Feature Review: Adaptive Cruise Control and Blind Spot Detection

My Subaru BRZ was in the shop for its last bit of work on the driver side wind noise issue as well as the 30,000 mile service so the dealership gave me a loaner. This time with EyeSight and all the fancy driver assistance technologies. This review is not about the Outback itself though, but rather just about my experience with the driver assistance technologies (for a full review of a less fancily equipped 2016 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited click here).

2016 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited

When your car is in and out of the dealership for repairs you end up with a lot of dealership rentals. As I own a Subaru this means a lot of Subaru rentals. I have a wind noise / door seal issue that should soon hopefully be resolved. This last time around I was given a 2016 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited for the day.

I have previously reviewed the Subaru Outback.

Update: Skywater, 2014 Subaru Outback Premium, 1.75 Year Review

My wife and I traveled to see my parents for a holiday. We've been in town a week, and rather than renting a car they were kind enough to let us use their 2014 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium, named Skywater (after this book, which is a good book) as our errand car and for visiting our friends in the city and surrounding suburbs of Chicago.

Making It Yours, So Long As It Isn't A Manual

As a Subaru owner I get "Drive: the magazine from Subaru"

It often includes articles about what Subaru is doing as a corporate citizen, hype about new models, and reviews of certain things.

This most recent issue (Spring 2016) included an article titled "Making It Yours". The article discussed the accessory installation department of Subaru's Lafayette, IN plant. It is a nice article about the people and process behind having your factory options installed on your new Subaru. But, to me, this also reminds me of one of my chief frustrations with Subaru, which if you follow this blog or have had a conversation with me about cars you have heard (possible ad nauseam), in that if you want nice options with your new Subaru you cannot have them if you also want that new Subaru with a manual transmission. Having tried to get through to Subaru through dealerships, auto show representatives, and Subaru of North America via email and phone I figured I would try with the following email to insider@subaru.com. If you share my frustrations, it would be great if you were to write such an email as well.

Hello Drive Magazine Staff,

[Section as possible letter from reader]

Making It Yours, So Long As It Isn't A Manual

By MooncallerCars

In the Spring 2016 issue of Drive Magazine there was an article title “Making It Yours” on page 17. It was a nice article about options and customizations performed for your Subaru as factory installed options.

The “Making It Yours” article niggles me because at Subaru I am a second class car buyer in terms of options and amenities available if I insist I want to have a manual transmission.

Considering the ever decreasing availability of manual transmission cars in the US market, not just by Subaru but by all automakers, it means that the manual transmission buyer is generally a very discerning buyer who is picky and is likely to tick the option boxes they want on their purchase. It does not make sense to limit the availability of options to this would be buyer based on their transmission choice.

My wife and I currently own a 2014 Subaru BRZ (love it!) and a 1994 Honda Prelude. We’ve been looking to replace the Prelude with something a bit more practical in terms of family room but are frustrated by Subaru’s lack of option availability with manual transmissions.

[End section as possible letter from reader?]

Skywater, 2014 Subaru Outback Premium

Having test driven numerous Subaru vehicles, originally prompted by my parent's search for a new car, they finally got one!
Introducing Skywater!
Skywater is a 2014 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium with a 6-speed manual transmission. One of the few that was left in the US. Thank you Hodges Subaru for giving me the US inventory list so I could find her.

It's spacious. The rear seats lean back very nicely and tons of leg room, which is nice on long rides in the back. Heated seats and the adjustable lumbar / seat hug is very nice in the driver seat.
On the negatives though, the infotainment is very basic and connecting a device via Bluetooth is kind of obnoxious as it involves the voice command system.
There is more body roll than I would like, I wish it was more like the 2014 Subaru Legacy I had driven, just flatter with more feel.
Skywater provides a rather cushy ride. It is also very quiet by Subaru standards in terms of road noise.
When you properly rev it you will get the Subaru boxer sound.
It's a good car if that is what you need, probably one of the best. But, owning a 2014 Subaru BRZ myself, the 2014 Subaru Outback is too soft.

Anyways, pictures:
(Photo-bombed by Champ the border collie)

Even More Test Drives of the Subaru Product Line

2014 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited

The H6 provies much better power, when comparing Outbacks with automatic transmissions, than the H4 (EJ25), though I don't find it nearly as zingy as the FB20 or FA20 engines couples to a manual transmission nor does it have the punch of an EJ25 with a turbo, but, I think it shows and shows well that it is more powerful than the EJ25 with no turbo coupled to an automatic transmission.

I do not think that the suspension was any stiffer than the 2014 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited with a CVT transmission that I drove previously, however, it felt significantly more responsive and communicative.

Test Drive of Subaru CVT with Paddle Shift

Subaru recently announced the 2015 Subaru Outback and stated there would no longer be any manual transmissions, only CVT transmissions with paddle shift manual override.

While I love manual transmissions and would prefer to have them I recognize that at some point I will likely end up with something else, whether or not I want to, due to the general trend away from manual transmissions.

To date, my favorite automatic I've driven is an Audi A4 (B7) which had a wonderful manual override on the 6-speed automatic transmission, i.e. it had a fair amount of bite on downshifts and did not nanny gear changes too much.


Today I test drove a 2014 Subaru Outback Limited (CVT).

In manual mode it is fairly good at not nannying shifts and lets you choose which gear you want to be in, for the most part.
For example you can shift up to 4th gear, but not higher, when doing up to 30 mph.
You have full discression on down shifts but there is very little initial bite, even when you dump two gears. My guess is this lack of bite is due to it being a CVT transmission and not having true ratios like a traditional automatic transmission (with torque converter or double clutch).
I would say acceleration is smoother and better in automatic mode than in manual, the ability to keep the engine in its most efficient range is best.
Also, as compared with the 2014 Subaru Outback with a manual transmission I drove this feels significantly less connected to the road and there is less feedback. In some ways this is true across all automatic transmissions, but even more so in a CVT transmission.



Note: for those who don't know a CVT is a continuously variable transmission which means it has no truly fixed ratios and changes to keep the engine in the optimum RPM range.

More Test Drives of the Subaru Product Line

Today I tested more cars offered by Subaru. I went back to Hodges Subaru in Ferndale, MI and was dealing with Danielle again (if you’re looking to buy a Subaru and live in the Detroit area, deal with her, she’s wonderful!). Today I was testing and measuring cars for my parents who are finally looking to replace Harmony (2000 Subaru Outback) or Cloud (1999 Subaru Forester).

A few notes on the Subaru product line before I review the cars. Subaru needs to offer a wagon version of the Legacy that is less bulky looking than the new Outback’s (this is available in Japan and should be here too). Subaru manual transmission vehicles still suffer from very soft clutch pedals, a bit more resistant would just let you know you’re pressing it better. Also, Subaru offers a lot of great diesel versions of their vehicles in other countries that are quite fuel efficient, these should be offered to the USA as well.

On to the cars I drove today: