Hello all!
I am currently in the process of a final decision to replace my 2008 Subaru Legacy. It has been a fine car and has a lot of life left in it but I am looking for something that is more roomy, higher up, and with the times technologically. I will update this thread through my buying process and ownership if this is in fact the car for me. Any and all questions are welcome.
Other vehicles I have considered to this point: 2017 Subaru Outback, 2017 Subaru Forester, 2017 Acura RDX Advanced, 2017 Lexus RX 450h, 2017 Audi S5 cabriolet. A bit of an eclectic mix of cars to choose from but each would have served their purpose. These are why the vehicles mentioned have been whittled off the list:
Forester - Lacking features, technologically and refinement but would be more affordable
Outback - Somewhat lacking technologically and feature-wise but with the refinement and more affordable
RDX - End of life design lacking some refinement but good feature-wise, hate the infotainment setup
RX - Lacked some features and hated the infotainment setup and much more expensive
Audi - The fun replacement! Feature complete with refinement and performance, hesitant about German reliability, and expensive!
So I took the first test drive last night. It was the basic quickie just to see if it merited further investigation. The car I drove was 2017 Sorento SXL V6, white with the ivory interior. I like the white but would be getting the black interior. I want AWD but the tester was FWD. There were 5 people in the car, 2 guys, 2 gals, and a 7 year old.
My thoughts and observations:
The interior: Very nice. The nappa leather felt good and the seats were comfortable. Build quality was very good with high quality materials soft touch materials in abundance. Switch gear had a good, solid feel with good actuation and articulation. Labeling was clear and everything I noticed was back-lit (I like that). I adjusted my seat to where I like it (I am 5'11") and then went about sitting behind 'myself' and had plenty of room. I even ventured into the third row and found the space okay and tolerable save for the longest drives. My 7 year old had no problems and had fun sitting in the back during the test drive. Access to the third row on the passenger side is fine with the slide forward seat but terrible on the driver side as only the seat back lays down with no advantageous seat sliding. The adjustability of the seats allowed for a comfortable driving position except for the headrests in the front row. Adjusted properly they forced my head forward awkwardly. The 2017's no longer have the fore/aft adjustability on the headrests like the 2016 does. Two things I did not like about the interior (other than not being able to get it in gray): The shiny piano black interior trim - scratches easily and shows finger prints too readily; the black head-liner - makes the interior very dark with black interior color choice.
The infotainment and tech: Well done. The interface was quick and responded well to touch. My Lumia Icon Windows Phone (with Windows 10 Anniversary Update) connected quickly and effortlessly. Did not have the opportunity to test phone functionality but Hey Cortana worked through the Bluetooth perfectly. Screen is nice and big with good quality. I like the fact that the car has hard buttons to control functions and liked having real knobs and buttons to control radio and climate. I am not a fan of using finicky controllers to move a cursor around to control basic functions. The digital speedo was nice and I like the large inner portion dedicated to car info. Steering wheel controls worked well and were placed conveniently. The rest of the dials were clear and easy to read. The surround view camera was awesome and I can see myself getting good use out of it as the blindspots to rear are rather large and something just about all cars in this vehicle class suffer from.
The drive: The car drove well and I felt instantly at ease driving it around. Even with 4 adults and the kiddo aboard the engine provided lively acceleration and I can imagine when it is just me commuting to and from work I will never be left wanting for power. The interior is very quiet, with just the right amount of engine sound and low wind noise. There was a bit of tire/road noise but I think a big part of that was from the tires being inflated to 50PSI. We took it on the highway and also on the bumpiest road that was close by. The highway cruise was nice and calm and I see this as being a nice road trip car with our regular jaunts down to Houston. The suspension absorbed that bumps in the road nicely without any shaking or jiggling. No creaks, squeaks, or rattles could be heard and the road was pretty rough. Again, with proper tire pressure I imagine it would have been even better.
Those are just a few quick observations. The plan is to find one to rent for a week. That will give me the chance to experience some commuting traffic and do a Frisco to Houston run. I am not sure how easy it will be to find something close to what I want on the rental car lot, but even with differences I think I will get a good overall idea if the car is a good fit for me.
Stay tuned for updates...
Happy motoring,
Vince
I am currently in the process of a final decision to replace my 2008 Subaru Legacy. It has been a fine car and has a lot of life left in it but I am looking for something that is more roomy, higher up, and with the times technologically. I will update this thread through my buying process and ownership if this is in fact the car for me. Any and all questions are welcome.
Other vehicles I have considered to this point: 2017 Subaru Outback, 2017 Subaru Forester, 2017 Acura RDX Advanced, 2017 Lexus RX 450h, 2017 Audi S5 cabriolet. A bit of an eclectic mix of cars to choose from but each would have served their purpose. These are why the vehicles mentioned have been whittled off the list:
Forester - Lacking features, technologically and refinement but would be more affordable
Outback - Somewhat lacking technologically and feature-wise but with the refinement and more affordable
RDX - End of life design lacking some refinement but good feature-wise, hate the infotainment setup
RX - Lacked some features and hated the infotainment setup and much more expensive
Audi - The fun replacement! Feature complete with refinement and performance, hesitant about German reliability, and expensive!
So I took the first test drive last night. It was the basic quickie just to see if it merited further investigation. The car I drove was 2017 Sorento SXL V6, white with the ivory interior. I like the white but would be getting the black interior. I want AWD but the tester was FWD. There were 5 people in the car, 2 guys, 2 gals, and a 7 year old.
My thoughts and observations:
The interior: Very nice. The nappa leather felt good and the seats were comfortable. Build quality was very good with high quality materials soft touch materials in abundance. Switch gear had a good, solid feel with good actuation and articulation. Labeling was clear and everything I noticed was back-lit (I like that). I adjusted my seat to where I like it (I am 5'11") and then went about sitting behind 'myself' and had plenty of room. I even ventured into the third row and found the space okay and tolerable save for the longest drives. My 7 year old had no problems and had fun sitting in the back during the test drive. Access to the third row on the passenger side is fine with the slide forward seat but terrible on the driver side as only the seat back lays down with no advantageous seat sliding. The adjustability of the seats allowed for a comfortable driving position except for the headrests in the front row. Adjusted properly they forced my head forward awkwardly. The 2017's no longer have the fore/aft adjustability on the headrests like the 2016 does. Two things I did not like about the interior (other than not being able to get it in gray): The shiny piano black interior trim - scratches easily and shows finger prints too readily; the black head-liner - makes the interior very dark with black interior color choice.
The infotainment and tech: Well done. The interface was quick and responded well to touch. My Lumia Icon Windows Phone (with Windows 10 Anniversary Update) connected quickly and effortlessly. Did not have the opportunity to test phone functionality but Hey Cortana worked through the Bluetooth perfectly. Screen is nice and big with good quality. I like the fact that the car has hard buttons to control functions and liked having real knobs and buttons to control radio and climate. I am not a fan of using finicky controllers to move a cursor around to control basic functions. The digital speedo was nice and I like the large inner portion dedicated to car info. Steering wheel controls worked well and were placed conveniently. The rest of the dials were clear and easy to read. The surround view camera was awesome and I can see myself getting good use out of it as the blindspots to rear are rather large and something just about all cars in this vehicle class suffer from.
The drive: The car drove well and I felt instantly at ease driving it around. Even with 4 adults and the kiddo aboard the engine provided lively acceleration and I can imagine when it is just me commuting to and from work I will never be left wanting for power. The interior is very quiet, with just the right amount of engine sound and low wind noise. There was a bit of tire/road noise but I think a big part of that was from the tires being inflated to 50PSI. We took it on the highway and also on the bumpiest road that was close by. The highway cruise was nice and calm and I see this as being a nice road trip car with our regular jaunts down to Houston. The suspension absorbed that bumps in the road nicely without any shaking or jiggling. No creaks, squeaks, or rattles could be heard and the road was pretty rough. Again, with proper tire pressure I imagine it would have been even better.
Those are just a few quick observations. The plan is to find one to rent for a week. That will give me the chance to experience some commuting traffic and do a Frisco to Houston run. I am not sure how easy it will be to find something close to what I want on the rental car lot, but even with differences I think I will get a good overall idea if the car is a good fit for me.
Stay tuned for updates...
Happy motoring,
Vince