Subaru Impreza (New) or Honda Civic 2.0 or Toyota Altis (Upcoming)

[Jun aka Pekto]

hehe. Baka kaya it's hard to tell whether NA or Turbo yung mga Subaru -- sinasadya. I've HAD a Civic. It was super-efficient and reliable. The Toyota was similar (if on a lesser scale in my somewhat biased opinion, pero slightly faster).

Pero it wasn't a driver's car. It would NOT make you want to tack on the miles just because the driving's so fun and comfy. Also, while the CIVIC's FE is great, its sister the CRV is quite thirsty -- more than my FXT pa nga. Somewhere in there, I guess we can say the power-to-weight is the one responsible

I've never driven an NA subby pero yung sa cousin ko na NA got slightly modded and is now as fun and comfy a drive as mine. Pero Foresters yung amin, di ko alam sa Imprezas kung iba ang suspension setup. Sa forester, pareho yata.

The US Impreza here has the 2.5L engine which makes 170hp and has a fuel economy of 20/27. It's disadvantage of having a softly sprung suspension is probably not a big one. I'd have to be incredibly reckless to even notice.

The fuel economy is a bigger thorn though. For the segment this Impreza is competing in, fuel economy is a big deal. So, I'd have to weight carefully which I care more for: safety/AWD or fuel economy. Here where there's over 300 days of rain-free sunshine, the Civic has the advantage esp in the long-distance driving.

But, if I lived with kin up in northern NV, I'd pick the Subbie because of its AWD and safety advantadge. People dying from accidents with icy/snow-covered roads is a very real problem up there.

Since we do visit up north during winter from time to time (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, and a bunch of birthdays in January and February) ....... I'd have to pick the 2.5i among the 3.

Over there in the Philippines, I'm pretty sure gas mileage is a very big deal. That's probably why there's huge numbers of Civics (and Corollas) over there. That's something Subaru needs to work on. Maybe they can take AWD away and instead offer a stiffer suspension along with bigger/wider tires for the base Impreza.

[pup2]

The US Impreza here has the 2.5L engine which makes 170hp and has a fuel economy of 20/27. It's disadvantage of having a softly sprung suspension is probably not a big one. I'd have to be incredibly reckless to even notice.

The fuel economy is a bigger thorn though. For the segment this Impreza is competing in, fuel economy is a big deal. So, I'd have to weight carefully which I care more for: safety/AWD or fuel economy. Here where there's over 300 days of rain-free sunshine, the Civic has the advantage esp in the long-distance driving.

But, if I lived with kin up in northern NV, I'd pick the Subbie because of its AWD and safety advantadge. People dying from accidents with icy/snow-covered roads is a very real problem up there.

Since we do visit up north during winter from time to time (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, and a bunch of birthdays in January and February) ....... I'd have to pick the 2.5i among the 3.

Over there in the Philippines, I'm pretty sure gas mileage is a very big deal. That's probably why there's huge numbers of Civics (and Corollas) over there. That's something Subaru needs to work on. Maybe they can take AWD away and instead offer a stiffer suspension along with bigger/wider tires for the base Impreza.

Actually, I'd say ang advantage nung Civic (at Corolla) ay kabaligtaran -- nasa short-distance kasi hindi siya masyado malakas sa gas at doon naman malakas uminom yung mga Subby. Sa open road, mas matipid pa din sila sure pero di ka makakalayo masyado unless you're young kasi sasakit likod mo. Funny, pero totoo (at least compared to the forester).


Madaming minus ang Subby dito -- name recall, cheap parts availability, to name a few. Pero dahil mahal (except for the 2.0R), wala namang bumibili na di makaka afford ng gas. Ang plus naman niya ay driveability, comfort, at ... Pogi Points!

[Jun aka Pekto]

Actually, I'd say ang advantage nung Civic (at Corolla) ay kabaligtaran -- nasa short-distance kasi hindi siya masyado malakas sa gas at doon naman malakas uminom yung mga Subby. Sa open road, mas matipid pa din sila sure pero di ka makakalayo masyado unless you're young kasi sasakit likod mo. Funny, pero totoo (at least compared to the forester).


Madaming minus ang Subby dito -- name recall, cheap parts availability, to name a few. Pero dahil mahal (except for the 2.0R), wala namang bumibili na di makaka afford ng gas. Ang plus naman niya ay driveability, comfort, at ... Pogi Points!

Just a quick look at the fuel economy of the Civic (1.8L A/T) and Impreza 2.5i

Civic: 25/36
Impreza 2.5i: 20/27 (wish we had the 2.0 here)

So we make a trip up north 13.5 hr drive at normal speeds (822 miles one way) At least 90% of the trip is highway.

Civic: 822 miles/36 mpg = 22.8 gal x $3/gal = $68.50 fuel cost each way
Impreza 2.5i: 822 miles/27 mpg = 30.4 gal x $3/gal = $91.30 fuel cost each way

The Civic saves $22.80 each way or $45.60 round trip. I can use that to play the nickel slots in the casino.

Add: As for the CR-V vs Forester...... The N/A Forester's engine has a higher compression ratio than the CR-V (10:1 vs 9.7:1). So, the Subbie's 2.5 is a more efficient engine than the CR-V 2.4. The (2007) N/A Forester is also much lighter, 3140 lbs vs 3389 lbs for the CR-V.

Fuel Economy
CR-V: 20/27
Forester 2.5X: 22/29 The N/A 2.0 should do even better. The turbo 2.0 should have an inferior fuel economy over these 2. But, if I had a turbo Forester, fuel economy would be the last thing I'd be thinking of.

[pup2]

Just a quick look at the fuel economy of the Civic (1.8L A/T) and Impreza 2.5i

Civic: 25/36
Impreza 2.5i: 20/27 (wish we had the 2.0 here)

So we make a trip up north 13.5 hr drive at normal speeds (822 miles one way) At least 90% of the trip is highway.

Civic: 822 miles/36 mpg = 22.8 gal x $3/gal = $68.50 fuel cost each way
Impreza 2.5i: 822 miles/27 mpg = 30.4 gal x $3/gal = $91.30 fuel cost each way

The Civic saves $22.80 each way or $45.60 round trip. I can use that to play the nickel slots in the casino.

Add: As for the CR-V vs Forester...... The N/A Forester's engine has a higher compression ratio than the CR-V (10:1 vs 9.7:1). So, the Subbie's 2.5 is a more efficient engine than the CR-V 2.4. The (2007) N/A Forester is also much lighter, 3140 lbs vs 3389 lbs for the CR-V.

Fuel Economy
CR-V: 20/27
Forester 2.5X: 22/29 The N/A 2.0 should do even better. The turbo 2.0 should have an inferior fuel economy over these 2. But, if I had a turbo Forester, fuel economy would be the last thing I'd be thinking of.

Bro, that's my ride! hihihi. Pero I came from a Civic. Tama din yung comparo mo, kaya lang dun sa natipid mo na $22.80, dagdagan mo pa ng pang PT na $50 kaya malulugi ka pa ng $27.20. Ganyan feeling ko noon after doing a long drive in my Civic eh -- lalo nung luma na. Ah, yes, kung wala ka pala sa Pinas baka hindi sumakit likod mo ... and there lies the difference in our opinion probably.

[Jun aka Pekto]

Neither Impreza nor Civic are roomy and comfy enough for my tastes if I was to make a medium distance (822 miles) road trip.

Both the CR-V and Forester are satisfactory enough. The Forester has the better gas mileage. So, it'd be the better choice.

OT
Ideally for such a trip, we'd end up renting a minivan like the Dodge Grand Caravan since there's 5 of us now.

[Lucius]

Civic 2.0.. My barkada has both, ay ung isa lang pala. Ung isa sa girlfriend. MT and AT, manual's better but if tamad ka syempre AT. Saw the new Corolla many times na, last one sa Greenhills. Ewan ko kung namamasyal lang ung ugok na driver ng Toyota kasi sya lang magisa e hahaha

[niky]

well actually, i just experienced to have understir a few months back and a friend of mine told me that sana 4wd na lang or may LSD oto mo para hindi ka naunderstir.

greater traction and control daw when you have 4wd kasi the left rear wheel tends to "free wheel" when your turning on a left curve. but with 4wd the wheels keep on spinning and you have more control of the car.

Well, it'll depend on what kind of understeer. If it's power understeer, yes, AWD will help, as will an LSD. But if it's understeer entering a corner, then you're just going in too fast. Corner entry understeer is more a function of suspension geometry and tire grip. If you have crappy tires, your car just isn't going to turn.

The point at which AWD or an LSD starts making a huge difference in driving is pretty far off up your upgrade path. adjustable coil-overs, good brakes and better tires will make far more of a difference at this point.

[[archie]]

Well, it'll depend on what kind of understeer. If it's power understeer, yes, AWD will help, as will an LSD. But if it's understeer entering a corner, then you're just going in too fast. Corner entry understeer is more a function of suspension geometry and tire grip. If you have crappy tires, your car just isn't going to turn.

The point at which AWD or an LSD starts making a huge difference in driving is pretty far off up your upgrade path. adjustable coil-overs, good brakes and better tires will make far more of a difference at this point.

maybe its my crappy tires... heck heck heck

thanks for the info, as always.

[niky]

That's all right... most tires on the market are kinda crap... hehehe... unfortunately, buying good tires means not eating for quite a long while just to pay for them...