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OK, now that I figured out that Subie OBW means Subaru Outback, some questions. First what does the "W" stand for? Went to the Subaru website and started building an Outback. In Wyoming, what works better, manual or automatic transmission? I am good on both. And would you go to a light color car (reflects sun) or dark color car (absorbs sun)?
OK, now that I figured out that Subie OBW means Subaru Outback, some questions. First what does the "W" stand for? Went to the Subaru website and started building an Outback. In Wyoming, what works better, manual or automatic transmission? I am good on both. And would you go to a light color car (reflects sun) or dark color car (absorbs sun)?
I am thinking that the W stands for "wagon". Although it is really an SUV, having the back cargo area constitutes it as a wagon. My opinion is that manual or auto is a matter of personal preference. If you are driving on a lot of mountain passes, MAYBE you would want a manual, but I have found that for our typical use an auto works just fine. I have lived in Wyoming or Montana my whole life and have mostly driven cars with auto trannys. I just don't like to have to clutch, more so now that I'm getting older! My hubby has had both in his pickups. We pull a toyhauler now and he has an automatic that works great. He has to use the lower gears once in awhile, but for all practicality it works fine. Others who have more experience driving a lot in the mountains may have other opinions. My DH likes lighter colored vehicles due to the darker ones being too hot in the summer. Me, I don't really care. That's what A/C is for! Again, personal preference I guess!
Although I have never owned one I have seen them in action many times. They have been very popular in Maine since the mid-70's.
One time in the early 80's a bunch of us got snowed in [2 feet of light powder] at a wood's camp at the bottom of a very steep narrow driveway, heavily wooded on both sides and about a half mile long. The Subaru wagon was the only vehicle that could climb out. It then proceeded to haul out the rest of us, including a Jeep Wagoneer.
Contrary to the post above, the wagon is not an "SUV" for the standard OBW (descended from the Legacy Wagon), although the Forester model is rated as an SUV in the marketplace, but it's of limited use off improved roads with it's low ground clearance. Neither is suitable for more than use on dirt roads, and off-road trails are not a good use for these vehicles.
The forte of these AWD vehicles is the inclement weather handling capability; ie, slick icy roads, snow/slush, rain, etc ... and the ability to handle all as encountered without getting flustered. It's not uncommon on a wintry day to encounter a wide range of these conditions, rapidly changing even to a dry road in spots. The Subie will drive through all pretty seamlessly, even when you are surprised to find a slick spot as you transition from a dry area or a place with a different level of loss of traction.
Driving them presents a difference between the automatic and the manual transmission beyond how the gears are managed; ie, the automatic is more sophisticated in selecting the power delivered between the front and rear, essentially acting as primarily a FWD car with a minimal amount of power to the rear wheels. As slippage is encountered, more power may be sent to the rear wheels to balance out the handling and traction. The manual transmission is essentially a 50/50 split full-time, and has predictable handling characteristics. They do not drive exactly the same, and the preference is more than just manual vs automatic for shifting.
For many people, the difference may be imperceptible due to where they drive the vehicle and their expectations, for others ... it may be a significant difference.
Part of the reason for the difference in power delivery is to improve the fuel economy of the automatic; in the latest iterations, the automatic achieves equal or better fuel economy than the manual. But it definitely feels different to drive. If you are looking at buying a new car, then you should test drive both to experience the difference in the way they drive. I test drove a new CVT automatic for 2012 and it was very disconcerting compared to my 2001 manual trans OBW; for me, it would take awhile to get used to the way it drove. The trade-off was the newer car achieves a consistent 6 mpg improvement in fuel economy for my use, which is a significant improvement to accomplish my transportation needs.
As far as colors go, the lighter colors are preferable, IMO. The UV attack on the paint at altitude is severe, and the lighter colors reflect more of it than the absorbed UV of the darker colors. I prefer to run my A/C as little as possible for fuel economy issues, and prefer the fresh air and an open sunroof for most of the year as possible, so minimizing the body heat up in the sun is better for me. Plus, the lighter colors are more visible to other drivers in a lot of conditions, and driving around many of the roads here in Wyoming, that's an inherent benefit.
Contrary to the post above, the wagon is not an "SUV" for the standard OBW (descended from the Legacy Wagon), although the Forester model is rated as an SUV in the marketplace, but it's of limited use off improved roads with it's low ground clearance. Neither is suitable for more than use on dirt roads, and off-road trails are not a good use for these vehicles.
The forte of these AWD vehicles is the inclement weather handling capability; ie, slick icy roads, snow/slush, rain, etc ... and the ability to handle all as encountered without getting flustered. It's not uncommon on a wintry day to encounter a wide range of these conditions, rapidly changing even to a dry road in spots. The Subie will drive through all pretty seamlessly, even when you are surprised to find a slick spot as you transition from a dry area or a place with a different level of loss of traction.
Driving them presents a difference between the automatic and the manual transmission beyond how the gears are managed; ie, the automatic is more sophisticated in selecting the power delivered between the front and rear, essentially acting as primarily a FWD car with a minimal amount of power to the rear wheels. As slippage is encountered, more power may be sent to the rear wheels to balance out the handling and traction. The manual transmission is essentially a 50/50 split full-time, and has predictable handling characteristics. They do not drive exactly the same, and the preference is more than just manual vs automatic for shifting.
For many people, the difference may be imperceptible due to where they drive the vehicle and their expectations, for others ... it may be a significant difference.
Part of the reason for the difference in power delivery is to improve the fuel economy of the automatic; in the latest iterations, the automatic achieves equal or better fuel economy than the manual. But it definitely feels different to drive. If you are looking at buying a new car, then you should test drive both to experience the difference in the way they drive. I test drove a new CVT automatic for 2012 and it was very disconcerting compared to my 2001 manual trans OBW; for me, it would take awhile to get used to the way it drove. The trade-off was the newer car achieves a consistent 6 mpg improvement in fuel economy for my use, which is a significant improvement to accomplish my transportation needs.
As far as colors go, the lighter colors are preferable, IMO. The UV attack on the paint at altitude is severe, and the lighter colors reflect more of it than the absorbed UV of the darker colors. I prefer to run my A/C as little as possible for fuel economy issues, and prefer the fresh air and an open sunroof for most of the year as possible, so minimizing the body heat up in the sun is better for me. Plus, the lighter colors are more visible to other drivers in a lot of conditions, and driving around many of the roads here in Wyoming, that's an inherent benefit.
I'm still driving my 2000 Outback wagon, only 107,000 miles on it. lol Went from a Chevy Silverado to this and it's does a good job of getting around on the dicey roads of winter and easily carries a couple of kayaks in the summer. Very popular here in New England. I also think which transmission is personal preference. I used to have all manuals until the Silverado. Since the Outback's AWD is automatic I think the auto transmission works well with it.
Out of curiosity, are there a lot of Hondas in Wyoming? I have an 2006 AWD Ridgeline P/U and an 2009 AWD CRV. The Ridgeline has about 70k on it, while the CRV has only 21k. Will be bringing only one to either Idaho or Wyoming in a year and a half. Having trouble deciding whether I need the clearance on the Ridgeline or the gas mileage on the CRV, but definetly need a dealership within a couple hrs of wherever we end up. Guessing that in Wyoming its gonna be Cheyenne or Casper only.
I've been primarily a Ford, Toyota, or Honda owner over the years and am sold on Honda for overall reliability---paid for, of course, by the steeper repair bills when they come along.
IIRC, there's 5 or 6 Honda dealers in Wyoming ... but don't forget that it's common in this area to rely upon the facilities of places just outside the borders, so Ft Collins, SLC, Rapid City, or Billings are also viable choices for vehicle support.
As well, there's a fair number of independent import service shops throughout Wyoming that can meet almost any need except for warranty repairs.
It's pretty rare to see a Ridgeline around Wyoming; they don't appear to be used for pulling trailers or heavy duty service, and every one I can recall seeing was looking almost showroom perfect. I do see, however, a fair number of CRV's on the road and I think if you're just looking at personal transportation that this is a good vehicle for the region. It's pretty rare to be driving deep snow which is helped by having increased ground clearance; the most common adverse condition is black ice conditions or hard pack snow.
Thanks for the info, Sunsprit. Love my Ridgeline, don't pull anything with it, but 70k miles on it is 3 times the 21k on the CRV.
Incidentally, about 4 years ago, late November-early December, I drove from Denver to Jackson west through Steamboat into Utah and north through Rock Springs, with five adults in the Ridgeline and all our luggage in the back covered with a tarp.
We had a little snow going up there, and a ton coming back, same route. Had no problems navigating the roads anywhere, and the closest we came to disaster was on the way back, driving at night, when I rounded a curve on snow-covered ice and encountered a bull moose who felt the middle of the road was his. I stopped about ten feet from him and he just stared through the headlights at us. Finally honked a couple of times and he just moseyed off to the side of the road.
If I had to hit a moose, I think I'd prefer the Ridgeline to the CRV---but then again, I'd just as soon hit nothing at all!
If you are looking at buying a new car, then you should test drive both to experience the difference in the way they drive. I test drove a new CVT automatic for 2012 and it was very disconcerting compared to my 2001 manual trans OBW; for me, it would take awhile to get used to the way it drove. The trade-off was the newer car achieves a consistent 6 mpg improvement in fuel economy for my use, which is a significant improvement to accomplish my transportation needs.
Another Subie OBW owner here (2010, first year of the CVT in the Outback):
First, my wife and I are both long-time manual transmission drivers. When we first met, we were both driving manual transmission vehicles, we've been together 20 years now and we still both drive manuals. Neither one of us ever owned an automatic transmission since graduating from college... Except for our 2010 Subie.
Partly based on sunsprit's experience with Outbacks and Subies, when we went looking for a vehicle to replace a Jeep Cherokee, we looked at Subaru Outbacks. We liked what we saw. For reasons I won't explain here, we decided to get the CVT. The reasons don't have to do with our preferences in autos, but have to do with getting her friends to help do the driving on long trips, since most women today can't drive a manual and refuse to learn how. And while I'm a pretty charitable guy, this doesn't extend as far as letting people learn how to drive a manual transmission on clutches I'd have to replace.
Anyway, we've now put some serious miles on the CVT, and I can say this:
It's grown on us. Even tho we both dislike automatic transmissions in general, the CVT is not at all a conventional "slush-box" automatic. There's no "thump" or "jerk" as it shifts. There's just this acceleration... and then you're at your speed, and the engine speed falls off. As sunsprit says, it's something that rattles you a bit at first.
One of the things we can do to maximize our fuel mileage is to control the engine RPM's to keep the engine in it's most efficient power band. Unlike a conventional automatic transmission, in the CVT you can do things like this: Bring the engine up to 3,000 RPM and just keep it there... and let the CVT adjust as the car accelerates. You can, when climbing hills (of which we have a few in Wyoming), keep your RPM limited (as long as there's no one behind you) and let the CVT figure out where to put the gearing ratio to keep the engine load there. As a result, you can get some serious improvement in mileage with the CVT if you're willing to deal with the fact that there are times you're not going to go blazing up a hill at 75MPH.
The highest fuel efficiency we get is when we're able to obtain gasoline without moonshine in it - when we're able to do that, and we drive the CVT for efficiency, we're able to get between 32 and 36MPG. Not too shabby for the engine technology and high ground clearance at all.
Would we get another Subie Outback? Yes. Would we get the CVT? We're mixed. We both still don't like automatic transmissions. Our shared distaste for automatics is one of the reasons why I married the girl... when I met her, I remember thinking: "A really cute girl who knows how to drive a stick well? Who can get 150+K miles on a OEM clutch? Who knows what a throwout bearing is and why you don't keep the clutch pedal down at a stoplight? Wow... she's the girl for me!"
But we both admit that the CVT gives impressive fuel mileage - and, quite frankly, the CVT coupled with the traction setup in the Outback makes it impressively sure-footed in blizzards. We've driven that vehicle through some of the worst weather Wyoming has to offer and I have to say that it is the most sure-footed vehicle I've ever driven in a whiteout where the snow was coming down at a rate of inches per hour in a 40MPH Wyoming breeze. I'm not talking about just cars - I've driven a lot of stuff, from go-carts to farm and heavy equipment. For someone who doesn't go off-road on two-tracks or forest service roads, who just wants to get there today on paved or packed dirt roads in Wyoming's winters... you owe it to yourself to at least look at the Subaru product line.
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