Another 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek owner..

[JTK]

I had some time to spare today, was in the neighborhood, so I pulled in to my Subaru dealership to check out the new Impreza line. I've liked the looks of the crosstrek since it came out.

I got to chatting with the salesman whom I leased my 2012 Legacy 2.5i CVT from. I've loved my Legacy from the get-go, with my only complaint being the low ground clearance and very low seating.

Long story short, they took over my Legacy w/ 8 lease payments remaining and 42K miles on the ticker (was a 36mo/45K mile lease), and I'm now the proud owner of a 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek in desert khaki, black interior and 5spd manual trans. Wish I could upload a pic, but my fossil of a cell phone is not cooperating at the moment!

I put a chunk down on it and financed the rest at 2.5%

 

[SLCraig]

Congrats on the new car. My folks are looking at Foresters currently. I have a few friends who went all Subaru recently and they are all happy.

 

[buster]

Congrats. I just drove a white XV today with the CVT. How do you like the MT vs the CVT you just traded in?

My initial reaction to it was that it's smooth. I struggle with not being as engaged with the car though. When I got back in mine, it was actually fun to drive.

 

[Donald]

What do you expect for mileage?

 

[glock19]

Sorry to hear you sold the Legacy, I'm still loving mine. The XV does look sharp but I was worried about the 148hp. I'm guessing the 5sp helps with the power though.

 

[Rand]

I really liked them too but I found the forester to be more car for same price.

 

[Billy_D]

Congrats!!

 

[JTK]

Thanks all! I'm happy about it.

Buster, I absolutely LOVED the 2.5i + CVT combo in my Legacy. I couldn't say enough positives about it. Plenty of power for me, smooth, responsive and never erratic. If you wanted to feel shifts 1-6 or 'downshift', the steering wheel paddles were great. It also had the feel of compression braking like a standard trans.

Donald, I have no idea what to expect for MPGs. The Legacy was great IMO. I'd average 28mpg tank/tank in the winter and as high as 31-32 non-winter. I do mostly an 80mi work commute with this car, but shuttle 2-4 kids often as well. I would hope the X-tek is at least the same given the smaller engine/vehicle and 5spd manual with my highway driving.

Because of the buyout on the Legacy, I couldn't get a whole lot off the ~$23400 sticker. The salesman showed me their (supposed) "invoice price" for it. It was ~$21700 IIRC.

How they work the lease buyouts I have NO idea. My lease was through Chase. My buyout as of today, included my remaining 8 pymts and sales tax is just over $17K. KBB trade-in value is like $13K. They also balked about me having snow tires on it and no summer tires to turn in.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Thanks all! I'm happy about it.

Buster, I absolutely LOVED the 2.5i + CVT combo in my Legacy. I couldn't say enough positives about it. Plenty of power for me, smooth, responsive and never erratic. If you wanted to feel shifts 1-6 or 'downshift', the steering wheel paddles were great. It also had the feel of compression braking like a standard trans.

Donald, I have no idea what to expect for MPGs. The Legacy was great IMO. I'd average 28mpg tank/tank in the winter and as high as 31-32 non-winter. I do mostly an 80mi work commute with this car, but shuttle 2-4 kids often as well. I would hope the X-tek is at least the same given the smaller engine/vehicle and 5spd manual with my highway driving.

Because of the buyout on the Legacy, I couldn't get a whole lot off the ~$23400 sticker. The salesman showed me their (supposed) "invoice price" for it. It was ~$21700 IIRC.

How they work the lease buyouts I have NO idea. My lease was through Chase. My buyout as of today, included my remaining 8 pymts and sales tax is just over $17K. KBB trade-in value is like $13K. They also balked about me having snow tires on it and no summer tires to turn in.


You can be sure they will not loose money on your trade.

 

[JTK]

Oh I hear you Donald.

I am just curious as to how the buy-out would differ between myself and the dealer. The dealer had to get it cheaper than my buyout amount.

 

[cptbarkey]

bravo on not continuing to set your money on fire with a lease.

 

[rjundi]

Congrats.

That car is really doing a lot better than I ever thought it would as its wildly popular around here. Kudo's for Subaru to continue with the weird cars that work out for them.

 

[Ausfahrt]

Congratulations and welcome to the party!

Please get a few pics up when you can.

 

[JTK]

cpt- I hear that. I've leased twice and that will be it for me. First was my 2008 Honda Odyssey LX, that I bought in the end and ultimately traded-in for the Caravan. Second was the Legacy, that worked out just OK in the end. That car basically cost me ~$1900 down, 28 payments of $258/mo, then gave it back. If I chose to buy it after 36mo, the buyout was ~$14K, add tax, etc. At that point I would have had 50Kmi or so on it and would have still had to finance a good $11-12K of it.

rj- That's true with Subaru's weirdness. Usually they can pull it off pretty well.

Bigd, here's a [censored] cell-phone pic of my new Crosstrek. It still had all the plastic wrapping on it, plastic on the wheels, was not PDI'd yet, but had 15mi on the ODO. I only added another 2-3mi on my test ride.

 

[kkreit01]

Looks very nice. Congrats on your trade.

 

[JTK]

Picked her up a few hours ago. They poured on the extended warranty pitch HARD this time on me. Right up to the general manager having a try at it. LOL!

They would have dropped my interest rate from 2.5 to 2.19, BUT added another 3mo to my payment had I signed a contract. This would have raised my monthly pymt by about $7. I held a firm no-go. This was for a 5yr/100Kmi "bumper to bumper" w/ $100 deductible.

Anyway.. did about 6-8, gradual to the floor, hold, bring the RPMs up to 5K or so, then let off break-in runs.

It's smooth and pulls quite well with only the driver in it. The rear seat isn't as big as the Legacy, but the front room as as good, if not better feeling to me. Visibility is excellent as well. Ride is firm.

 

[Ausfahrt]

Originally Posted By: JTK
They poured on the extended warranty pitch HARD this time on me. Right up to the general manager having a try at it. LOL!


I am with you there. IMO extended warranties are written to be a profit center and the dealers know the percentages. They may get burned every once in a while but they know that they will make money in the long run.

Conversely, declining the extended warranty puts some risk on the buyer but also reverses the odds. I will take that bet every time!

 

[buster]

Do you miss the CVT? Drove one the other day with a CVT. I'm on the fence about it.

I needed a longer test drive to really get a feel for it. I want to test drive a manual.

 

[JTK]

Buster, I've only clocked about 45 miles on it at this point, but I've gotten smoother with this 5spd. The idle speed is very low, so you have to be careful taking off. It also seems to be a BIG ratio change between 1st and 2nd, so you've got to wind it out a bit in first to get a smooth 2nd. I never did try a CVT version of the Crosstrek.

Right now? I'd say yeah. I miss the CVT. I just don't think the 148hp Crosstrek would have enough *oomph* for it. Could be way off base though.

For something like a Legacy, it would have to be a CVT for me. I've read that the 6spd in the Legacy and Outback can be a bit cumbersome. Never drove one to judge for myself though.

 

[buster]

It sounds similar to my 5spd. I have to shift around 3k rpms or higher from 1st to 2nd to get a smooth shift. I do enjoy it though. I like having control over the gear I prefer.