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16K views 123 replies 19 participants last post by  RedVee8 
#1 ·
Well the Chlorophyll beauty is sitting at (just about) 91,500kms as we speak so it's time to start thinking of the replacement. I've been really keen on a Calais but have seen some really nice SV6s lately. But I'm not really buzzing with the thought of stepping up to a new one.

You may have noticed that I haven't been around as much lately, just not feeling it anymore.

Anyway went to the Liberty/Outback launch at the local dealer tonight and I am booked in for an hour test drive on Wednesday of the Outback 2.5. Always liked Subaru.
 
#90 ·
Pics or you are still driving the Pintara :D
 
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#100 ·
Otherwise known as the money pit :)
 
#93 ·
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#94 ·
Sorry guys, Telstra has marooned us from the internet for a few days. Just back a matter of moments.
 
#95 · (Edited)
 
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#96 · (Edited)
Nice.

I still like the Calais rear end treatment better than the SV6/SS



 
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#97 ·
's funny.

While the VE and VF are quite similar I find the VE looks best in dark, bold colours while the VF looks best in the light colours. My selection when looking at the VF was Heron White...

And I agree with isszy, the more subtle approach on the rear of the Calais is a bit more appealing than the extra blacking out on the SV/ SS/ SSV.

I also had to laugh when I had a look at the stealers, they had one of the 'LIGHTENING' versions (written in big letters on the window). I thought they might have cut out even more weight for performance reasons until I realised it should have had 'LIGHTNING' (following on from Storm/ Thunder?). Yet another reason I shakes me head...
 
#99 ·
I am starting to love my Calais.
Gee it drives nicely, very quiet, just that little bit softer over speed humps and the like.
I'm glad I went heron white, nice contrast with the window tint and chrome. I'm also glad I got the lip spoiler - just 'lifts' the rear that little bit.

I'm still 'adrift on the BigPond' hence thgetting a bit over it.
 
#101 ·
So we've given you a month - where's your report ??? :D
 
#102 ·
Here goes:

I love it.
 
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#103 · (Edited)


 
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#104 · (Edited)




 
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#105 ·




 
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#106 · (Edited)




 
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#108 ·
Zero. But I have taken it out now, but only a couple of weeks ago.
 
#110 ·
6000km check in. Great car, no problems. So quiet, very comfy and just looks great.

The day I noticed the "no cold air to the face with warm to the feet" thing was the day it was mentioned in Iszzys thread. I love the steering, I've tried the auto park thing. It works about 60% of the time, but really the steering is so good it is unnecessary.

I am enjoying the distance autostart thing. I leave the car overnight with the settings to warm and de must the windscreen, and start up through the window about 10 minutes before I leave. Nice warm car when I get in with the ice melted off the screen. I was disappointed that I couldn't set the rear window demister as well, but on 2 extra cold mornings it has been on when I got in the car. So all good. Getting soft I know, but it has been a counter to the Mrs, and daughters, complaints about cold leather seats. :)

I guess the only omission is that there is no auto dipping on the internal rear view mirror, I had that in the 2009 Cappy LX and it was a nice thing, but no biggie. The only thing I would have liked would be a demister on the exterior mirrors, but I don't think they warrant going up to the V. And 2 guys at work have CalaisV and they have both seperately quizzed me on them as they can't get them to work.
Niggles? Seat base seems to wiggle around. Wind noise from rear right door just by my ear. Squeaky steering wheel when turning it.

Until today, coming back into works driveway a woman decides to back into me. Confused so decided to back out into the road while looking forwards... "Didn't you hear me honking my horn?" "Yes" WTF? Not happy but what do you do?
 
#114 ·
M

No, it is really minor. Just annoying - I should get it fixed though as she has admitted liability, so no excess to pay for me; but it is just going to be a PITA dropping it off, getting a rental/courtesy car, getting it again.... Annoying, and I was stunned the bloke in the semi behind me even gave her a blast on the air horn but she didn't stop until she hit.

I guess with people blowing horns so often these days people don't pay as much immediate attention now. I know I get worried when I hear a horn and can't immediately identify what it is about. If I hear one when I am in reverse I always stop completely now, just in case.
Yep, me too. Stop and look around, then all good.

Not cool. I know how I felt when I scraped the skirt a couple of weeks after getting mine. Mine was very minor and in a spot only I would notice so I got a can of touchup paint and fixed that one myself - now even I don't notice it.

I've not had the squeaky steering wheel, I do occasionally have more wind noise than I'd like and my seats seem pretty well bolted down.
Very disappointed. Then when I went to get a coffee on the walk back to the office from parking the car the lady tried to charge me $10.50 for a skinny flat white. What? $3.80 + $6.70... What $6.70, no $6.70 just the coffee. Bloody hell.

Then the insurance claim wouldn't go through either online or girl the girl on the phone because it's renewal negotiations time on works policy.... So, we went through it all manually.

Wasn't a great hour. :)
 
#113 ·
Not cool. I know how I felt when I scraped the skirt a couple of weeks after getting mine. Mine was very minor and in a spot only I would notice so I got a can of touchup paint and fixed that one myself - now even I don't notice it.

I've not had the squeaky steering wheel, I do occasionally have more wind noise than I'd like and my seats seem pretty well bolted down.
 
#115 ·
Oh yes, just came to mind that I have no issue with MyLink, not sure it is better than the VE system but it is fine. I like that it uses gracenote to put the cover art up.

The Sat Nav is fine, just a disappointment that it doesn't have red light camera / fixed radar etc warnings. My cheap little TomTom that I handed over to the Mrs, does.

The climate control is fine too. But I generally just leave it on ac for the temp I want and let it do its thing.

LOVE the sunroof.
 
#116 ·
The Sat Nav is fine, just a disappointment that it doesn't have red light camera / fixed radar etc warnings.
That sounds like a backward step as the VE had that feature.
 
#119 ·
Had a cafe meeting one day last week. Pulled up in the carpark and as I walk out i notice two other white Calais' in the carpark. Both V's and within a few cars - so 3 white VF Calais' within about 6 slots. pretty cool i thought.

Not so cool - got the bumper fixed, picked the car up and the steering is heavy and veering to the left. In a hurry for a meeting with an Exec so I thought id give it a couple of days to make sure i'm not imagining it. Nup I'm not. Ring them up on the Monday, no no nothing we could have done Sir. check your tyre pressures. anyway tyre pressures are fine. so i put it into a dealer for a wheel alignment and added a specific request that they check the steering as well... get it back and the Invoice states "steering outside of spec" (something like that) and adjusted. *** WTF *** anyway, drives much more nicely now. anyone had a requirement to have a steering setting adjustment ?

On the good side - the new bumper looks beautiful.

Not so cool 2 - a few days ago the screen/infotainment unit froze. I couldnt change the radio, volume, put the sat nav on. anything. stopped and resarted the car, no difference. then 5 mins later it just reset itself while i was driving. then the next couple of days id have to reset the iphone selection options everytime i restarted the car. songs, instead of albums; and random on. that type of thing. then yesterday that started working and has kept the steetings now. Weird arse thing. is this something that will happen regularly?

And this morning i clicked past 11,000 kms. Cheers.
 
#120 ·
I would have thought they would have the most recent software update loaded, but it would be worth checking. Do you have reversing gridlines ? I had similar problems until they updated the Mylink software. Gained gridlines and lost weird iphone behaviour.

I just ticked over 23000km in 11 months. Would have been a lot more but I tend to drive the Subaru on weekends and most of my clients have been closer to home in the last 6 months.
 
#122 ·
Yes I have the curving gridlines.
 
#121 ·
Just hit 40,000km in my VF Calais. Hasn't skipped a beat. Time for new tyres though.

Hit a small roo, parking sense dislodged which sucks :(. In a service, mechanic broke something else which is duck taped in place for now. No time to give them my car AGAIN for a day to fix... sigh..

Was test driving Audis for fun the other day, going from the new A6 to my commodore, sure it might be nicer, with some more tech, but I don't feel like I was missing much. The calais certainly drove better. Looks like I'll be buying a second hand 2016 model in a few years :(
 
#123 ·
Glad to hear it.
 
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