[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by chevelle

I am not sure why staying in Texas you need a AWD unless you will do plenty of off roading in which case you should get the Jeep Wrangler

If $20k is your budget and you are looking for used, try Murano, FX-35 and RX-350. You can consider X3 too. Finding good pieces in X3 is a challenge though.




The hatchback you are referring to is Juke. Rogue is a soft-roader and is available with optional AWD and goes head on with Outlander Sport, Sportage and likes. Rogue though has a 4-cylinder only. Not a v6.

Ok Plano was my old location.. never really updated it. I have moved up north east now and Subies are good choice here. I agree on the transmission being slow and old, but with the XT you get manual shift option also, is that correct?
Here is a comparo that I found pretty useful (given that am looking at a 2-3 year old model)
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...n/viewall.html

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

Ok Plano was my old location.. never really updated it. I have moved up north east now and Subies are good choice here. I agree on the transmission being slow and old, but with the XT you get manual shift option also, is that correct?
Here is a comparo that I found pretty useful (given that am looking at a 2-3 year old model)
The Frugal Five: Entry-level 'utes for the unwavering urbanite - Comparison - Motor Trend

Yes, if snow is what you will have, Subies makes sense. But XT don't come with Manual. Its auto only. That is again an issue. For $20k, my money is on AWD Murano. You can get a 2008-2009 x3 AWD for similar money too.

Also, if you are ready to spend $20k, why not just get the new Forester instead of pre-owned forester. It may exceed your budget by a couple of grand, but then it will be brand new. You can also consider Outlander. You can get a pretty new outlander awd for $15k-$20k too. Look around, some dealers may still have the 2011 which they will let it go for huge discounts. Highlander is another good option.

[dr.abhijeet]

@chevelle- yup! I know.what I meant was It(Rogue) is not enough CUV/SUV looking, ,hatch back was sarcastic comment actually, nevertheless good info!

[mohit]

@vineethvazhayil
Why the fascination with AWD? If you drive sanely, a FWD with winter tires can be as safe as a AWD car in winter and it saves you a lot of gas too.

Most accidents in winter happen because the vehicles are unable to stop in time. AWD is as good as a FWD in this case.

You are willing to get a Subaru with an antiquated gearbox just because its an AWD. I would say test drive a few vehicles and make up your mind - see how a Forester feels with an auto transmission vis a vis the other contenders.

Edit: Have you looked at Kia sportage? You can get a brand new A/T AWD Sportage LX for about 22k in upstate NY. Am sure pricing will be similar elsewhere too.

[dr.abhijeet]

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

Ok Plano was my old location.. never really updated it. I have moved up north east now and Subies are good choice here. I agree on the transmission being slow and old, but with the XT you get manual shift option also, is that correct?
Here is a comparo that I found pretty useful (given that am looking at a 2-3 year old model)
The Frugal Five: Entry-level 'utes for the unwavering urbanite - Comparison - Motor Trend

NE is subie country, yes it allows you to manually shift, but still its not the best.
if you are looking for 2-3 year old models , There was forester STi, I think from 2006-2008, Ugly last gen looks , but a stonker engine mated to the right transmission, may be difficult to find though.
Nothing beats that symmetrical AWD.
I dont think you can go wrong in a forester in NE.

Proud subaru owner speaking

[josejoseph]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

hi all,

just want to share my update - i ended up buying a new mazda3 isport. way it behaves.

Congrats dude!!!

This is very much fun to drive car. Is your car manual or auto? I'm also a recent Mazda3 owner.

If you are using iPhone, this should help you since there is no USB -
Amazon.com: Peripheral / PAC IS77 Universal iPod Dock and 3.5mm Input for FM Radios: Car Electronics

I got this fixed in my car from an accessories shop without doing much research and I was totally ripped off. So just a warning.

BTW, where are you located?

Thanks,
Jose.

[rajushank84]

Thanks, Jose! I went for automatic.

I used the iPhone with 3.5mm input (aux in) for a couple of days, but found that it became a pain to change songs. I have to take not just my eyes off the road but the iphone takes quite a bit of attention to operate. Tried an MP3 device too but still I wasn't satisfied. I wanted to use those buttons on the steering / the big dial in the middle for changing songs. So ultimately went back to CDs .

All: I am a newbie when it comes to automatics. I have a question about going to hilly roads / steep inclines. I noticed that my Mazda3 doesnt have any hill mode, asked my friend about it. He explained that basic cars don't have it, and we cannot take these cars to hilly areas, and there is no guarantee these cars will pull when it they are fully loaded with 5 adults, and in fact people rent cars to go to hills. I was surprised, and for a moment regretted going away from manual/stickshift - I hadn't thought about this aspect. My Indica pulled perfectly well on Ooty and Munnar roads (some of those roads were steep) with 5 adults. All I had to do was stay in the right gear, rev enough and take care brakes/engine don't overheat. Of course my Figo could do that even better than the Indica. So.. with an entry-level automatic car that's not possible?

[VCheng]

You may need to hold the trans in a lower gear by moving to the 2 or L range to provide the power need for steep inclines or to provide engine braking on descents, that is all.

[josejoseph]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

Thanks, Jose! I went for automatic.

I used the iPhone with 3.5mm input (aux in) for a couple of days, but found that it became a pain to change songs. I have to take not just my eyes off the road but the iphone takes quite a bit of attention to operate. Tried an MP3 device too but still I wasn't satisfied. I wanted to use those buttons on the steering / the big dial in the middle for changing songs. So ultimately went back to CDs .

I agree with you on changing the songs. But then you can create playlists for your fav. songs.

Initially I was also using CDs but keeping them in the car became a problem. Added to the difficulty is that the CD player can play only audio files.

I understand that you are in San Jose. I'm in Santa Clara. We should meet sometime.

Thanks,
Jose.

[rajushank84]

Originally Posted by VCheng

You may need to hold the trans in a lower gear by moving to the 2 or L range to provide the power need for steep inclines or to provide engine braking on descents, that is all.

That's what I was thinking, but then I discovered that there is no "L" or "2" mode in this car. There is only "R", "D", "N", "P" and the triptronic/pseudo-manual mode.

Originally Posted by josejoseph

I agree with you on changing the songs. But then you can create playlists for your fav. songs.

Initially I was also using CDs but keeping them in the car became a problem. Added to the difficulty is that the CD player can play only audio files.

I understand that you are in San Jose. I'm in Santa Clara. We should meet sometime.

Thanks,
Jose.

Yes we should meet up!
I always use a CD holder on the visor. It is very handy. In fact when I packed my luggage from India I had kept the visor with all the CDs ready to pack, and forgot to pack it . Anyway got some new CDs here with my favorite songs.

[VCheng]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

That's what I was thinking, but then I discovered that there is no "L" or "2" mode in this car. There is only "R", "D", "N", "P" and the triptronic/pseudo-manual mode...............

The low gear function is available via the tiptronic setting by manually holding the gear best suited to the power demand. The owner's manual will have details of how to operate that function.

[rajushank84]

But doesn't the manual mode still shift to the next gear when the engine is revved high? I think it does. Correct me if I am wrong.

[VCheng]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

But doesn't the manual mode still shift to the next gear when the engine is revved high? I think it does. Correct me if I am wrong.

It will, but close to the redline. You will need to keep the speed suitable for the road conditions while keep the engine spinning high in the rev band.

Similarly, if you force a downshift and the engine is at risk of over-revving, the shift wont happen until you slow down to keep the engine within redline after the shift has occurred.

The best way is to go out and play with the gearbox settings yourself until you are comfortable with it before heading out on a hilly road.

[vivekiny2k]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

But doesn't the manual mode still shift to the next gear when the engine is revved high? I think it does. Correct me if I am wrong.

You won't have to hold the car in any gear no matter where you go. if it's incline and car is loaded it will automatically select a lower gear. Low gears are when the car can shift to higher gear but you don't want it to do that, e.g. you are downhill and need engine braking, or if you are towing a heavy trailer. For going uphill you don't need low mode.

manual mode in tiptronic allows you to take control, but auto takes over on either side of the RPM band.

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

Ok Plano was my old location.. never really updated it. I have moved up north east now and Subies are good choice here. I agree on the transmission being slow and old, but with the XT you get manual shift option also, is that correct?
Here is a comparo that I found pretty useful (given that am looking at a 2-3 year old model)
The Frugal Five: Entry-level 'utes for the unwavering urbanite - Comparison - Motor Trend

Are you sure you will be the exclusive driver? I had to stay away from manuals because I knew at times wife will need to take the car.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k

Are you sure you will be the exclusive driver? I had to stay away from manuals because I knew a times wife will need to take the car.

When I said manual, I meant there is some sort of mechanism to shift through the 4 automatic gears manually (paddles or so).. And yes, I wont be the only driver. She is happy to drive a manual though!

Originally Posted by mohit

@vineethvazhayil
Why the fascination with AWD? If you drive sanely, a FWD with winter tires can be as safe as a AWD car in winter and it saves you a lot of gas too.

Just a preference of AWD. Even in the CR-V or RAV4 I would have gone for the AWD/4WD models. Over here, 3-4 inches of snow left on the road sometimes is considered driveable and all the traction you can get in any fashion is good and AWD rocks in that case. My colleague was telling me how the Subies and the Quattros would run circles around his car in bad weather. I pick the Subie also because it has the best ride amongst the choices I have in that segment and handles reasonably well - its almost like the best of all worlds - utility, comfort, performance etc.

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