AAS

A member of Camaro5 scanned and posted the 2013 Camaro catalog. Plenty of information there, including the new wheel design and Mojave interior option. I think the wheels are 'eh' but the Mojave interior color looks pretty nice.

I see plenty of Camaro in the front end, which might explain why I like this car so much.

Watch out for the "roof bubbles" problem on 99-02 F-bodies. There's an issue with de-gassing of the adhesive used to hold the roof skin that causes bubbles/blisters in the paint on the roof, and the fix requires replacing the roof skin and using different adhesive. My car has it, and there's not much I can do about it since GM has run out of parts. If you happen to find a t-top car with the problem aftermarket parts do exist. (that same company also makes a t-top replacement roof cover, which they claim can be combined with the sail panel to replace the roof on non t-top cars but then the roof wouldn't look factory)

I'm 6'3" and fit in my Forester (which has a sunroof) with plenty of headroom to spare. I also don't have to move the seat all the way back, it has plenty of travel to spare and leaves plenty of room behind me.

Ahhh... I actually have seen that episode (season 16 episode 3, after referring to my TGUK geek friends). Armenia does not equal Albania.

Hey, hold on... what's with throwing Armenians into this? (As one, it's just funny to see Armenians referenced on C&G.)

Unfortunately the majority tend to be negative.

Alpha...same wheelbase as the ATS, I think...I assume the 140 is on Delta II or Gamma? So the 130R could just be a Camaro preview, though I would hope the next generation Camaro doesn't take too much inspiration from the 130R. Maybe...but it seems awfully small to be a Camaro.... It would be interesting to see the current Camaro parked next to the 130R. I personally wouldn't mind smaller if the interior space doesn't get cramped.

Alpha...same wheelbase as the ATS, I think...I assume the 140 is on Delta II or Gamma? So the 130R could just be a Camaro preview, though I would hope the next generation Camaro doesn't take too much inspiration from the 130R.

Funny you mention that, I was thinking "what if the 140s shows the exterior and the 130R shows the guts/platform, and together they make the new Camaro?" Is the 130R on Alpha, or something else?

Looks good! Do Trail Rated Patriots not come with the other wheels anymore? I think they were 17", 5-spoke wheels with the light and dark finishes (sort of IROC-ish).

An observation... Did the rear-most ports on the heads stay sealed/covered by the intake plenum gaskets? Would that matter? In case the pictures in the quoted text don't show up, I'm referring to the 5th and 6th photos in this post.

Nice! Looking forward to the pictures.

Sounds exciting! Did you get to see one with the tan interior? If so, how does it compare to the black? How is the fuel economy with the Trail Rated 4x4 system and CVT? Back when I was looking MPG's with the CVT took a big hit compared to the lower level 4x4 system and 5MT.

I'm going to be a bit defensive for obvious reasons... I wouldn't call the Forester's interior cheap, but the design is definitely not in the same league as the Outback's. The Forester, like the previous Impreza it shares a platform with, just has a more basic interior. Nothing fancy, like the larger Legacy and Outback, and I think it suits it just fine. When looking at the Forester did I wish it had some interior "niceness" like the Legacy/Outback? Sure, but the gray interior in mine has a nice mix of shades of gray and overall design to be attractive enough.

I thought the same about the tan interior in the Patriot, but unfortunately only ever found black. I agree, rattles are very annoying. The ones in the front doors are the worst and I've been meaning to fix them, but they sort of go away in warm weather, which is when i would be most likely to fix them, so I tend to forget. I would definitely suggest at least test driving the Forester. I would have never considered it, except that we went to look at Imprezas and my wife and siblings convinced me to try it out. I didn't initially care for the looks, but they have grown on me. I do really like the looks of the refreshed Patriot!

It's running great. We've put almost 17k miles on it in about two years, with no problems. The majority of those miles have been racked up on highway drives, from "short" 100 mile round-trips to long 850 mile (one-way) trips between CA and NM, and it does well at those speeds. It's stable, very comfortable, good MPGs (high 20's, low 30's according to computer). Steep hills will force a downshift and the engine will complain for a bit. In town it does well. It can get grunty from take-off, but get's up to speed fine. It took some getting used to the driving the manual smoothly, mostly because it seems like the computer/engine will hold revs for a bit (as opposed to the Camaro, where revs would drop immediately). Nothing wrong with the car, just different from what I was used to. Computer will typically show an average of 27 MPG. Again, for mostly highway driving with very occasional drives around town. I've got to drive it in mild (slush on ground) to moderate (2-4 inches) snow, and have had two "whoops" moments. One was when driving at an angle on a steep road (i.e. going up an incline, but not straight up), and the car slipped to the side a bit. There was a good amount of thick slush, and winter tires would have probably solved the problem. The second was driving in the mountains on the way to a ski resort. There was a good amount of snow on the ground, I went into a tight left a bit to fast, and the car under steered for a second until the traction and stability controls kicked in. I noticed it, but none of my passengers did! In normal driving (stop, start, normal stuff), it's been great. It also does well in heavy (as in, eventually pull off the highway because of poor visibility) rain. Most recently was on a trip from CA to NM, heavy, heavy rain at highway speeds, approached an incline in the road with a visible stream/river running across it. I started to freak out, but the Forester did just fine. Some minor gripes with the car, like rattles in the front doors (known issue with plastic baffles in the doors), rattles from the rear hatch area (lot's of info on this stuff at subaruforester.org). One recall for a software re-flash for emissions. Luckily no major mechanical issues. I don't like how the windows rattle if they are slightly open when you close a door. Also, the Subaru battery rundown protection is annoying since it will turn of most, but not all, lights if something is left open. This means that eventually (like if you don't drive the car for a couple days) the battery will die. This has happened to me twice. It's very roomy, in all directions, even with the optional sunroof robbing head room and with the driver's seat set to me (6'3"). We've ridden with 4 adults with no problem (they were surprised to see how comfortable the back seat was compared to their Impreza). I've even managed to cram lots of stuff into the hatch. The height of the cargo area has come in very handy when I've brought home a BBQ, small patio table, and 2 patio chairs (all at once), and another time when I brought home a glider/rocking chair. I think we discussed this a while back, but before buying the Forester I was seriously considering the Patriot. What turned us off from the Patriot was the not so nice interior (since updated), and the claustrophobic feel of the cabin. Also, selection was very limited when I was looking, so it really had no chance.

That video makes me glad I got a Forester (5MT). I wonder if the Forester in the video has a manual or automatic transmission. I know Subaru uses a purely mechanical AWD system with manual transmissions but lots of electric nannies in the AWD with automatics, and I've heard of one person with an automatic Outback that had trouble with a patch of ice on a driveway that produced a scenario similar to the video.

I received a USPS shipment notification e-mail last night, and it looks like I'll be getting the magazine by tomorrow (maybe even today!). Thanks!

Sounds good, thanks for the update!

Oldsmoboi, are you shipping these out upon payment or are waiting for everybody to pay first? (I was going to ask in the payment thread, but can't seem to find it)

Saw some upcoming GM cars in a parking lot. A new Malibu, was surprised at how tall the front end looks. Two Buick Veranos (one w/ a M6), looked very good, totally different look/feel from the Cruze, nice tail lamps (not big like they looked in pictures). An Opel Astra 3-door, M6, still had some zebra stickers, nice size (not too small looking, compared to the Verano next to it), had stop-start (according to a sticker on the console).

My lame attempt at mocking this car for not having AWD: Q: What did the new RWD Subaru say when it drove out into the snow? A: BRZ, it's cold out and I can't handle this $h!!

Lots, and lots of Damp Rid?

I'd recommend against that stuff as well for interior surfaces. However, it's great for cleaning tools. The cleaning wipes? I've been using them for years, they leave no visible residue, almost zero lint, but some streaks (like on the gauge cluster or radio read-out face). What's wrong with them?