The funny thing is that the CVT is actually decent with the NA. I have a 2013 Outback 2.5i as well and it hums along just fine there. But it doesn’t suit the character of the XT. Funny thing about the Foz 6MT is that it is geared to hit 60 in 2nd so it is only a second behind the XT in magazine numbers but in real…

Fair enough. OP didn’t qualify turbo. I do think it’s nuts that you can’t get an XT with a manual. I’m seriously considering an engine swap when my warranty is up.

Hmm... this might explain my impression of them. My exposure was primarily ZJ’s which I’m assuming are heavier the XJ’s and TJ’s and needed to be revved more to keep up. (Hence the V8 option.)

That seems to be th consensus here... I’m thinking that maybe the bad ones were QC issues that died out early and all the rest have run forever.

Just take the trunk lid off of this Suzuki X-90 and you’re basically there...

I’m still trying to figure out where the 4.0L I6 got its reputation for reliability. The two I had experience with as a kid were the least reliable lumps I’ve ever experienced including one in a ZJ that threw a rod at 60,000 miles. They are ubiquitous and cheap/easy to repair, but reliable isn’t a word I’d use for…

The current Forester has AWD and a 6MT. Source: I own one.

Close, but, unlike the WRX, I have a hard time believing they intend to sell it for anywhere near sticker. Nissan is well known for selling way below MSRP. The Altima “starts at $22,500" according to Nissan, but you can pick them up all day long for under $17,000. The Sentra’s MSRP starts around $16,500, but the…

So I can now buy a Mini that weighs over 300 pounds more than my 2014 Forester despite being 10 inches shorter. Sounds thrilling.

From now on I am calling fall “deathtime of leaves”

If it’s anything like the current gen X5 that I drove recently the “gauges” are just an LCD screen that turns the classic BMW orange/red whenever the headlights are turned on.

Possibly? Did you also develop an OC addiction and eventually get kicked out sometime during sophomore year after getting busted buying heroin near campus?

My freshman roommate did this with a single song: Trapt’s “Headstrong”. I still can’t listen to that song without going into a rage now 14 years later.

Maybe consider swapping for a Forester? I bought a ‘14 6MT Forester in part because the Crosstrek was just too anemic. It only weighs about 100 lbs more and gains about 25 hp/30 lb-ft. Coupled with a 6-speed instead of a 5-speed it feels much quicker. It is on the same platform, so the ride and handling are also…

There really isn’t anything out there for the FB20 engine. It’s a totally different animal than the FA20 in the BRZ and WRX. By the time you’d get a proper turbo setup going, you’d have spent more time and money than just swapping in a WRX motor.

David, there already are adapters that do audio and charge out of the Lightning port like the Griffin iTrip Aux. So it isn’t unknown if charging and audio can be splitter through the Lightning port. It can and the accessories already exist. Even Apple’s own first-party Lightning dock does it! I usually love your…

Griffin iTrip Aux. Plugs into 12V outlet. One cord goes to lightning on the phone, the other goes to your Aux port. Charge and play at once. Already exists.

I like up and to the left best. It is most handy when making multi-point turns in tight spaces so you don’t have to go across the pattern. I traded that car on a 6-speed Subaru that has it down and right and it is a pain. Congrats on the E30, can't wait to hear more!

Typo on Amanda “Bread” - should be Beard. Crazy that she was just 14 in that picture when she won that medal in Atlanta (and 2 more).

Supposedly there is going to be a manual QX30. It will probably be a 1% unicorn.