I just picked up my CGP 3.6R this week. I put 100 miles on it today driving through the countryside for the first time. Here are my impressions of the car so far:
1) Engine: Well, it's noisy at idle outside the car, but there must be plenty of sound dampening in the firewall because it's very quiet inside. It's smooth, but almost any new car would be. At WOT it's not that noisy, but it's not the most pleasant of engine growls either. I have no complaints about power. It's more than adequate for a vehicle of this type.
2) Transmission: I drove virtually the entire 100 miles in manual mode. I haven't driven an auto in decades, but this isn't a bad auto. The engine has enough torque to keep the tranny in gear and not constantly hunting. The ratios are pretty good, but more never hurt. The tranny is a little slow to kick down in auto mode, but since I hate most slushboxes in the first place, I knew this would be expected. In auto mode, the shifts are smooth. In manual mode, the shifts are smooth with the exception of the 2-1 kick down. I'm not sure why it's rough in manual mode, but not in auto mode. Perhaps the computer kicks it down at a slightly higher RPM when in manual mode. I will pay more attention to this and see if it's smoother if I manually make the 2-1 shift. Some may question the usefulness of a manual mode, but I would never drive an auto that didn't offer it. On winding roads you can downshift to give you the proper entry speed for a curve or just keep you in the proper gear for switchbacks. My philosophy has always been that braking means you made a mistake. If you actively monitor the road and control your car, you rarely need brakes on an open road. Sadly this is much harder to accomplish with an auto, but the manual mode helps.
3) Handling: I have been very surprised by the OB's handling. It has a very well damped and comfortable ride, and yet it doesn't lose composure in the curves. For a vehicle with this much ground clearance and higher center of gravity, it has amazing grip. I tossed it through curves that would have a comparable SUV squealing its tires. On rough country roads I had no problem with grip, even on bumpy or gravely apexes. Subaru really shines here. There is no way a vehicle this size and weight should be this nimble. The Honda CRV has respectable handling, but with a much harsher ride. The Subie accomplishes this without the drawbacks.
4) Steering: This is my only real complaint with the OB so far. The steering is vague and there is a noticeable dead spot on center. The weighting is fine, but that vagueness is a little annoying at highway speeds. It's entirely possible that different tires will remedy this. I hope so. It's the one improvement I think really needs to be made.
5) Braking: The brake pads are still seating so I cannot make a proper review yet. Modulation is pretty good. My first impression is that it seems a little under-braked, but this will change when the pads fully seat.
5) Interior comfort: I always have a problem with seat comfort on trips. I rarely fine a car that doesn't have my back aching after an hour. Sadly the OB is no exception, but I'm sure that most people will find them great. My passenger was very comfortable. The air works just fine, though the controls are a little awkward. It would be far superior to have different size buttons and maybe some knobs for different A/C functions. After enough time it will become intuitive, but it could be much simpler.
6) Noise: at idle the OB is very quiet. In the city the OB is very quiet. On the highway, not so much. Clearly the OB has plenty of sound deadening materials. This is very effective at low speeds. Unfortunately the noise at higher speeds is wind related. The OB has fairly large mirrors which is great for visibility, but bad for noise. A little tweaking with their design would improve this dramatically. It's not that the OB is any noisier than another car at highway speeds, but it's so much more quiet at low speeds that you expect it to be equally quiet on the highway.
7) Audio: It's only adequate. I would hate to hear the non HK audio model if it sounds much worse than this. The iPhone connectivity is simple and the controls work fine. I should say that I'm an audio fanatic who spend hundreds of hours tweaking the audio system on my previous car. No OEM system sounds good to me, but there are plenty that sound better than this. I can't really blame Subaru for this.
Summary: Most of these are only minor nitpicks. Overall I really enjoy the vehicle. The ride is superb and the grip is far better than it should be for a vehicle of this type. The cabin is quiet and comfortable. When you add off-road prowess into the mix, this vehicle should be at the top of most peoples' all-in-one list. Many cars can do any one of these tasks better, but not many can do all of them with such skill. Kudos Subaru!
P.S. Why did you have to kill the Legacy GT????
1) Engine: Well, it's noisy at idle outside the car, but there must be plenty of sound dampening in the firewall because it's very quiet inside. It's smooth, but almost any new car would be. At WOT it's not that noisy, but it's not the most pleasant of engine growls either. I have no complaints about power. It's more than adequate for a vehicle of this type.
2) Transmission: I drove virtually the entire 100 miles in manual mode. I haven't driven an auto in decades, but this isn't a bad auto. The engine has enough torque to keep the tranny in gear and not constantly hunting. The ratios are pretty good, but more never hurt. The tranny is a little slow to kick down in auto mode, but since I hate most slushboxes in the first place, I knew this would be expected. In auto mode, the shifts are smooth. In manual mode, the shifts are smooth with the exception of the 2-1 kick down. I'm not sure why it's rough in manual mode, but not in auto mode. Perhaps the computer kicks it down at a slightly higher RPM when in manual mode. I will pay more attention to this and see if it's smoother if I manually make the 2-1 shift. Some may question the usefulness of a manual mode, but I would never drive an auto that didn't offer it. On winding roads you can downshift to give you the proper entry speed for a curve or just keep you in the proper gear for switchbacks. My philosophy has always been that braking means you made a mistake. If you actively monitor the road and control your car, you rarely need brakes on an open road. Sadly this is much harder to accomplish with an auto, but the manual mode helps.
3) Handling: I have been very surprised by the OB's handling. It has a very well damped and comfortable ride, and yet it doesn't lose composure in the curves. For a vehicle with this much ground clearance and higher center of gravity, it has amazing grip. I tossed it through curves that would have a comparable SUV squealing its tires. On rough country roads I had no problem with grip, even on bumpy or gravely apexes. Subaru really shines here. There is no way a vehicle this size and weight should be this nimble. The Honda CRV has respectable handling, but with a much harsher ride. The Subie accomplishes this without the drawbacks.
4) Steering: This is my only real complaint with the OB so far. The steering is vague and there is a noticeable dead spot on center. The weighting is fine, but that vagueness is a little annoying at highway speeds. It's entirely possible that different tires will remedy this. I hope so. It's the one improvement I think really needs to be made.
5) Braking: The brake pads are still seating so I cannot make a proper review yet. Modulation is pretty good. My first impression is that it seems a little under-braked, but this will change when the pads fully seat.
5) Interior comfort: I always have a problem with seat comfort on trips. I rarely fine a car that doesn't have my back aching after an hour. Sadly the OB is no exception, but I'm sure that most people will find them great. My passenger was very comfortable. The air works just fine, though the controls are a little awkward. It would be far superior to have different size buttons and maybe some knobs for different A/C functions. After enough time it will become intuitive, but it could be much simpler.
6) Noise: at idle the OB is very quiet. In the city the OB is very quiet. On the highway, not so much. Clearly the OB has plenty of sound deadening materials. This is very effective at low speeds. Unfortunately the noise at higher speeds is wind related. The OB has fairly large mirrors which is great for visibility, but bad for noise. A little tweaking with their design would improve this dramatically. It's not that the OB is any noisier than another car at highway speeds, but it's so much more quiet at low speeds that you expect it to be equally quiet on the highway.
7) Audio: It's only adequate. I would hate to hear the non HK audio model if it sounds much worse than this. The iPhone connectivity is simple and the controls work fine. I should say that I'm an audio fanatic who spend hundreds of hours tweaking the audio system on my previous car. No OEM system sounds good to me, but there are plenty that sound better than this. I can't really blame Subaru for this.
Summary: Most of these are only minor nitpicks. Overall I really enjoy the vehicle. The ride is superb and the grip is far better than it should be for a vehicle of this type. The cabin is quiet and comfortable. When you add off-road prowess into the mix, this vehicle should be at the top of most peoples' all-in-one list. Many cars can do any one of these tasks better, but not many can do all of them with such skill. Kudos Subaru!
P.S. Why did you have to kill the Legacy GT????
