly well, and the manual is pretty fun to drive. The pedals are spaced well for some heel-toe action and it's awesome being able to just drive over any bumps and curbs that I want. I just get a little peeved that it's both slower and burns more oil than my 32 year old Mister Two.

[2o6]

Burns oil? WTF

[Payman]

Yeah, a lot of people on the forums and Facebook groups are having issues with the orange paint. The chips started before I even started off roading the car (within a thousand miles), and honestly while off roading the speeds are generally slow enough that the front of my car isn't getting pelted with stuff.

I was going to get a clear vinyl bra but spent the money on the wheels and tires instead.

Idk, I just have this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LFKZDWO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The entire light bar setup was like $80. It's not DOT legal and is bright as fuck.



Yeah I don't get it...

Shame. It's actually probably the only vehicle (other than maybe a McLaren) that can pull off orange. I think it looks pretty darn good, especially with the dark trims and wheel combo you got.

[veeman]

I'm glad to see you back! 

Love your car.  I have the previous generation Crosstrek.  The new generation (your car) is in all ways better. Looks better and is better insulated against engine/road/wind drone.  I like the orange color a lot.  Mine is khaki.  I haven't had any chipping paint issues.

Older Crosstreks which were manual transmission had a 5 speed which is geared very low.  I'm often pedal to the metal going uphill or on highway on ramps which is quite fun.  It's slow for sure but to me isn't annoyingly slow.  What is annoying is driving at 3500 rpm going 80 mph. Unless the radio is on, the engine drone gets tiresome. 

Love you wheel tire combo.  I was seriously considering getting mine lifted 1.5" because it looks awesome on this car with bigger tires than the stock tires but decided against it because I don't off-road it and dynamically, it would just make the car worse on the highway which is where I usually drive.  I have close to 40 thousand miles on the odometer in a year and a half.  Gas mileage sucks for a smaller car at around 23-25 mpg but I get why.  It's AWD and geared low and I'm often on the highway going 70-80 mph. 

Anyways I dig your car and am glad to see your posts again.

[SJ_GTI]

Very nice car!

I have recently gotten some seat time in both a new Crosstrek and new Impreza, unfortunately both with the CVT rather than the manual.

I liked both. I agree the Crosstrek is slow (particularly compared to the cars I have owned recently), but I thought it was fine as a daily driver. The AWD lets it get off the line quick at least and the paddle shifters on the CVT model are surprisingly responsive when shifting. I love the exterior design (although the Crosstrek my mom bought is white, the orange is way better IMHO) and the interior is pretty nice (mom's is the two tone black/beige leather interior with orange stitching) as well. Plenty of space for passengers and without taking out a tape measure I would guess the hatch area is bigger than my Golf.

Overall though I liked the Impreza hatchback that my brother bought better. Even with the same engine it felt much quicker (presumably lighter) and handled better (presumably because it was lower to the ground). The interior was almost as nice (just plain black leather) and it felt like it had just as much interior space as the Crosstrek, even in the hatch area. The exterior looked a lot nicer in person than it does in pictures (IMHO). The obvious caveat here is that I doubt I would ever take either car offroad so for me personally the extra ground clearance isn't worth anything (and is actually a drawback). If you are going offroad a lot I suspect weight penalty is actually a reasonable trade off.

FWIW I also got to see a slew of WRX's and STI's when I went with my brother to pick up his car. I thought they also looked a lot better in person. And maybe it was just the color scheme, but the nicest looking of the bunch was a black on black (with black wheels) WRX. I know it is tradition but I was not actually a fan of the bronze wheels they had on most of the STI models.

PS. Both cars above are too new to notice any paint or oil burning issues. My mom bought her Crosstrek but my brother's Impreza is only a 1 year lease (employee program, super cheap as a 1 year lease with 20,000 miles). I'll have to mention the oil thing to my mom, but will probably be me or my brother keeping an eye on the engine oil. She has driven mostly Toyota's (and most recently an Acura TSX) and TBH she is not diligent when it comes to car maintenance.

[MX793]

The only difference between the Crosstrek and Impreza hatch is some body cladding and ride height/suspension tuning, so interior space is exactly the same.

[Payman]

Lol, it's not often someone posts about his new car and complains about it, and everyone else is defending it. 

[68_427]

Crosstrek plug in hybrid should be a bit more nippy.  Just upgrade.

[giant_mtb]

Thanks! It does have 8.7" of ground clearance... over 10" with a lift!

I will admit I'm coming off as pretty negative, but overall the car is pretty nice. For being an awkward looking CUV thingy it looks pretty nice IMO and for being a lifted economy car it's surprisingly great off road. I was able to hang with a group of people who were convinced I wouldn't make it up a particular trail.

It's also comfortable on road but despite the A/T tires and high ground clearance it drives surprisingly well, and the manual is pretty fun to drive. The pedals are spaced well for some heel-toe action and it's awesome being able to just drive over any bumps and curbs that I want. I just get a little peeved that it's both slower and burns more oil than my 32 year old Mister Two.

That's sweet. Good adventure rig.

[GoCougs]

Burns oil? WTF

Not uncommon. C/D's long term GT350 burns a quart every ~500-1000 miles in regular driving, so at 10,000 mile OICs and 10 quart capacity (?). IIRC they have oil consumption issues with their Cayman as well.

My last three Japanese cars haven't burned a drop (or, at least, not that one could tell from the dip stick), and I've kept each till 140k-150k miles with plenty o' hard driving; that is my baseline of acceptability.

[2o6]

Not uncommon. C/D's long term GT350 burns a quart every ~500-1000 miles in regular driving, so at 10,000 mile OICs and 10 quart capacity (?). IIRC they have oil consumption issues with their Cayman as well.

My last three Japanese cars haven't burned a drop (or, at least, not that one could tell from the dip stick), and I've kept each till 140k-150k miles with plenty o' hard driving; that is my baseline of acceptability.

Rags bought this car new in November.


If my car started burning oil within six months of ownership, I'd be livid.

[MX793]

Rags bought this car new in November.


If my car started burning oil within six months of ownership, I'd be livid.

Most manufacturer's have an allowable limit on what is deemed acceptable consumption for a new vehicle (e.g. .5 qt per 3000 miles).  While most new vehicles don't consume noticeable quantities of oil, it's not supremely rare to encounter one that does drink a little oil right from the factory.  Seems more common in high performance engines, but can happen with any.  QR25 Nissan's were notorious for burning oil out of the box.

[Speed_Racer]

Awesome assault wagon! How's the shifter feel? I heard early models were vague and "tractor-ish", have they improved it any?
And what sort of MPGs are you seeing with the aftermarket wheels & tires?

[giant_mtb]

Hah. We have the same tires.

[RomanChariot]

Most manufacturer's have an allowable limit on what is deemed acceptable consumption for a new vehicle (e.g. .5 qt per 3000 miles).  While most new vehicles don't consume noticeable quantities of oil, it's not supremely rare to encounter one that does drink a little oil right from the factory.  Seems more common in high performance engines, but can happen with any.  QR25 Nissan's were notorious for burning oil out of the box.

I have heard of some manufacturers saying that up to 1 quart per 1000 miles is acceptable.

[Cookie Monster]

I'm glad to see you back! 

Love your car.  I have the previous generation Crosstrek.  The new generation (your car) is in all ways better. Looks better and is better insulated against engine/road/wind drone.  I like the orange color a lot.  Mine is khaki.  I haven't had any chipping paint issues.

Older Crosstreks which were manual transmission had a 5 speed which is geared very low.  I'm often pedal to the metal going uphill or on highway on ramps which is quite fun.  It's slow for sure but to me isn't annoyingly slow.  What is annoying is driving at 3500 rpm going 80 mph. Unless the radio is on, the engine drone gets tiresome. 

Love you wheel tire combo.  I was seriously considering getting mine lifted 1.5" because it looks awesome on this car with bigger tires than the stock tires but decided against it because I don't off-road it and dynamically, it would just make the car worse on the highway which is where I usually drive.  I have close to 40 thousand miles on the odometer in a year and a half.  Gas mileage sucks for a smaller car at around 23-25 mpg but I get why.  It's AWD and geared low and I'm often on the highway going 70-80 mph. 

Anyways I dig your car and am glad to see your posts again.

Thanks! :)

I was very close to buying a 2017 in either Khaki or Hyper Blue, but the 6 speed in the 2018 felt so much better. The 6 speed is geared much, much shorter though, which is great off road but makes it even slower on road since you have to immediately go for 2nd gear. I kind of like the front end of your car more than mine but the 6 speed sold it for me.

Most manufacturer's have an allowable limit on what is deemed acceptable consumption for a new vehicle (e.g. .5 qt per 3000 miles).  While most new vehicles don't consume noticeable quantities of oil, it's not supremely rare to encounter one that does drink a little oil right from the factory.  Seems more common in high performance engines, but can happen with any.  QR25 Nissan's were notorious for burning oil out of the box.

It ate half a quart between 5k and 10k miles. It's not terrible but I hope it goes away and doesn't get worse.

Awesome assault wagon! How's the shifter feel? I heard early models were vague and "tractor-ish", have they improved it any?
And what sort of MPGs are you seeing with the aftermarket wheels & tires?

Thanks! Shifter feels amazing compared to the old 5 speed, which felt very vague and rubbery.

I'm getting 20 mpg due to the roof box and LED bar mainly.

[Rich]

Supercharge it?

[Payman]

Stage II Chipset, $150.

[Payman]

Supercharge it?

Again, a newish car under full warranty, and (I assume) under lein. Supercharge it. Give your head a shake. 

[GoCougs]

"Stage II" on a N/A motor? (Nah.)

I think the best car Subaru ever built was the 3rd gen Outback XT 5MT - perfect size, great utility, good performance. Real shame they don't do anything like that now:

[CALL_911]

It is. I hope they put the Ascent's motor in the next Outback.

[68_427]

It is. I hope they put the Ascent's motor in the next Outback.

Subaru is ditching the H6 for the 2.3T

[Submariner]

Again, a newish car under full warranty, and (I assume) under lein. Supercharge it. Give your head a shake. 

SportySpin Vol. II

[CALL_911]

Subaru is ditching the H6 for the 2.3T

Thank god, that thing needs to die. Cool motor in theory, but not that cool in practice.

[MrH]

Subaru is ditching the H6 for the 2.3T

Now, pair that with a 6-speed manual and decent trim levels, and VIOLA!  Enthusiast special Outback XT is revived!

[Cookie Monster]

"Stage II" on a N/A motor? (Nah.)

I think the best car Subaru ever built was the 3rd gen Outback XT 5MT - perfect size, great utility, good performance. Real shame they don't do anything like that now:

I was looking at those before I bought the Crosstrek. Manual ones are rare and expensive, and they had issues with the filters in the banjo bolts for the turbos clogging and killing the turbo. The earlier ones also had issues with the cat in the downpipe disintegrating and killing the turbo and engine that way, so they had their share of problems (typical of most Subarus).

Now, pair that with a 6-speed manual and decent trim levels, and VIOLA!  Enthusiast special Outback XT is revived!

Subaru is probably ditching all manual transmissions in the future because they want to put EyeSight on everything.

[AutobahnSHO]

One of my most favorite body styles.

[AutobahnSHO]

The 6 speed is geared much, much shorter though, which is great off road but makes it even slower on road since you have to immediately go for 2nd gear.

My 1978 wagon had an ultra-short 1st gear too. Couldn't go over 10mph, and often 2nd gear starts were better.

I assume it's for the off-road shenanigans. Not quite a true low range but close enough for most work.

(novice-tip: wire a clutch start bypass in case you ever get into something really really sticky, so you can use the starter for VERY BRIEF bumps uphill)

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

"Stage II" on a N/A motor? (Nah.)

I think the best car Subaru ever built was the 3rd gen Outback XT 5MT - perfect size, great utility, good performance. Real shame they don't do anything like that now:

Yeah I like those too. I keep an eye on them on Cars....