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• Sept. 15th • October 16th

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2014

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2015 SUBARU OUTBACK READ ABOUT IT

An especially tough station wagon or an exceptionally lean and responsive crossover?

THE INFORMATION FOR THIS CAR IS BROUGHT TO YOU COURTESY OF FAIRWAY SUBARU 1109 N. CHURCH STREET (RT. 309), HAZLE TOWNSHIP, PA 18202

Sales: (570) 455-7733 www.fairwaysubaru.com

Say You Saw It In Cars Market PA! | September - October 2014 | www.carsmarketpa.com

Is your car ready

for the road trip? Brian Bowersock Nothing is better than a family road trip! This is the time when you become free from your daily schedules, and experience the open road, it’s an awesome feeling! But there’s nothing like having car problems to bring that great road trip fun to a grinding halt. Now you can’t always avoid problems, but you can take steps to reduce the probability of getting sidelined on your trip. Let’s look at some of the auto maintenance related problems you might encounter on a road trip and what you might do to avoid them. Let’s talk about some of the items on the trip inspection checklist. 1) The most common vehicle component to failure is the tires. Of course, you can’t always avoid a road hazard that leads to a flat, but you may be able to head off some maintenance-connected tire problems. 2) A good tire inspection will start with looking over the condition of each tire itself. Are there signs of uneven tire wear? Are the tires properly inflated? Is the tread worn to the point that the tire should be replaced? The answers to these questions may lead to a recommendation to balance or rotate your tires. It may also be time to have an alignment service. 3) Now the second most common vehicle failure is the cooling system. It may be time for a coolant exchange or flush. These services remove old fluid that has become corrosive and replaces it with fresh, clean fluid that restores the effectiveness of your cooling system. The cooling system inspection will reveal leaks and weakened hoses. 4) Another thing people often overlook is

their transmission service. This is very important before a road trip because transmission problems tend to take some time and a lot of money to get fixed. Not the way you want to spend your vacation. 5) Your technician should also inspect your belts to see if they should be replaced. A failed belt is at best an inconvenience. 6) Of course, there are the usual things as well. An oil change, engine air filter, fuel system cleaning, and a routine tune up. If you need any of these things, get them done today - the improved fuel economy will be well appreciated on your road trip with less money spent on gas. 7) If your heater or air conditioning isn’t working as well as you’d like, let your service consultant know. They can easily check to make sure your heater and air conditioning systems are working properly. 8) If your heater or air conditioning isn’t working as well as you’d like, let your service consultant know. They can easily check to make sure your heater and air conditioning systems are working properly. 9) Replace your windshield wipers if they aren’t working well. And don’t forget your headlamps. They gradually lose their brightness and you don’t even realize it. Many people replace their lamps once or twice a year. All the items mentioned are part of any good vehicle maintenance plan. These are things that you want to take care of anyway, but they all come into focus as you plan for a trip or daily driving. They’ll always save you money in the long run and may prevent inconvenient delays on your travels.

Say You Saw It In Cars Market PA! | September - October 2014 | www.carsmarketpa.com

Subaru 2015

Outback

An especially tough station wagon or an exceptionally lean and responsive crossover? In previous model years, we’d have been more likely to say that it’s the former, a Legacy wagon, given a little more buff and brawn. But with the finer attention to detail that the Outback has been given for 2015, what you get is a vehicle that can more effectively than ever play both roles. The Subaru Outback has, for nearly 20 years, been ‘the way’ that Americans like their wagons—more rugged and butch than a sport wagon, but not nearly as tall and imposing as many of the other utility vehicles that work for active families. Then there was Major Change for this model five years ago, as Subaru sized it up from where it had been a generous-sized compact to what’s essentially the generous end of mid-size. It’s not tremendously surprising that Subaru hasn’t messed

all that much with ‘the way’ in this fully redesigned version of the Outback. Again based on the latest (and recently all-new) Legacy sedan, the Outback is just as family-oriented than ever, while is by a long shot the best-selling of Subaru’s models in the U.S. Fundamentally, the Outback hits the sweet spot of the U.S. family market; at around 190 inches long, it’s easy enough to park, and unlike some vehicles this size, there’s no attempt to wedge a third-row seat in back. Instead, the emphasis is gear; Outback buyers are outdoor types (far more likely to venture beyond where the pavement ends, on the way to kayaking or mountain climbing, for instance), and so with space for up to five adults and gear,

assisted by the nifty ‘convertible’ roof rack, the Outback does what many SUVs are intended to do only with a better ride, more nimble handling, and better fuel efficiency. Inside, the new Outback is also an evolution rather than a radical rethink, but we see it as uncontroversially better in every respect. Subaru has lost the upright, ‘winged’ look of the previous instrument panel and instead gone with more of a squared-off, high-end-audio look at the middle, with smooth, organic curves to the trim elsewhere and the corners pushed outward even more. With additional upgrades to the seats and the quality of the trims, the 2015 Outback is definitely stepping further upmarket.

Say You Saw It In Cars Market PA! | September - October 2014 | www.carsmarketpa.com

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you’re driving a CVT, and the ‘motorboat’-like sounds and rubber-band sensations they can sometimes bring. The programming with this one has it being a great pretender, most of the time following ratios all the way up the range and shifting as if it were a somewhat relaxed automatic transmission. Ride and handling are better than ever, too. Former versions of the Outback ended up involving some pretty pronounced tradeoffs in ride and handling in order to achieve that off-the-pavement toughness; finally, for 2015, we feel like the Outback

EyeSight suite of active-safety systems (toprated by the IIHS) is available on most of the model line. Subaru’s EyeSight active-safety system, which uses a multiple-camera system to incorporate Adaptive Cruise Control, PreCollision Braking, and Vehicle Lane Departure Warning, is available, as is Cross Traffic Detection and a new Subaru Rear Vehicle Detection System (standard on the Limited model) that can see vehicles in blind spots, warn you of approaching vehicles in adjacent lanes, and detect vehicles cross traffic as you back out of a

Trail prowess and all-weather ability have always been the flip side of the Outback’s performance appeal, and they get a step better in the new Outback, as it inherits the Enhanced Active AWD system and new X-Mode from the Subaru Forester.

feet of torque. Steering goes electric-assist across the model line, and the ratio is quicker than that used in its predecessor; brakes get an upgrade, too, with ventilated four-wheel discs now in all models. And a new X-Mode system, aimed at lower-speed driving in challenging conditions where traction might be limited, helps the Outback’s systems maintain composure aided by Hill Descent Control, a Hill Holder mode, and a special logic for the stability control and all-wheel drive systems.All versions of the Outback now have a Lineartronic continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). Engineers have gone to extremes we’re talking serious extremes—to hide the fact that

doesn’t involve as much of a sacrifice in its onthe-road role in order to achieve that toughness. The Outback’s cargo floor is relatively low and easy to get to; very few people will have trouble lifting the hatch with one arm either, although in Limited models you get a power liftgate with memory height settings. Seatback release levers for all models are now back in the cargo area, and flipping the rear seatbacks forward is an easy, one-arm task. The Outback has a great reputation for safety, and with top ‘good’ crash-test results from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and its Top Safety Pick+ nod, that’s already being reconfirmed for the new model. A rearview camera system is now included, and Subaru’s

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Powertrain offerings, performance hardware, and the layout of the Outback are all going to be familiar to those who have considered this model before (or owned one). Across the lineup, you have a choice between 2.5i and 3.6R models. The Outback 2.5i models come with a 175-horsepower, 2.5-liter horizontally opposed (‘flat’ or ‘boxer’) four-cylinder engine—the new FB-Series version—while the 3.6R models get a 3.6-liter boxer six, making 256 hp and 247 pound-

driveway. The 2015 Subaru Outback offers a lot of value in 2.5i and 2.5i Premium forms; Limited models offer even more, although they push the Outback up against rival models from Audi and Volvo. If you go for a four-cylinder 2.5i, the 2015 Subaru Outback is offered in three different models: standard, Premium, and Limited. These three trims add progressively more equipment—and stepping up to each respective one involves a rather large step up in price. The 3.6R adds a six-cylinder engine, but it’s only offered in top Limited form. Premium models include a power driver’s seat, dual-zone climate control, heated front seats, heated side mirrors, a windshield de-icer, leather steeringwheel trim, fog lamps, and an upgraded entertainment system.

Say You Saw It In Cars Market PA! | September - October 2014 | www.carsmarketpa.com