Rav4 -- Highlander or Outback

So, just to update on my subaru outback purchase. I just went over 1K with it. So far, been very happy with it. Still am trying to get used to the "fancy stuff." The special safety things, such as automatic braking if it senses an obstacle in front or behind. Cross traffic notification if I am backing. Lane departure. Lots more.

Comfortable seats. Comfortable climate system. I wish the tire pressure stuff was in PSI, but I guess I will catch on to KPA eventually. Also wish I could turn-off whatever it is that makes the radio keep playing after you turn off the rig. If I wanted it playing, I would not shut down the car.

A bit underpowered, but not bad at all.

 

Bumpers -- is that a veiled sexual reference? LOL

I remember in elementary school -- when lunch was 30 cents -- that they said we were all going to have to learn metric in " a couple of years."

Some 52 years later.....and who is Pascal, anyway -- some painter?

 

So, I am waiting around the house, bored, for an attorney to call me (a neighbor trying her hand at adverse possession)....so, figured.

A NINE-MONTH UPDATE ON MY OUTBACK PURCHASE

It's a four-cylinder 2.5 liter Limited edition. The six-cylinder has more power and oomph!

First my insurance has gone DOWN on this car, from what I was paying on a 16-year-old Camry.

Don't know why and have not asked just in case they made a mistake Actually, I had read that insurance was lower on Outbacks because of their high safety rating.

It's a likeable car, but it has spoiled me. Since it is higher off the ground, when I get in the Prius, I do a double-take and check to see if the Prius tires are flat, since it seems as if I am stepping into a hole.

It's comfortable, gets decent mpg for it's size and has enough room for my 6'2" 195 pound frame. Lumbar support, which I figured was another marketing ploy, actually works very well.

Controls are logical and easy to figure out and the climate system is simply amazing. Defog works in an instant, car heats up and cools down quickly. Heated seats, although I thought they were really over-the-top, have gained my reluctant endorsement now that we are hitting the 20-degree F mark.

Headlights baffle me -- the "normal" setting makes it seem as if the Prius and the Camry the Outback replaced have NO headlights. The Outback headlights really light up the road. I thought the Steering Responsive Headlights were just a marketing thing. But they can help you see better around corners because they aim toward the direction you are steering, rather than simply pointing straight ahead. You can see further around the corner, so you can react sooner if something unexpected happens. They are halogen.

Car gets a slight bit better mpg than touted -- but then I drive very conservatively and use Oklahoma Overdrive whenever possible or a variation thereof.

I found a solution to the radio being turned off when I park, only to comeback on at full blast at next start. IF you hold the off button down for a long period -- I do not know, maybe 5-10 seconds -- it will not come on at next restart.

It is a bit pokey on acceleration, but I knew that when I bought it and I have no issue with it. I have no trouble passing on hills and we have some steep ones in Washington. The accelerator is a bit too responsive when coming off a stop, something I have gotten used to, but it is a bit irritating.

Longest road trip I have made is about three hours and it is comfortable at that distance.

I have done some minor off-road driving and it seems as if it was going to give up on some steep side hill transitions, but then got traction and merrily continued on the way.

A minor issue. The Prius was the first car I ever had with a backup camera. And, although I still mostly rely on mirrors and the over-the-shoulder glances, I, of course, do refer to the camera. The Prius camera never seems dirty or fogged or anything. On the Outback, it must be the positioning of the lenses, but more often than not, I find it half-obscured by gunk. A quick wipe with one of my stash of fast-food napkins cures it until the next time.

There is a rattle in the headunit configuration on rough roads. I did some research and found it to be a common complaint. The only solution seems to be to tease a small shim in at the top. Have not bothered to do that yet. I grew up in cars with manual chokes, no seatbelts, manual transmissions and handcrank windows. A minor rattle when riding gravel roads is not a big concern.

Drove it once on a fairly icy morning -- temps around 22F and freezing fog with lots of road ice and had no issues. Oh, I took one curve too fast and it thought about losing grip, but it did not.

As mentioned in an earlier post, I had considered the RAV4, but was afraid of touching it, since it was the first year of a redesign. Seems I may have made the right decision. Just some cursory looks and I find lots of transmission problems reported as well as fuel tank issues, engine noise and lack of room for the driver. As well as piddling seat adjustments with the RAV. Don't know if they are real or not, but people are complaining.

Seems the 2019 Outback may have had the ongoing problems with the Info Center solved.

I also gave up on the Highlander as I figured I did not need that much space. Considered the Subaru Forester, but found out it was becoming the most popular with the over 60 years of age set -- and despite the fact I'm 61, I did not want to join that group. Plus, like the RAV it was the first year of a redesign.

Considered the Honda CR-V, but I have worked on a number of Hondas for friends and found for the most part, the Honda dealers I dealt with for parts were even worse than Toyota and Honda engineers seem to have a strange fascination in making the simplest tasks the most difficult -- they may be in consultation with Audi on that issue.

Nissan - eh -- last Nissan I had in 1998 -- did not live up to their previous quality, as far as I was concerned. The domestic crowd, well, Chrysler, Dodge, GM and Chevy, NOPE. Ford just did not excite me.

And, as I mentioned in an earlier post, folks here were big fans of the Outback.

Well, the attorney called with the good news I expected and much earlier in the day than I expected --10 a.m. And is not charging me. That was UNEXPECTED. He said I did all the work and wrote out a very good brief explaining the situation. Nothing more needed than for me to call the state patrol and have a trespass complaint threatened or issued.

Well, time to take the Outback into the hills: Who cares about the winter storm warning. I'm in an Outback with NO tire chains. I do have my winter tires though.