Michigan Radio & TV Buzzboard

2017 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.

Good choice! Mr. Ritzenhein would approve.

Honeyman wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 28, 2020 1:54 pm

Good choice! Mr. Ritzenhein would approve.

So would Mr. Harris.

It's made in Japan.

audiophile wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 28, 2020 6:35 pm

It's made in Japan.

Is it actually built there and imported? Or does Toyota have a plant over here building them?

For that year it is Japan.

I also want a vehicle no older than and with not many more miles than my 2017 Subaru Outback, which has proven to be the most unreliable vehicle I've ever owned. Additionally, I want a vehicle at least as well equipped as the Subaru.

When researching cars last summer, I remember reading that a lot of Subaru Outbacks of 2016 or 2017 vintage frequently developed cracks in their windshields. The glass molecular structure had trouble withstanding temperature swings. Frequent defroster use played a role in the issue, from what I recall.

Am curious to know if that's an issue you encountered, Vic.

I actually looked at a 2019 Outback last summer. I wasn't crazy about the lack of steering wheel adjustability (couldn't raise it high enough for my liking), the chintzy volume knob being so close to the touch screen, and the sluggish "0 to 60" acceleration time with the base engine. I did like how the car maneuvered, the layout of the gauge cluster and the spacious cargo capacity. Ultimately, I passed.

My current lease expires in summer 2022. My next car might very well be a Toyota or Hyundai. I love the fact Toyota vehicles - which generally have a reputation for excellent dependability - finally have Android Auto! (Honda CRV would also be a consideration if the hideous back-end were revamped; that chrome bar below the rear window sticks out like a sore thumb and is hideous.)

There are several things about new cars I dislike:
- Auto Stop/Start;
- Litany of plastic parts;
- Overly complex transmissions (does anyone really need 10 fucking gears?);
- Stupid " driver safety" features that prove to be overly sensitive (and no way to turn them off!). I will say I like the blind spot alert and backup camera. Keep those two features and dump the rest.

MDub, I had no issues with the windshield.

Hey - at least that's one aspect of the car that worked out well.

Vic, wow, sorry to hear about the problems with the Outback. Between my wife and me, we own 3 Subarus: 2004 WRX (just rolled 556K this morning), 2006 Baja, and a 2015 Legacy.

The WRX I bought new and have had it almost 17 years. It still has the original engine and exhaust system. I recently spent over $5,000 in repairs/maintenance. To me the car is worth it even though its market value is next to nothing. It's much less than car payments when spread out over a year.

The Baja was bought used 3.5 years ago and is approaching 200K miles. It has been (and still is) a good and reliable car.

The Legacy is the problem child of the 3 where the battery goes dead if the car isn't driven at least once a week. The car has Eyesight and that works correctly 99% of the time. There have been a few times where it "lost" sight of the vehicle in front of me, so you still have to keep an eye on it.

MW, you are right about some features the driver can do without:

Subaru's Eyesight "features":
a. won't let you pull out into busy traffic if it "sees" a cross-traffic vehicle in front of you. You have to really stomp on the accelerator to get the car to move.
b. lane departure. I like to drive close to the shoulder and often drive over the solid white line. At least this can be turned off. Side note, Ohio and Kentucky really suck by painting the line on the rumble strip.
c. lane assist. I had a loaner car that had this feature and could not drive the car straight down the road. I was trying to correct what lane assist was doing and lane assist was trying to correct what I was doing. When I returned the car I told the dealer there was something wrong with the steering and then I was told about lane assist.

Subaru's have had nearly constant headgasket problems since 1999. Each time they claim they had a fix, it popped up again years later.
https://carfromjapan.com/article/indust ... t-problem/

The latest debacle is valve springs breaking causing complete engine failure.
https://www.thedrive.com/news/24634/sub ... ve-springs

Lets face it, the Subaru's boxer engine is a basket case. Aluminum block, and two heads on a four cylinder that is nearly impossible to rebuild (labor intensive). I will not buy a engine that has an aluminum block. Subaru did one worse they went to an open-deck aluminum block. You can't (or shouldn't) turbocharge open blocks, because they are so weak already. Of course Subaru did put turbos on some of open-decks and those cars blow up unless you baby them.

Of course Subaru did put turbos on some of open-decks and those cars blow up unless you baby them.

Yikes!!!

Will be interesting to see what happens to all of the new (2020) Outbacks and Ascents that have the 2.4 turbo charged boxers in a few years.

I know Scotty Kilmer of YouTube fame dislikes Subaru boxer engines, in large part for the head gasket issues you mentioned, Audio.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the CVTs in those things yet. To those of you who own or one owned the things, how would you characterize your experience?

My CVT fairly convincingly simulated a traditional automatic transmission.

MWmetalhead wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 30, 2020 8:28 pm

Of course Subaru did put turbos on some of open-decks and those cars blow up unless you baby them.

Yikes!!!

Will be interesting to see what happens to all of the new (2020) Outbacks and Ascents that have the 2.4 turbo charged boxers in a few years.

I know Scotty Kilmer of YouTube fame dislikes Subaru boxer engines, in large part for the head gasket issues you mentioned, Audio.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the CVTs in those things yet. To those of you who own or one owned the things, how would you characterize your experience?

You might as well drive a snowmobile to work. They have a CVT also.

And I now have to help a friend with a vehicle purchase issue.

P. is a plus-sized, pear-shaped woman. She bought her current car, a 2016 Impala, because it was the last car sold in the US that could be equipped with a bench seat up front. As she says, "I have too much bucket for bucket seats".

Chevy rescinded the option the next year. The only vehicles sold here now with bench seats, as near as I can tell, are work-level pickup trucks with a minimal level of equipment and vinyl interiors.

She's not happy about her lack of choice. Am I missing anything?