Boxer6
|
Subaru Outback DieselHad this as a courtesy car yesterday whilst mine was having it's i-pod connection re-fitted (properly, this time!)
First thing that struck me was how much "taller" it is than my Spec B; I'm used to sitting down into the car, so to slide in sideways seemd a bit odd, somehow. The car was the same colour as mine too, which helped to confuse things!
Once inside, the facia and controls were very familiar - no SatNav/command screen of course, and no remote stereo buttons on the (Momo) wheel, but otherwise pretty much the same. Come start-up time and the real difference manifests itself immediately - Boxer Diesels, when cold, are noisy! To be fair, the soundproofing is such that with the windows closed it's almost impossible to hear the clatter, but outside it is unmistakable until thoroughly warmed through - and even then, some dieselly noise remains evident.
To drive in a "pootle round town" mode, it is similar to any other diesel - torquey low down, leading to an easy time in busy town/city streets. Put your foot down however, and the engine responds very enthusiastically, and the gear selection by now is fairly smooth and positive. Sadly, when cold the 5-speed manual 'box is VERY notchy and difficult to engage... not nice at all.
Pressing on, a distinct wallowing motion became apparent, particularly on camber-changes and the worst of the potholes. I think part of that is due to my being spoiled by the Bilstein dampers on my own car, but it was a trifle disconcerting at first! No other issues were apparent in the 50 or so miles I had the car and, of note, the average mpg reading did not deviate from the 41.4mpg over the course of the day - and I certainly didn't hang about! The franchise manager, Adam, who's car it was, told me he hasn't reset the mpg-trip since he got it 3200 miles ago, so not as shabby on the consumption front as I thought ........ mind you, compared to mine it's light years better!
All-in-all, my time with the car was very pleasant - so much so, that I've emailed a colleague to recommend he has a test-drive of one! Still glad to have my own car back though - I really missed the paddles!
|
Jasper
|
Sound's like the car you should buy when the pension book arrives. Worthy but dull?
|
Boxer6
|
| Jasper wrote: | | Sound's like the car you should buy when the pension book arrives. Worthy but dull? |
In all honesty, it's a hard question to answer. Yes it runs on the fuel of Satan, but it's quite poky for all that and shifts pretty well for it's size. The deal-breaker for me is the suspension - pushing on means massive bouncing (well relative to mine anyway!) but it does make life, well, interesting!! 
|
SpecB
|
I've driven an Outback 3.0R with the same engine as ours and despite the body roll and soft suspension it cornered much better than it should have done.
|
|