Hi, I'm Matt (subaru123). This is the car I learned to drive in and now drive just about every day. It is three years old and approaching 34,000 miles. I absolutely love driving this vehicle and detail it myself. The pictures are a day after my last detail to it.
Driving the car is amazing compared to any other that I have driven. The engine and exhaust sound great for what it is (I enjoy driving without the radio because of the sound). 0-60 times are in the mid-sevens and acceleration is more than adequate. The five-speed automatic kicks down on command when in Sport and upshifts are nearly CVT smooth. The steering is direct and heavy (the way I like it). The suspension soaks up all the bumps and is quite stiff at the same time. There is very little body roll in the corners and almost no nose dive under heavy braking. The brake pedal has a rather long travel, but is firm towards the end and stops are very short and linear with very little ABS intrusion. Lastly, the AWD is my favorite feature. I never once slipped in the rain and you can accelerate around curves as if it was dry out.
The AWD also helped me the first time I ever drove in snow. I drove over 100 miles that day and felt confident the entire time. The only slipping occurred when accelerating from a stop, making extremely tight turns, and sometimes while braking. Overall, the experience was uneventful.
My second favorite "feature" is the puddle lamps. They are just a simple, cool-looking feature that people actually say something about when I'm unlocking the car in a parking lot.
Now my favorite part: the interior. Before this there was a B9 Tribeca in the family. So I have been living with the same interior for over six years and I still love it. Everything is built solidly with no panel gaps (except for where the door meets the dash; it's like that on every Tribeca). The seats with three-stage heat get extremely toasty and are comfortable enough to sit in for hours on end. The cabin is extremely quiet as well. The navigation system has never failed me and has a back-up camera with assist lines. The second row is expansive. People over six feet tall can easily fit back there with room to spare.
As you can tell, I'm in love with this car. It has never had any mechanical or electrical problems. Just 100% perfect reliability. Between the high seating position and carlike handling, I just can't get over how much I love the car. I am a Subaru fan for life. -- Matt
If you want to participate in the Readers Rides blog, click here to read the submission guidelines and email your text and photos to submissions@edmunds.com -- Donna
stress83 says:
07:05 AM, 02/15/12
"The AWD also helped me the first time I ever drove in snow. I drove over 100 miles that day and felt confident the entire time. The only slipping occurred when accelerating from a stop, making extremely tight turns, and sometimes while braking. Overall, the experience was uneventful."
Not to rain on your parade, but that's exactly what you can expect from a FWD or RWD vehicle in the same conditions.
Nonetheless, glad you're proud. Keep it clean.
gsschro2 says:
02:58 PM, 02/18/12
The driver's cockpit seems like a nice place to be! Love the center console.
bassrockerx says:
01:39 AM, 02/22/12
i like how the air vents arent at face level they are more down so you dont have to turn the fan speed down when your face/arms start freezing